Quote Originally Posted by Outpost75 View Post
The .375 Flanged 2-1/2" was a popular chambering for Lee Speed sporters in the African colonies before WW1. This link has good info: http://www.lee-enfieldrifles.com/nitro.html

The .375 Flanged Nitro Express (2 ½), as it is correctly called, was introduced as a black powder cartridge for use in single shots and double rifles.
The Nitro version was introduced in 1899.

Dimensionally, it is a slightly longer version of the .303 straight case. The .405 Winchester shares the same basic brass; so the .375 Nitro Express, could also be viewed as the .405 Winchester shortened slightly, and necked to .375! At one point the round was even chambered by B.S.A. in their sporter series Lee-Enfield Rifles.

We are proud to re-introduce this grand old British cartridge and give it a new home. We recommend you build a rifle on the stronger #4 action. When loaded with smokeless powder and housed in this action, the nitro express makes a very good cartridge for African plains game at moderate ranges. In North America it will make an awesome guide gun!

It feeds very reliably from the Lee-Enfield Magazine. Bullets with a good ballistic coefficient and reasonable velocities make the cartridge clearly superior the .45-70!!! Check out the ballistics page and decide for yourself!!!

Kynoch is currently supplying new cartridges with the correct head-stamp or you can easily make your own from .405 Winchester brass.

For our Canadian customers, John Rempel will be building Nitro Express Rifles in addition to the 45-70 conversions he is currently producing. He can also supply you with dies and brass. Call him for the details!!!

Wikipedia description: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.375_F..._Nitro_Express

Discussion on the ASSRA forum: http://www.assra.com/cgi-bin/yabb/Ya...num=1233469576


Discussion on the British Militaria form: http://britishmilitariaforums.yuku.c...6#.WA47leUrLcs

no need for a No4 action at all , BSA built sporting rifles on the earlier a mle , le1 and mki ,mk ii and mkiii actions in 375 x 2 1/ 2" , 7mm , 8mm . All within the pressure limits of the actions .
Just dont need 2500 - 3000 fps velocity. I have 2 x 303 sporters built by BSA before 1900 that are in excellent condition and accurate . My reloads chronograph between 1920 and 2150fps .