JPH45,

I have a good experience with the 9,5 X 57 Mannlicher-Schoenauer, a 375 caliber shooting 286 grains bullets at about 2000 fps.

It worked very well on warthog, impala, kudu and wildebeest, producing a minimum of meat damage (I'm a biltong hunter).

I also succesfully used it to take a number of Cape Eland (up to 2.000 lbs for a big bull) for the local butcher.

The previous owner (a Rhodesian farmer) had used it also to take lions, buffalos and elephants.

The ballistic of the 9.5 x 57 is very similar of the 375 JDJ handgun cartridge, succesfully used to to take all big five in Africa.

The 375-08 should have similar performance, about 2.000 fps with a 270 grains bullet.

From my point of view there is no reason for using a K98 action for this project, as the 9.3 x 62 (286 grains at 2300 fps) is an excellent and very popular calibre that has been designed hundred years ago to fit the standard Mauser action without requiring any alteration.

Why dont you make instead a 375-303?

The case have about the same capacity of the 308 but the original Lee-Enfield action is probably the world fastest and smootest.

It also allow the use of 5 and 10 rounds magazine and the brass is plentiful and inexpensive.

If you want to use the heavier bullets probably it will be better to consider a 1/10 twist, particolarly if you want straight in line penetration at short distance on large (dangerous?) game.