416 Strausse, 416-03, or 416-303BR

[BlueFlyer]

One pattern was a higher fail rate in brass that was not initially annealed.

Annealing is key to forming brass and minimising splits. I made up an induction annealing machine out of bits bought of Aliexpress for less than $150. It is worth its weight in gold.
Fully understand why you have based your cartridge on the 303 case given yoyu are using a P14 action, althought you may need to do something to accomodate the larger diameter projectile at the front of the magazine. You have your reamer now, but it would have been interesting to go down the Epps path with an improved profile to the chamber.
I have gone down a similar slippery slope but based on the 348W case. 416/348 AI in a Matrini Enfield. After I chambered a 416WSM and the 416/348AI using the same reamer. I have had the reamer reground by PTG to 338/348AI for another project on a Siamese Mauser action.
Very happy to see other prepared to experiment.

 

[odonata]

What I am most interested in is reloading data. A starting point!

Since there is so little information available on this particular wildcat, I think you may be on your own & starting from scratch. If anyone developed anything, as far as I can tell, they weren't big on sharing the knowledge.

As an FYI, I would like to add the disclaimer that I have never developed a wildcat. It's something I've been curious about simply because I enjoy shooting but I want to be clear that any "suggestions" I might offer are based on possibly faulty intuition & not years of actual experience.

The original drawing for the 416 Strauss that I had seen had a case that was 2.215" / 56.2mm. Earlier in this post, I think you said your cases were 2.165" / 55mm. The single article about this wildcat said that the developers were getting results of 300gr @ 2,500 fps & 350gr @ 2,300 fps using a South African magnum pistol powder, Somchem S265. Why this powder was chosen is not explained so it's unknown if this was an informed choice or based on some kind of personal preference. But the results are promising if they're accurate.

Looking around for similar powders over here, a quick AI-based query (which might be as unreliable as me) gives a few suggestions:

Looking at a burn rate chart seems to verify that these powders are close to S265 when sorted by that characteristic:

So the next step I took was trying to identify a similar sized case, that shoots similar weight bullets that has posted loads for the above powders. One that looked promising is the straight-wall 444 Marlin with a 2.225" / 56.5mm case shooting a .429 bullet that weighs 300gr. The speed is lower by several hundred fps (possibly because it was intended to be shot out of a lever action) but it might be a good load to work up from if you can find one that doesn't already have a really high fill volume. I will let more knowledgeable posters weigh in on whether this is a good idea or not.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Since there is so little information available on this particular wildcat, I think you may be on your own & starting from scratch. If anyone developed anything, as far as I can tell, they weren't big on sharing the knowledge.

As an FYI, I would like to add the disclaimer that I have never developed a wildcat. It's something I've been curious about simply because I enjoy shooting but I want to be clear that any "suggestions" I might offer are based on possibly faulty intuition & not years of actual experience.

The original drawing for the 416 Strauss that I had seen had a case that was 2.215" / 56.2mm. Earlier in this post, I think you said your cases were 2.165" / 55mm. The single article about this wildcat said that the developers were getting results of 300gr @ 2,500 fps & 350gr @ 2,300 fps using a South African magnum pistol powder, Somchem S265. Why this powder was chosen is not explained so it's unknown if this was an informed choice or based on some kind of personal preference. But the results are promising if they're accurate.

Looking around for similar powders over here, a quick AI-based query (which might be as unreliable as me) gives a few suggestions:

View attachment 732379
Looking at a burn rate chart seems to verify that these powders are close to S265 when sorted by that characteristic:

View attachment 732380

So the next step I took was trying to identify a similar sized case, that shoots similar weight bullets that has posted loads for the above powders. One that looked promising is the straight-wall 444 Marlin with a 2.225" / 56.5mm case shooting a .429 bullet that weighs 300gr. The speed is lower by several hundred fps (possibly because it was intended to be shot out of a lever action) but it might be a good load to work up from if you can find one that doesn't already have a really high fill volume. I will let more knowledgeable posters weigh in on whether this is a good idea or not.

@odonata
My best load on a strong action for a 444 marlin gave me 2,400 fps with a 280gn Woodleigh rnsp. I could have gone higher but couldn't get any more if the powder I was using in the case
Bob

 

[teklanika_ray]

@odonata
My best load on a strong action for a 444 marlin gave me 2,400 fps with a 280gn Woodleigh rnsp. I could have gone higher but couldn't get any more if the powder I was using in the case
Bob

What powder were you using Bob?

Ray H

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

What powder were you using Bob?

Ray H

@teklanika_ray
Adi 2219/H322.
I won't give you the exact load on an open forum as it would not be safe in the marlin.
Suffice to say I couldn't get much more in the case and still seat the bullet.
This load was only for use in a SMLE No4 action
It used to drop Sambar deer in their tracks with a good chest shot and leave a blood trail Stevie Wonder could follow
Bob

 

[richteb]

Ok, I have decided to chase unicorns!!

I am developing a .416 cartridge of my own, but as a matter of research I stumbled onto the 416 Strauss.

View attachment 731802

I decided to order a reamer from Manson's and a barrel from PacNor, and I have decided to build a 416 Strauss myself for some research. I am using an Enfield P14 action to build the rifle. I ordered a set of expanders and die from Manson's to expand the 303 British brass up to .416 caliber, and when the barrel and reamers are returned. I will send the reamer to Pacific Tool and Guage to have custom reloading dies made. I have already prepared 200 pieces of brass for reloading.

View attachment 731801

The only information on the 416 Strausse is all based on a single magazine article. There are numerous internet articles, but they all reference the same article.

I am looking for any assistance for reloading data, or any history available on the 416 Strausse.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Ray H

Hi Ray, Should reach out to Anthony George of NT Firearms here in Australia. He has built one.

 

[teklanika_ray]

Hi Ray, Should reach out to Anthony George of NT Firearms here in Australia. He has built one.

That is awesome news, I will try and look him up.

Thank you very much.

Ray H

 

[Rule 303]

Hi Ray, Should reach out to Anthony George of NT Firearms here in Australia. He has built one.

You beat me to it.

 

[odonata]

@odonata
My best load on a strong action for a 444 marlin gave me 2,400 fps with a 280gn Woodleigh rnsp. I could have gone higher but couldn't get any more if the powder I was using in the case
Bob

Using the value of 300gr @ 2,500 fps from the original article, Bob's result is promisingly close to that target goal. The fact that he ran out of powder space was the primary concern that I had when I suggested the 444 Marlin as a comparable cartridge to use as a baseline for 416 Strauss load development.

Looking at the 444 Marlin reloading data on the Hodgdon website & the earlier burn chart I posted shows that H4198 produces slightly faster speeds at slightly lower pressure using 5.5 grains less powder than Bob's H322. The fact that Hodgdon specifically mentions it as optimal for the 444 Marlin & it has an almost identical burn rate to the original S265 doesn't hurt either. Depending on how well it packs volume-wise might make it a good candidate for a powder load that a few more grains could be added to in an effort to replicate the original velocities.