Anyone own a .400 Tembo made by evolution USA. Seriously considering getting one..
http://www.evo-rifles.com/

Never heard of it. Since it appears to have a 404J parent how does it differ from the DAkotas?

I have some articles clipped and filed.
Will look it up and post some info.
It is a true .400" or 10.16mm in caliber.
There is a full length and a short IIRC.
The 404 Dakota is a .423-caliber and available only as a shortie. Hence very different, though both based on the 404 Jeffery brass case.
I revived the obsolete .395 without knowing about the .400 Tembo of 2000 AD.
If the .400-caliber bullets were available by other than special order, I might be able to size them to .395-caliber, which is the closest bullet to a true 10mm, being 10.03mm.
A true .400"-caliber/10.16mm would be about as convenient as a .395"-caliber/10.03mm.
DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

"THE" Tembo rifle that was written up in several articles was at the DSC show on display at the Evolution-USA stand. Info is available from them as I believe are copies of the articles. I got mine from the magazine publisher as copies of back issues. The story about its development is colorful to say the least.

Described in Africa's Most Dangerous by Doctari as having been developed by Edd Woslum with input from Doctari to a set of standards that they developed. The intention was to develop a managable and shootable all-around African cartridge. Uses a slightly shortened .404 Jeffery case but with the shoulder moved slightly forward, it is a true .400 inch (10.16mm) cartridge. 350 grain bullet at 2300 to 2400 fps or a /375400 grain bullet at 2275 fps. It will also shoot 10mm or .40 S&W bullets for practice. The rifle has a 1 in 14 twist. Reamers are avaiable from Pacific Percision Grinding. Dies from the Hornady Custom Die Shop. Barnes and Hawk made bullets at one time. I don't know of any other rifle that was built except the one that Evolution-USA built and quite successfully hunted.

Remember that Doctari wants a rifle in the hands of his clients that the client can shoot and more importantly, place the bullet in the "perfect" spot. To him, that means managible recoil!

There's lots more. If anyone is interested get a hold of Evolution-USA.

Now, in the mighty tradition of AR, let me suggest you consider an alternative for compairson purposes and that's the variety of .395 rifles that have been developed. Particularily that based on the 375 Ruger cartridge and that based on the 416 Rigby cartridge.

IBT,
Thanks!

RIP

My pleasure

Alternative suggestion driven by the cost/availability of bullets in .395 vs the .400 and the same for the Ruger brass vs the Jeffery. Don't know how the Rigby brass costs against the Jeffery but I'll bet the availability is considerably better.

IBT,
Thanks for the direction for a start into the stacks.
Maybe Kevin and Edd won't mind if I scan the bottom left corner of page 108
in Africa's Most Dangerous,
by Doctor Robertson.
The .400 Tembo is a proprietary cartridge of Evolution-USA, Edd Woslum.
The .416 Tatanka is a wildcat that is a full length 404 Jeffery necked down to .416, retaining a long-sloped shoulder, but with minimally shortened neck,
similar to the .400 Tembo:

Now, where are those .400 Tembo specs ...

The .395 Tatanka is the .416 Rigby with shoulder changed from 45 degrees to 20 degrees, left full length, necked down to .395-caliber.
With base to shoulder location exactly the same as the .416 Rigby,
this miraculously produced a neck length of .395".
It was no "accident" no doubt. Act of God comes to mind.
Foreordained.

The .395 Ruger is a straight neckup of the .375 Ruger.

DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

RIP,

I believe that the .395 Ruger matches all the performance specifications of the .400 Tembo.

I did go back and reread my stuff on the .400 Tembo. In the design specs there is quite an emphasis on managable recoil. I'd been on the track of the .400 Tembo when you started your work with the .395. The .395 Ruger got my interest on several levels. Bullet availability (I can order from two good sources from their standard stock), ease of building the rifle, brass availability and if the numbers are right, quite a mild recoil for the versatile performance.

