.375 Mauser build, your thoughts

[eka]

As some of you have noticed, I have been yammering away about a troubled Mauser in Win. 375. I would like to hear from you about reaming this to another, more Mauser friendly caliber.

This is the platform: a DWM 1908 action, mated to a McGowen barrel chambered currently in .375 Winchester. It has a nice walnut stock and a nice trigger.

Here is the shortlist of possibilities that has gone through my mind:
.375 Whelen Improved
9.5X57
.375 Hawk
.375-338 Winchester
This is not by any means all inclusive and if you have another caliber in mind, fire away.

The .375 Whelen Improved is the current front-runner. I must admit, it just seems way cool to have a rifle that marries both Whelen and Ackley, but I have some concerns about that one. I would probably have concerns about the other one's as well if I knew more about them. As far as the Whelen Improved, I'm a little concerned about the sharp shoulder and feeding issues. I'm not planning on hunting dangerous game with this rifle, unless you consider the Eastern Whitetail dangerous game :-D. So, feeding as it pertains to saving my life is not the issue. Just decent and reasonable feeding. I also was concerned about the magazine size of the 1908 action and it's compatibility with the listed cartridges. I tried some standard 30-06 rounds in the magazine and they will work, if that tells you anything.

I was thinking of using Z Hat possibly for the rechamber. Came across them through an Internet search. Seemed they were doing exactly what I was interested in, but I know little more than that about them. Any experiences good or bad with this firm. Any other suggestions?

Dies, wish I had sat down first before checking on these. Looking at CH Tool and Die for these. The reason is that I can get a full length die set and a trim die for about what I can get the two die set at the next most reasonably priced place (Graf's) $78 and $32 respectfully. RCBS is running about $145.00 for the two dies only. Anyone have any experiences with CH dies. Or, do you have any other suggestions on where I should check for these.

I am just throwing around ideas. If I'm off base as to what I'm trying to do with what I have to work with, by all means tell me so. I'll appreciate it and my wallet will too. A lot of questions I know, but I also know there's plenty of experience here to set me straight. I haven't much money tied up in this current Mauser, so if the smart money is on just forgetting it and moving on, that's OK too.

Thanks,

Keith

[madcaster]

Keith,
I have been wanting one as well,in .375/06,no NEED mind you but usually just wanting one is reason enough!:coffeecom

[frank505]

I would lean toward the 375 Whelen/ Ackley. Was forced to take an 1895 Winchester and dies in this caliber last night and cant wait to start some load work. I would pay the extra for the RCBS dies, ch4d dies you will not be happy with. I bought my 505 Gibbs dies from ch and am very unhappy with them. Yes I have spoken with ch and got nowhere. Gonna make my own, right now I neck size with a 500 S&W size die and actually have neck tension. It may take some work to get FLAWLESS feeding but you can do it. 338/06 Imp has a bigger shoulder step and my Mauser 98 will feed any bullet I can load in the magazine, inluding a large meplat cast designed for the 33 WCF. Z-Hat does good work and he is a decent man to do business with.

[scrapcan]

EKA,

Remember that your bolt face has most likely been altered to the .506 rim diameter of the 38-55 (or 30-30 for that matter). Some of the the cartridges in your possibilities list have head diameter of .473, the belted mag case is .532. The magnum case can cause some issues also.

Just thought I better relay that you will either have to open your bolt face more for belted case or weld and recut face or find a new bolt for the change to accept the 473 case head..

I say that you should see if you can find someone to help get the old beast in 38-55 up and running or if you would like a 98/22 in 8x57 in full dress (not pristine but could make a good donor) to make a sporter out of give me a holler and maybe we can trade.

the 38-55 would an interesting bolt gun.

[FN in MT]

I've played with rifles for forty years now. So have formed some opinions.

One thing that took me several tries before it finally sunk in......but I've found to be quite true about 99% of the time........ "CUSTOM means LOSE MONEY". And running closely behind that realization; "Wildcat chamberings are tough to sell". UNLESS You find that other guy who thinks YOUR idea of the perfect rifle is also HIS idea of the perfect rifle. Problem being...THAT guy generally has no money to buy said rifle.

What about losing the .375 barrel and rebarrel in something a bit more pedestrian (cheap dies). All sorts of classic ctg's You could pursue; 6.5x55, 7x57, 9.3x62 etc.

You mentioned concern over the price of dies....that to me speaks volumes. I'd move on.

