A simple question regarding the 400 exp.

06 July 2010, 01:58

Frank Martinez

I have received a new rifle for me that came with a barrel marked 400 Ex. It is stamped with several proofs including 55 cordite and 400 gr.max
I am thinking it to be 450/400 and wonder if the 400ex was terminology I am unfamiliar with.
The barrel is also marked
"Hilsdon and Hilsdon" of Birmingham.
I hope to be up and about enough to get some new photos in the next few days.
Frank

06 July 2010, 02:15

500N

Very likely to be a 450/400, but with ANY newly aquired 450/400,
I would suggest

1. Making exactly sure what the chamber is made for - it is likely to be 450/400 3" (The Jeffrey case, THICK rim) or the 450/400 3 1/4" (The old BP cartridge which transcended into the Nitro era, THIN rim, longer neck)

2. Slug the bore to determine the bore size so you know which bullet size to order.

Enjoy and look forward to seeing the photos.

.

06 July 2010, 12:41

500N

I also meant to say that the 450/400 came mainly in 2 different loads,
the "TROPICAL" load as you listed (55gns, 400 Max), the other load being
60gns, 400 Max.

I won't hazzard a guess as to which cartridge it is but the
400Ex and the other proof marks will date the gun and allow
a better guess until a chamber test is done.

If you can, get hold of the 2 types of 450/400 cases and try them
the normal way and reversed - because the THICK Rim of the 3" version
will clearly show if it fits the extractors or not - the rim will be level
with the top of the extractors if it is a Thick rim chamber.

I hope you understand that ??

BUT STILL TEST THE CHAMBER AS SOME 450/400 3 1/4" Thin rim guns were reamed out to take the thick rim (easier to get cases for and less prone to ripping the rim off), hence why I am saying check, check, check.

.

06 July 2010, 22:09

Frank Martinez

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I had never heard of trying with the cartridges reversed. I tried the 3.1/4 which appears too long. I have some of them from shooting my Osbourne but will have to cut a case to try the 3". I am having another friend of mine take a look today to pulll the wood and have a good look at the underbarrel for aded marks.
The age of the rifle with serial # 7963 may indicate it to have been a transition piece from the BP days.

Frank

06 July 2010, 22:21

500N

Suggest instead of cutting a case, you actually get hold of a fully resized 3" case because the shoulder is in a different position and the Rim is of course a lot thicker.

Ask on here if anyone can send you a fully resized 3" case. I am sure they would.

07 July 2010, 02:55

twoseventy

quote:
Originally posted by 500N:
Very likely to be a 450/400, but with ANY newly aquired 450/400,
I would suggest

1. Making exactly sure what the chamber is made for - it is likely to be 450/400 3" (The Jeffrey case, THICK rim) or the 450/400 3 1/4" (The old BP cartridge which transcended into the Nitro era, THIN rim, longer neck)

2. Slug the bore to determine the bore size so you know which bullet size to order.

Enjoy and look forward to seeing the photos.

Slug the chamber and bore. There is at least on 450/400 out there that was chambered for an American cartridge of 40 cal.
.

...I say that hunters go into Paradise when they die, and live in this world more joyfully than any other men.
-Edward, duke of York

". . . when a man has shot an elephant his life is full." ~John Alfred Jordan

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." Cicero - 55 BC

"The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities." - Ayn Rand

Cogito ergo venor- KPete

“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages.”
― Adam Smith - “Wealth of Nations”

07 July 2010, 03:06

500N

quote:
Originally posted by Frank Martinez:
Thanks very much for the suggestions. I had never heard of trying with the cartridges reversed. I tried the 3.1/4 which appears too long. I have some of them from shooting my Osbourne but will have to cut a case to try the 3". I am having another friend of mine take a look today to pulll the wood and have a good look at the underbarrel for aded marks.
The age of the rifle with serial # 7963 may indicate it to have been a transition piece from the BP days.

Frank

Everything to do with DR's is a process of deduction and trying the cartridges reversed is just a quick way of deciding what to try first in the chamber.

You can also "have a look" as the "long neck" of the 3 1/4" version
does tend to stand out a bit.

Just be aware and why I say proceed with caution, as two seventy said that their are other 40 cals that have been chambered, the one he mentioned, one other is the 2 3/8th version.

Hope that helps.

.

07 July 2010, 07:20

Frank Martinez

Thanks guys, it has been helping a lot. I dropped the rifle off with my gunsmith and after looking at it quite a bit We decided the only way to know was a chamber cast which we will have this week.
As an addition, I should let you know it has

"H & H" in something of a horseshoe design on the sideplate.
I see I have neglected to mention it to be a falling block as well. A single shot.
Frank