Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only For you lever action fans

I was wondering if anyone had rebarreled a Browning BLR to an African DGR caliber. The BLR was designed differently from the start with Western Magnum cartridges in mind (7mm Mag, 300 Win Mag) with a removeable box magazine so it could shoot spitzer bullets. I was thinking a 375 caliber round based on the 300 Win Magto in a BLR would make a nice custom rifle, but had to believe someone else had thought about it too.

I did a little Internet research and found out that the 375 wildcat based on the 300 Win Mag cartridge had the name 375 Epstein and was featured in Rifle Magazine. Ackley mentioned it also in the early 60s. I certainly don't see the need for it in a bolt gun, but in a Browning Lever Rifle it might make an interesting rifle. Found a person who has done it on the Shooters Forum:


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"Tang:

I have been shooting a 375-300WM for about ten years now.

It is a great round, and will easily match the balistics of the 375H&H. The advantage to the wildcating of the 300 WM with larger bullet diameters than .300 is that you get a longer neck to properly grip the bullet. ( Given that you keep the shoulder at the same location )

My rifle is built on a Browning BLR that was originally in 300WM. In rebarreling it I maintained all the same chamber dimensions, changing only the bore and the neck diameter. This gives me a neck length of .320 instead of the .264 found on the 300WM.

I had RCBS make up a set of dies from some fireformed cases that I carefully reloaded then shot without resizing. They also made me a die to use for cutting the neck to length as the cases grow with multiple reloading. I fire form cases in the rifle using esentially squib loads behind oatmeal and a light wadding.

I have also sized cases by shooting a standard 300WM round down the barrel. This is how I got the origional cases to reload to fire for sending the cases to RCBS to use to make the dies.

If anyone would like the case dimensions, email me with your email address and I will forward you a drawing.

Frank"

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I would definitely use one of the older/heavier BLRs (all steel), for this wildcat.

Regards,

Chuck

I've wondered about that very same conversion myself.
Great lever action, great caliber - what's not to like?

Would you be better served with a 375 ruger in a BLR?

8mmwapiti

I would think a .375 Ruger would be a pretty straight forward swap really with a magnum BLR. Hell go all and make it a .416 Ruger. Either way it would sure kick like hell.

It has been done many times..Mostly with the 375 and 416 Chatfield Taylor, a 338 win. necked up..duplicates both of them.

It has been done many times..Mostly with the 375 and 416 Chatfield Taylor, a 338 win. necked up..duplicates both of them.

It has been done many times..Mostly with the 375 and 416 Chatfield Taylor, a 338 win. necked up..duplicates both of them.

The .375 Ruger would probably be fun in a BLR. I'm thinking that the .416 would probably loosen the teeth a bit. Too me, the BLR does tend to slap you around a little.

I agree, that's one of the reasons why I would not want to use a lightweight BLR, probably not a gun you'd want to shoot at the range all day...



Chuck

I am wondering if a fella could use a anti-recoil device in the stock along with a good recoil pad to tame things done a bit!!
Cheers Merry Christmas NC

I can't imagine shooting a big bore round out of my BLR without serious work on the trigger first.