FN in MT

[fourarmed]

Very few Mausers were made for rimmed cartridges. Does yours refuse to feed? You might try to get it to feed the .375 Win before modifying it further.

[Pepe Ray]

As FN and others have stated here,"It all depends on how much money your prepared to blow!"
I'm a cheapskate by some standards. I wouldn't touch anything with a belted case. Also, I'm not convinced that you've adequately established the status of the bolt face and it's size capacity. Strikes me that it may be the crux of your whole problem. To me, chambering a lever action cartridge in a Mauser is akin to putting panty hose on Joe Namath. For some a great entreprise but yuch! to me.
Your listed choices are good ones as well as Z-Hat. He's had a lot of experience with the various .375-'06 firearms, as enumerated in "Rifle Magazine".
I envy you your problem. One needs such problems as therapy in these troubling times. Keep us posted.
Pepe Ray

[eka]

The .375 Winchester was someone else's not so well thought out idea for a proper build for this Mauser action. I picked it up at the local gunshop for a real good price, thinking a .375 Win. Mauser would be a neat gun in a caliber that I already cast for, load for, and like. Not knowing or thinking about the rimmed case issue etc. and no, it will not feed as is. I'm not a gunsmith and probably not even a really great tinkerer :-D (is that a word), so I thought, well if I'm gonna spend any money on this rifle, I'd rather have a .375 with a little more horsepower, so to speak. If I continue with this rifle, I have no plans for it to ever see anything other than cast or paper patched boolits (same as every other firearm I own). So, the .375 makes good sense from a cast boolit hunting standpoint, not to mention that it already has a great, probably unfired, barrel on it. The Whelen Improved was my first choice due to the use of 30-06 parent brass and the ability to stay away from a belted case. I understand the improved shoulder is to facilitate headspacing, but I also know this may lead to feeding issues as well.

As with any project, whether your building a house or a rifle, cost management is an issue. I don't mind spending money on a project if I am able to make wise and informed decisions that will ultimately result in a nice functional rifle that I can be proud to own. It's not that I'm trying to avoid spending money, it's that I'm trying to avoid spending money foolishly. That is always a risk when you get over into unchartered areas you haven't been before. In this case, building a rifle using an old Mauser action in a wildcat caliber.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by the die cost, I have a couple of competition seater die sets that are pretty pricey as well. The die cost is not a deal breaker for me. I take care of them and they last forever. Frank, duly noted on CH4D dies.

FN, your right about the inherent resale value of anything assembled from parts in a caliber, which a commercially made rifle has never been chambered for and commercial ammo is not available. I understand this is not the kind of caliber you want to have buyers remorse on. That's why I'm gonna take my time and think it through. I'm just trying to get some great ideas to think about, then I'm gonna shove this thing in the back of my safe and wait until the warm days of spring. If then, I still think this is a good idea, I may go for it. Hobby = Lose Money, the idea is to lose money at an acceptable rate. :mrgreen: My wife says my casting and reloading is the most expensive money saving hobby she's ever seen.

I could rebarrel to another caliber, but I'd have to buy another barrel, pay someone to take this perfectly good barrel off, and put the other one on and still buy dies and try to get rid of this one. The allure of cheaper dies doesn't make as much sense to me as just reaming this barrel. Last count I load for 21 or 22 different calibers and admittedly I'd like to have something outside the norm, so to speak. But, I hear you loud and clear. Normally, you buy quality guns, take good care of them, and most of the time can get what you paid for them back. I understand that probably would not be the case here.

The input is greatly appreciated.

Keith

[madcaster]

Frank505,
You were "forced to take a 1895",do tell us more!:coffee:

[FN in MT]

Take any opinion from ME with a large grain of SALT. I still have the following sitting in the safe; M-70 in .338-06, Lilja bbl, fixed irons regulated for 250 gr slugs at 2500 fps. A 10 pound Rem 700 w/blueprinted action, HS glass stock, 26" #3 contour bbl in .280 Rem Ackley Imp. And a pre 64 M70 with a stock contour Hart bbl chambered in .257 Roberts Ackley Imp.

So I have my WHITE ELEPHANTS as well. LOL.

