Back in the early 70's I felt the need for a 375 H&H. I was looking for what I precieved
"the all around rifle". Based on the type of hunting that I have done in the past and what I planned for
in the future.
I chose a Ruger #1 Tropical. It has been tightly chambered with a long throat that has proved to
be an advantage in allowing a very broad range of bullets and seating depths. As with so many other
375 H&Hs, this caliber in my rifle has proved to be quite accurate. I believe that the choice I had made
was a good one and have never regreted doing so.
The 375 H&H is a powerful cartridge in the factory loadings. So much so, that most North American game
doesn't need that kind of stomp.
To make the 375 H&H as flexable as I had wanted, I would have to handload for it.
My experience with handloading began in the early to mid 60's. Bullet selection at that time was very
limited for many calibers, so casting one's own was the order of the day as well, if a body wanted to
experiment or just shoot alot.
At first, the Ruger got a diet of mostly jacketed bullets because as hard as I had tried, I could not get
cast boolits to shoot with any kind of results other than bad. PMO!
I'm not the kind of guy that gives up easily on anything that I figure has merit, and cast boolits have
plenty! How to make them work for me was the question.
I have a copy of the NRA's publication on cast bullets, and the articles on paper patching bullets
sparked an intrest in me. If a 300 Winchester could drive a paper patched bullet with success, why
couldn't a 375 H&H do the same.
Information on paper patching, other than that mentioned above, was scarce and to a large degree
still is.
Determined that I would give this paper patching a shot, I would just have to wing it and make things up
as I went along.
My first intent was to find a mould in 375 designed for patching. I have seen adjustable paper patch
moulds in old Lyman literature, but Lyman doesn't offer them anymore.
I went to many gun shows looking for such a mould with out much luck. I did find a number of moulds
in usable shape, but they were the wrong caliber. Prices were very high as well because they're antique
collector items then as now.
I did study the moulds that I came across very carefully and in my minds eye I figured that making one
was definitly within my capability.
The mould that I turned out is made of 316 S/S. It is adjustable from about 170 grains to about 360
grains. I also made 2 nose forms, 1 in a semi wad cutter configuration with longer nose and the other in a
2 1/2 radius spire point. To get the final dimention for the bullet, I cast some bullets and lapped some. The
bullet's cast diameter dimention is .369". This is with using a 30-1 mix.
At this time type writers were still widely used and coming by 9 pound onion skin paper with a 100% or 25%
cotton content was easy. 2 wraps of this paper gives me a finnished diameter of 380".
The 380" diameter is snug in my rifle's throat so I made a push through, nose first sizing die similar to
what LEE is offering now. I first lubed the well dried patch with Imperial Sizind Die Wax ( not getting any on
the bases ) then sized with a resulting diameter of .377". The patched bullet has now a burnished apperance.
The semi wad cutter nose form makes for a really fine deer load out to about 200 yards with all shots
well under 5". Diven at an average of 2000 f.p.s. by 50 grains of IMR 3031 the 30-1 lead mix wants to turn itself
inside out without fragmenting much at all. The paper patch is sliced by the rifling and is shot out like
confetti. I have NO leading that I can detect.
I still use this mould today at times but now I have been using an RCBS 2 cavity 378-312 BPS that is alot
faster to cast with.
My supply of onion skin paper has dwindled and a new source of paper needed to be found. After looking
for and buying ( spending much $$$ ) many different types of vellum and tracing papers I found the MEAD
ACADEMIE tracing paper #54200 to be quite consistent form lot to lot. A quality not found with the other papers
that I tried. The MEAD has good wet strength and shrinks well. It has been working well for me! A 9 x 12, 40
sheet tablet as found at WAL-MART is just a bit over 2 bucks. Since, I have found a site on the WEB
selling 9 pound onion skin. It is called "The Paper Mill Store" [url]http://www.thepapermillstore.com/product.php?productid=9304 a 500 count ream of 25% cotton 9 pound onion skin is at this writing $18.97 + S&H.
I have not tried it as of yet because the MEAD tracing paper has worked so well for me and WAL-MART is
right handy.
I mentioned earlier that I am now using the RCBS 2 cavity 378-312 BPS mould. Yes I know that it is a
groved bullet designed to be lubed naked. Casting it from my 30-1 mix and patching with the MEAD gives a
dried diameter .386" and then lubed with the Imperial Wax then sized in my sizind die to .377". Driving this
with the same 50 grain charge of IMR 3031, I am getting very fine results in lack of leading and in the way of
accuracy.
If anyone is interested, I could explain my method of preparing the patches and rolling them on. I see that
my method varies quite a little from the way I have seen others do it. Like I said, I was self taught and what I do
now works for me..... I guess that"s all that really matters!
Your Servant,
The Dust Collector 9 SEP 07
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