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Joined: Feb 2004
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Originally Posted by Teeder
I'm thinking short action though.


There is that.

I'd probably just get a .338 Fed and call it good.


Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!

No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.

A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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Here's the latest update. Got home late last night (early this morning) and found a Lee crimp die for the .375 Winchester sitting on my desk. Ordered it a few days ago from midwayusa.com for about $13. Lee had offered to make a custom crimp die for $25 and that may still be an option I pursue.

Failures so far.
1. Attempting to build a really long version of the cartridge. I forget the COL but it would not cycle through the action. I know from past experience (after I dug up my notes) that a 2.600" COL will cycle so I ended up using that.

2. Attempting to crimp the dummy round pictured in a previous post. It had the case shortened by .136" in hopes I could use my standard dies to roll crimp on the full diameter of the bullet.

3. Attempting to crimp the shortened case with the Lee crimp die. This was an unexpected failure as I thought the crimp collet allowed the location of the crimp to be adjusted for height above the rim. It does not. The bottom of the die was contacting the case rim, game over..

4. Grinding the bottom of the Lee crimp die. Don't have the proper tools to do a good job and the bottom of the collet extends below the bottom of the die body. This is the part that would have to be ground and it rotates inside the die body, making the job even more difficult. I decided a custom die for $25 would be a better option.

5. Building a dummy with the shortened case that could be sent to Lee as a model for the custom die. Since I could not get a good crimp the bullet kept moving under even slight pressure. No way it would survive the trip as the proper COL.

In the end I went back to a standard case length (2.010" trimmed) for my dummy round. The Lee crimp die provided a fairly solid crimp just ahead of full bullet diameter (0.266" diameter on the ogive). I've been pushing and pulling and trying to rotate the bullet in the case with no success, but I keep trying harder. My primary concern is the bullet could get pushed back into the case, raising pressures.

[Linked Image]

It seems to me that a case trimmed to max case length (2.020") would provide a more solid crimp. That said, it appears the crimp is good enough for a two-shooter, which is what my rifle will be with this load - one in the mag and one in the chamber.

The 'best' solution is probably to build a dummy with the shortened case (1.874") and send it off to Lee for a custom crimp die. All I have to do is find a way to secure the bullet at the proper length. Ideally that would be with a crimp, but then I wouldn't need the custom crimp die...

Maybe I'll try seating the bullet out further and re-check for function cycling through the action. I know it can go a bit longer than 2.600". Might be able to get another 0.050", which would be awesome, but don't have time to do it right now.


Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!

No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.

A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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As I understand it you are having problems with the bullets being loose in the cases unless you crimp them? Seems like you could just polish down your expander ball until you get the proper neck tension. I've done this many times and vary rarely bother with a crimp unless it is necessary. Or am I missing something?


I am continually astounded at how quickly people make up their minds on little evidence or none at all.
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While you have decided to use the full length case, the shorter one can be crimped with the FCD by inserting the loaded cartridge from the top and crimping the edge of the case into the bullet. The FCD is activated by the shell holder, not the case.

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Dan -

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it on a shortened case and it worked well with one small problem - there is no mechanism for ensuring the cartridge is seated to exactly the same depth each time, resulting in crimps of different widths and placement.

That problem is easily solved, though. I just ordered a foot of .500" diameter aluminum tubing with a .035" wall. The case body of the die above the collet has an I.D. of .560" and the .375 Win case has a max body diameter of .420" just ahead of the rim. The tube, when cut and filed to the proper length, will fit in the die body with .030" to spare around the outside and the .375 brass should drop in with .005" to spare around the outside. The only trick will be getting square ends and the proper length. Patience with a file will be my friend.

Thanks again - this should work well.


Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!

No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.

A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
IC B2

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Got the tube this last weekend and made a jig for the Lee crimp die last night. The jig works perfectly.

1. Trim the case so I can crimp on the bullet at full diameter (quite a bit shorter than SAAMI minimum).
2. Drop a load case into the tube jig.
3. place the jig on top of the collet in the Lee die, bullet pointing down.
4. Crimp.

