I attended a shoot this week and got the low down on a new joint venture that will result in match grade brass and loaded ammo in .416 Barrett caliber.
Now the .416 Barrett is an awesome caliber, but it has always been very hard to get this caliber to shoot accurately. This problem has been solved with the introduction of this new brass and loaded ammo. The ammo carries the correct head stamp.
BMT (Ballistic & Mechanical Testing) in Melbourne, Australia has teamed up with McMillan rifles to produce this stuff. BMT runs a state of the art ballistic laboratory in Melbourne and has done all the testing and development of the ammo and brass.
The brass is custom made to specifications to handle high pressure and constant reloading. It then undergoes a full match preparation process where the inside of the neck is lathe turned to match the chamber dimensions that McMillan produce for their .416 rifles. I was told that total neck to chamber clearance on loaded ammo is about 0.003".
The inside of the case necks undergo a process where they are polished and treated to provide a consistent bullet release. Primer pockets and flash holes are uniformed as well.
Powder and load testing was conducted in BMT's 25m indoor range to develop a load with the lowest ES, high velocity and soft recoil characteristics. This lab has velocity and other test gear worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The loaded ammo shoots the 450 grain Rocky Mountain bullet.
During the shoot this week I got to see this ammo in action out to 1400 yards and it is very accurate.
Stocks of this loaded ammo in Australia will be provided by BMT but McMillan will be importing the brass into the USA and having it assembled by a small local manufacturer in the US. As far as I know the new brass will also be available in the US from McMillan.
The loaded ammo................
Some of the McMillan .416 rifles in action out to 1400 yards.
Now the .416 Barrett is an awesome caliber, but it has always been very hard to get this caliber to shoot accurately. This problem has been solved with the introduction of this new brass and loaded ammo. The ammo carries the correct head stamp.
BMT (Ballistic & Mechanical Testing) in Melbourne, Australia has teamed up with McMillan rifles to produce this stuff. BMT runs a state of the art ballistic laboratory in Melbourne and has done all the testing and development of the ammo and brass.
The brass is custom made to specifications to handle high pressure and constant reloading. It then undergoes a full match preparation process where the inside of the neck is lathe turned to match the chamber dimensions that McMillan produce for their .416 rifles. I was told that total neck to chamber clearance on loaded ammo is about 0.003".
The inside of the case necks undergo a process where they are polished and treated to provide a consistent bullet release. Primer pockets and flash holes are uniformed as well.
Powder and load testing was conducted in BMT's 25m indoor range to develop a load with the lowest ES, high velocity and soft recoil characteristics. This lab has velocity and other test gear worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The loaded ammo shoots the 450 grain Rocky Mountain bullet.
During the shoot this week I got to see this ammo in action out to 1400 yards and it is very accurate.
Stocks of this loaded ammo in Australia will be provided by BMT but McMillan will be importing the brass into the USA and having it assembled by a small local manufacturer in the US. As far as I know the new brass will also be available in the US from McMillan.
The loaded ammo................
Some of the McMillan .416 rifles in action out to 1400 yards.
