Anyone have a load for fireforming 450 Watts cases from 375 H&H Brass? Your help would be greatly appreciated.


By the way, the rifle is an HB Anderson 450 Watts on a P17 Enfield action. I picked it up on a small shop in East Texas for a steal.

It holds 4 down and feeds empty 375 cases smoothly. I can't wait to take it hunting.

Jeff Collins

You are better off getting some Hornady basic brass, straight cylinder H&H head: size it in the 450 Watts die and trim to 2.840".

Your max brass length is 2.850". Fireforming the .375 H&H brass will shorten it quite a bit. You will probably wear it out before it grows to full length.

If you want to use short brass, getting a rebated cast lead bullet with .375 caliber base and .458 caliber foreshank is the cat's meow.

Go fire three rounds of standard .375 H&H in your .450 Watts, measurethe resultant brass and see if you want to live with that. I forget exactly what the result is, maybe 2.790" as Jack Lott might have settled on 2.800" for that reason.

Have you rattled a few .375 bullets through your barrel already?

Jeff,
shoot me a PM and I'll tell you my receipe

A .375 H&H case, any LR primer, 18 grs. Unique on the primer, fill the case to the mouth with cornmeal, tamp a quarter square of toilet paper on the cornmeal with a wooden pencil. Hold the rifle vertical and pull the trigger. Fireforms the case completely but, it will be short as RIP stated, probably as much as 3/32".

I'm with Dr. Ron, just get Hornady basic brass, it's good brass, and I'm at a point where the novelty of fireforming has worn off. You could also use 458 Lott brass, as the lott is essentially just the Watts shortened to 2.80".

What masterrifleman said. It works perfect