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Post by Lee Martin on Apr 15, 2021 14:27:00 GMT -5
I picked these up at a local gun store and liked the box. Couldn't beat the price either. If I had to guess, I'd say they're from the 50's or 60's:    Not sure I'll build a rifle in .375 Weatherby, but you never know (it's just an improved .375 H&H with double radius shoulder). Sometimes all it takes are the dies to get the ball rolling. -Lee www.singleactions.com"Chasing perfection five shots at a time" |
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Post by potatojudge on Apr 15, 2021 15:14:39 GMT -5
Neat set
If you were to build a rifle, is there any way to pull the specs from that die set and tailor your chamber reamer to those dimensions?
Alternatively, you could skim the bottom off those dies and run an appropriately size reamer into them to make them mate up to the specs of your rifle.
Not saying that’s particularly useful for this chambering, just curious how it would be done.
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Post by bradshaw on Apr 16, 2021 7:41:37 GMT -5
Lee.... early in the 1970’s Ed Verge and I bought three SAKO L61’s. Each fetched a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, while my real focus was the third rifle in .338 Winchester Magnum. The SAKO rings were an over-engineered failure. Redfield’s base for tapered dovetails on the SAKO receiver cured recoil issues. I mounted the still great Leupold 4x36mm on the .338. We each selected the Leupold 3x19mm for our .375’s.
The all-milled SAKO trigger sets the bar for box triggers on a hunting rifle, tunable for fast bolt stroking with clean 1.5-pound break to compliment the ferocious accuracy of these rifles with hammer forged barrels full-floated in double cross-bolt, strain grain walnut stocks.
None of which is the point of my response. We soon learned the great stick powder IMR 4350 was too slow for top play in the long tapered H&H case with fast bore expansion. To compress enough IMR 4350 for efficiency under the Hornady 300 RN bulged the case just below the shoulder Inspiring Verge to ream the chamber of his .375 H&H to .375 Weatherby. Perhaps the same experience years before inspired P.O. Ackley and Ed Weatherby to the same experiment. (Meanwhile, my .375 continued with factory H&H chamber, with the 270 Spire Point over IMR 4064.)
David Bradshaw
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Post by Lee Martin on Dec 10, 2021 13:58:27 GMT -5
The gun shop that sold me these dies is where I host my IBS Matches (Black Creek Gun Club). Saturday, I went in after the event and they had pulled more stock from the store room. Three boxes of .375 Weatherby brass jumped out at me. I asked the manager what he wanted for all three and he said $20. Sold. One of the boxes had 1X on them and the primers looked to be factory. The neat thing is, Weatherby dropped .375 Magnum ammunition in 1960, so these are from the 50's. I may build one using new .375 H&H brass and Redding dies. Years ago I purchased a set of Redding .378 Weatherby, but cooled to the idea. The .378 is a lot more powder and blast for only 150 fps over the .375 Weatherby Magnum. David - good information on the IMR 4350. I have a ton of it and hope it'll work well in the .375 Weatherby. If not, there are other powders to try.  -Lee www.singleactions.com"Chasing perfection five shots at a time" |
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Post by bradshaw on Dec 10, 2021 23:48:56 GMT -5
Lee.... I must argue Roy Weatherby's .378 drives faster than a mere 150 fps over his straightwalling the .375 H&H. The .378 Weatherby is a phenomenal cartridge, hard core flat-shooter to the bone. What the .378 Weatherby can’t swing is out-of-positon shots at which the .338 Winchester and .375 Holland & Holland sail. Really, the .378 is a step into the stratosphere.
When Ed Verge reamed his SAKO L61 .375 H&H to .375 Weatherby, the improved case brought IMR 4350 into play big time. Verge put a Hornady 300 Round Nose (seated over IMR 4350) end-to-end through whitetail. The deer gave up the ghost before the Hornady exited between his hind legs, arguing what appeared to me a 3-inch drill hole all the way through. I think the bullet had barely begun to work. Wish I had asked Roy Weatherby his ratcheting up to his .378.
David Bradshaw
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Post by Lee Martin on Dec 11, 2021 15:11:34 GMT -5
Lee.... I must argue Roy Weatherby's .378 drives faster than a mere 150 fps over his straightwalling the .375 H&H. David - thanks for the reply. I was referring to the .375 Weatherby Magnum vs. the .378 Weatherby. The .375 Magnum sends 300 gr bullets to 2,800, compared to the H&H's 2,500 fps. The .378 Weatherby goes 2,950, but takes a lot more powder (not to mention punishment to the shooter). Looking forward to our chat tomorrow night. -Lee www.singleactions.com"Chasing perfection five shots at a time" |
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