Nickudu,
Is your buddy a professional baseball player named Epstein? He claimed some high velocities for the .375 Epstein, which was the .300 WinMag necked up. You would have to use a long magazine and seat the bullets out to .375 Wby length, to get such velocities, but then might as well get a .375 Wby with readily available brass. You ain't gonna get those velocities in a short-mag.

Will,
The .375/.338 or .375 Taylor will indeed equal a .375 H&H of equal barrel length. But indeed no source of properly headstamped brass. I have an FN Mauser with a 21.5" barrel and it will easily get 2400fps with 300 grainers.

Build that .416 Taylor featherweight first. At least you can get the Quality Cartridge headstamped brass for it, and it appears that Midway is starting to carry the QualCart stuff. You could drive over to Columbia MO and pick it up anytime.

RIP,

I am just thinking about it; like I need another rifle.

If this 416 Taylor works out, it should come in right at 7 lbs. If it does, all will be right with the world, and I will then be able to give up the search for the perfect DG rifle!

If you really want a short 375-caliber the 9.53 Lazzeroni Hellcat will get you 2600 fps with a 300gr Nosler...at least mine does and it has a 23" barrel......a necked up WSM will probably get you 2500 fps which is the "standard" factory 375 H&H load (actually more like 2475 fps in most guns).....Mark Bansner will build you a very nice Hellcat on a short-action CRF Model 70....50 rounds of brass will last you a life-time as I've used some of mine more than 10 times (annealing every 4 time) and the primer pockets are still tight.

Will,
I would be very curious as to your recipe for a 7# bare weight .416 Taylor. That sounds interesting.

Action?
Stock?
Barrel contour and length?

You might be interested in a Kimber Montana in .308 Win as an African Mouse Rifle or North American Sheep Rifle: 5# 2oz. bare, stainless and Kevlar. I have verified the weight myself.

A 7# .416 Taylor would make a fine African Sheep Rifle.

Douglas makes a 12" and a 14" twist stainless Premium barrel in sporter contours #4 and #5.

Dan Lilja might flute a #5 contour 14" twist .416 barrel, but I don't know how much weight could be taken off the #5 without exposing the rifling. Would it be any better than a #4 non-fluted anyway?

Is the cut-rifling of a Krieger any better than the button-rifling of a Douglas or Lilja barrel? And then there are plenty of hammer-forged-rifling barrels that shoot fine.

Any info from you on barrel weights as the project progresses would be appreciated.

I reckon I am .416 crazy and would like to lighten up a .416 Taylor too. I can understand you are crazy like a fox.