Any interest in a 20mm rifle?

[alberta tactical rifle]

Being a true big bore addict I was thinking that maybe I am not alone in this small club. Maybe there are others that might want to have a 20mm rifle? So I got thinking, as we already have a chamber reamer for the 20x138B as well as dies, brass , bullets and such for my L39 Lahti, why not make some single shot 20mm rifles?

My plan is to scale up dimension-ally the 50 cal single shot actions ATRS made years ago as it is simple and incredibly strong and then make a basic chassis for it. Barrels of 48" are being sourced currently.

This will be a small run of very niche rifles and I expect they will run in the $9 to 10K price range, so certainly not something for the weak of pocketbook.

The rifle would look similar to this but much bigger.

 

[alberta tactical rifle]

No kidding, never mind the cost of the rifle...it would make shooting a 50 BMG seem like a bargain.

It would be Very Cool though!

Probably be cheaper and easier in the long run to get a hobby lathe and turn your own projectiles.

Now that would be COOL...but I'm poor, you're depressing me Rick, and right after the joy of dropping a digital hand grenade in "The Mess Tent".

For projectiles 20mm Vulcan practice round bullets that have the drive bands turned down are a cheap alternative.
We will be "turning" solid brass bullets as well.
Casings are the hard part to source but if there is a demand we may look at sourcing a larger quantity.

 

[alberta tactical rifle]

Are you going to package the 20mm rifles with a nice USO SN9 optic????

If so you might have a deal!

IF USO still makes the SN9 it could be a possibility.
Frankly I was less than impressed with the SN9 so flipped mine in favor of a more rugged optic. The elevation was great but the breaking of the integral scope mount got thin quick.

 

[David L]

I'm in

 

[alberta tactical rifle]

Any weight estimation for a 20mm gun, out of curiosity?

100 lbs minimally

 

[Grove]

I recall the Croates fielded a 25mm marksmanship rifle during the Balkan conflict.
Can we own 25mm rifles?

Yes we can, even 105mm C3 Howitzers and more deemed non-restricted.

 

[alberta tactical rifle]

Just curious, would a tripod make sense for this?

Bipod, yes. Tripod, not so much.

 

[alberta tactical rifle]

Please tell me this is for real and is happening.

There IS a very distinct possibility we will move forward with this. Much will depend on who really steps up and puts their money where their keyboard is.

 

[In The Black]

This is brilliant.

In already having a big rifle that's next to impossible to feed, my first question, and usually a silly one:

Does loaded 20mm have the green light to enter the country and be sold to civilians? If yes, is it currently available, and at what cost per round?

The theme of the initial post is obviously reloading.. I see that.

Great idea guys.

ITB

 

[alberta tactical rifle]

I might consider it. Will the dies fit into a 50 bmg press? Or do you need a bigger one?

No as dies are 2.5" diameter. We will make a larger tool head for our ACCUMAXX press. A standard 50 cal press will not have enough travel as a live round of 20x138B is minimally 8.125" OAL

 

[alberta tactical rifle]

This is brilliant.

In already having a big rifle that's next to impossible to feed, my first question, and usually a silly one:

Does loaded 20mm have the green light to enter the country and be sold to civilians? If yes, is it currently available, and at what cost per round?

The theme of the initial post is obviously reloading.. I see that.

Great idea guys.

ITB

Not that I know of. The 20x138B is still being used in South Africa but when I contacted PMP they had no interest in exporting and NARCAN was less than receptive to approve it for import.

So this would be a hand load option only I expect.

 

[Beater]

im in

 

[tjhaile]

I recall the Croates fielded a 25mm marksmanship rifle during the Balkan conflict.
Can we own 25mm rifles?

I don't know about 25mm, but the Croats do build the RT-20 rifle, which is chambered for the 20x110mm Hispano-Suiza cartridge.

 

[alberta tactical rifle]

So what kind of numbers, (power and range), would a 20mm round have? Can we drop moose at two kilometers? I have one of your Modern Hunters on order, this sounds like an interesting partner for it... In May of 1941 the war had just begun, the Germans had the biggest ship that had the biggest guns, the Bismarck was the fastest ship that ever sailed the sea, with guns as big as steers and the shells as big as trees"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20×138mmB

Not really a long range caliber. Typically the sights were crude and beyond 500 yards they were pretty ineffective as an anti tank round with anything other than HE rounds and even then......

 

[alberta tactical rifle]

Remember, you're not shooting a 20x138B. You're shooting $20 dollar bills.

You won't find ammo for that little. Just the projectile is $20.00 unless you use turned down pulled Vulcan bullets, then add in the 1/10th lb of powder per casing, the $1.00 for the primer on top of the $75.00 for the casing.
I figure each shot costs me about $50.00 by the time you take into account casing life of 4 to 5 reloading.
Not a daily driver by any means, but the S&G factor is priceless.

 

[BlkMamba]

There IS a very distinct possibility we will move forward with this. Much will depend on who really steps up and puts their money where their keyboard is.

Sold. This one will do until you produce the 20mm mag fed rifle.

 

[Choke]

While I won't be partaking, I think it's awesome that this could become a reality. Love seeing projects like this put forth. Good stuff chaps. Cheers.

 

[Haakman]

Would this be a limited production run or a build as requested kind of thing? This would be a definite yes for me but probably not until this winter

 

[NavyShooter]

Gentle lord....this would be incredible, but there's no way I can afford to buy one let alone feed it a regular diet of $50 bills.

I will tap out, but my hat is (literally) off to you for bringing this (and so many other ideas) to market in Canada.

This is truly a niche market item, and I hope someday to find a couple of days to pay a visit to somewhere in Canada that I could actually fire one of these!

NS

 

[Stray03]

Have to say the same thing, Love the Idea, but too poor to afford that kind of toy.