For you lever action fans - 12/14/09
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 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:
---------------------------------------------
"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
Too me, the BLR does tend to slap you around a little. 