Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 375-284 wildcat

Just read an interesting article about this wildcat. Holds 25% more powder than the 375-308 case with 2800fps at 57K pressure and has more shoulder to chamber against.

Has anyone built this short action thumper? I'd be interested in twist rate and barrel contour, etc.

Thx,

DMc

What bullet weight?

270 SP. Oops sorry re-read the article and it's a 338-284 that gets 2800fps. The 375-284 gets 2400fps and comes very close to 375 H&H ballistics in a short action.

DMc

284's just an 06 in different pants....

I seriously doubt you'll get 2800 FPS out of a .284 case with a 270 grain bullet. 2800 fps is the .375 Ruger and H&H's territory with 270's. I think 2400+ would be more realistic, and with a 270 grain bullet more than likely you'll have to build on a long action if you want to feed from a magazine.

It seems to me that one of the guys here at 24HCF has a custom
Remington M600 in 35-284 or 375-284.

May as well go for a 9.3X62. You can get between 2,400 and 2,500 fps from a 286 gr .366 cal bullet in an 06 size case. It is one of my favorites and is a pleasure to shoot.

XR-100 action. Seems the rebated rim might be the biggest concern for a novice gunsmith.

I'd just like to hear from someone that's built one....


DMc

Jericho, I know how good you are at finding stuff. Lemme know.

DMc

I had one, fun little rifle, but the 9.3x62 is more fun.

.303sav, (2).375-284, 9.3x62

Jason,

Thx for chiming in. What twist rate on the 375 did you use? Who cut the barrel? The action I'm working with is a XR-100 Single shot. Essentially a 600.

DMc

I did not build it. It was a re-bore on a commercial mauser 98. It was a 1-12 twist, 18" barrel.

It I was to do it, I would go 9.3x62 on your platform. Sizing the brass was a pain, about 4 steps.

I've got a 375-350 (Rem Mag) barreled by Pac-Nor to a M77 action. I can get 2400 with 270s, 2300 with 300s out of the 20" pipe. I have asked about its potential here from guys who have access to QuickLoad. I believe my numbers are right in the ball park. It certainly doesn't seem hard on brass anyway.

Handloader's Digest 6th Edition
(orange cover, green spine with white letters) ("copyright MCMLXXII", which is 1972- if my Roman number training is still functioning)

"The 375-284: A MAGNUM FOR LEVER ACTIONS" by Peter J. Spiliotis (pp 111-115)


Gun used: Savage 99C

Speer 235 grain Spitzer Load: N203 51-57 grains("max") MV: 2750-3390 fps

Speer 270 grain RN: Load: N201 48-54 grains ("max") MV: 2100-2350 fps

barrel length used: 19" (author est. 20-30 fps for each additional inch of barrel length, but testing. Just his estimate)

Max OAL (loaded) 2.80" due to need to fit in Savage model 99C detachable magazine

No information on barrel contour, or rifling twist provided. Bob Snappe of Clare, Michigan did "the conversion work" (which I presume to mean "gunsmithing").

Author's general conclusion was that he felt N201 was the "best" powder for the bullets tested. His reloading powder rate speed from the time of the article was writting shows that Norma 201 was equivalent to IMR 3031. Norma203 was equivalent to IMR 4064/4895.

Author liked the results. A "thumper".

Hey Buttstock, what happened to this post? This was good stuff!!

"I remember reading an article about the 375-284 in either a Handloader Digest or Gun Digest from the late 1960's -early 1970's?? The article went something like...

Curt Gowdy (of baseball announcer fame) was calling a ballgame for NBC. There was a rain delay, and they were killing time for the rain to pass. I THINK they interviewed a ballplayer (Mike Epstein???) during the rain delay, and asked him what he was up to lately, and he replied he was working on a 375-284 wildcat.

Honestly, this was in the first couple of paragraphs of the article. Curt Gowdy was also the host of the then popular network show "The American Sportsman", so he was interested in such stuff.

Anyway, there were loads, specs, and rifle info in that (short) article. I may run across it, and post info on it.

I don't remember any MV much over 2400-2500 fps with a 270 grain bullet from the article- but it's been decades since I read it last.

Hope you can find it. Good short read, and a blast from the past. Can you imagine any network show actually just chatting on-air about handloading like it was a safe, normal and enjoyable activity? Especially NBC?"

DMc

I had a 375 Whelen Improved 40*. From what I've saw out of mine the line about "comparable to a H&H" is a lie. That said I had different goals. My idea was to use a slow twist (1-16), very light for caliber jacketed bullets or lead bullets in the 250-270 range... Doing this I thought I could push a 235 Speer Hot Core or TSX at the speed a 30-06 would push a 190-200 grainer. I think I'm close. My load data isn't in front of me, but I think I'm running 2,650-2,700.

Bottom line I wanted a hammer to about 200-250yds with less recoil than the heavies in a 06 to play with. For that it works well, and kills whitetail the same as a .223, 6-06, 270wsm... you get the point.

To do it over again I would try a slow twist 35 whelen to load down with pistol bullets (This lets me scratch my itch of shooting anything from squirrels to deer without blowing 'em to h*ll), plenty of lead bullets to try, factory loads if I get lazy... It would have other advantages too.

Lonnie

Wow, you are fast with "click/save". I deleted that post, and replaced it with the info on the article reference about the Savage 99c lever action info.

Why? Because I got my articles mixed up. The Curt Gowdy/Epstein story was the right story, but the wrong caliber. I found that article. It was published in "Wildcat Cartridges" by Wolfe. The article is: Big Mike's .375 Epstein (by Mike Epstein). pp 505-510. It was a improved 375 H&H cartridge wiht 25 degree shoulder, belted rim, 2.605" long. It was not a 375-284. So, it was the right caliber, and the reference to Curt Gowdy and the rain delayed baseball game is correct, and Mike Epstein was a home run slugger on the Oakland A's (and a wildcatter /shooter).

The side bar to the "Wildcat Cartridges" article reads:
"It was raining on the night of the first World Series game at Oakland in 1972, and while millions of people were watching and waiting for officials to decide whether the game was to be played, television sports announcer curt Gowdy (who is also the host of "The American Sportsman" series) filled in the extra time with an interview with Mike Epsteinm then the leading home runhitter for the Oakland A's. Mike explained how reloading is done, and told of the many nights when he couldn't sleep and would go to his shop to load ammunition and relax. He also told Curt about wildcatting., and the fun he was having working with and developing his own cartridge-a short-cased .375 for standard actions which he hoped would equeal the performance of the famed 375 H&H.

Mike received a deluge of mail as a result of that interview; many of the letters came from anti-hunters and anti-gunners, which he promptly threw in the trash.;but, most came from fellow hunters and handloaders, all of which he answered, though it took months. Since Mike had metnioned that he planned to do a story on the cartridge for "Rifle" magazine...we (Rifle magazine publisher) also gotquite a bit of mail.

...in those few minutes (of Epsteing being on the air with Gowdy),he (Epstein) did more to promote handloading and did more to convince millions that all shooters and hunters don't have horns, than the rest of us will accomplish in a lifetime." -Neal Know.

So, right caliber, wrong cartridge. I got things mixed up, but amazingly (for me) I found both books (Gun Digest and Wildcat Cartridges pretty fast, and found my mistake). So NOW you know, the REST of the story... (and why I deleted it).

To me, it looks like Epstein is the founder of the 375 Ruger (except his design had a belt). Does anyone have the Rifle article referenced?? I don't.