That's a very nice .291" group!

Obviously your bedding job has resolved the rifle's accuracy issue; I'd say its ready for final load development with your Walterdogs!

Thanks, Jim.
One good 300-grain soft point bullet is all I need to satisfy the KISS principle: Keep It Simply Smart.
Then a 300-grain solid at minute-of-buffalo accuracy will be no problem, and rarely needed.
Interesting how the stubby little Speer 235-grainer at short COL works well in the .375-Wby-type throat.
I am hoping that somewhere around 2740-2750 fps (5000 ft-lbs) will prove accurate with 300-grainers.
Next loads will be aiming for that.

I need to go to the range again.
Need to foul the .223 African barrel for deer season with chosen 55-grain Barnes TTSX-BT.
Need to fire-form some milsurp brass to 12.7x68/49-10.
Need to try some 300-grainers in the .375/404 Jeffery Saeed of 2012, now that it is fully glass bedded.
But, I am also going to get some .375/250-grain Barnes TTSX-BT bullets and load them up to 3000 fps in the .375/404.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
I need to go to the range again.
Need to foul the .223 African barrel for deer season with chosen 55-grain Barnes TTSX-BT.
Need to fire-form some milsurp brass to 12.7x68/49-10.
Need to try some 300-grainers in the .375/404 Jeffery Saeed of 2012, now that it is fully glass bedded.
But, I am also going to get some .375/250-grain Barnes TTSX-BT bullets and load them up to 3000 fps in the .375/404.

I like the 250gr TTSX-BT's a lot. I have been shooting them in my 375 Ruger. Just on paper so far, but I am VERY pleased with the accuracy and velocity. I am sure they will be just the ticket for elk, moose, etc.


The .366 250gr TTSXs are great in my 9.3x62 as well.

Ron,

Sorry for the tardy post. We must recollect that the C&C bullets, regardless of bonded or not, were accurate in the original long throated .500 AccRel – it was solely the driving band monometal bullets that had abrading and accuracy issues with that length of throat…

The new .500 AccRel Nyati finish chamber reamer should eliminate all issues with the driving band monometal bullets as well as enhance the accuracy of the cartridge.

Your seating the monometal bullets to a longer length COAL, taking full advantage of your CZ magazine length, seems to have resolved these issues in the .375/404 JS…

Just ran a couple of ‘what ifs’ in QL between the 300gr TSX and the 250gr TTSX – here’s what I came up with:
Barrel = 26” – COAL = 3.820”
300gr TSX - - -
Performance: 92.5grs H4350 = 2800fps & 5223ft-lbs @ 62965 psi
POA/POI = 50yds
Drop @ 400yds: -30.82”
POA/POI = 200yds
50yd Impact: +0.52”
Peak to LOS: 1.50” @ 118.63yds
Drop @ 400yds: -24.29”
250gr TSX - - -
Performance: 96.0grs H4350 = 3034fps & 5109ft-lbs @ 62455 psi
POA/POI = 50yds
Drop @ 400yds: -22.90”
POA/POI = 200yds
50yd Impact: +0.51”
Peak to LOS: 1.50” @ 119.35yds
Drop @ 400yds: -18.90”

That 250gr TTSX looks like a winner for the higher capacity .375 cartridges, and there’s plenty of shank for neck seating within the .375/404 JS. Should be fairly easy to hit 3000fps with this combination and definitely ought to be a top performer. I look forward to your actual test results…

Heh, heh, heh ... thanks for the calculations, Jim ... now if only they are as accurate as the .224/55-grain TTSX is in the .223 Rem. Ruger African,
then I will have a useful battery,

A couple of decent loads for the .375/404 JS of 2012,
I was stringing the shots horizontally instead of vertically this time.
12 clicks up would put the bullet holes in the white circle instead of the white diamond:





Another homemade target, black markers on graph paper, then photocopy: Aim small at 300 yards and hit small.
I'll try this target with Barnes .375/250-grain TTSX if they are any good.

Two very nice groups... Was the POA 100yds as well?

Jim,
OK accuracy but .1's and .2's would be better than .4's and .9's.

I adjusted the scope to zero at 100 yards.
I shot the targets shown at 100 yards.
The targets were at 100 yards.
I aimed at the center of the white diamond at 100 yards (POA).
The "point"/place where bullets impacted (POI)was very close to center of white diamond, so the POA and POI where same for both loads.
That is why I said it was zeroed at 100 yards,
written on the target.
Is this as clear as mud now?


