375 Rifle Weight

[Guy Miner]

Silent Sam - ahhh - yes those RSM's were beautiful rifles, but heavy...

Interesting...

I don't know how much you'd pick up by re-chambering for .375 Wby, or .375 AI...

Your 300 gr load at 2550 is right in the ballpark with a lot of popular .375 H&H loads.
The 250 gr at 2700 fps is nice and mild - just like my 260 gr load at 2620 fps.

Either of your loads should be good for 300 yards on game at any rate.

Hmmm. Rechambering for more suds - I wouldn't - but I see the attraction - as did Weatherby a long time ago...

Maybe someone can run a quickload program for the .375 Wby? (Not to be confused with the .378 Wby!)

Guy

 

[Silent Sam]

Not going to chop the barrel. The RSMs have an integral rib and excellent sights and I like the way it swings right now. If I was certain I could get 2900 with 260/270gr bullets I would be talking to my gunsmith. I am leaning to the Weatherby version to keep the feeding as smooth as possible and I don't want to give up capacity. Guy you are right on the 300yd number, drop is about 9" with my 250gr load. Accubonds would do better. I take it to south Texas and have wacked hogs and coyotes past 400 with it but it takes a lot of dialing. A 260 AccuBond at 2900 would give me a good bit more reach and thump way out there. I figure about 2000fps/2300ftlbs at 500yds. Enough for coyotes... :shock:

 

[Anonymous]

Well here's my deal. I have a Ruger RSM in 375 H&H that is a beast. It weighs 10 lbs naked... I would need 200fps more to make it worthwhile in my mind. I just don't know if an 375AI or 375Weatherby would get me there.

I had an RSM in .416 Rigby. Dang! What a rifle. It was ultimately just too much of a good thing in terms of gun weight and recoil for my degenerating neck..so I traded it off. Kinda regret it a bit.

I think you'd be hard pressed to get to the 200fps bonus with a 24" barrel. That's just a lot of powder to burn.

 

[Silent Sam]

...and that is the rub, and it's a 23" barrel. For all the instances that say 200fps+ gain is doable there is one that says it isn't. All the RSMs were built the same. Only the chambers and the hole in the barrel changed. They came in 375 H&H, 416 Rigby, 458 Win and 458 Lott. This made the 375s the heaviest and the 458s the lightest by a bit. It's probably about right sized for the Lott.
I suppose I could have it rebarreled and save the factory barrel so it could be restored to original. I'd have to work the contour a bit and accommodate the fore end bedding, probably just forget the rib. I love the sights on it but I have a Nightforce 2.5 x 10 on it and I don't see myself pulling it off. A 375 w/o irons just doesn't seem right though.

 

[Guy Miner]

I think someone mentioned the .375 Rem Ultra Mag.. Consideration at all? That beast will get you the velocity, and I think your action is long enough for it.

 

[preacher]

The 375 Weatherby will "easily" get you what you are looking for my friend. even in your 23" barrel. My Mod 700 had a 24" barrel and I got "more" than 2900 with the older 270X and safely too! You figure you are using the 260AB, shucks, you will crowd 3000fps! In fact, Noslers factory 375 Weatherby 260AG factory load lists as 3000fps , so if they used a longer barrel to test you won't lose much in that 23"! What are you waiting on? ha

 

[Silent Sam]

I believe the 375 RUM is a fatter case and a larger head diameter. The action is a full magnum length action. I know at least one that was converted to a 505 Gibbs so the size and the beef is there. That is not the issue. If I do the Weatherby there will need to be some feed rail work I'm sure. If I went with the RUM there likely would be significantly more work involved. I've got loss of H&H brass. Don't know if that can be formed to the RUM. It feeds like butter right now and I don't want to lose that if I can avoid it.

I believe the Nosler factory 375 Weatherby 260 AccuBond load has been reduced from a nominal 3000 to 2900 fps, which is just another mystery.

Preacher - If you guarantee my investment I'll return your check if it's successful. :twisted:

 

[Guy Miner]

No, RUM brass is beltless, can't be made (easily) from belted H&H brass.

Might be worth asking a gunsmith though - a good gunsmith - 'cause I wouldn't trust anyone but a serious rifle builder with that wonderful Ruger of yours!

Some of the guys may not know what that RSM is - treat us to a photo or two if you can please!

Guy

 

[Silent Sam]

Well "RUM" just doesn't have the same panache as "Weatherby" on the side of the barrel anyway...
I'll post some pics when I get back to where the rifle is.

 

[preacher]

Now Sam...you should not tempt a Minister to "Gamble", ha. :lol: I wouldn't worry about the velocity gain as I'm certain it will be there. It would have to be a really good gunsmith to do any adjustments to your feed rails in order to preserve that "smooth feeding" the H&H case is known for. That's one of the reasons it was designed with that taper. However, the Weatherby radiused shoulder definitely feeds better than the Ackley 40 deg one does. So, if you smith knows his stuff, well and good, but it will still be a risk, though still a slight one. My Remington push feed had no issues, but getting the timing/feed angle right takes a knowledgeable smith on a CRF. Your gunsmith may be more than capable. OR, you could send it off to a smith that works ALOT with dangerous game rifles. But the speed...especially with a 260 anything, pshaw, no sweat and fuggitaboutit! Ha. Weatherby folks told my gunsmith that their factory ammo was loaded to around 74K! That's why its one and done, so you will buy more of their ammo, ha! I used fire formed new Winchester brass in mine, Fed 215 primers, and went, Im sure , the full 65K, definitely NOT 74K, ha. BUT...with todays new ,more modern powders than I used 10yrs ago, you might get your 2900/260 just fine like it is! Good luck to you Pard...but I will have to "resist the temptation", ha.

