David Wilkins at H&H informed me that the specifications for the new .400 should be released to the trade within six months. D. Peterson at Wells Sport shop does reboring. He says that to the best of his knowledge there are about seven smiths in the country who will still do that, though he didn't give me a list. Since Tucson is so close to me, I didn't even ask. Perhaps that was a mistake. Anyway, Clymer is already gearing up to provide reamers, so if you can find a nice, used heavy-barrel M70 Classic in some magnum caliber (to avoid bolt face work) you could have a seriously decent medium bore that will feed like grease and thump anything you could possibly want to kill for a very reasonable price. Looks like another fun project and one that wouldn't drive you crazy with honing and fiddling.

[ 02-08-2003, 22:33: Message edited by: Oldsarge ]

Sarge,

Russell Wilkin also kindly provided some sketches of the two new Holland cartridges, and they are up on the African Hunter website.

http://www.african-hunter.com/new_h&h_cartridges.htm

I am waiting somewhat patiently for July to roll around, and Holland to release drawings to the trade.

jim dodd

Jim,

Hmmm, all those years of reading last names off a pocket tape have taken their toll. I never have been able to get names right and I ain't improving with age.

Anyway, aren't those things just lovely? It's a damned shame they didn't do this ten years ago. I'd probably never have built the .450 Rigby or bought the .404 . . . maybe even the .318! Heck, at that rate I could have gone on another safari. What are you building yours on? I keep thinking of that cavernous CA550 magazine. Wow! Five rounds as fast as you can work the bolt and come back into battery. I'd want to replace the trigger and that gawdawful side safety and (of course) fix the stock but the original cost is so incredibly low that I start to drool. I don't know which would cost less, probably a M70 7mm Remington rebored. Show us the pix when she's done, will you?

I just happen to have a Ruger No1V chambered for 7mm Rem Mag. The heavy 24" varment barrel is .700" at the rebated crowned muzzle, and weighs 9 lbs, and a Whitworth African express 375 H&H that can be re-barreled, for the .400 H&H! Decisions, decisions??????????????????

The Ruger No1V would be a very simple re-bore and chambering job, for a scoped version,of the .400 H&H, or the addition of Irons,and QD rings and bases, for a real rifle!

Damn, I need another rifle like I need another hole in my head!

Sarge,

Those Holland rifles were indeed beautiful, but I won't be owning one unless the lottery buys it for me.

I have a Kimber M89 .375 H&H, and my plan is to rebarrel it to .400 H&H. I also have a BRNO M602 .375 H&H, and the second part of the plan is to rebarrel that rifle to .465 H&H.

So many rifles, so little time!

jim dodd

Apparantly it is a 375 necked up to .411 or a 8mm Mag. necked down to .411, a supercharged 450-400 and that can't be bad at all...

The 400 H&H is for all practical purposes a 416 Rem. which only has 2.5 thousands in diameter over the .411, not much difference...

It will probably out penitrate the 416 by a very little bit for what that is worth...

I wonder if Holland & Holland would rebore my 375 H&H to the 400 H&H with a letter to maintain its value, I'd sure do that.....

I like both the 400 and 465, think it is a grand pair...Needed, probably not, wanted? I might have one soon....

I looked at the rounds in reno and they look like 404 Jeffery rounds with a belt. I am surprised that they did this one as there seems to be a trend in the shooting world away from the belted cases. It does look like a Jeffery with a belt!!!
lb404

.404,
Yup, they look purty close but the body taper is greater on the Holland. That, I assume, is to improve feed and extraction. As to the belt/beltless issue, I have come to the conclusion that it is mostly a tempest in a teapot. Fashion rules all things and right now the fashionistas are running against belts, even when (as in the case of the .400 H&H) it makes perfect sense. Since H&H is about as tradional-minded a company as one could expect to find, they would be less affected by swings in popular mood and the rantings of immature gun writers. It's simply an issue of body taper. When the case is straight and the shoulder is sharp, belts are just cosmetic. Look at Weatherby. When the case is designed for fast, smooth feeding and extraction, the belt provides constant headspace. Look at H&H. Which one is better depends on the opinions of the purchaser. I'm a slick-feed shooter and "efficiency" and high velocity don't mean much. Others will take the opposite tack.

Mac,
"Like you I don't need one of these things but I'll likely build one anyway! "

Yeah, really! And it would be so easy if you could just find a pre-64 or a M70 Classic in a magnum caliber with a .660" muzzle. Unless the body taper on, say, a 7mm Rem causes problems, I don't think you'd be looking at over $400. Otherwise a simple rebarrel will do the job just as well, maybe even better. I think you could look at 3+1 in the magazine, no? That ought to be plenty with no concerns about loss of bowel control or conciousness ( Ray).

[ 02-10-2003, 23:05: Message edited by: Oldsarge ]

To bad they went with the blasted .411" bore, as there just isn't nearly the selection of bullets as their is for the .416". Yes, there are enough .411's for the job at hand.

I am figuring to start with the .411" "W-bullets" from Oz that Wolfgang Romey is loading for the factory ammo, and also try the GS FN for a solid when they become available from the new US distribution system.

Other makers will supply bullets if the demand picks up. Swift has discontinued their .411", so perhaps some newer makers will take up the slack (Mike, got your ears on?).

jim dodd