However, never being satisfied with anything, I'd love have BOTH the .395 Ruger and the .395 Tatanka built.

The .400 Tembo uses the .404 case shortened by 110 thou with "slight changes to the shoulder angle and neck length". The final case capacity is "107 grains of water". One load was 82 grains of H 4831 with a Federal 215 primer pushing a 350 grain X-bullet at 2300 fps. They used a 1 in 14 twist. Best I can tell, but not to be bet on, the neck is .45, the shoulder starts at 1.9988 with a slope of 8 degrees and goes to 2.3203. Overall length of the brass is 2.7703.

quote:

Originally posted by I Bin Therbefor:

The .400 Tembo uses the .404 case shortened by 110 thou with "slight changes to the shoulder angle and neck length". The final case capacity is "107 grains of water". One load was 82 grains of H 4831 with a Federal 215 primer pushing a 350 grain X-bullet at 2300 fps. They used a 1 in 14 twist. Best I can tell, but not to be bet on, the neck is .45, the shoulder starts at 1.9988 with a slope of 8 degrees and goes to 2.3203. Overall length of the brass is 2.7703.

Excellent,
We are starting to pin it down now.
Is there a reference to a journal to aid my sifting?

DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

I don't know how close the dimensions are to the actual cartridge, but the municion.org website lists the cartridge...here's the link:
http://www.municion.org/400/400Tembo.htm

quote:

Originally posted by capoward:
I don't know how close the dimensions are to the actual cartridge, but the municion.org website lists the cartridge...here's the link:
http://www.municion.org/400/400Tembo.htm

I'm not sure either. My source is the September 2001 issue of Accurate Rifle, page 10, which has a drawing of the Pacific Tool reamer with dimensions posted. I don't have a scan capability or I would post it. Anyone interested, send me an email with your fax number and I'll fax you a copy of that page from my local library. Don't use the PM feature as I'm having a problem getting my email address corected on the forum.

I have one sitting in the shop, new custom that I have been waiting over a year for final payment on.

My .395 Max is a great shooting rifle. I can't wait to return from Iraq and get back to using it. Yes, it was initially called the .395 Ruger, but RIP started calling it the .395 Max for my sake and so Ruger would not think we were ripping them off.
RIP, as the sites show was the mastermind and driving force. I just sort of tagged along. There are three .395 Max's in Colorado, my hunting partner's, my grandson's, and mine.

Among the articles in my file on the .400 Tembo are:

http://www.huntnetwork.net/mod...he%20400%20Tembo.pdf

http://huntnetwork.net/modules...and%20the%20Buff.pdf

I'm repeating myself but I hold that the .395 Max is preferable to build in the US for the previously stated reasons.

Still "I'd love have BOTH the .395 Ruger and the .395 Tatanka built."

quote:

Originally posted by prof242:
My .395 Max is a great shooting rifle. I can't wait to return from Iraq and get back to using it. Yes, it was initially called the .395 Ruger, but RIP started calling it the .395 Max for my sake and so Ruger would not think we were ripping them off.
RIP, as the sites show was the mastermind and driving force. I just sort of tagged along. There are three .395 Max's in Colorado, my hunting partner's, my grandson's, and mine.

Glory be!
Max, you are alive!
And still in Iraq! Seems like 2 years, sorry to say.

Sir, thank you for your service in the fight for freedom!
Somebody has to do it!

And the fight against fascist terrorists, a plague on the world that impacts everything in these troubled times.

As a token of my appreciation,
I'm sending money to Haiti in your honor,
and I'll quit wondering about your slow gunsmith.
Keep the 400/.395 Nitro Express 3-Inch Aboriginal reamer,
it is yours, I do not want it back.
I hope you can get home soon and turn a Ruger No.1 into another .395.
I can get another if I need it.

Yes, the .395 Ruger Max is all the .400 Tembo is, and fits a standard length action.
Case Capacity of .400 Tembo = 106 grains
Case Capacity of .395 Max = 102 grains and in a 1/4" shorter case.

