When I first read about Holland and Hollands new 400 after I finished the article I though what a neat and very sensible cartridge. What I loved about it was that it is a near duplicate of the loved 450-400 that now is firmly trenched in place. Traditionaly the 404 Jeff was regarded as being as the bolt gun variant of the 450-400 round. I would think that the 400HH would make for a very easy conversion from a base 375hh rifle with very little action & feeding changes. Why has this round not taken off? History aside why have people not taken the plunge with this round? Has any one actualy built & shot one?

Tiggertate has one built. I am having one built and expect it within a week to 10 days, if all goes well and the smith stays healthy. 416 Rem mag cases are easily sized and trimmed to make the conversion to 400 H&H. A number of other cases may also be utilized to make the conversion.

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Why has this round not taken off?

416 Taylor, 416 Rem, 416 AR, 416 Rigby, 404 Jeff,..........

Nothing wrong with the 400H&H balistics. Just lots of other choices for a small market. Then there is the cost of dies, fewer options on bullets in .411 vs .416....etc....

Keith

I'm having a take down rifle built in this caliber and am very excited about it. Not really very close to finishing. I have bullets, brass and aktoklat has dies and is going to load some rounds for me. I'm not ready for loads yet but will be some day. My rifle will also be a 300 h&h.

There was some bollocks about the H&H round having lower preassures with the same bullet/velocity.
Probably just rumors and misunderstandings, but still.
It duplicates the .411 Hawk/.400 Whelen, but needs a larger action and has lower magazine capsity.

But a pure beuty of a round. It looks like a .404 Jeffery with a swaged belt, but uses the .411 compared to the .404's .423, and by so uses the same bullets as the .450-.400NE, for a perfect match.

Here flanked by the .375 and .465 H&H:

That's some long neck on the 400, any particular reason for that?

The .400 is a nice round, but in reality its just a 416 Rem in balistics. But so is the .404 Jefferys, its just that the .404 has some nostalgic satisfaction to help it along, and nostalgia is a part of some folks makeup, including mine. Oh yeah, then there is that need for a round with no belt, even if the .375 has been working for over a hundred years.

Bottom line is the .375, 416 Rem. and 458 Lott cover the whole field of DGR's..the rest is opinnion and the great need for power that some feel is necessary, and so be it. What ever blows your skir up!

I have a 400 H&H bbl ordered for my Blaser R 93.
It will be in the standard contour, not the heavier Safari Contour that the 416 Rem Mag comes in. I plan to use it for elk in Idaho.

Where it is rugged country the lighter rifle will be easier to tote.

I plan to load it with 400 gr bullets at @2200fps, just like my 450/400 3 1/4" double rifle.

For deer and pigs I will use 300 gr bullets at @2330fps.

I will be surprised if its around in 15 years.

It will be around as long as Holland's chooses to build rifles for it.

Remember, they aren't particularly interested in mass marketing. They wanted a proprietary cartridge to match the 450/400 that works so well in their double rifles; in that regard that they succeded.

I'm only guessing about motives but the long neck makes for smooth feeding and easy extraction compared to the straight case and abrupt shoulder on a 416 Remington. And since Holland's is steeped in traditon, yada yada yada, they probably value those characteristics when designing a round that carries their name.

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Originally posted by JAL:
That's some long neck on the 400, any particular reason for that?

I haven't tested the theory but I think it allows them to use one magazine box for both the 375 and the 400. Holland's is not only expensive on the sale side but cheap on the production side wherever practical.