Was thinking that a 400-376 improved/unimproved should be able to get 300 grains @ 2400 like the 376 if not 2500 for 405 Win to 400 Whelen to 450/400 performance for a 308 size action big bore thumper.

Add the combination of short 405 win bullets and the longer 376 case that can be stuffed in a 2.9" magazine with opening up the 476 bolt by 10 thou (20 overall or reduce the case rims by that amount) this could be a potent package.
The longer 3.1" MRC short action should be able to fit a lot of the 400 rifle bullets.

Lion medicine in a 308 package.

376 capacity is 82-85 grains
376 case length is 2.35"

Could use 405 win load data for starting loads.
Capacity of the unimproved case will be pretty much exactly the same as the 400 PDK

Sound interesting?

These @ 2500 should be good for 300 yard pig busting



Maybe these woodleighs for an all round load

quote:

Capacity of the unimproved case will be pretty much exactly the same as the 400 PDK

The 400PDK is 86grs. A 400gr hornady in the cannelure is 3.34" the 300gr flt pt is just shy of 3.25". From a 24" I have hit 2744 for the 300 with no expansion. My accuracy load is closer to 2675 using 71grs of powder.

As to the 400 61-63grs of 4895 is 100% capacity using a 4 inch drop tube. That gives me 2292. I have taken it to 66 with about 2grs of room left and got 2371 so I would say 2400 is doable.

Key issue is how much capacity will the bullet use in the steyr case. Also based on a 2.342" case a 400 in the cannelure would be 3.032" and the 300fltpt would be 2.942" set in the cannelure. So to get back to 2.9" you will lose 1.25-3.96grs of water capacity.

I show a 376 as 77.1grs Using the difference between the 375 & 411 Hawk of 2.4grs yielding close to 79.5grs of capacity for a non AI 400 Steyr. That is straight out of Loadtech. I've never measured one. Heck not sure I have even seen one.

All that said might make an interesting round. 400Whelen for sure and more than likely 411 Hawk velocity.

The capacity should be almost the same as the 416 Aaagaard (376 necked and improved) if anyone can look that one up. I'm a sucker for 400 calibers too.

quote:

416 Aaagaard (376 necked and improved) if anyone can look that one up.

84.6 per Loadtech

I thought the Steyr had 82 grains capacity.
The unimproved version could be done fir quite cheap.
376 go/no go gauges
Possible 376 dies opened up.
Use 400 neck/throater with 376 reamer.

quote:

I thought the Steyr had 82 grains capacity

Ammoguide shows it at 75.9 even less than Loadtech. Would still be a short action 400Whelen.

Why not use the larger RCM case?

I have a .376/.416 Steyr Improved (Aagaard). Jeffe did some quickload projections for me based on a case capacity of 84.0 gr of water.

Mine is a practical build rifle on an Higgins FN Commercial Mauser action with a 22" Douglas barrel, a Timney trigger, and a set of custom QRW mounts. Is fit into a Hogue overmoulded stock.

Have had some problems finding a good working load for it. The best so far is the 350 gr Speer MagTip driven by 61.0 gr of H335 ignited by WLR primers. Is making over 2200 fps and shooting into less than an MOA.

Built it as a bear rifle figuring that it would be a modern version of a .404 Jef in a nice small package. When it's blued it will be fun to see how well it actually works.

I'm not sure I see the advantage of a 40 caliber bullet over a .416 caliber bullet.

Advantages of the 400 over the 416

Easy to form brass. Fireform or neck up. No need to improve case or move shoulder.
Pistol bullets for plinking
lower functional impact velocity bullets to nominal FIV bullets
wider range of bullets and weights 170 to 400
can fit in a true short action with pistol and 405 win bullets

Talked to a buddy today, he did some research with Quickload for me. Using a 300 WSM necked to .411 and the Hornady 400gr RN loaded to 2.86, a max charge of WIN 748 at 65,000 PSI results in about 2200 fps from a 20" barrel. I told him to build me a dummy round and I will buy a reamer.

If I was going to use a long action I would just get a .411 Hawk.

The 411 WSM has been done and I think you can rent a reamer for it.

Good, I've been looking for that. Haven't found it.

Reason being a cheap FN SPR action thats coming my way.

http://www.reamerrentals.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=41

http://www.pacifictoolandgauge...f/ptg_catalog_08.pdf

use this on a chambered WSM

quote:

http://www.reamerrentals.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=41

You lost me

You cut a .300 WSM chamber to establish headspace and shoulder angle, than cut the neck in with the .41 caliber cutter.

quote:

You cut a .300 WSM chamber to establish headspace and shoulder angle, than cut the neck in with the .41 caliber cutter

I understand the concept of using a 300WSM reamer for a larger caliber, provided you have a reamer with a removable pilot and you can get or have one made for the 411 barrel. I've used the same reamer from 7mm to 416. What he lost me on was using a 41 caliber pistol chamber reamer for the neck. I doubt that reamer has a throat and if so more likely for the short pistol bullets. Much easier to rent a 405 neck/throat reamer like the one I rented from 4-d. http://4-dproducts.com/display.php?group=Throaters. Worked like a champ. Handles out of 400 gr for my 400PDK.

So the unimproved version will be like the 400 Whelen/411 Hawk and the improved version will be like the 400 PDK

Even having 308 size action with 405 win performance is cool.

Has anyone done a 400-284?
That would be a 400 whelen duplicate in a short action with the least amount of mods and can do 400 grainers on the regular canalure.

Steyr-Mannlicher thought about a 416 on the .376 Steyr case, but didn't follow through on the project. Here is a drawing they did though.



jim