I'm wanting to shoot some reduced loads out of my 375 H&H. I would like to use cast bullets to do this with but I have a few questions. I mostly want to use these so that I can improve my offhand shooting abilities.

What kind of accuracy can I expect? Where can I find some load data for store bought cast bullets and where is a good place to purchase them from? I found beartooth bullets online and one load for there bullet but would like a few options. Is filler needed when shooting reduced loads to ensure proper ignition?

Lastly is there a downside to shooting cast bullets?

Thanks in advance,

bluecollar

BC -

This last winter we worked on reduced lead loads for our 375HH (got tired of only having full house loads to shoot). The results are on our website [url below, look under levergun studies/data (ya, I know a Rem 30s isn't a levergun, but we needed somewhere to hang the data)]. We used OrgnTr's 240gr rnfp un-gaschecked. We tried 22 powders, 5 PW each (110 loads in total). The loads run btwn 900 and 1300fps. We shot 10 shots groups at 50 yards, where the best groups ran just over an inch, the worst a couple inches.

Hope that helps, and do shoot straight,
greg
www.gmdr.com

I haven't loaded for the 375 H&H, but did work up a good mild load for my 350 Rigby, same case sans belt and smaller bore. I haven't done much load work because I found 14 gr Unique would push a 200 gr gc pill to 1400 fps, and print 5 into 1" at 50 yds, which was good enough. I even ran a 10 shot string over the chrony, and found the es to be all of 20 fps. I don't have my load notes handy, so am not positive what primer I used, I believe CCI 250. I don't use a filler, and considering how consistant the velocity is, no need for one.

That should get you in the ball park for a 220-240 gr bullets.

Let me begin with the warning: "Don't try this at home".

You will notice that .380acp and .223 family cartriges are .375 in diameter.

4-5 grains of Unique under the .380 case (mouth forward) will put it right through a 2x4 the thin way and easliy 1/2 to 2/3 through the thick way. Cuts a CLEAN hole too.

Western Bullet Co. has 375 bullets for sale at reasonable prices. http://missoula.bigsky.net/western/ One of the bullets they sell, Lyman 375296, is a good bullet for your 375H&H. I've used any of 4895, Varget and 4064 with good results. I've used dacron filler with 4895 loads but I'm moving away from using it by increasing the pwoder charge slightly. It doesn't seem to be necessary with the other 2 powders. It's not too difficult to get 1900-2100fps with 1.5" groups at 100 yards. That makes a good deer load.



Oh yeah, I forgot your question about downside. One downside is you'll shoot your rifle a lot more. You'll spend money on cast bullets for your other rifles. Eventually, you'll spend too much time and money on casting and casting equipment. Your wife will roll her eyes and grumble everytime you dive off the sidewalk to retrieve a wheelweight lying in the gutter or cart home another bucket full of scrap lead.

My wife, bless her heart, bent down and picked up a wheelweight for me off of a rain-wet hospital parking lot as we were on the way in to admit her for surgery a couple of years ago. I carried it around in the car for a while, but I finally melted that sucker down and cast it.

Now that's a woman to cherish!!!

I shoot cast in my Ruger No.1 all the time, over a thousand rounds per year for the past 14 years! I last shot jacketed a year after I bought the rifle. Bullets are cast from the NEI 375-280-RNGC. Velocities range from 1400 - 2600 fps. Ranges are 50 Metres to 1000 yards. Accuracy? If I go over 1.5 moa I know I am doing something wrong. Most accurate load is with the plain base version of the above bullet, 16 gr. GreenDot (or any of the other flake shotgun powders), MAGNUM rifle primer (important) gives 0.6 moa all the time! Please note this rifle is as it came out the box and is with a 4x 'scope.

My most used load is 57 gr. of VV N140 that gives around 2200fps.

Problems? Only that I have to shoot the rifle a lot in order to use up the bucket full of bullets I cast every summer and the 3 or 4 kilos of powder I buy every year for it. Tip: Invest in a Lee collet die set; that way your brass will last and you wont have to waste time case trimming. I neck anneal my cases about once every twenty reloads.

Blue Collar. My pet cast bullet load for the .375 H&H is 49.0 gr. of IMR-4895 with w one grain tuft of dacron to hold the powder in place. Bullet is the RCBS 37-250-FN, which I imagine is supposed to cast out at 250 gr. Mine casts out at 270 gr. which is fine by me. Accuracy from the bench runs from 1.25 to 1.50" at 100 yards. Recoil is roughly in the 30-06 range. velocity" Yah got me there. I've has so much fun shootin' those loads that I've never bothered to chronograph them. Maybe I do that the next time I go to the range. I'm estimating somewhere around 1800-1900 FPS.
I've loaded those rounds in twenty Federal brass cases about 20 some odd times now. Cases are neck sized for four loadings, then annealed and full length sized carefully to not move the shoulder back.
I use these loads now, mostly for offhand and rapid reloading practice in my Ruger #1 Tropical.
Paul B.