FN in MT

[frank505]

Well.................. a friend and fellow shooter had this japchester 1895 on 30-06 rebored by Harry McGowen to 375 Whelen Imp and also installed a Lyman 21 peep. Rcbs dies and 50 formed cases are sitting on my kitchen counter(wife is gone until tomorrow). He asked some time ago if I was interested in shooting and loading this cartridge/rifle. I did say yes and mostly forgot about it. He kept after me and brought it over last night. I am uncomfortable with taking this in the field unless he sells it to me, at the range I can can control the environment. He says he has too much in the rifle to sell it(?) but I am gonna presure him for a price, it really is a neat rifle and I love 1895's. Always wanted a 38/55, now it seems I have a 38/55 plus P plus plus on loan. Maybe can learn to post pictures someday and you can see it.

[Phil]

another thing to think about with the rimmed cartridge in this action; you'll have to find and modify a Siamese magazine or make a new magazine box for the action.

cheers,

Phil

[Buckshot]

http://www.fototime.com/7C7D23E1D49E845/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/E763D260E176835/standard.jpg

LEFT photo, from left: 30-'06 w/Sierra Match King, 300gr PSP, 270gr RNSP, 300gr Solid. RIGHT photo, from left: 220gr 30 cal, 352gr NEI, same loaded, 328gr NEI loaded, 300gr solid, 270 gr Hornady SP. As you can see, the casenecks are only partially sized. I use 35 Whelen brass to make the 375.

http://www.fototime.com/7EC0BDD1F8B7152/standard.jpg

LEFT: 8x57 loaded with 210gr Lyman 323471, RIGHT 375-'06 with 300gr Sierra. I managed to cut the top of the photo off.

I don't have any pics of the rifle, but it's a K98 Mauser action scoped sporter, and was barreled and chambered by The Montana Rifleman. The barrel has a 12" twist and at velocities above 1800 fps it wasn't too kind to the Lyman 375449. Up to around 1600 fps it was good. Both the NEI heavyweight cast boolits delivered good hunting accuracy (3") at 100 yards. These were 3 shot groups with the the 352gr at 2125 fps and the 328gr at 2250 fps. The cast slugs were sent to me by a board member, so availability was limited for much testing.

Any of the jacketed bullets easily deliver half that at 100 yards for 3 rounds. Since it's a hunting rifle I figure 3 rounds is sufficient. Besides, I don't relish the punishment. The 270gr Hornady runs 2425 fps, as far as I went. I have 12 rounds (4 heavier loads) that have been sitting on the shelf since 2005. I look at them sometimes when I head to the range, but so far have resisted temptation :-)

IMR4320 is supposed to be THE powder for this cartridge and I've used some of it, but surplus WC852 has pretty much done yeoman duty for me. I wished I'd have bought a ton of that stuff when it was cheap and available.

.....................Buckshot

[missionary5155]

Thanks Buckshot.. I was all content saying to myself... Ive got a 375 Winchester and 38.55´s .. If I need a bigger gun I can get out a 45-70 lever action...
That is one good looking cartridge. I cannot imagine not having a mold warmed up for that rifle.

[missionary5155]

Greetings EKA I would go with the 375 - 06.. I just do not know whether the Ackley shoulder is for me. If you stick with the regular 06 you could resize (if needed) the case using standard 06 dies and neck size with your 375 dies. I guess even the Ackley would work to. Just do not touch the shoulder. Better yet when you send the rifle to chamber send a 30-06 die and have it opened with the same chamber reamer. So there No extra dies needed. And you have 375 boolit molds so you are ready. Yep 375-06 !

[eka]

Sounds like you guys are thinking the improved shoulder would not be that crucial to headspacing. I wouldn't be interested in it for any capacity or velocity gain, just possibly a headspacing issue. I'm pretty sure it would make for a slicker feed without it.

Missionary, good idea about the 30-06 die, that away there's no variation between the two. I'll have to keep that in mind and check on it.

Buckshot, your rifle I noticed you made mention had a 1:12 twist, which you felt was less than ideal. The barrel on my rifle has a 1:13. Would that alleviate some of the problems you referenced? It would be less abrupt for sure. What would be your ideal twist? Not, that I can change that, just curious.

Great info. guys and I really appreciate it.

[GrizzLeeBear]

www.stevespages.com/jpg/cd375ruger.jpg

Link doesn't work but if you cut & paste address it will.

Basically .375 H&H in a standard length action and no belt. Dies are standard, no need for custom anything. Just have to have the bolt face opened up right?

[Uncle Grinch]

I too toyed with the idea of building a .375 Whelan or even a .400 Whelan. After much agonizing I decided on the .416 Taylor and have thoroughly enjoyed lobbing those RCBS 416-360FN boolits down range.

