From Manson: Rougher, Finisher, GO and NO GO gages in hand.
Awaiting barrels:
Lilja No.6 sporter stainless fluted to finish at 26" for a CZ 550 Magnum.
PAC-NOR No.3 sporter stainless to finish at 23" for an FN Mauser 98.
Details to follow as they develop.

Will this be a synthetic stock, working field grade kind of rifle?
What twist?
What bullet diet?

boom stick,
Thanks for asking.
Yepper, synthetic stocked "ballistic machines."
Bell & Carlson "CZ Kevlar" and Bell & Carlson "Mauser Medalist."
Same black with gray web paint, and same full bedding block "endoskeleton" for each.

1:12" twist
CEB 230-grain ESP Raptors and any and all 300-grainers: GSC, TSX, North Fork, Nosler, Swift, Sierra (VarmintKing 300-grainer)
Maybe some of those CEB .375 cal./320-grain copper "MTH L01 LD HPBT-MAX" also.
I have a box of 50 of those long and pointy things to try.

Will stick a Brockman sling swivel base out of the forend tip of each, buried in the barrel channel bedding.

The Mauser will have Duane Wiebe drop box bottom metal hanging below the stock.
Matte black FN Mauser bolt and receiver, with jewelled bolt.
Timney trigger.
Stainless Gentry 3-position "wing" safety.
Bead-blasted stainless barrel.
Need to get the bottom metal satin-nickled to stick with the two-tone motif.
It will probably look so good, I'll never dream of a custom stock.

Rusty McGee is fitting all the parts together ... when they get here.
Only barrels lacking now.

Still waiting to shoot those 49-10 CEB loads this weekend.
That will ease the wait on the .375-2012.

Surprised you did not go with the 10 twist for the long high BC bullets

OOPS!
I forgot.
The Lilja is 1:12"
The PAC-NOR is 1:10"

That will allow a comparison of something or other with the twist.

Thanks for reminding me.
This is taking so long I forgot.

boom stick, you make a good straight man for this comedy routine, am I forgetting anything else?

Mud flap girl engraving
Maybe MFG skeletonized buttplate.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
OOPS!
I forgot.
The Lilja is 1:12"
The PAC-NOR is 1:10"

That will allow a comparison of something or other with the twist.

Thanks for reminding me.
This is taking so long I forgot.

boom stick, you make a good straight man for this comedy routine, am I forgetting anything else?

boom stick,

The mudflap girl: She never got inlayed on any other of the African Sheep Rifles, ain't gonna happen now.

Also note: The standard B&C "Kevlar" and "Medalist" stocks have Pachmayr Decelerator pads,
to which I shall add leather slip-on padding to get my 14.5" LOP, as well as slick/no-snag shoulder mounting and double-padded-comfort.

Released to the Gun Trade (OFFICIAL STANDARD)
MANSON Precision Reamers:

Reamer/Chamber Drawing for the .375/404 JEFFERY SAEED OF 2012:

If you necked up the 375-404 Saeed to 416 you would have a caliber length neck
416-375-404 Saeed?

Souinds an awful lot like a .416 Dakota with a shorter neck.

Already got a .416 Dakota M70 Winchester that is at risk of becoming .375/404 Jeffery Saeed of 2012 No. 3.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Souinds an awful lot like a .416 Dakota with a shorter neck.

Already got a .416 Dakota M70 Winchester that is at risk of becoming .375/404 Jeffery Saeed of 2012 No. 3.

Unless it gets sold

hint-hint



SSR

PS:

I do think you need to change the Jeffery Saeed to Saeed Jeffery

RIP
You can get Bell & Carlson to make the stock to your custom length. I have several stocks from them in a 14.5 as well as 14.25". I believe the extra wait time is 6 weeks and they charge a whopping 25.00 to make the custom length.

pagosawingnut,
Thanks, I knew about the custom LOP availability, having ordered from B&C directly previously.
I could always add a permanent 1" spacer myself too.
But I like this 13.5" LOP for cold weather with heavy coat and + 1" padded slip-on leather for 14.5" in shirt-sleeve heat.
And so many other of my rifles are already like that.
The extra padding may be the secret to shooting until age 100.
Especially with the most perfect functional cartridge design in the world.
No other is as perfect.
And it is adequate for taking any game under any circumstances.

quote:

Originally posted by Cross L:

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Souinds an awful lot like a .416 Dakota with a shorter neck.

Already got a .416 Dakota M70 Winchester that is at risk of becoming .375/404 Jeffery Saeed of 2012 No. 3.

Unless it gets sold

hint-hint



SSR

PS:

I do think you need to change the Jeffery Saeed to Saeed Jeffery

grouch--

why mess up a 416 ? She might find a good home in the country.

SSR

Awesome I'll be curious to see how it goes. Been itching to do something with one of my 375s. How much to rent a reamer?

