Just to answer the enveiable questions the 375-308 is useful because:
1. 2400 fps and 200 grains will drop anything in North America with proper bullet construction(Big Meplat Flat Points - Elmer Keith style).
2. 2100 fps and 270 grains is almost 458 territory.
3. 308 is cheap and plentiful - bullets made by every major manufacter.
4. Short Action rifles are easy to carry
5. I won't fell guilty shooting at PA whitetails with one. (Deer in Pennsylvannia go about 150 pounds(+- 40) or approximently 70 Kilos(2.2 pounds per kilo?)
6. The 375-308 has a firepower advantage over 376 steyr and the upcomming 375 WSM (It'll be coming, marketed as ultimate elk/bear round no doubt, they might even skip the 338, to avoid self-canibilism). Magnums handle 3 rounds, 308 based cartidges hold 5.
7. It shouldn't need a long barrel to get up to speed. Magnums(other then the 458 and 375 H&H due to case freakyness) really need 26 inch barrels. A 20-22 inch barrel will burn most of the powder.
8. No messing with feed systems. If it feeds 308, 243, 358, 7x57, 8x57, 257 Roberts, it'll feed the 375-308.
9. The recoil would be managable. I personally adore rifles that I can shoot 50 to 60 rounds and not feel sore.
10. This whole class of cartidges is discontinued in production rifles. I'd put it in the 375 winchester, 348 winchester, 358 winchester, 35 whelen class. The closest things out right now are 444 marlins, 450 marlin, 45-70's, 338-06(big bucks in the weatherby). Either the others are not availiable in bolt rifles, harder kicking, more expensive, not loaded to potential etc, or throw bigger bullets slowly. We have no mid-calibers in the USA!
11. Similar things have been done with some success. The 375 NE Rimless has near the same case capacity, there is the 9.5x57 that is extremely similar and another Malincher-Schocher round that's in there too. These rounds all failed bescause they where from the cordite days and were never loaded to potential with modern powder. Thank God for IMR 3031!

The only points you make that wouldn't be met by this course of action would be about the action size and magazine capacity. If I were you I might just get the Winchester Model 70 Classic Stainless in .375 H&H Mag. (rather light for a .375 to begin with), cut several inches off the barrel, and develop appropriate loads. Wouldn't have the mag. capacity but if it's that great a cartridge how many times will you have to shoot?

0. Does it make sence? Yes, if it pleaces you it does!
1. I presume you allready presumed proper bullet placement.
2. NO, it would NOT. However, the 458 can be loaded to 375-308 levels, soo if you consider that 458 territory... It gives NOT the correct picture of the 375-308 vs 458WM relationship. Sounds mostly like marketing spin.
3. I would avoid using .308 bullets in a .375 bore no matter how cheap they are.
4. No doubt!
5. Would be a great one at the distances the shooter can handle with the rainbow trajectory.
6. I�d rather have enough in the first shot, than having to maintain fire.
7. Yep!
8. You should check this out before doing any "damage" to the action. "Big Meplat Flat Points" can be tricky, pointed bullets would work better.
9. Yes!
10. They just wont sell.
11. Yes!

I have been calculating the operational parameters of a 9,3mm-308 for a friend as a close range moose round. It is very close to your 375. I would recommend an improved case to get both better head spacing and some additional grain of powder. The 3031 would be about right. It is something very special to shoot ones own wildcat.
Good luck! AKI

Another alternative would be to use the .307 (or .356) Winchester case, which is nothing but the .308 with a rim. Feeding from some standard magazines might be a problem, however.

I believe J.D. Jones already created a .375-308 wildcat, though I don't know what shoulder angle it has. He called it the Jones Rhino Stomper or something equally cute just to have some fun. It provides approximately .375 JDJ ballistics in a smaller case at higher pressures.

I think it would be very useful in the Pa. deer woods, providing big holes without destroying too much meat, and it would not require a premium bullet to work correctly. The 270 Hornady should be just about perfect, and would work on deer/bear/boar/elk.

Contact JD at SSK industries in Ohio; Wintersville, if I remember correctly.

[This message has been edited by BigIron (edited 06-05-2001).]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ralph:
Why not use a .358 dia. for better SD.
Ralph

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Actually the SD is within .001 at 250 grains, something to do with the flat bases verses the boattails in the whelen bullets.

For a better idea of what your idea can do, I'd look at 358 data, and then would think that the larger bore may give an extra 100 fps with the same weight bullets. There is a big caveat, and that is, that you need appropriate powders for that to happen. This may actually be a big monkey wrench in the works, as some of my guestimated wildcats have proven to not be as good as I would have hoped, because the appropriate powders didn't exist. Basically, look at what powders work well in the 358, and then consider ones a tad faster. You may be in a no mands land, dunno, but something to consider. Maybe someone can run the #'s in quickload and see what it predicts.

If you could launch the 260 gr Nosler at 2400 fps, it would be a dandy round, though that might be a tad optomistic.

The "bigger" rounds are smaller caliber? The 35 whelen is the real competition in my book. The 348, 358, 444 marlin, and 375 winchester are obsolete, and in some cases the bullets are getting scarce. That's what scares me about a 35 cailber as the rifles(under the $ 1200 number) are all discontinued.

As for my near a 458 thats a 350 grain factory load out of a 20 inch barrel that ends up testing in the 2100 FPS range. A number of sources have identified the 458 loads as being overstated.
There are some 250 grain loads that make 2200 fps out of a 358 at 50,000 cup pressure with 41.5 grains of 3031 which will fit in the 375-308.

Actually my most pressing concern is headspace. The 308 isn't as tapered as the 30-06 which should help. The 35 degree shoulder sounds about right.

Just for histories sake, what I'm trying for is the equivelent of the 375 NE Rimless, which is what forced H&H into the 375 H&H because continental rifles from Mauser, Malincher et al where cutting into their Mid-Calibers. They released a 375 with a belt at approximently 30-06 lengths and couldn't beat the 375 NE Rimless they upped the ante. Of course the 375 NE Rimless never had the powder development that our current rounds do. Neither cartidge was intended for elephant, rhino, or hippo! Those were big bore game. Really if the Brits thought a 4000 FPS 375 whould have been a good elephant round they would have built it. I'd even build a 9.5 NE if the cases wheren't $50 for 20!

quote:

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Originally posted by Paul H:
I think you are confusing BC with SD, the smaller bores always have a higher SD for the same bullet weight.

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Ops, I was comparing the following
270 grain Speer 375 BT Spitz-SP - SD .274
with
250 grain Speer 35 GS-SP -SD .279

and
235 grain Speer 375 SSpitz-SP - SD .239
with
220 Grain Speer 35 Flat-SP - SD .245

Must have got my wires crossed but thats not much of a difference, think the creature would notice?