Congratulations Tony "TDX" Harper

Bill Calfee

Gun Fool
Congratulations Tony "TDX" Harper

Friend Tony "TDX" Harper:


Congratulations on your 2017, IR-50 Outdoor 3 Gun National Championship, plus, your big "Champ of Champs" win.

Your friend, Bill Calfee

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PS:

By the way, that Lapua you shot simply killed it in TDX's Eley chamber.
 
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Yeah, congrats Tony.

You overcame a severe disadvantage, trying to shoot Lapua in an Eley chamber, and won anyway.
 
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Friend Tony "TDX" Harper...

Congratulations Tony "TDX" Harper

Friend Tony "TDX" Harper:


Congratulations on your 2017, IR-50 Outdoor 3 Gun National Championship, plus, your big "Champ of Champs" win.

Your friend, Bill Calfee

__________________

PS:

By the way, that Lapua you shot simply killed it in TDX's Eley chamber.


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Friend Tony "TDX" Harper:

I apologize, but, I forgot to mention that this is your 3rd IR-50, 3 gun National Championship...

Please forgive me....


Your friend, BC
 
Most interesting.....

Congratulations Tony "TDX" Harper

Friend Tony "TDX" Harper:


Congratulations on your 2017, IR-50 Outdoor 3 Gun National Championship, plus, your big "Champ of Champs" win.

Your friend, Bill Calfee

__________________

PS:

By the way, that Lapua you shot simply killed it in TDX's Eley chamber.

________________________________


Most interesting.....

CYA friends:


If I'm the number two ammo company, and my goal is to become the number one ammo company, there's one thing I would absolutely never do...

I wound never design my ammo, so it could not be shot in the chambers designed for the number one ammo.

Can you imagine an ammo company that's trying to become number one, telling its potential customers, that they'll have to re-chamber their guns before they can shoot my ammo......

No, I can't either.


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After Chuck "Deuces Wild" Morrell kicked out what is the most outstanding example of the late Lapua's accuracy, with that mind bending 750x65X at the triple crown...( yes, 65 X's )

And then Tony "TDX" Harper winning the 2017, IR-50 Outdoor 3-Gun National Championship at Ketlefoot yesterday........

And both guns with full on "Eley chambers", it kinda puts to rest the odd notion, that you must have a special chamber to shoot Lapua.


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One other comment.........


Both TDX and Deuces Wild use Muller 4-MI barrels......

A 4-MI barrel allows the absolute maximum length of engraving possible......

So in both of those fine Muller's I cut the absolute maximum length of engraving possible, save for room for the CL to develop.

And there's one other important point......neither of these two chambers has been touched since I cut them.


Your friend, Bill Calfee
 
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Bill!

What are "small caliber" & "big caliber" of those Muller 4-MI barrels?

Diameter groove & diameter bore ?

BR, Timo
 
Friend Timo

Bill!

What are "small caliber" & "big caliber" of those Muller 4-MI barrels?

Diameter groove & diameter bore ?

BR, Timo

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Friend Timo:


The Muller 4-MI on Deuces Wild is a very early one.....groove diameter is around .2216" at the muzzle....about .2219" at the chamber end.

( I have no good way of checking bore diameter, accurately.)

TDX is kind of a unique deal...

Dan Muller sent me an unlapped 4-MI......and even before lapping it was about .2218" groove diameter throughout the entire length.

I do not like to go over .2220" at the muzzle.......so I only had a couple of tenths to work with during my lapping, before the groove diameter went over .2220" at the muzzle...

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So I turned every trick I know in lapping, to keep from going over .2220" in the grooves at the muzzle.

And I came close......TDX is a full .2220" in the grooves at the muzzle.....that is if one squeezes the micrometer pretty hard....cough cough...

And at the breech, chamber, it's around .2222-2223"......

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I was afraid I was too big, until I tested it.....

I'll never forget the first range test of TDX.......

That thing was so amazing that I called Tony from the range and told him, " Tony, you point this thing right and you'll kill it anywhere you go".

I believe Tony kicked out a 2320 PSL agg, and won, at the PSL at the Barn that first year....

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So there's about .0004" difference in the groove diameters of these two Muller 4-MI's....

Which means they use two different engraving lengths....although, both are Eley maximum.....

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Friend Timo, every rifling style, and bore and groove diameter, has its own requirements as to engraving length....( full engraving length)

One can't engrave a 6 groove, traditional rifled Douglas, for example, as much as one can a Muller 4-MI.

Because the Douglas displaces so much more of the bullet than does the Muller 4-MI.


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So all of the talk about engraving to such and such length is just that, talk.

Every barrel, depending on rifling style and measurements, has it's own requirements as to maximum engraving...

In the case of TDX and Deuces Wild, they both have maximum engraving........save for the room needed for CL growth.


Your friend, BC
 
Thanks Bill!

Our "home made" barrel project is beginning and we takes good barrels measurements and thats why I asked from you measurements also.

We have now possibility to button rifling and there is coming lot of fun.

I promise to send to you first group shooted with our "home made" barrel.

Hopely you have 20 " monitor on yours computer that all fliers can be seen-:).