I have gone all out on this one, bought a roughing and finishing reamer, Go and No Go gages.
They will reside at Hilltop Gun Shop, Falls of Rough, Kentucky,
and roprietor Rusty McGee is the gunsmith who will be applying these, and getting them sharpened if they get worn out:
A chicken in every pot, and a .375/404 Jeffery Saeed in every true riflemam-hunter's hands!

I do not rent reamers.
But anyone who wants to get their own from Dave Manson may do so.
Released to the gun trade.

Ps: what's a reamer worth these days?

Canuck,
I loaned a reamer once.
It took about 2 years to come back to me.
From Manson Precision Reamers:
About $200 for a removable pilot reamer, finisher or rougher.
$50 per gage.
Ralf Martini needs one, eh?

LOL. No need to explain to me. I am the worst lender there is, and so am uncomfortable borrowing.

Ralph stopped doing work that I can afford last year, so I will have to check other options.

So did I read that/do my math right? $500 for rougher, finisher and go/no go set?

Hopefully Rusty gets enough demand to justify reamers I could easily import a rifle from him.

That's right.
This is only the second roughing reamer I ever bought.
I sent a rougher and a finisher to South Africa for the .395 GSC, long ago, and they never got used.
Never could get .395 barrels imported there.
Something about Zulu Rules.

RIP, apologies for the hi-jack, but I thought I'd post a couple photos here of the budget fix to my 9.3x62 superfluous sling stud problem.



I would have prefered that the screw head have been made flatter (lower profile), but I guess this one has the advantage of providing better purchase for a screwdriver.

Also, not that I plan to, but this "fix" does give me the option to replace the stud later for use with a bipod...

Nice!

Prettier than the ones I make for myself.

RIP
Let us know how it turns out. I have to live my rifle lunacy vicariously these days. Too busy

Mikelravy,
Happy to give progress reports.
Progress is as usual.
I talked to Dan Lilja himself last week by telephone.
Barrel is supposed to be shipping this week.
Since there is no "twiddle thumbs" smiley:

Thanks RIP

Lilja barrel is tracking on its way here now.
Expect trip to visit Rusty McGee - Gunsmith, with parts in hand, come Saturday.
When rifle is finished, will fire form brass and get Hornady Custom to make reloading dies.

Saeed has already provided some load data for this cartridge, here:

http://www.accuratereloading.com/375404jeff.html

What bullet do you think best duplicates the Walterhog?

Mike,
There is no duplicating this Walter or hog:



But as for duplicating the Walterhog bullet, naked on the right below ...



... also some loaded and recovered Walterhogs:




... The closest bullet "off the shelf" would have to be the GSC HV .375/300-grainer from Gina/Gerard Shultz & Co.,
which pre-dates the Walterhog:




The .375/300-grain GSC HV in a .375/404J mockup is shown here next to a GSC FN 380-grain .416 Dakota.
It has a shorter nose than the Walterhog, can fit a .375 H&H length magazine, but can also be seated out to fill a Rigby length magazine,
so results are very similar to Walterhog:



Typical expansion of GSC HV at 1600 fps, 2100 fps, and 2600 fps impact velocity:




Runnerup is the Barnes TSX .375/300-grainer, which post-dates the Walterhog:



A bullet with even higher BC and longer nose (that will still work through the box of a CZ 550 Magnum)
is the CEB Match-Tactical-Hunting L08 (HPBT monometal copper with full-bearing minimal shank plus "seal-tight band"):



The easiest route to an exact copy of the Walterhog bullet from Dubai would be a CEB copy,
already OK-ed by Saeed.

I am planning on expanding the horizon a bit with .375/230-grain CEB ESP RAPTOR bullets at some ungodly velocity.
Targets below by Trapper at CEB, from the "Interminable Terminal Ballistics" thread of Maharishi McCourry, aka Doc M at MIB.
This shows the evolution of NonCon with tip added, to the current 230-grainer below:








ESP L230 RAPTOR .375 CAL 230 GR:

How Lilja barrels arrive nowadays, 28" long, to finish at 26":

Canuck,
Thanks.
The humble pile of parts: Parts is parts.
I dropped this pile off with Rusty McGee-Gunsmith yesterday morn.
Lock, stock, barrel, and a few other parts.



Now let us see how soon Rusty can build one so I can commence to fire form and get dies made by Hornady Custom.

Lilja was on time: 1:12" Twist.
PAC-NOR is still on schedule, coming soon: 1:10" Twist.

I will leave them both 26" long until a comparison can be made between velocities for the two different twists,
even though by different barrel makers.

I have been saddened to hear that McGowen is not on schedule with some recent barrel orders.
What is going on at McGowen?
Sumbuddy who know?

