Going to build a light weight, medium to large cast bullet, hunting, plinking rifle from a modern High Wall action. Something along the lines of Ballards 'African Express' rifle. I've been bouncing back and forth as far as to which caliber to have it chambered in; from a .38-55, .375 Win, to .405 Win, & .45-70, etc. I'll order a custom mould for it, so common dia. is not an issue. What would you chamber? And why? Thanks in advance for any input.

450/400 Nitro Express, if you want the "African Express" look. Uses .410 cast bullets, and Hornady brass is cheap and plentiful.

From the calibers on your list, I would say 45-70, as it can do everything the other listed calibers can.

I like the 358 Winchester. So many guys I have talked to in the past think that the 35 caliber is the ultimate cast bullet caliber for real performance. You can cast a 200 grain GC'd bullet that has real down range ballistics, and power. The 358 is easy to load. Brass is cheap. The 358 bullet casts well. The 200 grain bullet has great potential for game clear up to elk, with no problem.

The 38-55 is intriguing. However IMO the 358 has better ballistics??

My other choice would be the 45-70. I do not think you need any reasons for that choice. Tom.

For the express rifle I would choose the .405WCF, but the round with the better supply of moulds, bullets, etc, is the .45-70. You can choose casted bulets from 293grs up to 550grs. Jacketed bullets nearly in the same range. Loading dates from light target, up to heavy hunting loads.
But I have three .45-70 rifles and so I will buy or build in the next years a .405WCF single shot rifle!


Martin

9,3X74R is another fine option. Use RWS or Norma brass and cast bullets are available from the usual suspects. Handloaded, it will shoot flatter than most of the cartridges you mentioned, and has enough poop that it is legal for DG in some African countries. Plus that long skinny cartridge just looks cool.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
9,3X74R is another fine option. Use RWS or Norma brass and cast bullets are available from the usual suspects. Handloaded, it will shoot flatter than most of the cartridges you mentioned, and has enough poop that it is legal for DG in some African countries. Plus that long skinny cartridge just looks cool.

Hmm, no that's an interesting thought. I will cast my own bullets however, as I've never found a commercial supplier to use a suitable lube. Will do a little research on that cartridge.

quote:

Originally posted by DWright:
Going to build a light weight, medium to large cast bullet, hunting, plinking rifle from a modern High Wall action. Something along the lines of Ballards 'African Express' rifle. I've been bouncing back and forth as far as to which caliber to have it chambered in; from a .38-55, .375 Win, to .405 Win, & .45-70, etc. I'll order a custom mould for it, so common dia. is not an issue. What would you chamber? And why? Thanks in advance for any input.

Hi MR. Wright - Long time no see!!

I have a similar use rifle which I have long enjoyed. Mine was made by opening up the 8x57-R case to use .375 diameter bullets. Nice thing is, as mine is on a Ruger action, I can also use the rimless 8x57 cases just as easily if/when I run out of the rimmed brass.

I use a Hoch nose pour 275 gr. LFN-type mould to feed mine, and the barrel is a true .375", not .379, .380 or such, so it also handles jacketed ammo well when and if that may be appropriate.

I believe you could also do the same thing (use the 8x57-R case) with a true .40 caliber, and that might be even more fun.

Anyway mine has plenty of power for game up through elk or moose up to several hundred yards, has very low recoil, and is a pure delight to handle as it does not have much bulk in its slightly re-profiled form.

DWright, i like your idea using the winchester hi-wall as a basis for your project. If I may make a suggestion. Start with the 45/70. There is a great selection of jacketed bullets, you have at least 4 companies making cases, there are plenty of powders suitable for the 45/70 and should you decide to shoot cast bullets with either smokeless or blackpowder. Its a very popular caliber and should you get interested in black powder cartridge rifle shooting then your halfway there. I've an origional winchester hi-wall action that I bought 25 years ago. My first choice would be the 45/70 and the second would be the old reliable 30-30. Why the 30-30?. Very accurate cartridge, no need for round nose bullets, use spitzers. With good optics or iron sights you would do well with either caliber. And one other thing, With the 30-30 you don't have the pumpkin ball trajectory like the 45/70. The 30-30 kicks less,less trajectory, smaller cartridge = less powder than the 45/70. Just a few things to mull over while you do search for your informantion. Food for thought. Frank

I may be prejudiced, but I have a Shiloh LRE rebarreled in 38-90wcf. I used a Krieger .375" barrel. Neck up the 9,3x74R. Probably the best long range shooter with the selection of .375" bullets if recoil is a factor. It was chambered in the HiWalls, so you have historical connections.

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...
THREE DAYS!!

You might think about a 35 winchester an oldie but for cast slugs a very goody.

45-70 is "King" with cast bullets. Cheap brass and bullets. Lots of load data to keep boredom at bay.

How about a 38- 56.It is a 375 cal on a 45-70 case.It can push a 235 gr .2600 fps.Brass can be formed or purchased.

I would opt for the .38/55 and use a .375" groove diameter barrel. The problem with some .38/55's is that there are so many "correct" diameters for the groove size.

The 45/70 38/55 along with several other are coomon in a Hi Wall. If your happy with that, that is what is important.

I've chosen to have a 30/40 Krag barrel built for a Contender. It will be a light little gun for poking around looking for deer with factory ammo.

DW

I would base my choice on how much recoil I wanted to contend with.

Which translates into how fast you plan on driving the cast bullets, and at what weight.

I am not a cast rifle bullet expert, but it seems that the larger the diameter of the bullet the easier it is to get good accuracy.

Also cases and bullet selection is better with the 45/70.

Of the ones you mentioned that would be my choice.

Since you specify cast bullets, I would look to modern technology for the solution.

Fast twist 38cal barrels with cast bullets are showing great promise over traditional 45/70 rounds particularly with heavy bullets on steel rams.

I've seen some very fancy shooting with a custom 38/55 and a 1:12" barrel using the Paul Jones 365gn Creedmoor bullet.

I built a custom Ruger chambered 38/55 with a 1:12 barrel but would like to rechamber to 38/72 for that little bit more velocity.