A while ago I took a friend out to the prairie to introduce him to the world of big bore rifles. Said friend is a small bore paper puncher and varmint shooter. His largest calibre is a 6mm wildcat.

I had my .375 H&H M70 and my .458 WinMag Ruger #1 for him to sample. He really wanted to try the .458 so I put a target spot on a box and set it out at 50 yards. I shot three rounds to check zero and show him the apparent recoil. All three shots kissed each other and I was quite proud, especially since I had an observer. I passed the rifle to him and I moved off a ways to put a few through the .375 and check its zero.

He fired a couple of times and began cussing. It seems he could not even hit the damn box! I watched him fire a few more and he seemed to handle the recoil alright. He never hit the target spot and only snagged the box a couple of times at the outer edge.

Thinking the recoil was simply too much, I let him try his hand with the .375 after I put the scope on. He immediately produced good groups. I put the .458 away and let him go after some prairie dogs with the .375 while I plinked them with my .22 RF.

Flash to six weeks later at my reloading bench:

I am inspecting .375 H&H cases when I notice several that have a funny shoulder. Then I notice the neck size seems rather large.... yep, you guessed it. He apparently grabbed rounds from the wrong ammo box and, being unfamiliar with these cartridges, did not notice he was firing .375 H&H rounds through the .458.

By the Gods, when a feller is teaching someone new tricks, he should stay attentive and follow through like a good instructor. I should never have wandered off and left him on his own. We were both lucky fools that day.

Lesson learned.

Regards,

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~Holmes

"Those who appease a tiger do so in the hope that the tiger will eat them last."
-Winston Churchill

Lucky but they are to very differant rifles I could see it if they were the same action type.

How is the bore on the 458? Any damage?

Did you ever think you may have just fire formed the cases for a new wildcat round? A 400/375 H&H !

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..Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY DESIGNS
Collector/trader of fine double rifles, and African wildlife art

[This message has been edited by MacD37 (edited 08-26-2001).]

p dog shooter,

He did not recognise the difference in the cartridges. When I left him I took a handful of .375 cartridges and left the ammo boxes near him. There were several of them and they are unlabeled MTM ammo carriers. He simply grabbed from the wrong box and, since they fit just fine, he began blasting away. I should not have left him with similar boxes of two different cartridges when he was so unfamiliar with them.

ssleefl,

No apparent damage to the bore, however, my equipment is rather basic. I will be having Dale Storey put his eyeball on it tomorrow to really determine the condition.

Hey Mac,

Precisely my initial reaction! My other .458 #1 is being converted to the .500 NE and I was going to rechamber this one for the Lott. Now I'm seriously considering playing around with this rifle and seeing what a 400/.375 DA, (Dumb Ass) would do!

Dale Storey is up for it so what the hell!

I'll keep ya posted.

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~Holmes

"Those who appease a tiger do so in the hope that the tiger will eat them last."
-Winston Churchill

Talk about an accident waiting to happen..That 375 case should have rifling marks from about the shoulder forward from fireforming and ejection should have been pretty hard....Says a lot for the strenth of thoes wonderfull Ruger No. 1's.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Agreed, Ray. You can bet I will never allow such a scenario again. I purchased a small labelling device and am having a ball labelling everything I own.... including my ammo boxes. Even labelled the inside lids so when open one can easily see it.

I fully expected to see rifling marks as well yet, there are none. I examined the case necks with a magnifier and still found no sign. Plenty of throat, eh?!

Extraction apparently offered him no difficulty which does indeed say a lot for the Ruger mechanics.

As an aside, I have been diligently practicing my offhand shooting the last couple of months. I know you are an advocate of this and Dale Storey has been beating me up about it also.

I am pleased to report dramatic improvement in this area, much of which I attribute to the trigger job Dale did for me recently. Even with the scope in place (my usual weak point), I am hitting rather nicely out to 150-175 yards. Another few months and I may be able to call myself a competent rifleman!

Regards,

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~Holmes

"Those who appease a tiger do so in the hope that the tiger will eat them last."
-Winston Churchill

Thanks for reminding me how dangerous a moment of complacency can be. you "confession" may save a life.