Got a nice tight crimp on the dummy round. Probably won't get to test any loads until after Jan 1.

Will post a pic when I get a chance.


Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!

No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.

A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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Originally Posted by Coyote_Hunter


Speer didn't think so when I talked to them last week and suggested 1,000 ft-lbs (1,375fps) for deer and 1,500 ft-lbs (1,517fps) for elk.

In any case, I now have two boxes to play with. Will try them in water jugs at different velocities.

My rifle loved the discontinued Hornady 220g. I like the velocity I get with the Sierra 200g but the accuracy is not as good.




I have been wanting to load for a 94 Big Bore in .375 Winchester, so I've been playing with this one (Speer 235s) for several months and I think I've achieved a modicum of success. The one thing out of the ordinary I am doing is to remove the exposed lead at the meplat and flatten it uniformly on a sheet of sandpaper after the round is loaded. I'd like to come up with a better way of doing this since it's a bit rough for old arthritic hands and fingers.

One thing I noticed when looking at Vollmer's website was the meplat diameter of his .375 bullets, which he lists as being .175 inch. Interestingly enough, if the tip of the Speer 235 is flattened the meplat diameter is .175 inch. Not being satisfied with mere dimensions for the sake of safety for use in a tube magazine, I loaded one dummy cartridge with a live primer and a seated 235 over NO charge. I kept this in the front of my tube magazine throughout testing with one loaded round right behind it. After 54 rounds had been fired with that dummy cartridge up front in the tube, the primer showed no evidence of impact. I also used this dummy cartridge to evaluate the need for crimping, After 30 firings, the bullet had not moved. After 24 more firings, the bullet had moved 0.007" deeper into the case. Based on this, my opinion is that no crimping is necessary. My loading OAL is 2.509 inches, BTW. That length seems to work fine in my 94.

I selected Re7 for my project. I was able to push just a tad over 2100 fps without any apparent problem, but the load that seems to shoot best launches at about 2085 fps. The rifle wears no scope, but is equipped with a Williams peep sight. Having had perfect vision the first 50 years of my life, it is frustrating to deal with poor vision but the Williams sight seems to work well enough for my purposes and I was able to put five shots into 1-1/2 inch at fifty yards. As to my intended purposes...that is to use this as a walking around rifle in the mesquite thickets on my lease, and dispatch any hogs I might encounter.

So, if 1500 fps with this bullet is good enough for elk, I am pretty sure my load will take care of any hog I might ever see. Hopefully I will know before too long!




Don't be the darkness.

America will perish while those who should be standing guard are satisfying their lusts.


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Resurrecting an old thread but I found a marlin 375 in decent shape at a local shop the other day. I hesitated but I'm going back in Tuesday and if its still there I'm going to pick it up.

The only problem I'm seeing is lack of bullet options. I know sierra makes a decent 200 and Barnes makes a 255 but I wish hornady still made the 220.

I used the 235 speer in a 375 h&h at 2900 fps mv to take a 225# warthog and an impala in South Africa in 93. The bullet was devastating at those speeds.

This 375 win dilemma got me thinking about the 235 speer and I found this thread. Did anyone ever test expansion at lower velocities? I was thinking about getting a hobby lathe and turning the tips off of 235s to make them flat noses. Could maybe even drill a bit of a hollow point if needed for expansion. I'd rather shorten the bullet than the cases because it then makes them more tube mag safe.

Crazy ideas? I just want a 375 to go with my 444 outfitter and 45-70 guide gun. I have a jm 30-30 and would like a 35 rem someday too.

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Not crazy at all. My Marlin 375 was my first Marlin and my first centerfire levergun of any kind. It was soon joined by a Marlin 1895 .45-70 and 336 .30-30. Love them. All are JM Marlins, all purchased used.

Although started this thread 3 years ago I have not had time to test expansion at reduce velocities - or even play with the .375 Win much at all. Now that I am retired I plan to do so but probably still won't have time until after Jan 1.


Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!

No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.

A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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