You can undertand of this picture that we have lot of work to do.

BR, Timo

Very beginning.jpg
 
Friend Timo

Thanks Bill!

Our "home made" barrel project is beginning and we takes good barrels measurements and thats why I asked from you measurements also.

We have now possibility to button rifling and there is coming lot of fun.

I promise to send to you first group shooted with our "home made" barrel.

Hopely you have 20 " monitor on yours computer that all fliers can be seen-:).

You can undertand of this picture that we have lot of work to do.

BR, Timo

View attachment 1391

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Friend Timo:


Looks like you guys are getting serious.

How many lands/grooves do you plan on....?

And, are you going to use traditional rifling or "trick" rifling?

The reason I'm asking is this:

The bore and groove diameters will vary according to the type of rifling, along with the number of lands/grooves.

Your friend, BC


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PS:

If I had a perfect specimen of each of the currently most popular RFBR barrels today, and could have only one, which would I choose?

(Probably 95% of folks would answer, either the Muller 4-MI or the Shilen Ratchet.....and for good reason, look at their records)

But I would choose the Muller corrugated 8.....

For one main reason:

I have never seen one of them washed out in the breech..............

Yet all of the Muller C-8's I have seen, including the ones I've lapped myself, have perfect tapers, breech to muzzle.

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I have seen examples of every other RFBR barrel we used today, with washed out breeches...

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Producing the base, buttoned rifled barrel blank, correctly, is the first stage.

Lapping makes them shoot.


Your friend, Bill Calfee
 
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In the beginning 4-MI.

Button riflings weakness is to get constant rifling.I mean that twist rate is everywhere exact 16 ".Not somewhere 15,9" or somewhere 16,1" or so.

My friend has done work to get it in control.

This is very intresting project and as you have said sometimes, we also try with few tricks to cheat "mother nature".

As I said, coming lot of fun.

BR, Timo
 
In the beginning 4-MI.

Button riflings weakness is to get constant rifling.I mean that twist rate is everywhere exact 16 ".Not somewhere 15,9" or somewhere 16,1" or so.


My friend has done work to get it in control.

This is very intresting project and as you have said sometimes, we also try with few tricks to cheat "mother nature".

As I said, coming lot of fun.

BR, Timo

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Friend Timo
:

If you guys do a 4-MI like the Muller, here's what I believe would be the best "as buttoned" specs:

For non-jig lapping: Grooves .2210" and bore .2160"

If you jig lap: Grooves .2215" and bore .2165"

Remember, these are "as buttoned" specs, before any lapping.

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Timo, these specs apply if your "as buttoned" bores are of the quality of Muller, Shilen, Broughton or Douglas.....yes Douglas.

Your friend, Bill Calfee

 
Hi Bill!

Target is 2220/2170 after lapping.

Is there any sense to try to make to one barrel about 400 mm (about 16 ") STRAIGHT by lapping and then rest of barrel (10 ") little conical to muzzle?

I mean speed of bullet is on peak about 16" "mark". Then sealing maybe "needs help" from conical part???
(Is wax going easier to muzzle also?).

Normally people try to make 0,01 mm (0,0004") constant conical from chamber to muzzle.

BR, Timo
 
Friend Timo

Hi Bill!

Target is 2220/2170 after lapping.

Is there any sense to try to make to one barrel about 400 mm (about 16 ") STRAIGHT by lapping and then rest of barrel (10 ") little conical to muzzle?

I mean speed of bullet is on peak about 16" "mark". Then sealing maybe "needs help" from conical part???
(Is wax going easier to muzzle also?).

Normally people try to make 0,01 mm (0,0004") constant conical from chamber to muzzle.

BR, Timo

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Friend Timo:


A story:

When Ed Shilen contacted me back in 2007, about how to improve his rimfire barrels, one of the issues I discussed with him was the way I taper lap.....

At some point Ed then said, " I believe that a perfectly uniform bore, breech to muzzle, will produce the absolute best accuracy possible."

I then responded to Ed this way, " Ed, I totally agree with you, now do me a favor, please make me ten of those perfectly uniform barrels".

Ed thought for a minute, then said, " Yes, I see what you mean".

So Ed Shilen started taper lapping his rimfire barrels, and the rest is history.

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Timo, here's the point:

If you could produce a perfect 16 inches, then taper the last ten, it probably would work about the same as tapering the entire length of the bore.

But, if that first 16 inches isn't absolutely, perfectly uniform, it most likely will not work.

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So the safe thing to do, is to taper the entire bore, breech to muzzle.

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And by the way, .2220" x .2170" is probably as perfect as we can get, with the diameter of the bullets and the .225" chambers that we use today.

The Muller 4-MI on TDX, that Tony Harper just won the IR-50, 3-Gun Nationals with, is exactly those dimensions.

Your friend, Bill Calfee


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Man this thing is stout.....Tack Driver X......."TDX" for short.

Beautiful 10-X action, and that wonderful Muller 4-MI at .2170" x .2220"...and that classic "Pippin"..

And the number of Big Nationals TKH has won with "TDX" is simply amazing....

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TackDriverMuller4-MI.jpg
 
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