Having time to kill tonight I was playing around with some .425's laying around from years ago and decided tocheck something out. About a year ago there was long discussions about how hard it was to get these cases to feed.
I stuffed three of them in the magazine of a pre-64 .458. They fed slicker than vasoline on a brass door knob. If the .264's feed the same all that would be needed is a different bolt or make the cases out of .404' and leave the rim full diameter. I had some of those left from a double .425 I had in years gone by. feed and ejected slick as could be.
So I tried the shells in a pre-64 .375 H&H, same thing. Both feed slick as could be. So I seated some out to full .375 length to get closer to the .404, again they fed a slick as could be. Then I tried them in a pre-64 action that was originally .30-06 that I had ground out to .375. Again the fed slick.
My question. If these old Model 70's will feed them without modifications, is the Mauser that must harder to get to feed these or am I just lucky?

I just received a "new" model 70 classic that was a .300 RUM in a former life. It was re-barreled to .404 Jeffery and the only modification to make it feed slicker than gnat poop was the installation of a .375 H&H follower. A model 98 would have cost a boat load more to get to work, IMHO. Model 70's ain't bad actions.

Just for fun (after removing the firing pin), in my office (which caused somewhat a stir), I cycled about 100 rounds through the action in every way possible, including upside down... Gnat-poop... and that some slick kaa-kaa.

I'm taking the .404 to 1115's house tomorrow evening. We'll shot it some. The gunsmith's targets indicate it to be a real shooter. Maybe I can get Dale to take a picture and post it. Hooray for my new toy.... and a salute to the Model 70.

JudgeG: Good lord what an excellent idea. Whose barrel did you have screwed on?

Ernest: Who did the work for you, Ferrell? Let us know how the shooting session goes. I'm in Jax for the week and we'll be going to Atlanta mid-week to pick up our trophies. What kind of scope did you put on it? jorge

Jorge:

I'm going to Dales this afternoon. Call him.

Roger Ferrell did the gunsmithing and the barrel is a Lothar-Walthar (sp?). Sights are NECG and I may not scope it, but if I do, it will be the same old Leupold 1.5x5 with a heavy reticle.

IIRC the 425 WR uses the same rim diameter as the 30/06 or 8x57 = .473" and was developed originally to fit in the standard 98 mauser action without requiring any changes to the bolt or altering the receiver for more magazine length. How did you get this cartridge to extract at all with the .532" magnum bolt face of a 458 Win or 375 H&H??

quote:

Originally posted by CMcDermott:
IIRC the 425 WR uses the same rim diameter as the 30/06 or 8x57 = .473" and was developed originally to fit in the standard 98 mauser action without requiring any changes to the bolt or altering the receiver for more magazine length. How did you get this cartridge to extract at all with the .532" magnum bolt face of a 458 Win or 375 H&H??

Please read my post closely, it doesn't say it did so.

Africanhunter. Contrary to popular belief the collar inside the Mauser ring only makes it easier to fit barrels and add unnecessay strength to the last thing that yields. The cone breech of the Springfield, Enfield and M-70 have al proven abundantly strong enough and a cone (funnel) breech simply funnels cartridges better than a square one. So when you build a dangerous game rifle you opt for a .... cone breech design.