Coyote Guns loan-a-barrel By Jeff Bright (jeff b)

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Sara Hart
5 years ago
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Coyote Guns loan-a-barrel By Jeff Bright (jeff b) http://specialtypistols.infopop.cc/eve Coyote Guns is owned and operated by Paul Dustin.

Some are standard chamberings you would see from T/C, and some are wildcat cartridges like the 30x444, and the barrel I tested, a 35x444.

He does the turn down, the lug welding, the hole tapping and the chambering in his shop.

1 Coyote Guns loan-a-barrel By Jeff Bright (jeff b) Coyote Guns is owned and operated by Paul Dustin. Some of you may know that name if you ever purchased wildcat brass from him.trading as Dustin s Brass. Paul has gotten into the manufacture of Contender barrels, and now Encore barrels as well. Some are standard chamberings you would see from T/C, and some are wildcat cartridges like the 30x444, and the barrel I tested, a 35x444. His is a one-man operation, meaning he produces these barrels all by himself. All his blanks are by Green Mountain. He does the turn down, the lug welding, the hole tapping and the chambering in his shop. A lot of us have seen his barrels on the various auction sites, and his prices are very competitive, considering that he is marketing a better quality as far a chamber dimensions and available chamberings. Presently, I have seen them on Gunbroker, Auction Arms and Ebite. Most have a buy it now price of between $210-$240. The Encore barrels have not been out long enough to be on the auctions, and orders are taking up to a month. I contacted Paul at the beginning of September and asked about loaning a barrel to test and do a follow up article on for the members of SP. I know we just drool over new things, and another barrel maker just adds to the exciting world of competition. I opted for the s.s., 15 35x444. I already had most of the components for the testing, i.e., brass, boolits & dies. He happily agreed to allow me the opportunity to do the test. I received the barrel less than a week later. Now, some info on the barrel itself: It arrived packed securely in a cardboard tube..ala someone else quite a few of us are familiar with!!!! It included the empty case with which was test fired in this particular barrel. This would give you the fired dimensions of the case, and in this chambering since 2 sets of dies are used 358 Win. to form and set the shoulder, and the 444 to size the web and de-prime, it was valuable to show the exact location on new brass where to stop the neck forming to get a crush fit and have no headspace concerns. All barrels are marked on the lug the following info: barrel diameter, twist and barrel number. Mine showed as being barrel number 132, and only the third s.s. barrel Paul had done to this point.

2 The outside of the barrel has the chambering in plain numbers 35x444, and there is a neat stamping of Coyote s Guns logo top dead center just in front of the scope bare location. All barrels are drilled and tapped for a 6 hole scope base and have Bellm s heavy lug spring installed as well.

are much neater and cleaner..rivaling T/C s weld, which I think is very nice.

3 The outside of the barrel showed some rough welding of the barrel to the lug itself. Paul has told me and posted on SP that he has refined his welding and since this was an early barrel, his present ones are much neater and cleaner..rivaling T/C s weld, which I think is very nice. There are machine marks that were rough and not cleaned up on the chamber end, and the crown was a little rough as well. Paul has again let me know that his techniques have improved with time and practice.

We all like to get what we pay for, and a barrel not only has to look good for the money spent, it has to SHOOT as well!! Now, on to the initial loading and testing.

4 We all like to get what we pay for, and a barrel not only has to look good for the money spent, it has to SHOOT as well!! Now, on to the initial loading and testing. I started with 50 once fired 444 Marlin cases that were cleaned and de-primed. I set the 358 die to size the neck and shoulder just short of the fired case dimensions. I was able to make small adjustments so that a lite snap of the action seated the first 50 cases. For the first testing I would use Hornady s 200 gr. Spire Points. I had none myself, but a good friend from SP came to the rescue..but only if I mentioned his name in the article!!!! He sent me a box of 200 s, as long as I paid for the postage.lol.does this give you a clue? He is none other than the ANTI-JEFF, Kyly Virgin aka Kyode. Thanks dude for the help!!! Well, I started with Re7 as the powder to try first, and decided to load 25 cases with 43 gr. to start and 25 more with 46 gr. There was no ramping, just 2 loads. I seated the bullet to where the base was level to the base of the neck, which was just below the crimp groove. I did have some 358JDJ load data to use as a base, and started a little low and work up. This 35x444 is pert near the twin of the 358JDJ, without all the pomp and circumstance. Load data from the JDJ info showed a max charge of Re7 for the 200 gr. bullet to be 47 gr., and the velocity to be 2250 fps. 43 gr. of Re7 yielded 2340 fps, and 46 gr. yielded 2460 fps!!! That is way higher than JDJ ballistics and cannot all be attributed to 1 extra inch of barrel. At 46 gr, the cases were occasionally sticking, so I ll consider 45 gr as max. That should be close to 2400 fps, or a little over! Most impressive. Accuracy was outstanding for this barrel as these were the first 50 shots out of it after the 1 shot that Paul ran thru it. I did not clean the barrel once during these fifty rounds, and I shot the first 25 in a row, stopping only to reload and aim/shoot. I went to another few guns, then came back and did the same routine for the final 25 rounds. To say this barrel was hot after each series was an understatement!!! Could feel the heat coming off of it and way too hot even to touch.

