375 levergun wildcats

[JFE]

I have two Win 375BB's and I'm considering building a 375 wildcat on one of them. I've read Paco's article on a 375 wildcat he developed (375/356 Ultra Improved) and something along similar lines is a possible starter. I read that someone came up with a simple and practical 375 levergun wildcat by shortening 375 Steyr dies and forming the shorter chamber by partially inserting a 375 Steyr reamer. I think it is simply called the 375 Steyr Short and apparently this one was also quite successful.

This brings me to my line of thinking. I was thinking of something similar, but based on the 375 Ruger case instead. To save much of the grief involved in forming cases I'd look to use 338 RCM cases and use shortened 375 Ruger dies. The base diameter of the 375 Ruger is somewhat larger (0.532) than either a 308 or 375 Steyr case. Also the shoulder angle is quite sharp (30 degress) and there is little taper for extraction purposes. This would yield a case with a capacity close to a 375-06 and be quite a powerful cartridge. Paco's 375 wildcat had an even sharper 40 degree shoulder and minimal body taper and seemed to work OK.

This would be a considerable power upgrade for minimal cost and effort. Being rimless it would be kind of an upsized 35 Rem. My main concern is whether there is enough metal in the barrel remaining to safely house the 0.532 diameter case.

What are your thoughts on such a project ?

Joe

[86er]

I have a proprietary 375 levergun cartridge with 270 or 300 grain bullets going 2350 in a short action levergun. The bullet SD is over .300. It will be legal for dangerous game in most African countries, meeting the minimum standards by a bit. I won't post specs because we are pending the trademark and brand issuance. I will discuss it with you be e-mail or phone though, if you're interested.

[bsaride]

Just yesterday I found a good website for info/comparison etc of standard and wildcat cartridges.

http://ammoguide.com/cgi-bin/ai.cgi?sn=VWgDbDleJM