Anyone have any experience with this round? I have the bug again and was thinking about getting one. Either that or I may just go completely stupid and get a 445 Supermag. Also, what should I expect as a maximum range for hunting deer size animals?

Dennis

[ 07-21-2003, 17:27: Message edited by: DennisF ]

Dennis

I had a Dan Wesson 375 Supermag revolver for awhile.....key word is HAD......still have some brass around here somewhere.

It is an interesting cartridge, but, lack of reasonably priced bullets that work well in a revolver.....combined with the fact that a 44 mag does everything and more than a 375 Supermag will do.....made me decide to sell the DW.

Of course, in a single shot pistol, the bullet issue isn't a big problem.....however, I think when you really look at the performance of the 375 SM....you will find that it just isn't worth the trouble! Why go to the effort to make cases when a 44 mag will out perform it? You will also choke when you price dies!

I'd say either go with the 357 Max/SuperMag or step up to the 414 or 445! You can load any of those 3 with cheap standard pistol dies for 357 mag, 41 mag or 44 mag depending on which one you choose.

GH,

Thanks for the info. If I got a 445 SM, would I be better off getting a factory 44 Mag barrel and having it rechambered or do the factory 445 barrels offer decent accuracy?

Factory barrels are a crap shoot and 44 mag barrels are cheap......I'd buy a decent used 44 mag and send it to OTT for a rechamber, or, maybe have him make you a new one?

I have had 3 different 445 barrels, a 10" factory, a 12" TC custom shop and, currently, a 12" VVCG......haven't shot the VVGV barrel, it doesn't have sights and I haven't put a scope on it yet.

Don't overlook the 414 SuperMag! I have never owned one, but brass is available from Starline and you can load it with 41 mag dies.....down sides are the expense of a 41 mag barrel (if you rechamber) and there isn't a lot of load data available.

GH,

Thanks, I think I may have to look at a custom barrel. If I had to buy a new one and have it rechambered, I could get a custom for very little extra. Let me know how the VVCG 445 shoots. I will try to find some info. on the 414 Supermag.

Dennis

I've played with the .375 Supermag in a U.S. Sporting Arms Seville and TC Contender and like the round....for hunting, I totally agree that the .414 SM or .445 SM are better choices. However, for silhouette work, the .375 is extremely flat shooting and has much milder recoil (the downside is bullet selection and no commericial brass). It's performance in a 12" Contender though is much improved over that of an 8" Dan Wesson....typically, 220s can go around 1,750 fps.

Lee Martin
www.singleactions.com

I have a NEW OTT 12" barrel in 414sm. I chrono'd the max loads (that shoot quite well) this weekend and velocity was in the 1850 fps range with the Rem 210 JSP using H110. I am going to try W296 and AA1680 also. I was able to hit all our offhand steel spinners with this barrel easily (our spinners range from 25 to 100 yards).

Mike

I have found that 1680 is a bit too slow for top velocity in my 445.....I expect it will be worse in your 414. As far as 296 goes, it's exactly the same powder as 110.....made by the same company..... the only differences are the normal lot to lot variations and the label. If you can get your hands on some of the H108 "surplus" powder that's out there, it might be exactly what you need for top speed in the 414.....you might also try some of the surplus 680 powder that is available.....it's a bit faster than 1680 in my experience.

Mike

I'm aware that H108 is faster than H110, mine came from Powder Valley and I have been using it for a couple of years.

I have load data from D. J. Bushman, one of the Dan Wesson ballistic techs, in his tests, H108 produced the highest velocities in the 445 SuperMag with 300 grain bullets.

H108 also works well in the 357 Max/SuperMag and is my favorite in the 44 mag. It should work great in the 414 as well.

How does the 445 SM kick compared to a 45-70 with stiff 300 grainers?