.425WR - Thoughts

[Jumbo]

You Can not legally reload in RSA — really? I believe I heard detailed discussions/conversations while there about reloading.
(No names )

You can reload in RSA, but not in Zambia where I am living.

Zambian gun law is unusually strict on ammunition (quantities you may own, as well as reloading) whilst being relatively soft on actual firearm ownership.

For example, you can own a handgun, but then you are only allowed to buy and have on you at any time, 50 rounds!

 

[Jumbo]

Ok, So to wrap up the thread.

I found an even better condition ex Tsetse Control rifle in Windhoek. Rifle was apparently built mid 1950's, but man its in great condition for a Game dept. rifle of that age. The guy who owned it was a hunter and 'smithy, so all feeding work had been completed and this beauty arrived late last year.

You will all no doubt be blown away, that our local gun shop had 425WR ammo on the shelf. Not Kynoch, but made by LFB. (Germany) So this baby became a safe queen for a few months until I could find a place to try her out. I had to have a local smithy make a small dovetail to mount my RMR on. (I cant see all that well - open sights not an option unfortunately)

I finally got to take her out about a month ago and wow! The rifle is magic, she shoots as expected and I am very happy with the RMR out to around 90m. I don't plan on taking any game much further than 50m with this rifle, so that's good enough for me. (Plus I would hate to put a scope onto this!)

Recoil is very acceptable and feeding is really beautiful! The only challenge I have is to sort out some trigger creep after the first few shots.

I now own a piece of history and love it!

 

[Jumbo]

Some pics of the new baby!

 

[spike.t]

Think a sable would be nice to start it off on....

 

[Wheels]

View attachment 346563 View attachment 346564 View attachment 346565 View attachment 346566

Some pics of the new baby!

Your rifle looks great.

I notice the barrel is stamped Wesley Richards & Co London. This made me look up the history of the company. I found that they indeed opened a gun store in London in 1815. I was never aware of that, thinking they had only been in Birmingham.

Learned something new today and it is not even 9am!

 

[fourfive8]

Super! I love shooting old firearms. One of the ways to actually experience the past and gain perspective.

 

[Timbo]

What a lovely rifle. I really like the older rifles and calibres as they're still very effective today - since the game hasn't changed either.

I think a nice big eland would be a great way to ease her back into the game!!

Enjoy!!

 

[DB404]

IIRC, back in the day Huntington Die Specialties offered brass for what they called the .425 #2, which was simply the .425 with a full size rim. I believe they were made from .404 brass. JC Munnell wrote an article in Precision Shooting on loading the .425 and .404 Jeffery in which he stated the .425 was developed using .404 brass, but WR turned the rims to fit stripper clips, which made it so that the action rails had to be opened so wide that when the round rose high enough for the bolt face to contact the tiny rim, it popped out of the rails. It was so wide that auxiliary retaining lips had to be added to keep the rounds from self ejecting. If a guy were to go with the idea that HDS had, he could much more easily build a gimmick free .425 that was reliable.

 

[xausa]

My .425 is built on a Model 70 Winchester action originally designed to feed RUM cartridges. It accepts the WR cartridges with no problem and I use brass formed from RUM cases, so there is no quality or availability problem. If I should ever want to use original .425 ammunition, I have an extra bolt with the appropriate size face and extractor. That situation has not yet occurred, nor do I expect it to.

 

[Odinsraven]

Hi Guys,

reaching out to those who know a lot more than me. I am looking for a .400 size class bolt rifle that is a bit out of the ordinary.

I have considered all the logical (but more mainstream) calibers like the .416 Rigby, the 404J and even upwards. Then I found a pretty, if simple, .425WR that has grabbed my attention. Ballistically I love the space it puts the rifle into, as I have a .375H&H and a .470NE. This is kinda like the bolt equivalent of the .470NE, rather than the 404J which is like a heavy bullet .375H&H.

The questions then become:

• reliability of feed - it doesn't have the magazine clips. What can be done at this stage?
• availability of ammo - we aren't legally allowed to reload here, so it is a challenge as I can only find Kynoch who load for it - and they aren't known for reliability of supply.

So for those who know, what are the options, considerations and other questions I should be asking?

Just for clarity, this is not a "best" grade gun, but rather a really neat game dept. gun.

thanks guys

Go for it I live in Iceland and have 318 WR 404J and 505 Gibbs .....Kyamco will look after you .. they have done me for more years than I can remember

 

[baxterb]

My .425 is built on a Model 70 Winchester action originally designed to feed RUM cartridges. It accepts the WR cartridges with no problem and I use brass formed from RUM cases, so there is no quality or availability problem. If I should ever want to use original .425 ammunition, I have an extra bolt with the appropriate size face and extractor. That situation has not yet occurred, nor do I expect it to.

Bill, how did your smith (Lon?) handle the magazine? Did he build a drop box?

 

[xausa]

Bill, how did your smith (Lon?) handle the magazine? Did he build a drop box?

Since the magazine was built to handle the RUM size cartridges, we just left it the way it was: zig-zag. It feeds flawlessly. Magazine capacity: three rounds, the same as my .500 SRE.

I could never understand WR's fixation with a drop box magazine, which, I would think, makes the rifle hard to carry, with the protrusion more or less at the balance point.

 

[baxterb]

Since the magazine was built to handle the RUM size cartridges, we just left it the way it was: zig-zag. It feeds flawlessly. Magazine capacity: three rounds, the same as my .500 SRE.

I could never understand WR's fixation with a drop box magazine, which, I would think, makes the rifle hard to carry, with the protrusion more or less at the balance point.

Very good. Agree on the WR drop box. While I think it has an interesting look, agree it would be cumbersome to handle.

am just reading Burgers Horned Death and he used one extensively. There is a good pic showing that unique WR magazine. Had utter faith in the rifle though - as he did with shotguns at close range against lion(!).

 

[IvW]

WOW what a beaut....congratulations....

 

[JvW]

Nice rifle. That's an FN commercial action which they used in the '50's. If it feeds there's no reason why it won't deliver the required performance. The .425 is a great cartridge that received a bad press.

 

[Spooksar]

I finally got some Quality Cartridge case for mine, loaded some up but it’s -28 C here right now so I’ll wait till I get back from Jamaica to try it. If all works out it’s coming to Namibia next year.

 

[zephyr]

have you considered a 400H&H
400gr .411 dia Bullet 2400fps 5000 lbs energy

 

[IvW]

404 Jeff

 

[CoElkHunter]

.465 H&H.