Here is the CZ action imported by AHR in early/mid 1990s that is to be first .375/404JS:



Will add LaPour safety, Timney trigger, Brockman barrel channel/forend tip sling stud, CZ Kevlar stock by B&C (like a "Medalist").
Fluted barrel will be free floated beyond the solid/smooth portion of the shank.
Glass bedded shank/knoxform of barrel,
All the rest is in aluminum bedding block.
No barrel hardware, barrel slick except for flutes.
3 to 3.5 pound trigger.
It ought to shoot.

Should be nice...will be interesting to see the accuracy with the MTH L08 bullets should you decide to use them.

Jim,
Thanks, accuracy is the plan.
I have a 50 count box of these to try, on hand already:

MTH_L01 .375 CAL. 320 GR. LD HPBT-MAX


That out-hogs the Walterhog, eh?

And, BTW, here is one of the parts, to be seen how it fits into a CZ Kevlar stock, Brockman sling stud, for the forend tip:

Yep! At least has three configurations of the 320s so you'll have a chance to optimize bullet to your rifle.

That Brockman sling stud is interesting. I'd send a couple to Steve but I'm afraid he'd put a hit out on me with another change! LOL...

I have come to prefer clean barrels, with no hardware cluttering them,
but I still like a sling/carry strap,
and QD scope mounts for easy switch to backup scope, only in case of catastrophe.
Small bore, medium bore, big bore, all the same to me: Ugly Rifles

All the barrel clutter, wood, and "beauty marks" I can enjoy on antiques of "non-business importance."

5-10-2012: The first .375/404 Jeffery Saeed of 2012 was chambered by Rusty McGee-Gunsmith.
10 fire forming loads have been loaded, for sample brass production for Hornady Custom reloading dies.
I am necking down the 404 Jeffery Norma brass with a 9.5x70mm Tornado die set by Treibel,
then trimming it and loading it with a Speer 235-grainer and 87 grains of IMR-4350 as a light load that ought to produce fool-proof full forming,
and a nice varmint load to boot.
Why waste a trigger pull on cornmeal when some fun plinking can be had?

Rusty McGee-Gunsmith has cut another nice chamber.
The rifle did not have a safety yet but it had a trigger.





I have the perfect fire forming technique down:

1. New Norma 404 Jeffery brass starts off with length of 2.868": Lube that long neck.

2. Use a 9.5 x 70 mm Tornado die by Triebel , or a much easier to acquire .375 RUM or 378 WBY sizing die with the base cut off.

3. Set the die (trial and error with caliper measurements of brass)as best you can to size the neck down to make a secondary shoulder
that has a base to neck-1 distance of 2.450".
Lock the die tight.
This will provide a tight fit (+.005") into the 2.445" headspace distance.

4. This squeeze-down of the neck will make the brass length increase to 2.882".
The sized-down neck diameter will be .403" before loading.
It needs to be trimmed down to 2.830" case length at this point,
and deburr and chamfer as usual.

5. The chamber length total, base to end of neck, is 2.835" minimum. Check to see that the neck-sized empty brass (trimmed to 2.830" long) chambers without resistance.

6. Prime the brass with F-215 or GM215M primer.

7. Load a .375-cal/235-grain Speer bullet and 87.0 grains of IMR-4350 powder, or same charge of H4350-Extreme or AA-4350.
I picked a COL of 3.545", worked great.

8. Load cartridge into rifle and pull trigger.

9. Eject and collect brass.

The brass shown ended up averaging 2.822".
It needs to be trimmed to 2.820".

Max brass length: 2.820"
Trim-to length: Not 2.810" but 2.820"

The most perfect hunting cartridge in the world deserves this standard of case length.

This fire forming load used a .375-cal/235-grain Speer bullet and 87.0 grains of IMR-4350, because I had plenty of those on hand, to burn.
My H4350-Extreme will be reserved for final loads.
Lots of other bullet and powder combos could be used,
even pistol powders, tissue paper, cornmeal and a soap plug, for those so inclined.

My fire-forming load is a low pressure varmint load in itself. Adequate for deer, etc.
You never have to waste a trigger pull or cornmeal.
Practice marksmanship or go hunting while making brass.

So far ... pleasingly perfect ... no surprises.
Loaded brass has a neck diameter of .405".
Chamber neck diameters:
at case mouth, neck-2 = .408"
at shoulder, neck-1 = .409"

Forward of the neck, chamber turns into a ~caliber-length freebore of tight +.0006" diameter and 1-degree-7' leade:
Parallel-sided freebore throat: .3700" X .3756" X 1*7'

About my next King-Ugly Rifle under construction:
I see no way it won't be THE perfect receptacle for the most perfect hunting cartridge in the world.

Next: Hornady Custom reloading dies.

Then just run a 404 Jeffery case into the dies, trimming properly along the way as needed: Load and shoot.

Remember:
Max brass length: 2.820"
trim-to length: 2.820"
for the world's most perfect hunting cartridge.