[Cactus Farmer]

I build my 375-338 a few years ago, had a 375-06 that just wasn't good in the headspace area so i got me a belt to control it better.......Fun to shoot with lead boolits and deadly with j-word projectiles. All but matches 375 H&H in velositys with mmoderd powders:coffee:.

[Junior1942]

I have a 8x57 38 Turk Mauser still in cosmoline. Why couldn't I have it rebarreled to 375x57?

[nicholst55]

eka: Once you determine what the bolt face is set up for you'll have a better handle on what you can do with it. In a worst-case scenario, you might need to buy a new (as in different) bolt.

If it was me and I wanted a .375-06 of some persuasion, I'd have to think about moving the shoulder forward to increase case capacity, as in a (.35)Brown-Whelen or (7mm)JRS configuration. Granted, in addition to having to buy custom dies you'd need a custom-ground chamber reamer then too, which would increase your costs substantially.

You could also consider utilizing one of the 'new' non-belted magnum cases as the parent case for a wildcat - something based on the RUM, WSM, or SAUM cases. You'd face the same costs as with the earlier options then, too.

[eka]

I looked at the bolt and again compared it to my handy dandy 24/47 Yugo and took some measurements with my calipers. I don't think it has been changed. Looks to still be set up for the 8X57MM.

Cactus Farmer, the headspace issue is a concern for me. I will probably never fire a jacketed bullet atop a full house load in the rifle anyway, but the Ackley shoulder may be worth having. Come to think of it though, I may be tempted to push a paper patched slug pretty hard on occasion if it can be done with decent accuracy. That kinda is the whole thought behind this thing to start with. To extend the range of the cast boolit rifle. I have several 100 yard or so cast boolit rifles 38-55, 44 mag., 30WCF etc., but nothing on out to 200 or a little more while still possessing good killing power.

Junior it sounds like you're starting to get that weird look in your eyes and crazy thoughts running through your head too. :-D Better get someone to hold on to your credit cards until this passes. :mrgreen: That's kinda what I'm thinking I need to do anyway.


Keith

[HORNET]

IIRC,there used to be a European factory round that was basicly a .375 x 57(maybe a 9.7x57?). I don't know that it would have any real advantage over the 9x57.
Along related lines,I met a guy at a gun show about 20 years ago that had a .375-.308 that he was real happy with (except for recoil). He said that the shoulder on the .308 case was large enough to avoid headspace issues and that it shot cast or them heathen coppered things equally well and with the same loads.

[scrapcan]

Well if the bolt face has not been modified that is going to create issues when trying to feed the 375 win or 38-55.

Have you done a chamber cast yet to see what chamber this really is? Maybe the original gunsmith did not get to opening the boltface. And maybe he was using a barrel blank that had already been short chambered for the 375 win. Maybe it was intended to be a 375-06 all along and the reamer just didn't get used?

when you try to chamber the round does it look like you are failing to close by about the rim thickness? If so then you have found your problem.

If the bolt face has not been altered you are on easy street and will only need to find the correct reamer for your flavor of cartridge based on the 473 case head.

[eka]

Manleyjt,

You're exactly right, the bolt head is why it won't feed as is. It's stamped .375 Win. on the barrel and is a McGowen. By the looks of it, without a chamber cast, the chamber appears to be the straight walled .375 Win. Don't think the original captain of this ship thought this rifle out thoroughly. Realizing it would be easy to turn this thing into something like the .375 Whelen is what started my thought process in this direction. I figured, if I was going to put money and work into it, why not lay all my options out on the table.

You know I'm starting to get the impression that this cartridge probably needs some headspacing help. Absent a belt or rim, the improved shoulder really isn't a bad idea probably. And we're not talking about a huge shoulder anyway. Albeit, abrupt.

Keith

[scrapcan]

Keith,

I think you are on the right track. I think any of hte 375-06 cartridges would be a good one to work with.

You can see if anyone here has a set of 375-06 dies to turn loose of and then make then make up your mind based on available die sets.

I am envious that you have a platform that is part way there. Keep us up to date.

I fyou can find a set of dies you can prbably rent a reamer and do your first chamber, of course many helpers will be right here for you.

[eka]

I don't know if I'm up to doing the ream myself. I'll probably let the guys over a Z Hat do what they do for a living. They'll set the barrel back a turn and rechamber for $159.00, of course I'll have to pay to ship it out and back. Probably by the time I rent a reamer and ship it both ways, it wouldn't be much more than $100 to get Z Hat to do it right. Like Clint Eastwood said "a man has got to know his limitations".

