Hunting 375 Wby cast reduced loads

[rp85]

Good evening:

Would like to use 375 Wby with cast bullets for deer hunting with a max range 100-125 yards. Cast bullet is a Lyman 375449 clone, weight is 285 grain gas checked.

Get groups (measured) of less than 1” at 1400 fps with 15 grains of Red Dot. Fast enough? Goal is to have a good hunting load and not lots of recoil. Powders on hand are IMR 4198, IMR 3031, Alliant 2400 and Red Dot.

thx.

rp

[Mk42gunner]

Should work okay, what you have is basically a .38-55 equivalent. A soft alloy for expansion would be an advantage in my opinion.

Robert

[Outpost75]

Your Red Dot load sounds good. In .375 H&H my friends and I use same bullet without GC, cast 1 to 30 tin-lead, with 13 grains of Bullseye, NO GC, NO filler, for 1300 fps. This load well proven and has killed truckloads of game on four continents over 50 years, from deer to elk, moose, impala, waterbuck, red and fallow deer, sambar, boar.

A PH I knew well in SA used this load extensively for commercial hunting for biltong to avoid shooting out the barrels on his working guns. He used common Euro shotshell powders and worked up charge to avoid leading loading bullets as-cast with no gaschecks, as those are expensive. Used beeswax and olive oil 50-50 for pan lubing. When zeroed for factory 270- grain softpoints at 250 yards the cast "biltong load" shot to the scope at 50-90 metres and was perfect for any plains game under 250 kg. with good shot placement.

[Good Cheer]

The cast bullet deer cartridge I wildcatted in the early 80's uses #375296, almost the same as #375449. The criteria for a hunting load was flat enough shooting and sufficient accuracy for hunting at 200 yards. I ended with 2" at 200 yards with over 2000 FPS at the muzzle. I've taken deer with it both close range and far. It works just like it was 'sposed to.

Now, my cartridge is formed from 45-70 brass. With the Weatherby you got oodles more case capacity to work with and should be able to w-h-o-o-s-h those boolits down the tube without ever putting them into any deformation that would be injurious to accuracy. I'm thinking that with a really good quality lube and a relatively soft allow you could shoot further, flatter and straighter than mine does.