Another clue is that 12 quarter-minute clicks would move the POI up about three inches at 100 yards, with the Leupold scope used here.


The white circle is where the bullets would hit (POI) if the zero was set for 3" high at 100 yards, and the aiming point is the white diamond centered 3" below the center of the white circle.
The current zero is set for 0" high at 100 yards, with just about any 300-grain bullet at about 2750 fps.
That requires adjusting the powder charge for the various bullets.

Now, it will be interesting to see where the .375/250-grain Barnes TTSX bullets at 3000 fps impact at 100 yards, with same scope setting as with 300-grainers shown above.

What do you expect with only two sips from my first cup of coffee under my belt!!!! Geez...my eyes were hardly open. LOL.... No I just wanted to verify that I was reading the two separate comments on the two separate targets.

Anyway, still good shooting... So is the flyer in each group the 1st shot?

The Barnes TTSX .375/250-grainer is a pretty bullet and a nice fit.
I will stop at 94 grains if velocity is over 3000 fps.

Does look like a very nice fit. Perhaps a 300gr bullet isn't required after all.

The wind was gusting 25-35 mph today.
I wanted to use the Oehler for this, but the ProChrono is easier to hold down with a sandbag dangled under the single tripod.
So I decided to do it at 50 yards,
and catch the lulls in the wind.
Aiming for 3000 fps and about 2.5" high at 100 yards, so that means 0.9" high at 50 yards,
with the .424 BC of the 250-grain Barnes TTSX.

Loaded 1 fouler and then 3 shots each with 1-grain increments from 91.0 to 94.0, then 3 of 94.8 grains also,
which was the predicted max, per QuickLOAD, supposed to give 3107 fps and 63,626 psi.
Norma brass.
F215 primer.
3.765" COL, which is a sweet fit in throat and box and a slick feeder for sure.

I started here:



And finished here:



Adding 11 fps to correct to muzzle from 5-yard chronograph distance:

91.0 grains: 2981 fps, 0.364" (3-shot 50-yards)
92.0 grains: 3005 fps, 0.341"
93.0 grains: 3054 fps, 0.879"
94.0 grains: 3073 fps, 0.610"
94.8 grains: 3121 fps, 0.461"

These velocities are only 3-shot each, and are pretty close to QuickLOAD prediction.
Plot velocity versus charge and my data bounces above and below the QuickLOAD line.

The smallest group AND smallest ES for three shots was with the 92.0 grain load,
and it was right at 0.9" high at 50 yards.
But I had to measure that group from a composite of two targets, because I "Waltered" that one and fired the third shot at the target below the one intended.
Superimposed and measured them:



Nevertheless, the "Waltered" test of this load will be forgiven. It is my pick for best preliminary 250-grain load.
QuickLOAD predicted 3021 fps and 57,700 psi.
I got 3005 fps, and that is just over 5000 ft-lbs.
Sweet.

Drop table is sweet too, according to RCBSload:



Well, the top performers so far are the 300-grain GSC HV, and this Barnes 250-grain TTSX.
Next will see where they print on the same target at 100-yards.
Then see what can be done with them at 200 yards and 300 yards.
The rifle is getting broken in.
I'll reload 50 more of the initially fire-formed cases with 300-grainers and 250-grainers.
Then I will have 150 cases fully blown out.
Then I will anneal and trim them all as a single "new" batch, ready for many more reloads.

Awesome RIP!! I have had very good luck with that boolit, and am not surprised it is working well for you. Love the drop table...that's a pretty flat shootin .375!!

Thanks, Canuck,
Yes! That is a nifty boolit.

I was so encouraged that you had such good results that I had to order some from Midway.
BTW, I am also encouraged that you seem to be same good ol' Canuck as before your latest 3 weeks in a tent with Walter.
I still have nightmares about it.
And I hear the call of the nightjar in my head, "Good-Lord-deliver-us," and I see the Bateleur overhead in Kentucky ... or was that just a buzzard?

I am looking forward to some 300 yd test results, pending less blustery conditions of course.

Therapy has been doing wonders for me. lol.

Keeping the roads safe for humanity:
Whitetail deer kill more humans than any other wild animal in the USA, usually when the driver swerves or loses control by trying not to kill the deer.
We hunters must continue to cull the herd.
This is best done in family units: Bambi as well as Ma and Pa Whitetail.
The killing field is a better place than the highway for culling. There was a little frost on the pumpkin as the sun rose:



First blood: One shot at 200 yards and one dead deer resulted, on right below.
If you look hard you can see some faint blood stain on the deer's left side of chest.
Caliber-sized entrance hole on broadside chest, toward rear of chest, with 3-inch-diameter exit hole on off side near right shoulder, with segments of 2 ribs missing.