[scrapcan]

cool beans are you going to hget the dies at the same time? I keep threatening to try to look up z-hat when I go through and have not done so yet. Sam efor Glenrock Blueing as I go through both town regularly.

As a side note there are several board members who live in Casper, Wy where z-hat is located.

[eka]

Does Z Hat do the dies too?

[eka]

I have decided on the .375 Whelen Improved. Now, when forming brass from 30-06, would I lose fewer case necks to splitting if I expanded them first in a 35 Whelen Lyman M die?

Keith

[Buckshot]

I have decided on the .375 Whelen Improved. Now, when forming brass from 30-06, would I lose fewer case necks to splitting if I expanded them first in a 35 Whelen Lyman M die?

Keith

................Expanding in a 35 Whelen die might save some brass. I used 35 Whelen brass to start with as the case ends up longer then going from '-06 size.

.................Buckshot

[eka]

Thanks Buckshot. One of the initial thoughts was the ability to use the relatively cheap and readily available 30-06 as the parent case. So, I was thinking a twelve or so dollar 35 Whelen M Die would be a good investment and if it saved some brass would even pay dividends in the long run.

I also was able to locate a used, but like new set of RCBS dies for $75. :drinks: That was a nice surprise.

Keith

[Buckshot]

Thanks Buckshot. One of the initial thoughts was the ability to use the relatively cheap and readily available 30-06 as the parent case. So, I was thinking a twelve or so dollar 35 Whelen M Die would be a good investment and if it saved some brass would even pay dividends in the long run.

I also was able to locate a used, but like new set of RCBS dies for $75. :drinks: That was a nice surprise.

Keith

...................30-'06 DOES work, and actually is no different then using 35 Whelen so far as accuracy goes from what I've seen. My first bunch of brass was 30-'06 which I still have and have no intentions of throwing it away :-)

My dies came from CH-4D and they were a stock item. I forget what I paid for them now, but it probably wasn't much more then $75.

......................Buckshot

[chief3]

I am supprised that nobody has mentioned that the 9.5 X 57 was a standard caliber in the 1910 Mannlicher. I have one and have used it to take about 15 deer. It has a quite a kick with factory level loads ( no , you can't buy factory loads anymore),but I load it at 38-55 HV level with castboolits , of course. I have never been able to get better that 3" groups with that carbine but where I hunt 100 yds is a long shot.

[mstarling]

I have an M70 SS Classic in .375 H&H and have given away a Weatherby in .375 H&H, so don't believe I need another. The .375 is a bit nose heavy and works well on sticks but is not what I'd want to carry up the mountain. Also have a couple of 9,3x62s which are wonderful rifles and kill like the Hammer of Thor.

On the other side I have a CZ550 in .416 Rigby and a .376/.416 Steyr built on a commercial FN Mauser. Both are great rifles each for a purpose.

Happened to come by a Douglas #4 bbl for a Mauser chambered in .376 Steyr. Looks to me like a nice intermediate .375. Being built as a 22" rifle on a 1909 Argie action. Will add custom scope mounts, left side FN safety, a Timney trigger, and rust blue in a Hogue stock. I think this will be a really nice little rifle for bigger North American game in lousy weather.

[madcaster]

So Keith,where ya at on this'un?Must see....:-D

[trk]

Hmmm.
I've got the 35Whelen in a Rem700 1:16 twist - needs faster twist for heavy cast bullets.
I've got the 375H&H in a Ruger #1 - great combination.
and the .375 Win in R#3 and Win 94BB.

I'm really surprized no one's mentioned the .405 Winchester!

[JohnH]

I've had a couple of 375/38's and while powerful they are interesting. First up was an NEF Target in 38-55. After a bit of trouble getting the boolit into the chamber (chamber/barrel size issues that span 100+ years) I got one of the sweetest shooting cartridges I had ever hoped for. Thing was a dream with 250 grainers at 1300 fps. Easy on the shoulder and highly accurate. Step up to 265 grainers at 1900 fps and it still shot just as well and was the deadliest woods cartridge I have ever used. Thumped 'em with all the authority of the 45-70, but didn't thump me. The the action began to go south (A common problem with NEF's I have owned) and I parted ways with her. The most important note to make is that the barrel was a 1 in 18 twist. More on that in a moment.

