I see it after your all important edit. I say GO FOR IT. I have a 35 improved and love it. Might want to read up on the whelens, I cannot remember if it is the 375 whelen or 40 that they say headspaces with problems, but I read an article and it all had to do with which <i>version</i> was used if I remember right.
You must post pictures of the project though, that is the rule!!!
Red
Posts: 4740 | Location: Fresno, CA | Registered: 21 March 2003
My only thought is that the available bullets in .375" are really designed for higher velocities than you are going to safely generate. One exception would but the 260 gr Nosler Partition, that should perform extremely well and you should have no problem driving them 2600 fps.
As a far and gone 35 fan, and a former 35 whelen AI loader/shooter, I'd highly recomend going with the 35 bore due to a better selection of bullets for the velocities the -06 case will generate.
The real question is, is this trying to meet some niche as a hunting gun, or just something fun and different?
Posts: 7213 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 27 February 2001
Thanks so much for the responses. I'm thinking the 250-260 grain bullets will be my projectiles of choice for this. This is strictly a "fun and diferent" thing as I enjoy my Winchester .375 H&H Safari Express LH too much to leave it behind.
Posts: 2946 | Location: Corrales, NM, USA | Registered: 07 February 2001
Not saying not to do the whelen, just giving one more "different" cartridge that I heard does well. The 375x350rem. mag. it was designed for a short action, with the longer action and a longer throat you can seat the bullets out farther. The local shop built these a couple of times for guys guiding in Alaska on short action with 18" barrels and said they performed very well, cannot remember the numbers off hand.
Red
Posts: 4740 | Location: Fresno, CA | Registered: 21 March 2003
Er, Ah, I'm luke warm to the idea at best. I know you can build it, but the case doesn't really hold enough coal to be really useful with anything much over .35 bore. Best caliber I know of for the -06 case is the .338 bore. Maybe one of the metrics or metrics and a fraction? I dunno, have fun however it works out.
Well, the 375 Whelem will do everything the 35 will do with same-weight bullets, only a wee faster. Keep in mind you'll have a bit less SD. But you'd probably get an easy 2500 from a 250g. If it were me, and I had a mauser action and a barre to start me, I'd go with a belted case, or a shortened RUM or 404. Any of those will match you H&H and give you something else to play with.
Posts: 2000 | Location: Beaverton OR | Registered: 19 December 2002
I quess it depends on what you want. However, a 375 Whelen AI doesn't really give you an advantage. Since there is not a factory round to use in a pinch. So if I were going to the trouble and wanted to stay with the 06 case I would look at the 380 Howell or the 375 Hawk. Or open the bolt face and go to a 375 Taylor.
Posts: 12881 | Location: Mexico, MO | Registered: 02 April 2001
Quote: Thanks so much for the responses. I'm thinking the 250-260 grain bullets will be my projectiles of choice for this. This is strictly a "fun and diferent" thing as I enjoy my Winchester .375 H&H Safari Express LH too much to leave it behind.
As good of a reason as any. I think it will be an outstanding round with bullets of those weights. Other than getting dies, and finding a smith with a reamer, it should be a straight forward project.
Forming brass might be a PITA though. If you can find cylindrical blanks you'd be best off. Otherwise, you'll have to neck cases up to 40 cal, then run them through the FL sizer to set the shoulder. When I had a 35 whelen AI, I lost quite a few cases to head seperations, the firing pin really drives the cases forward on the non-shoulder, and once the sharp shoulder is formed, it doesn't go anywhere. Headspace issues are solved by the case stretching at the head.
I know I've come across at least one article on the round. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't achieve 2600 fps with a 250-260 gr bullet, which is shurely sufficient for any NA game.
Posts: 7213 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 27 February 2001
A friend just picked up a .375 Whelan Improved for a song on a Mauser. If you do it yours will be worth about the same.
I shot it over my chrono with some work up loads and it's a decent round. The thing is that it's such a wildcat that I would not take it any further on a trip than my car would go.
Find some other barrel for that action and some other action for that barrel.
The guy that got the 375 WI has it at a smiths for a LOP and pad. He will hunt with it local for deer and bear. I think cartridges like the 35 Whelan Improved, 375 WI and 9.3-62 have a use if one must have something different.
I have the 375 Hawk and love it. I took it to Canada and received a lot of crap from a fellow in camp about taking wildcats on the road. A short time later he realized he had taken the wrong ammo with him and couldn't use his gun at all. Ha ha.
Shells are fun to make and animals seldom take more than one shot. Check out the Z-Hat.com site for info on this cartridge.
Snapper
Posts: 767 | Location: U.S.A. | Registered: 08 March 2001
Quote: I have been pondering the idea of the regular 375 version, as I have an 03 action and the buildup should be as easy as anything. The drawback of the improved version is the reamer. Although the regular reamer is tough too. good luck on it though.
turfman
A 35 whelen ackley chamber could be used to cut the body and shoulder, and then a necker/throater ran in. The 35 reamer is fairly common, and necker/throaters are much less than complete reamers, and most well equiped smiths will have them on hand.
Dies are another matter, but shouldn't be that big of an issue.
Posts: 7213 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 27 February 2001
The 375 Hawk started out as a 375 Whelen. It was then rechamered to the improved version and finally rechambered the last time as the 375 Hawk. Each time Bob worked up to max loads. He found the final chamber was the best.
While Bob liked to shoot the 230 grain Hawk bullets at everything from Antelope to Elk, I like the 250 grain bullet at 2700fps as my main load. It has been used on Brown Bears in Alaska as well.
Good luck with your choice.
Snapper
Posts: 767 | Location: U.S.A. | Registered: 08 March 2001
I've got a 375 WhnAI based on a Santa Barbara Mauser action, built as a Safari rifle. I shoot 300 grain Hornady RN bullets. I use one grain less them max - thats all I could get in the case - and it seems I get more speed to boot, but I think its a chrony error. My chrony don't work right it seems. I had this one built simply because I got intriged enough to try it, and I do indeed enjoy it. Its my current bear buster rifle when i have the family out and about with me. Two other choices are the 375 Hawk, and the 380 Howell. Were I to do this again, I'd go with the 380 Howell. z-hat.com hunting-rifles.com ~~~Suluuq
Quote: Might want to read up on the whelens, I cannot remember if it is the 375 whelen or 40 that they say headspaces with problems, but I read an article and it all had to do with which <i>version</i> was used if I remember right. Red
It seems that the early users of the .400 Whelen, including Elmer Keith, didn't report headspace problems using that round but, later authors did. It turns out that different people making the .400 Whelen had a different approach to cutting the chambers. Some used the regular '06 shoulder diameter, so there was not enough shoulder left to maintain headspace. Even the firing pin blow in some rifles was enough to drive trhe case forward! However, COL Whelen anticipated just such a problem when he designed the case, and used the '06 case with the shoulder EXPANDED to .457", (maybe not quite an "improved" case, but similar) and the .400 Whelens with shoulders cut this size shoulder HAD NO HEADSPACE PROBLEMS. Apparently A.O. Niedner and J.V. Howe were about the only gunsmiths making the .400 Whelen chambers correctly, at least initially! The cartridge got a bad rap due to people making it with the wrong shoulder diameter, so most people never found out what a fine round it is when the chamber is cut as COL Whelen intended!! Keith did, however!
