375 ruger to 30/375 s.i.

[elkaholic]

A few of you have called about this Wildcat so I thought I would post a pic of the process. It is pretty easy to do with a couple of dies and your normal trimming and turning equipment. This cartridge has performed VERY well for me and IMO is a considerable improvement over the popular 300 WM. I have a 28" barrel on mine and have reached 3178' with the 230 Bergers. The case capacity is 96+ grs. H2o. The 375 Ruger (Hornady) brass is very nice to work with.
From right to left:
#1 375 Ruger parent
#2 shoulder pushed back with shortened 375 Ruger die
#3 necked to .338 with rcm die
#4 necked to .308 with 30/375 S.I. die
#5 fire formed with 21 grs. 2400, trimmed and neck turned

 

[elkaholic]

Here is a pic of a loaded 240

 

[Varminator 911]

Looks nice! I like the long neck and capacity seems about right for 284-338 calibers.

Do you see any chance of Ruger/Hornaday bringing out this or other calibers smaller than 375?

 

[elkaholic]

Looks nice! I like the long neck and capacity seems about right for 284-338 calibers.

Do you see any chance of Ruger/Hornaday bringing out this or other calibers smaller than 375?

Quite honestly, I am surprised that they haven't! If they do, it would simply be necked up or down though.....Rich

 

[mgood]

If they made a 323 Ruger on the 375/416 Ruger cartridge, or a 32 Nosler on the 26/28/30 Nosler cartridge, I'd be all over it. But for now, I'd have to build a wildcat to do something like that.

 

[shawnb]

For seating do you recommend a custom die or can you use a 300rcm die?

 

[Pdvdh]

Here is a pic of a loaded 240View attachment 58781

Hey, I recognize that one! Probably because Rich's chamber reamer cut my chamber. Nice cartridge!

Hornady brass is decent. Not Lapua brass, but good enough that I'm continuing with it - no problems.

I think Nosler offers brass at a higher cost. Some say Nosler is Norma manufactured. But I'm using Hornady parent brass and happy.

 

[elkaholic]

For seating do you recommend a custom die or can you use a 300rcm die?

You would be best served with the sizer/seater custom set. As Paul says, the Hornady brass is not Lapua but does pretty well. Could be that Nosler would be a good option now?......Rich

 

[shawnb]

Thank you. Dies are on order. I want your opinion on barrel length vs powder. Im tired of long barrel rifles and "want" a 24" barrel for this rifle. My specs are just a necked down 375 with 40deg shoulder, same body taper.

Is it worth it in 24" or would i be best suited longer? Im looking for versatillity and performance. Can both be had with a 215/230?

 

[elkaholic]

Thank you. Dies are on order. I want your opinion on barrel length vs powder. Im tired of long barrel rifles and "want" a 24" barrel for this rifle. My specs are just a necked down 375 with 40deg shoulder, same body taper.

Is it worth it in 24" or would i be best suited longer? Im looking for versatillity and performance. Can both be had with a 215/230?

Hi Shawn. You can exceed 3000' with a 24" and a 215 if that is what you are looking for. At least my S.I. will, and I think you should be able to with the std. version.

 

[shawnb]

That sounds good. Im hoping to shoot the 230s and would like to be over 2900. if i have to go 26 for that i will but would like 24. We will see. Maybe go long to cut it back.

 

[shawnb]

Sorry to steal the thread. I used your sizing steps and they worked great. I used dry lube and not one case was lost, can you expand on your fire forming (cow or load developement), neck turning, annealing, trimming.

This is my first wildcat so i need all the help i can get to help the brass along.

 

[elkaholic]

Sorry to steal the thread. I used your sizing steps and they worked great. I used dry lube and not one case was lost, can you expand on your fire forming (cow or load developement), neck turning, annealing, trimming.

This is my first wildcat so i need all the help i can get to help the brass along.

It is not necessary to use the cow method provided you have the case properly head spaced. Make sure that you have some resistance when chambering the round. If you do use cow, try 13 grains of red dot, 18 grains of blue dot, or some other shotgun/pistol powder to create equal pressure by burn rate. I only trim my cases .005" less than chamber length, but most people go .010". For neck turning, I like .004" clearance; .002" per side. I do my annealing the last step after fire forming and resizing. Good luck with your build. You can call me if you want.......Rich
p.s. If you use a bullet to fire form, reduce the load by about 8-10 % from max.

 

[Oldcappj7]

Rich, what is your COAL on this 30-375 with the 230 Bergers?