Second blood, Bambi on left above (with frost on neck from being dragged through the grass), was at 150-yards, quartering-on frontal chest shot:
The right side of heart was ripped open, the right shoulder was a flail shatter, and segments of 4 ribs on the offside were gone, with a palm-sized exit hole, on the rearward left side of chest.

The minimum Dangerous Whitetail Rifle (DWR) ...



... and the cartridge with a bullet that works on DW (Dangerous Whitetail) ...

Looks like good meat for the fridge. Is that the 250gr TTSX that you used?

Burgers, railroader's hash, chili con carne, and spaghetti sauce.

Yep, .375-cal/250-grain Barnes TTSX-BT at 3005 fps MV.
Minimum ballistics for the DWR.

Good stuff.
If deer were as ugly as rats people might not be so afraid to kill them.
Deer are the squirrel of large game.
Squirrels are quite deadly too.
Maybe try using some Raptors at Mach 3 on those evil bastards.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:

That is one sexy pic right there!

Congrats on the organic protien procurement, and double congrats on the first confirmed kills with the 375/404 JS in NA!!

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
... Squirrels are quite deadly too. Maybe try using some Raptors at Mach 3 on those evil bastards.

boom stick,

Yes, the evil suicide-electrocutionist squirrel can wreak havoc when he gets into the transformer, knocking out power to entire neighborhoods.
The euphemism of "squirrel-made disaster": Nuts!

OK, will try the CEB ESP Talon-Tipped Raptor of 236.9-grain weight with H4350 instead of Varget,
and see how close I can get to Mach 3.
That should splatter some squirrel.

That's what I'm talkn' bout!
Will be interesting to see accuracy at max and near max levels with your JS

Will start at 92.0 grains of H4350 with the CEB 237-grainer, since it was accurate and low pressure with the Barnes TTSX 250-grainer.
The 237-grainer might go 100 fps faster at same pressure, considering the 237-grainer must be seated deeper,
but is made of more slippery material, brass, than the shorter, copper 250-grainer.

Might beat 85 grains of Varget, which gave 3103 fps for 3 shots average, and 5 fps ES, but only so-so accuracy.
The band spacing is not ideal for this cartridge/throat.
The CEB 237-grainer might do better in a shorter throat, like the .375 H&H,
but it eats up a lot of case capacity in that application.

I just can't wait for that 1:10" twist rifle any longer, will have to try this long and pointy Raptor in the 1:12" again,
with H4350 instead of Varget.

Probably impossible to get enough H4350 compressed into the case to get into trouble.
With COL of 3.705", 92.0 grains of H4350 is only just starting to be compressed, with the CEB 237-grainer.

BTT.
The bullets are loaded. Just sitting here waiting for a day at the range, now that I am all shot out on deer for the year.
Next up is the CEB 237-grain Raptor with 92 grains of H4350.
I am not sure which kills deer better, .375/404 JS or 400 Whelen.

After shooting 18 more of the CEB 237g ESP-Raptors with 92 grains of H4350: No good, sprays them all over the place still.
Velocity is only a little over 3000 fps with 237-grainer,
and POI is close to same place as the Barnes 250-grain TTSX with same powder charge that gave 3005 fps MV.
Checked POI with 3 shots of the copper 250-grain TTSX, after it was fouled with brass from the CEB:



Above target is a recheck of zero of the deer hunting load.

Good loads so far:
Barnes TTSX 250-grain at 3000-3100 fps
Barnes TSX 300-grain, or GSC 300-grain HV, at about 2750 fps (87-88 grains H4350).
H4350.

Bummer that the CEBs dont perform better for you. The tighter twist barrel will hopefully get better results.

Canuck,
Aw shucks, the 250-grain TTSX is more to my liking anyway.
However, a 1:10" twist .375 barrel from Pac-Nor is on hand.
I am pondering whether it should be finished at 26" or 23"?
Since it is a .375 ("rat caliber" acording to some around here) it does not qualify for consideration of any shorter length, thank goodness.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Canuck,
Aw shucks, the 250-grain TTSX is more to my liking anyway.
However, a 1:10" twist .375 barrel from Pac-Nor is on hand.
I am pondering whether it should be finished at 26" or 23"?
Since it is a .375 ("rat caliber" acording to some around here) it does not qualify for consideration of any shorter length, thank goodness.