 

[Silent Sam]

Preacher, seems like you are tempting me! :twisted:
Well it's not on the front burner right now anyway. I know a good smith that I would trust but I will still look around. I'm pretty particular about this rifle and have thought about it on & off for the last 7-8 yrs and it'll take some turnaround time once I commit.

A question for you though... Did you shoot straight H&H loads to fire form your brass or did you make up loads specifically for fire forming? Was your formed brass short? Long enough I take it but I'm thinking it will be shorter than bought 375W brass. Any issues there? I've got all Remington brass. About six bags I think and five them aren't even opened. My guess is if anything it's probably on the soft side.

Thanks again to all who gave input. I do appreciate it.

 

[preacher]

Ha, its a wonderful hobby we have ain't it? Your Remington brass is plenty tough enough. I fireformed with both factory and new reloads( with bullet jammed into throat to hold the case head against the bolt face). I had a good rechamber so it didn't matter either way. I did both to check for insipient case stretch ( that dreaded yellow ring ahead of the case head) but mine was fine. They do end up just a tad short, like just about every "Improved" round but I didn't crimp any of them. I just didn't have to trim, a big win, ha! My Whelen AI fireforms up short too, and I just sent a dummy round to LEE and they made me a FCD for $15. You may not need to crimp or desire to crimp, but I like it. As far as feeding goes, you may not have to have a thing done to your rails! It would be worth a few phone calls to some of those custom smiths about the 375 Weatherby, how it affected feeding and magazine capacity. My Whelen AI, for example, does best with four in the magazine instead of five. One up the spout and I'm OK with 5rds out hunting. I personally think the British drop belly magazines "look nice", that's why I had that custom synthetic made up for my Remington then. Personally, I feel that extra round is really only needed in a herd of elephants! ha
Of course, you "could" buy a box of Nosler factory 375W, see how they fit in your existing magazine and how they feed ( being picked up by your ectractor/feed rails angle) right now. You can't chamber all the way, no, but it will tell you straight up how your rifle will do! Might be worth the bucks, plus, you could always sell the ammo if you don't want to rechamber and if you do, well, you have some nice Nosler brass ! Just more "temptation" for you wrestle with, ha. :twisted:

 

[Silent Sam]

Testing with Factory ammo is an obvious good idea. Hadn't thought of that. I just assumed that the rails and possibly the follower would have to be worked for a larger case/shoulder diameter. There is lots of meat in both so it would just be removing the right amount in the right places. Plus the smith will need a few dummy rounds made up anyway. Just hadn't thought that far out. Been focused on the velocity which is a hingepin for me. What bullet did you use seated out to reach the lands? Did you have yours reamed to a std Weatherby throat or something different?

 

[IdahoCTD]

I have a .375-.358STA that shoots 250 Sierra's at 3080fps in a 27" barrel. It's basically a 375 H&H Imp with a 35 degree shoulder and .500" shoulder diameter. My 375RUM shot 260's at the same speed, 3080fps, in a 26" barrel. I've killed elk over 600yds with the 375-358STA and it's like hitting a elk in the head with a sledge hammer, one and done. I've probably killed half a dozen elk with it and numerous deer and all of them were super impressed, lol. I can't remember one that stayed upright after the shot regardless of the point of impact.

Another good/easy caliber is a 375JRS. It's a 8mm Rem. mag necked up to 375 or a .416 Rem mag necked down. Jon Sundra built it years ago not long after the 8mm mag came out. I've built a couple of those too and the velocities are all right around the same as the 375 Weatherby. The JRS and my 375-358STA are slightly faster but not really enough to get worked up over.

 

[preacher]

It was a standard 375W reamer. and I used a 270X seated out pretty far. Back when, Roy Weatherby would rechamber a 375 H&H to his 375W for cheap. It must have been an easy rechamber/conversion as one never hears of feeding issues in the old stories, especially Hal Waugh ( Alaskan guide of renown) who really liked it on Brown Bear. His rifle was a Win Mod 70. It must be pretty easy and doable.

 

[preacher]

If you don't get good answers from some custom gunsmiths, I'd say then the factory ammo trial would be next. Good luck to you Pard!

 

[preacher]

Oops...I didn't use the 270X for fireforming, I have slept since then, ha. I remembered that my gunsmith had given me a Planters Peanut can full of Hornady 300gr solids. He got them in a trade somewhere. Anyhow, I used them over WW760 and fireformed 50 rds. I then gave the rest back to my smith when I traded off the rifle. I would think a heavy cast 300 would be long enough and cheaper too, if one used that method. Sorry about forgetting that, I like to think I'm just "information overloaded" and not getting older, ha.

Idaho, the only elk I killed with the H&H/300 Sierra BT was pretty impressed too, ha.

 

[Silent Sam]

Here's picture I found in my files comparing two 375H&H actions. A RSM and a Winchester, just to give you an idea of the size of this thing... I don't think it will be a problem getting it to feed. :lol:

 

[Silent Sam]

My 375 H&H...

Merry Christmas from Hog Heaven. :wink:

 

[Guy Miner]

Very nice!