Next up was an Encore barrel in 375 JDJ, the 444 Marlin necked to 375, of particular note it is a ballistic twin to the 9.3x57, the European 375 diameter.....Things that make you go hmmm...Barrel would shoot jacketed as fast as you cared to push them. I clocked the Hornady 200 grain FP at 2400 fps, 2200 with 265 grainers was easy. Like the 45-70, the question really was how much punishment could your shoulder take. But cast boolits were not that barrels cup of tea. In fact, even at 1400 fps good groups with cast ran in the 2" arena, and stepping on the gas only made matters worse. I fired over 2000 rounds of cast through that barrel and it only got worse over time. The barrel and I parted ways. Now the interesting part, It was a 1 in 12 twist.

Many conversations here and with others have convinced me that the twist was at least part of the problem. (Some barrels simply won't shoot cast) So, if you are going to have a custom barrel made, consider well the type bullet you are going to shoot. The 1-18 twist is quite user friendly and will handle jacketed to 300 grains just fine. 1 in 12 was really intended for 375 bullets of 350 to 400 grains. (in it's early inceptions the 9.3-375 caliber was concieved as a light heavy game rifle, the 9.3x63 is still considered to be a fine buffalo gun in more than a few circles....)

My first thought was that you should get the rifle feeding properly before changing anything. It should be the least expensive way to enjoy what you have. The 375/38-55 is a very enjoyable chambering. It has exellent case volumn for plinking or hunting. Once you have the gun feeding right, if you are not satisfied with the 375 Winnie, then step up to the 375 JDJ, aka 375-444. This will allow a simple rechamber since your bolt face already matches the rim, and refitting a barrel chambered in a Mauser based cartridge will require refitting a bolt as well. Above all I would check the rifling twist as that will determine how verstile your barrel will be.

One more thing, In my conversations and research, several owners of the Big Bore '94 Winchesters in 375 swore by their guns ability to choot cast. Those are 1 in 12 barrels..... At 50 years of age, I'm not nearly as inclined to have a bruiser on my shoulder as in years past. It was quite an epihany to realize how much recoil a 265 grian bullet at 1600 FPS makes once I began to shoot 25 caliber 120 grain bullets at 1800 fps. I must be getting wussie these days ;)

[Larry Gibson]

Back to the original thought on a Mauser action barreled to .375W; the problem there is one of feeding the rimmed .375 from a standard Mauser magazine. How about a jap 6.5 Arisaka action? They are hell for stout actions and really not bad when sporterized. The magazine is desined for the semi-rimmed 6.5 jap cartridge. Mine feeds 30-30s quite nicely and I've given some though to rebarreling it to 30-30 with a 14" twist. I'm now rethinking that to .375W. Any thoughts?

Larry Gibson

[David2011]

I have a commercial Mauser action and .375 barrel that a friend started building. He became unable to continue to gunsmith and gave it to me. I got a new .375 H&H reamer with it. THe .375 H&H is a rimless belted cartridge. The action has to be opened up slightly for the large cartridge and the magazine box has to be lenghtened. It's isn't horribly difficult but needs TIG or someone very good with a torch to do the magazine box mod. The bolt face is opened up. I wish it hadn't been. I would build it onto something '06 based. The commercial bolt was manufactured with the handle at a downward angle to clear a scope. It's a nice action with the commercial Mauser logo where we usually see a country's crest.

All that being said, the Mauser action is far more adaptable to somethingX57 or something-'06 than the large cartridges. Once you go to the large cartridge you can't go smaller because the bolt has been opened up.

--Just my 2 cents.
David

[badgeredd]

I have a 8x57 38 Turk Mauser still in cosmoline. Why couldn't I have it rebarreled to 375x57?

Junior,

Funny you should mention that, I was thinking that one might see if a 9,3x57 or 8x57 could make an acceptable wildcat.

Also was thinking that due to the rim diameter, one could take a 356 Winchester case (a bottle necked case that SHOULD feed fine) and neck it out to 375. One could likely get a set of 358/356 dies modified fairly inexpensively for it too.The nice thing about the 356 is the rim isn't so much larger than the head of the case. The case I just measured has a .500 diameter rim and a .465 head diameter.

eka,

Several years ago I built a 375 Winchester on a Mauser 98 action. I can load 4 rounds in the magazine and it feeds fine. It will not feed the fifth although it will take the cartridge in the magazine. I DID HAVE to do some modifying and developement work (with the assistance of a gunsmith friend) to the magazine and follower to get it to work. Honestly, I doubt that I would do it now, too many easier projects, but then it was to see if I could do it. I have some pictures of the magazine that MAY help you to find where your problem lies, if you want to try to get it to work right. It can be done. I'm just not sure I'd do it again.:-D

Also I recalled that P.O. Ackley had something about the 375/06 or 375 Whelen in his books. I looked it up and he didn't give it any bad press as he usually would if headspace might be a problem. He did slam the 400 Whelen for the headspace problem though.