This time, the powders used were again Re7 and IMR4198 as well. 46 gr of Re7 yielded an average velocity of 2520, and cases just fell out!

5 Here are the pix of the first targets: A week later, I decided the same routine using the 180gr SSPB from Hornady. No ramps here, just speculating what a max charge would be using the previous outing s data. This time, the powders used were again Re7 and IMR4198 as well. 46 gr of Re7 yielded an average velocity of 2520, and cases just fell out!! Load data from the JDJ version lists 47 gr as max, and the speed out of a 14 barrel at 2307! That is incredible velocity. IMR 4198 proved even more amazing. Loaded those up with 46 gr as well, and the avg. speed was an astounding 2630fps!!!! Cases fell

right out, put the primers were a little flattened, so that load can be dropped a grain to 45 as max. JDJ data shows a max load of 4198 as 47 gr, and the velocity at 2389 fps.

6 right out, put the primers were a little flattened, so that load can be dropped a grain to 45 as max. JDJ data shows a max load of 4198 as 47 gr, and the velocity at 2389 fps. These are incredible numbers from this barrel, plus using less powder to boot. I did not save the targets from the 180 s.duh.but these were not nearly as good as the 200 s shot the week before. Mayhaps it is the fact that they were being driven at an incredible velocity coupled with the fact the there is less bearing surface that the 200 s. Obviously, the 180 s need to be tried again, but with a little less powder to see if that helps the accuracy as well. I will also add a third powder to the mix.h322. I will also add that this barrel is mated to a G2 frame. I am not trying to hotrod these loads, I am finding out what the max is for this barrel/frame combo. Think I have done that for Re7 on the 180 s and 200 s, and IMR 4198 on the 180 s. The rest of the setup was a Ga Jim big snobby forend/herrett style grip and Cayle s rest. If I am going to test a barrel, might as well use the BEST equipment for the job!!!! Start with the best, and get the best results If this barrel was not going to be a shooter, I did not want to have any questions regarding the rest used or the furniture being the cause. I must say that although stout in the recoil department, the Herrett grip from Jim was amazing. My full palm absorbed the recoil and had NO problems shooting 25 rounds at a clip. Yes, I did get tired towards the end, but could not detect a flinch from the upcoming jolt. It was a real pleasure. The added weight of the Stratton base and the longer snobby forend did help with the muzzle jump, but again, easily manageable for this cannon. For the final series of testing with the 180 gr. SSPB s, I loaded down the charge of Re7 to 43 gr., and used AA2520 as well, loaded with 50 gr. I also have 10 loads with 180 gr. non gas-checked casts, again donated by SP s first aluminum subscriber sheesh, this postage is killing me!!!!! I loaded these with a charge of 36 gr. Re7. Here are the results:

8 Here is a pic of the setup for the final test. I swapped the Big Snobby forend for a Ga. Jim target forend to give it more stability on the bag. Just want to be sure if this barrel will like the 180 s or not. Personally, I prefer the 200 s for this chambering, but want to be thorough as well. Testing is complete, and as you can see, the 180 s shot much better at a little slower speed. Interesting that the AA2520 load had more recoil even with a slower velocity.must be the extra 7 gr. powder being burned. The cast 180 s from kyly shot terribly.patterns instead of groups, and those clocked in at a little over 2000 fps. Mayhaps some gaschecks will help this. All in all, this was a fun test. Many thanks to Paul Dustin for allowing me the use of the barrel to do this. Even though the barrel was lacking on its appearance, it has proven to be a shooter. I am sure that if it was braked, group size would decrease a little more. I can give my recommendations to Coyote Barrels..as long as it is of the later serial numbers, meaning the aesthetics are on par with the pricing. This one is accurate, and I have heard from Neal that his is as well. In fact, I have heard no stories on the www that there have been accuracy issues with Paul s barrels. He offers many chamberings in various lengths which should appeal to many shooters. I would say give him a try. He will guarantee his work so there is a sense of piece of mind if you are not happy with his product. He is a very pleasant guy to speak with, so if you would have any questions, I would suggest calling him first. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did the testing.

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