.475 x 2" a Marlin

[Johnch]

I have been kicking this idea around for a while

I even when as far as making up a dummy round

I took a 300Win Mag case
Choped it off at about 2.25"
Expanded it to take a .475 bullet
Trimmed to 2"
Reamed enough to take a .475 bullet
Seated the bullet at 2.4 OAL

I see it as a over sized 450 Marlin


OK
The 1 dummy round I made was just a test
The expanding was with a punch and the reaming was done on the lathe
So neither are pretty
The seating was with a borrowed 480 seater die

I showed my dummy round to a retired gunsmith I know
He thinks it should work on a Marlin without any major reworking

I just picked up a 450 Marlin cheap , as the former owner cut 3/4"-1" off the barrel ( bubba'ed with a hack saw)

Now all I have to do is save the cash for a new barrel , die's , reamer for the brass , ect and the gun smith fee's

Your thoughts ?
I figure this should be a proper Boolit launcher
Hopefully a 450 gr boolit at 2000 FPS or so

John

[swheeler]

Should be about a ballistic twin to the 475 GNR

[StrawHat]

Unless you need the extra 3/4" of barrel or want a longer barrel, why not have the existing barrel rebored and rifled? Most of the maching is already done, ie magazine dovetails, sight slots etc so it may save you some $$$. Check the search feature for guys that do this but two that come to mind are Dan Pedersen (Prescott, Arizona)

http://www.cutrifle.com/reboring.html

and John Taylor

http://www.johntaylormachine.com/

J D Jones made a 475 based on the 45-70 case and that cartridge was used on Australian water buffalo (over 2000 lbs) from a Contender. Yours, based on the Marlin case should be about the same.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Chicken Thief]

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm153/Chickenthief/Blandet/ThisThreadIsUselessWithoutPictures.jpg

[Johnch]

Chicken Thief

Sorry

Currently no camera
And I was told that would be a good Christmass Present

John

[bearcove]

A 475 linebaugh long is 1.6xx inches I think. If you went 2 inches you could make it on 45-70 brass and use 475 L dies to load. Open bolt face for 45-70 rim. Someone makes a 475 like that don't remember who. Maybe wild west guns.

I have thoughts like that too. But I go shoot my 45-70s with heavier loads and forget for a while.

Now I have a 475 L so I'm thinking again.

[frankenfab]

+1, I would go with the beltless version if you are going to buy a barrrel. I have always wanted to mess with the 475 WWG or 50 Alaskan thing myself in a lever gun.

[greywuuf]

there was also one or two 475 SOCOMs made SOCOM being the long 50 Ae style rebated brass round that fits in an AR the most common are the 458 variety and starline makes brass for that, it uses a rebated rim with the standard 308/-06 bolt face.

[Johnch]

Errrrr

I am going to quit thinking about this
As i am in information over load mode , soon my head will explode


First things first

I save more cash and then talk to the gunsmith

John

[Erebos]

I was reading about .458x2" American recently, and wondered to myself if anyone ever did a .475" version. Then I found this thread. Great minds think alike, I guess.

What ever became of this project?

[petroid]

What ever became of this project?

Shot once, dislocated shoulder, shelved...lol

[scaevola]

Okay, now I want to hear more; details and pictures of the build too.

Shot once, dislocated shoulder, shelved...lol

[paul h]

Several years back a guy at the range had a 475 GNR and it had feeding issues. Based on that and wanting to get reasonable velocities with 450-500 gr boolits IMHO the 348 win would be a better parent case than either the 45-70 or belted mag. There is something to be said for a bit of case taper to get a round to make it's way smoothly from magazine to chamber.

[Blackwater]

I've never done this, but I think Paul is onto something with the case taper thing. Big guns are generally meant for dangerous game, and NOBODY wants to bobble feeding a 2nd round under dire circumstances. Ballistics, bullet wt. and dia., and such are good, but functionality is GREAT when it comes to the really big guns. Why do you think the African PH's paid all that money for those big H&H and other custom rifles and doubles? I think functionality is nearly EVERYTHING on any "big gun." But that's just me, of course, and it's certainly true that "nothing ventured, nothing gained." These are just the kind of projects that tease us until we get like the robber in Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry," and we've "just gots ta' know!" Anyone who's of any experimental bent has been bitten by this particular bug, and most of us have answered it in one fashion or other at times, usually with varied results, and even get a very pleasant surprise now and then in the mix.

The only flies in this particular ointment seem to be the fact that cutting more metal away in the 1895 action weakens it, thus making it more "iffy" at the normally safe load psi. levels. Thus, we're really in a position of a sort of point of diminishing returns. If it were me, which it ain't of course, I think I'd look for one of the Win/Browning 1886's, and go with something on the .348 Win. case. Then too, if it were me, I'd probably go with the .50 Alaskan, simply because I've never owned a .50, but again, that's just me, and everyone has their own visions, desires, aims and curiosities.

I do think you're doing a very wise thing by asking about your idea first. Sometimes that saves us a lot of grief from others. There's really nothing new under the sun, and somebody somewhere has probably trod the ground, or at least parts of it, where these urges tend to make us want to go, and knowing the layout ahead really helps get the best possible results.

Might be a good idea to call WWG and see if they can and will discuss feeding problems they've had with their version of the .475. Might save you a lot of headaches and wasted time and money, and put you onto something that might work better, function right, and be a real pleaser when it's completed. Research always preceeds good work. Let us know how it works out, or if you change directions. I think these things are very interesting, and I'm sure I'm not alone.