RIP

I think this "rat gun" with 23" barrel would be a big disappointment.

Pyzda

Maybe two rifles one with 22" and 12 twist for DG and one with a 28" 1 in 8 twist for PG and long range :-) the 420 grain CEB Match Tactical bullets are awesome for long range shots.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
Maybe two rifles one with 22" and 12 twist for DG and one with a 28" 1 in 8 twist for PG and long range :-) the 420 grain CEB Match Tactical bullets are awesome for long range shots.

If I am a riflecrank, what is boom stick.

An engine not firing on all cylinders

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Canuck,
Aw shucks, the 250-grain TTSX is more to my liking anyway.
However, a 1:10" twist .375 barrel from Pac-Nor is on hand.
I am pondering whether it should be finished at 26" or 23"?
Since it is a .375 ("rat caliber" acording to some around here) it does not qualify for consideration of any shorter length, thank goodness.

I vote for 25", just cuz.

My 8mm RM has a 25" barrel because that's what I felt like. I like it.

I think you should go with a longer barrel on the tighter twist Pac-Nor, since you'll undoubtedly want to play with the longer boolits and might want a few xtra fps while yer at it.

Cheers
C

Excellent.
25" it is.
That slimmer contour will just look better if it it is 25" instead of a whippy 26".

Yesterday at Rusty's shop I made sure he changed the barrel length to 25",
and I also asked him to do full-length barrel channel full-contact bedding with 5 pounds of up pressure at the forend tip.
I have seen that cut the group size in half with a light .375 barrel before.
Can always sand out the barrel channel and try something else if accuracy is not what I want.
There will be a Brockman sling stud buried in the epoxy and sticking out at the end of the barrel channel too.
Rusty does a prettier bedding job than I do.

I also noticed that there was another member's rifle and barrel there for a .375/404 Jeffery Saeed of 2012, another work in progress.

RIP,
You can bring that rifle to Colorado and use it on prairie dogs if you like. I've got a good sized town only 35 miles east of me.
Max

Max,
Maybe the 1:10" Pac-Nor barrel will handle the loooooong brass and plastic 237-grain ESP Raptors better.
They did not work so well in the 1:12", even at near Mach 3. Must be some combination of throat and twist making bad ju-ju with that bullet.
Maybe a faster twist will make it worse?
I shall endeavor to persevere with that bullet!
If all else fails, I will try it in a short throated slowpoke with 1:12" twist.

But the .223 Ruger Hawkeye African would be my choice for DGR practice on those dangerous prairie dogs like in your avatar.
Sentry P-dog at the dogtown near home?
They shoot back, eh?
Do they charge with fixed bayonets too?
Hence the express sights on the .223 might come in handy.

The ".375/404 Jeffery Club" now has 3 members and 5 rifles, if you count Saeed.

Member Head Trauma aka Russ has picked up his rifle from Rusty McGee.
It is an M70 Winchester with a fluted stainless Dan Lilja barrel, 1:12", No.6 contour.

I do hope he will post here and give us some of the finer details on his rifle and hopefully photos.

Until then:

My second CZ 550 Mag is barreled (stainless Pac-Nor, 1:10", No.3 contour), cut and crowned (25" as recommended by Canuck)
and is producing "proof" firing from the "CZ Kevlar" stock, but still has some work to go:
magazine reinforcement
LaPour safety
Timney trigger
polishing of feed surfaces
Brockman forend tip sling base
and the glass bedding ...

I have seen the fire-formed brass from Russ's rifle and my latest:

Riflecrank Internationale Permanente

Picked up my rifle from Rusty today:



This started out as a M70 375 H&H. The magazine was lengthened by removing the middle floorplate screw and using a one piece floorplate. A M70 windowed mag box and UM follower was installed. No mods were needed for the rails, feeds just fine.The bolt face needed to be opened up just a touch. The stock is an Echols with a magnum fill.

The barrel is a Lilja #6 SS fluted 1:12 twist, delivery from Lilja is running 4 months. The barrel ended up being 25-1/2" long and the rifle as pictured is 9lbs 14oz. It does not feel heavy at all, and the long barrel gives it a slightly muzzle heavy feel, this rifle will feel great up on the shooting sticks.

Rusty got the barrel on in 3 weeks, he did a superb job, the fired test case shows almost zero run-out. A special thanks to Ron Berry for furnishing the test ammo and feeding dummies, a very generous and thoughtful gesture.

Now, if Ben at Hornady can just shake my dies loose....