Reeder Custom Guns - Roman and a buddy were shooting Sunday afternoon

So I asked them to shoot my .450 GNR forming "blanks" using about 70 gr. fast pistol powder and a tuft of tissue. They form quite well using about 1/2 a square of TP to hold powder inside. A FL .348 Win. case expands and gets into the barrel throat a couple mm, which I trim.

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They make a BIG flame at 1:00 p.m.! A ferocious blast that rattles my face. It put Roman's friend behind cover and he refused to shoot a blank! lol

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I use this LEE gizmo to chuck any case from .22 Hornet to .510 in my lathe. I cheat trimming cases and use the machine's indices to get it just right. With a bit of finesse it works fine.

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that did not quite form correctly into .224-32FA (Job would snatch himself bald making those). They had splits, some telescoped, etc. I decided to shorten them into .32 Longs and a few into .32 Shorts that were worse than the others. Well, the shorts at least, seem too thick that far down, just a few thousandths. I was getting really problematic case mouth belling for the bullet. The RCBS dies would not do enough for even a .309" bullet. My universal expander was not doing it concentric.

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Sometimes the Bear gets YOU. Tomorrow is another day.

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He’s such a nice guy I wanted to check it out, support him a little. I bought a M97 at dealer’s cost. It was a 7.5” with action job and laminated grips. I didn’t like the scope mounts available (aluminum) so I modded a steel DDT base for a M83, using two screws on the light recoiling rig. Bob saw it special mount from across the room and beat a trail to inquire! I liked getting his goat. I hated forming them from .327, a horrid experience trimming and fire forming. Bob disagreed with me but I made fine working ctgs. from a single pass .32 H&R case. No trimming and one fire form shot. When Baker objects I take note but it worked fine for me. He wanted to do a .257 version on the .327 but I urged .32 H&R. GNR came out with the .250 GNR on exactly that. A superior option in my view. I guess Bob got on a different project. Sort of a modernized .25-20 Win., shorter and stronger.

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way back. I've never met his dad but I can see Bob must be a lot like him. He is highly regarded. Bob had the prototype FA2008 at the Y-O, it was .375 Win. and later 6.5X55 Imp. A fellow shot a young Eland with the .375 and factory ammo. I ordered one to as did Bill Firman, both in .375 Win. knowing full well what we'd do later.

I got mine the week before an AK Black Bear hunt, bone stock with 15" barrel and I handloaded some 230 gr. Hornady JSP with H332 to around 1950 fps. The case was full up with powder. It shot well but was sort of muzzle whippy and the Single Action grip was not the easiest to hold onto with 5 lbs. of gun jumping around. In AK I saw my first wild Grizzly from about 20 ft. actually two of them. Smaller adolescent 3 yr. old's but still a 7' Bear. I decided I wanted more gun right then! I carried my Encore in .440 GNR Magnum from then on. Back home I had Gary shorten the barrel to 12" and fit a 2" muzzle brake on it. That also effectively shortened the overall barrel length by 1" as I whacked it on everything close in AK. I also had GNR re-chamber it to .378 GNR. THAT was enough gun. I shoot the 260 gr. Accubond BTSP or Hornady 270 gr. JSP at 2300-2250 fps respectively. I shot a Sika deer and Red Stag with it so far. Recoil is almost more than I need, but I can manage it. I'd not let just anyone pop it off without due warning. Bill Firman was humorously quiet about that detail on the .378 GNR FA, I quickly found out. The trigger guard is oddly tiny too but I have small hands anyway. It's not a bad gun and unique.

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and a custom one, Firman's for sure
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With Mr. Oliver, whom I net at the Y-O through Gary. He had a game ranch in MO close to Kansas City. Mr. Oliver loved that farm and was accidentally run over by his wife pulling a batwing bushhog and killed. His youngest son Ben, has a sports bar in KC which is adorned with Mr. Oliver's African game heads as motif. He was President of the NAHHA branch of SCI for several years before it dis-banded with the Y-O splitting up.

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The Freedom Arms size compared to an Encore.
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But there is limited mass to manage recoil. Just because you can might limit the "should do". Muzzle brakes and added scopes really help. The gun takes many cues from the Merrill and RPM designs without copying them too much. The locking bolt on top, extraction, and hammer ignition (earlier Merrill single shot) compared to the dual spring internal RPM designs, that have that horrid thumb safety lever system, are most noteworthy.

I wish Bob the best and I like mine. Too much invested to turn back now, she's a keeper! Had I not had it Reederized I'd likely have lost interest by now.

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In 378GNR!

I couldn’t be happier with a gun than I am with that one. Wish I had taken it to Africa at least once, but the fates weren’t with that.

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a true gentleman and good friend to boot.

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Roman and a buddy were shooting Sunday afternoon

Today with my nervous tension I took some .327 Fed.

What do you have chambered in the FA?

Bob Baker was promoting it at the Y-O and

That's how I got a FA2008 too, he's Gary's friend from

here is one of them, Bill Firman's I think.

My FA2008 Custom put to good use...

more FA 2008

Strong for it's size, locks both top and bottom

That FA 2008 Is a wonderment.

it would be hard to find a nicer guy than Bob Baker