This is the 9.5x69mm Tornado that some Germans have done before, a straight forward neck up of .338 Lapua Magnum to .375 caliber.

I have ordered a Dakota 76 African action and a Dan Lilja No. 6 stainless, fluted barrel. 6 weeks for the barrel, and 6 months for the action???

Now, what stock has Saeed used for his rifle? I like the one that is beaten up so nicely and still ticking.

Dakota now uses a local No-Name guy to make their synthetic stocks in South Dakota.

Sumbuddy know who make Dakota 76 synthetic stocks?

I'll do a search and see what has been said about Saeed's stock previously, or PM him if I can't find it.

Also does anyone know of anybody using a 9.5x69 Tornado anywhere in the world?

This may be obscure, but some German firm was offering this cartridge in a proprietary way, in rifles made with Mauser 98 actions.

It will be the same case capacity as Saeed's .375/404 or the .375 RUM. All of these should be within one grain of water of each other.

Saeed uses a long magazine and has the COL about 3.75, I am sure, so he will have a slightly greater capacity than a .375 RUM with COL 3.600". I will do the same for the .375 Lapua.

My reamer is a Dave Manson .338 Lapua Magnum, plus a Dave Manson neck and throat reamer duplicating the throat of the "New" .375 Weatherby: 0.3700" freebore and 1 degree 2 minute leade. Minus the Weatherby shoulder, of course.

And of course I will use a Leupold 2.5X-8X scope.

But maybe I will put an H&H Moon Bead front sight on it and a Talley peep, just so there is no confusing Saeed's rifle with mine.

I believe PRI/Rimrock/Borden made stocks for Dakota at one time. I almost bought a Dakota in 416 Rigby in a synthetic stock ten years ago. The stock seemed well made, and it fit me fine.

I believe the McMillan CZ/Brno Safari stock is now inlet for Winchester actions. I would go with whatever inleting is closest to the Dakota action, and then use a Dremel and Marine-Tex to close the sale, so to speak.

Any of these stocks will work best with a scope, but will be aceptable for irons if need be.

I agree with your throat and leade selections.

If you use Weaver style bases no one will confuse your rifle with Saeeds and you can then use an NECG adjustable rear aperature sight until hell won't have it.

lawndart

Doctor Lawndart, LTC USAFR,

Thanks for the tip.
I had planned on using a McMillan BRNO/CZ Classic/Express-style stock that I can rebulid to fit the Dakota 76 African.

I am a master body man when it comes to fiberglass stock work.

Of course I might end up with a wrinkle-painted McMillan to cover the rework evidence, but that might be better than a Rimrock.

Keep that F-16 out of the lawn, ya heah?

What are the dimensional differences in their African vs standard 76? Do you know the bolt dia, barrel tenon, etc?
Sounds like fun, though I have a hard time believing it won't have a significant increase in powder over the RUM, given equal COL.
Problem is, with a 2.275" case and a neck starting down at - what, 2.35"? - to get to 3.75" COL you need a bullet that's like, 1.4" long! Maybe a 300g X-bullet? Otherwise, it just begs the question as to why you aren't going with either the RUM or a full-length Rigby. I'll bet with the full 2.9" you wouldn't need to load it anywhere near the sorts of pressures that would bring the Lapua's reinforced web into play.
Not nearly as interesting, of course, as it's really just a beltless 378 at that point, but I gotta ask, if just out of curiousity.

Sounds like a great project and fun to do!

However, I gotta ask you why you are not sticking to the .375 Weatherby ?

Bwana-be,
I hadn't considered the barrel threads yet, but will see what the specs are.

I do know that the 76 action is offered in 4 lengths, IIRC:
K action, shorter than '06 length
Standard action of '06 length
Magnum action of .375 H&H length (Safari)
African action of .416 Rigby length

The Safari and African complete rifle might be done with the same action sometimes, so my nomenclature is just descriptive. The African would have a deeper box by one round than the Safari.

The thick webbed Lapua case does decrease capacity.
I have the .375 RUM and .375 Weatherby and a .378 Wby,
so this .375 Lapua is just a gunnut thing. With this throat and a 3.8" box I will be able to do all that Saeed does with his pet. I know it is unnecessary. But it is about as perfect a cartridge as possible for the African Sheep Rifle III, and a better varmint and elephant combo rig than:
I: .404 Jeffery
II: .416 Dakota

quote:

Originally posted by CanadianLefty:
Sounds like a great project and fun to do!

However, I gotta ask you why you are not sticking to the .375 Weatherby ?

I have three of the .375 Weatherby. I have no .375 Lapua. That is the only reason why.
The .375 Weatherby is certainly the most versatile and practical cartridge in the world, because it can fire the omnipresent .375 H&H to good effect and then some.

Just crazy. Life is too dull without some craziness. We are all crazy in our own way, or we are dead, or might as well be.

Crazy Horse is my brother. Call this the ".375 Crazy Horse" if any new monikers are needed. They are not. So .375 Lapua or 9.5x69mm Tornado it is. That is enough.

