Can anyone tell me what the excact case volume (grain H2O/water) is of the 375 whelen AI?

I will measure tomorrow. Do you have a specific brand of case or will what I have be ok? Lynn

Thanks Lynn that would be great, just also let me know which yours brand are

Sorry it has taken so long, I,ve been out on a job. The cases started out as new winchester 270 win cases fully formed and trimmed to 2.415" the volume in grains of water is77.1gr to the top of the neck. hope this helps, Lynn

Thanks a lot Lynn, yes the job comes first as its financing our hunting

What brand are your cases and what is the dry weight of them?

Bjarne, The cases are made by winchester. Fireformed with the primer still in the case they weigh 189.5 grains average of 5 cases weighed. My favorite load is the 260 gr Nosler accubond with winchester large rifle primer and 60gr winchester 748 powder loaded to an overall length of 3.335"this gives average of 2556 feet per second and excellent accuracy. This is not a max load yet does anything this cartridge is capable of doing. Hope this helps, Lynn

Thank you very much Lynn, these are excellent data to get

I'm still in the thinking box of which caliber to make for my Tikka T3 Varmint

Latest outcome from that is a 9.3x64 necked up to handle .375 bullets

Explorer, don't forget the 375 Chatfield-Taylor. I get 2700 fps with mine using the 260gr Accubonds from Nosler. Cases are easily made from 338 Winchester magnum brass. I believe that dies and reamers are also off the shelf items.

Bjarne, "Which caliber to make for my Tikka T3 -Varmint"
-------
Just how big are the varmints in Denmark? The 375 on the 9.3x64 case should be excellent and the difference between 375 whelen AI and it should be slightly more than difference between 9.3x62mm and 9.3x64 any being great for most varmints and slightly larger game

quote:

Originally posted by Lynn Beier:
Bjarne, "Which caliber to make for my Tikka T3 -Varmint"
-------
Just how big are the varmints in Denmark?

We do have a few wild boar in Denmark

Well its a Varmint model from Tikka but I'll use it as a regular hunting rifle, a standard Tikka rifle will be a tad on the light side with 30.06 and .375

I've calculated the x 64 with both .375 and .416 in Qload, with .375 it will at max be simillar to factory loads for 375 H&H, and with .416 be similar to 416 Taylor

.416, now that's a serious varmint rifle

quote:

Originally posted by steph123:
Explorer, don't forget the 375 Chatfield-Taylor. I get 2700 fps with mine using the 260gr Accubonds from Nosler. Cases are easily made from 338 Winchester magnum brass. I believe that dies and reamers are also off the shelf items.

Sure that's a nice caliber, but the trick in this case is to open the boltface from its current 12,35 mm/0.486” to 12,75/0.502” and it can both handle 30.06 and 9.3x64 cases with no problems, but the 06 primer will be striked a little off center

Explorer, now I get it.

Explorer,

Have you considered the 380 Howell. Talk to bitterroot here on AR or Wayne AHR http://www.hunting-rifles.com/

I shoot a wildcat VERY similar. Matter of fact my buddy uses the 380Howell brass as a crush fit in his 380PDK. The capacity is around 76.2 (per Ammoguide I thought it was a little large but don't have one to measure)grs on a 2.6" 06 case. I have no trouble getting 2700 with a 260accubond in my PDK.

Here is left to right a 375Whelen my 380PDK using 280rem brass, a 380PDK using Howell brass, 380Howell and the 375H&H.

AHR sells brass, dies and I believe loaded ammo.

Not sure how far off center the firing pin strike will be...unless it is hitting off center now or the rechamber is cut off center. Reworking the bolt face to use a different case won't affect it, at least not in the several reworked boltfaces I've done.

Most of the iterations on the '06, 270, 280 run 77gr H20 plus or minus a couple grains or a little, more depending...you can get a tad more with the 375 Taylor at ~86 gr H20.

Exact doesn't work too well in this game even with QL, as it depends on the actual reamer you use and what the fired case actually measures. QL is only a predictive program and will only give you an approximate pressure/velocity anyway...don't depend on it to be precisely perfect.

All those "predictive" programs are fun to work with, for determining a beginning load anyway.

That 380PDK/Howell with the sholder move forward another little bit to equal the neck length of the PDK version and seating the bullet out as far as possible would get you into the 375 Taylor capacity or slightly beyond I would bet. That would be my choice if I wanted to leave the bolt alone and had a magazine length in the 3.60" plus range.

You might also consider the 375 Ruger at 98 gr H20, leave the bolt alone and have a machinist/gunsmith just turn the rims down on a hundred or so cases to fit the "standard" boltface. Most likely no need for any work on the rifle. Cheap non-custom dies and plenty of brass, no fireforming, store bought ammo...

That would be similar to the 500 Jeffery and 284 Win...I've done similar things with belted mag cases and large rimmed cases like the 45-70...turned off the belts/rims and recut an extraction groove and the base to .473 or whatever boltface I happened to be working with at the time.

Several "standard" .473 boltface recesses are very close to 0.500" ID anyway, give or take a few thou...

Enlarging the ID of a boltface recess by grinding is a pretty simple job that most gunsmiths can do easy enough.

When you consider doing a wildcat, there are lots of ways to get down the road and arrive with a REAL, only one on the block/planet, bragging toy.

FWIW, my 21" Savage 375 H&H has a relatively short magazine, 3.55". I get ~2600fs with a 270 Horn SP at that length...by seating the same bullet out to 3.84" and single loading I get ~2750fs.

The point is...pushing the sholder foreward a bit more in the 380PDK/Howel and seating as far out as possible you gain powder capacity which equals more velocity in basically the same package.

Isn't this wildcatting wonderful!!!!!


Luck

quote:

Originally posted by FOOBAR:
You might also consider the 375 Ruger at 98 gr H20, leave the bolt alone and have a machinist/gunsmith just turn the rims down on a hundred or so cases to fit the "standard" boltface.

I've already considered the 375 Ruger with rebated rim, with the rim turned down to 12.2 mm/.4803” as the boltface is 12.35 mm/.4862” but I was just thinking it might be too much rebated, according to case drawing it will be 1.31 mm/.0515”, and one of the most original rebated I can find is the 500 Jeffrey which is according to drawing 1.11 mm/.0437”

quote:

Originally posted by ramrod340:
Have you considered the 380 Howell.

Yes I've considered the 380 Howell which is the nicest based on 06 case, the problem is I like Barnes TSX bullets for hunting and I believe there will be problems with pushing the 300 grain TSX at good speed close to a 375 H&H?

quote:

Yes I've considered the 380 Howell which is the nicest based on 06 case, the problem is I like Barnes TSX bullets for hunting and I believe there will be problems with pushing the 300 grain TSX at good speed close to a 375 H&H?

If you could seat the bullet out to 3.6 you could match the factory Federal 2500 with a 300 barnes.

My case is 2.65" and 83.5grs of gross capacity. I have never put a Barnes through it. I have pushed the 300Accubond to over 2500 but 2450 is more comfortable. What are you hunting that a 260gr wouldn't handle?

Foobar if loaded to 3.6" my case gives up 1gr of net capacity to a 375Chatfield. Loaded at my normal 3.38 I give up 7grs with a 260 accubond.

The Tikka T3 magazine can only handle up to 3.366", therefore the 375 Ruger or .375x64 Brenneke and others become interesting

quote:

Originally posted by ramrod340:
[QUOTE]What are you hunting that a 260gr wouldn't handle?

I believe you’re right about that point but for my other calibers I’ve had great success with the TSX and as well read about great success with TSX in 375 H&H on buffalo, so I guess I’ll stick with the copper nails