I have just finished my last custom rifle and am looking for suggestions on the next.
I have a 98 BRNO action which the previous owner had the bolt face opened to take a magnum caliber. I am trying to decide what to build next. I have a several calibers from .270 to .338 win mag. I then skip from .338 to .416. I built a .35 Whelen several years ago and loved it but gave it to my brother as a gift. What about some ideas in the .35 to .375 caliber ranges. I handload everthing and wildcat cartridges are not a deterrent to me.
Open for suggestions.

.358 Norma?

.350 Remington Mag?
.375 Ruger?
.338 RCM?

I had been leaning towards the .358 Norma but had not even thought of the .375 Ruger. I wonder if there are any issues in building a .375 Ruger on this action.
Anyone done it yet?

i dont know about the Mauser action, but when i had my Tang safety Ruger, i was going to build one. my smith said there wouldnt need to be any modifications made. but it was originally a .300 win mag.

as your Mauser was originally not designed around the magnum case contour, you may have to open the feed rails up a bit to make it feed right.

A 338-375 Ruger!

Use the sale of your Win Mag to fund this one !

I'm guessing you're in the market for a used .300 mag.

I have done a little research this afternoon after reading the posts, and think I'm going with the .375 Ruger.

I was leaning toward the .358 Norma before this post but the Ruger had not even crossed my mind. I'm still open for feedback as the action won't get shipped out for a week or so.
Here are a few photos of the .300.

I bought the piece of curly maple for the stock from a logger here in Maine for almost nothing and had it quarter sawn. I then sent it to a stockmaker in California. ER Shaw did the rest of the work.

I had no idea the stock had so much figure I simply was able to buy a block of wood cheap and thought it would make a good "working gun" stock

375 Ruger. Then again, I'd just sell that bolt body, get another, and build a 9,3x64.

If you want a cartridge that works with a magnum boltface of .35 caliber or above I'd look to the .375 or .416 Rugers.

Tim416
how about a 35 Newton. Very cool. awesome old cartridge.
you can buy proper head stamp cases from Quality Cartridge. or you can send some 375 Ruger cases through a sizing die and trim and you have a 35 Newt.

Or a 9.3x64 Bernaenke. it was actually designed to be the biggest possible cartridge (case wise) to fit in a 98 Mauser and still function flawlessly well.

375 Ruger by its self is awesome too.

That's a really fine stock however it does not look like maple to me.

I agree it does not look like maple. I don't usually like blonde stocks which maple lends itself to regarding color. I told the stockmaker I wanted it a dark color, more like walnut, if possible and he gave it a hand rubbed finish which came out like you see above.

This is news to me! It seems to open up a new source of highly figured stock wood?

Thanks for the response and more compliments on your rifle.

Real nice rifle there! Many don't know that maple can be acid-dyed to reach this deep color. I think it actually accentuatues the grain more.

As luck would have it, I am actually transforming a BRNO into a 300win mag for my father. Do youmind me asking who did your stock? I seem to be having the most problems with finding a suitable stock maker.
Thanks

The 375 Chatfield/Taylor was THE original 375cal short mag and is perfect for that action. Mine gets 2700 fps with 270 grainers from a 22"bbl.


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I have his name and contact info in a file which I will get out and forward to you. I can only remember at this point that he was in California.

The 375 Chatfield/Taylor was THE original 375cal short mag and is perfect for that action. Mine gets 2700 fps with 270 grainers from a 22"bbl.

I am getting a lot of great suggestions from this post.
I will look closely at the Taylor as it would be a great companion for my .416 Taylor.

If you go with the .358Norma,make it a "long neck". Then by using untrimmed 300WM brass you get very well designed cartridge.

Were it me, I would build another 9.3x62. Wonderfully performing vintage cartridge. Used to be where the .375 H&H was minimum bore size for some African hunting, they would let the 9.3x62 in as well. Great North American hunting cartridge. I had one that was built on a Win. M70 claw fed action and one built on an older Ruger M77 action. This cartridge has quite the following out there.

375 Weatherby. Keep the barrel marked 375 HH. You can load it beyond 375HH or 375 Ruger or shoot any readily available 375 HH ammo.

TC

HUH??

.

No...that wouldn't work very well would it?

Fixed it...still, it's a more practical option when starting with a 375HH.

TC

416 Taylor

Hi .416,
I've got a similar project afoot. I can send you some fired 8mm cases and you can neck em up for samples. I have two BRNO's, and the heat treater in Salt Lake City, says they can be quite soft. My wildcat is called the Boer 8. But I have a reform set that brings down the big Ruger 375 Basic in .050" stages. So I have questionable .45, 416, and a good 375, with 10 grs. of H2O less than the 375 Ruger parent. It looks like an overgrown 35 Whelan. Thanx in advance, and take a look at this collage. Thanx in advance Indybuster
[email protected]
http://s1122.photobucket.com/albums/l534/dtrainmore/Boer%208%20wildcat%20cartridge%20collage/