Hey Rip,
Here's a thought: Pick up a TRG-S, "you likee GI, way cheap". Get a laminated stock from Serengeti. They do a metal bottom metal conversion to the plastic magazine box. Your choice of barrel and sights. The TRG-S stock works well with either iron or scope sighting equipment.

McMillan makes a stock for the TRG-S as well. They sell it with the same metal bottom metal that Serengeti makes.

You could be up and running in a couple weeks.

lawndart

Lawndart,
I like it. A "tactical" .375 Lapua based on the TRG-S. I already have one in .338 Lapua.

I could have a Picatinny rail put on and a Remington washer-style primary recoil lug to reinforce that horrid bedding stub on the TRG-S.

This would be a nice shop mule to get me up and making brass and getting custom dies for it while waiting on the delivery of the Dakota action.

Good idea! This is why I have "toomanytools," like some others around here.

I was at Dakota Arms in Sturgis in January, just last month and tried to buy an African action out of the stock on hand. There was none. I was told it might take 6 months just to get an action.

Seems Dakota has been pushing the Nesika Bay and other projects so much that they have let the Model 76 get depleted.

I could have the TRG-S as a switch barrel for .338 Lapua and .375 Lapua.

And, could have the African as a switch barrel for .375 Lapua and .423 Lapua/Dakota ... some day.

Cheers, sounds like a go.

That would be cool.

They also made a sporter style TRG-S in both 338 Lapua and 30-378 Weatherby. Those are available used for a song - only fired three times, etc.

The McMillan stock for those is in the Hunter Lightweight style. You can specify a heavier fill (I call it the 416 RM fill weight) weight.

They are also listed as the Sako M995.

The switch barrel concept is a good one. Don't go bigger than the standard M-700 recoil lug plate size though. Milling out a big enough hole for those monster Badger Ordnance sized plates can weaken the stock.

lawndart

Right, mine is the M995.

Duh, sorry.

If you see another one floating around, let me know. I could have a lot of fun with one of those.

You buy cool rifles as often as I pick my nose, which is pretty often. I am jealous.

What do the x-rays of your c-spnie look like?

dart

How about building a switch barel rig on a beater Weatherby 378 or 460 from the dusty back row of a gun shop. Fired three times only again?

And another thing.

McMillan makes a Safari style stock that fits the Mark V action.

Awright! It is settled! I will keep the M995 as .338 Lapua.

My .30-378 Wby Mark V will become the shop mule .375 Lapua. The .30-378 barrel will be burnt out soon enough anyway. I already have an HS Precision stock for the Mark V, and could get a dropbox for it too.

I will convert a McMillan to fit the Dakota 76 if it ever gets here.

Meanwhile I will be able to shoot a pushfeed .375 Lapua, 26" Dan Lilja stainless fluted no.6.

Everybody ought to have a PF and a CRF in their favorite caliber. The vertical stack dropbox 3-down Weatherby Mark V ought to be the best feeding rifle possible anyway. Mike375 told me so.

Looks like a good weekend coming up to try the North Fork of the Platte .404 Jeffery Sheep Bullet.

Ron,

One that is better than Weatherby is the HS Precision centre line feed.

The disadvantage of the Wby is the bolt lugs hold the cartridge down below the bolt nose and if the magazine spring is weak at the back and you have very fast hands you will be able to get the bolt to go forward fast enough that the cartridge has not hasdtime to rise far enough in the magazine for the bolt nose to contact the case head and intead one of the lugs grabs the case head and jammo. Although I have never seen anyone be able to it do under actual firing conditions or if the rear spring has enough rear bias then you can't do it with the lounge roomm test from the hip.

But unfortunately the HS Precision does not have the long magazine.

In calibres like 416 Rem, 458 and 458 Lott, the HS Precision would be my choice for life or death as Wby don't do single stack in those calibres. Rem 700 does and they can also take the HS Precision magazne but ulike the Wby or HS precision the Remington does not have the one piece bolt.

By the way, Bill Leeper said the later M70s no lomger have the bolt handle splined on but it is knurled and pressed on and he has seen two where the bolt handle rotated around the bolt. However, I guess that is better than the Remington as you don't have to go looking for the bolt handle in the grass.

Mike.

Oh lordie! it seems that nothing is perfect except the Mauser 98 in true form!

I guess some of us will just have to live dangerously when we go out with our sporting pieces.

It's still better than motorcycles!

Yup,

If it weren't for motorcycles and gang-bangers we wouldn't have a transplant program in this country.

www.youkillthemwesellthem.com

PS
Wisner's sells a replacement extra power spring for the big Mark Vs. Part number is "MS" and it costs about ten bucks.
It'll have the ass end of those shells waving in the breeze and just waiting for the bolt.

lawndart

RIP,
My Dakota 76 came with a synthetic stock from MPI. It works well and is gray in color.

Thanks to lawndart and Dave C. That is good poop and I won't forget it.