I see a clear winner there,
and Colonel Doctor Max is good at sizing down 10mm pistol bullets to 10.03mm actual diameter for plinking.

Be safe, Max, and Godspeed home.

Ron

IBT and capoward,
I been there before too, but forgot where it was.
Thanks for posting those links.
I better go dig up a pic of the .395 Ruger Max for the beauty contest ...

.395 Ruger Max







.395 Ruger Max uses bullets like:

180 or 200-gr "10mm" pistol bullets sized down to 10.03mm = .395"
240-gr NEI FN-GC of .396" diameter cast boolit, mould off the shelf, for old 400 Nitro For BP 3"
310 gr .395" S&H Velohex Brass Hollowpoint NONCON (shown in dummy photo above of Ruger cats, 2nd from left)
325-gr .395" S&H VLD Brass Ripper
330 gr .395" S&H Brass FN solid Superpenetrator
340-gr .395" GSC HV, FN, SP well known copper monometals
410-gr LBT LFN-GC .396" diameter cast boolit, custom mould made to fit the throat of the .395 Ruger Max

Reamer from Dave Manson.
Same headspace gauge as the .375 Ruger.
Barrels from McGowen: 1:12" twist, 6-groove, button-rifled, extremely accurate on 4 I have used, so far, No.4 sporter is best for .395 Ruger Max.
Dies from Hornady.
Brass from Hornady.

Change the ".375" Ruger headstamp to ".395" and stamp your barrel .395 Ruger Max.

This is for Max versatility, with loads from less than 4000 ft-lbs KE to more than 5000 ft-lbs KE, and bullets from 180 grains to 410 grains.

Use the .400 Tembo load data and get slightly higher pressures and velocities.

The Hornady brass can surely handle it!

If any .400" Tembo bullets of 350 to 400 grains can be found, size those down to .395".

DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

Hey, where can we get .400 Tembo bullets off the shelf, for sizing down to .395?
I be lookin' now.
Long live the .400 Tembo!

DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
Hey, where can we get .400 Tembo bullets off the shelf, for sizing down to .395?
I be lookin' now.
Long live the .400 Tembo!

DRG says: "Kiss my liberal grits!"

http://www.hawkbullets.com/Pricelist.htm

This is one of the two companies (other being Barnes) that made experimental bullets for the first rifle. Norma was identified by Kevin as a future manufacturer of bullets, but I can't find any evidence that Norma actually produced anything in the .400 caliber. Norma's were supposed to be heavy for the caliber bullets as they are in the PH series.

From Evolution USA:


"Our price for The Mbogo African Express rifle in .400 tembo is $3825. This includes Krieger barrel, all of the match components, including our proprietary receiver and custom synthetic stock.

If you provide the receiver the price is 3325.

If you have a whole gun and wish to use it including the stock, we can provide what we call the PH Express. This would have all of the custom enhancements Krieger barrel, blueprinted and faceted receiver, machined in tally mounts, pillar bedding, decel pad plus a London finish on the stock, and tefloning of all metal, including a hard case. the price on this is about 2875."

Eurocentric and any .400 Tembo owners,

What is your source of bullets?

quote:

Originally posted by eurocentric:
From Evolution USA:


"Our price for The Mbogo African Express rifle in .400 tembo is $3825. This includes Krieger barrel, all of the match components, including our proprietary receiver and custom synthetic stock.

If you provide the receiver the price is 3325.

If you have a whole gun and wish to use it including the stock, we can provide what we call the PH Express. This would have all of the custom enhancements Krieger barrel, blueprinted and faceted receiver, machined in tally mounts, pillar bedding, decel pad plus a London finish on the stock, and tefloning of all metal, including a hard case. the price on this is about 2875."

That "proprietary receiver" they mention, is really a MRC receiver that had the original logo ground off and the new one put on by them.

Hawk Bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by I Bin Therbefor:
Eurocentric and any .400 Tembo owners,

What is your source of bullets?