If you're interested in the pictures please PM me and I'll get them to you either here on in you email, whichever you prefer.

If I can help, I'd be happy to.

Edd

OOPS, my bad. I see I somehow missed a whole page!!!!! If the bolt face hasn't been modified, you're good to go with the 375 Whelen in either form. Sorry I just wated your time.

[flounderman]

if you are worried about enough shoulder to headspace on, the .284 has the same capacity as the 06, in a shorter case and with the 06 rim diameter. a regular magazine would benefit from the shorter length case. might need to anneal the cases, because I have to pull a bunch of 6.5-.284 loaded cases down and anneal them. it is ruining too many cases, with new brass. might have to set the barrel back a thread or two to clean up the chamber

[eka]

Well, I bought a set of RCBS .375 Whelen Improved dies a while back. Santa brought me some goodies also. My stocking had a new brown Kick-Eez recoil pad, Leopold one piece base and rings, and a new scope. The stock has been striped and is ready for the recoil pad and an old school hand rubbed oil finish. After my wallet recovers from Christmas a little, it's off to Z Hat for the ream. She's still chugging right along.

Since this rifle adopted me. Another has shown up on my doorstep, literally. A buddy of mine came to me carrying a 1891 Argentine in three pieces. Some dude he knows had inherited it from his Dad when he passed and decided a good place to store it was in his outbuilding. The bolt was rusted shut and it looked like it had been recovered from a shipwreck. Then this fellow took the screws out and lost them. :confused: My friend brought it to me and said here is a free rifle. I felt like I should pay him a scrap metal fee. I never thought I would see the day that I would consider turning down a free Mauser, but man this thing is a mess, and a smart person would have walked away. I took it to play around with. Actually, aside from it just being a down right shame to let a nice rifle get in a mess like this, it is going to be interesting trying to see how much I can improve it. After I hammered the bolt out, the bore looked fair. After an afternoon with JB Bore Past, it's starting to look a little better. This is a good candidate for the paper patch fire lapping trick. The parts are one at a time going into an electrolysis bath and the results are amazing. As you can imagine, there is a lot of pitting, so I may try my hand at some metal work and rust bluing. Not like I'm gonna screw anything up here and I might learn something in the process.

The best part of the whole deal was the look on my wife's face when she came home from work and saw me looking over this mess. I turned to her and excitedly exclaimed what a great deal I had gotten on this extremely rare rifle. Then I told her I had only given $500 for it. I could see the blood draining out of her face as she just stared at the rifle trying to determine where someone would think it's worth anything, much less $500. :mrgreen: Finally, I let her in on it. Heck, the look on her face was worth something :-D. Her final words on the whole thing was something on the order of trying to bring Lazareth back from the dead.

So, this poor orphan rifle has taken some time away from the .375 Whelen Imp. project, but now I'm back on track with my Christmas loot. Stay tuned for more on both of these.

Keith

[Euan]

I have a 98 mauser that is chambered to 9.5x57 ackley. It is a fine cast bullet hunting rifle. It has taken Red deer, fallow deer, wild pig and many feral goats, with cast loads. It has a douglas 1 in 12" twist 375 cal barrel.
I use mainly wheel weights. Use a CBE 378-230gc for lighter game, Lyman 376449gc & CBE 376-300gc for heavier game. The velocity is between 1800 & 2000fps. The sweet spot seems to be around 1850fps with my ww brew.
I have also used a 20 to 1 alloy mix with paper patched bullets.
The round has been preforming very well on al animals that I have used it on. The 375 cal is one of my favourate Cast Bullet hunting calibers.

[eka]

Euan, that's some great shooting. I'm gonna paper patch with the RCBS .375 mold using WW. My barrel has a 1:13 twist. You guys with more understanding than I when it comes to the effects of twist rate, jump in here and tell me what you think I can expect from this twist rate. Not that I can change that at this point.

Keith