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
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.