Building a .375 for extended use

[Alistair]

What exactly would it take to build a .375 for extended firing and hard use? I am thinking along the line of an upscaled K98 or 1903 Springfield. How would one go about this? Could it be done? Just how hard could you push such a rifle before it would become unserviceable?
I read about Capstick and culling elephants and fast shooting with big rifles. Clearly they will survive it. I wonder about building a decent capacity bolt action repeating rifle in .375 H&H off the Model 70 action. Can it be done? What technology exists to do so? Which stock can take more heat? Synthetic or wood?
No muzzle breaks allowed. Not a sniper rifle. Just a service rifle capable of sustained fire at 300 yards along the lines of the Ruger Scout rifle.

I stick 20 rounds of 375H&H through a Win Mod 70 in about 60 - 90 seconds at the range twice a month. It doesn't do it any harm far as I can tell. The action is fairly toasty, the barrel too, but the wood stock insulates the hands fine without scorching and I see no evidence of excessive throat wear on the borescope. I see no reason beyond shooter fatigue why I couldn't do 40 or even 100 if I were so inclined.

Anything with a heavy profile (safari) barrel and a relatively stout stock is absolutely fine for quite a lot of rounds. Accuracy maybe drifts a bit, but I'd guess less than 2 MOA on that profile, so meh.

I'd be disappointed not to get 5000 rounds out of a standard factory barrel in that calibre and the actoin should last pretty much indefinitely if cared for.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Forrest,
Consider a Browning BAR or Garand or AR platform in .458WM! You won’t have to work a bolt and you can fire it till the magazine runs out! A .375 H and H would be too long of a cartridge to work in those. Your perfect “standoff battle rifle”!
CEH

 

[Forrest Halley]

@Alistair Thank you, this is what I had been looking for.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I go with a Big Horn SR3 action, #5 SS Douglas, Bartlein, Kreiger or Brux barrel, Timney trigger, H.S. Precision or McMillan stock.

 

[fourfive8]

Forrest,
Consider a Browning BAR or Garand or AR platform in .458WM! You won’t have to work a bolt and you can fire it till the magazine runs out! A .375 H and H would be too long of a cartridge to work in those. Your perfect “standoff battle rifle”!
CEH

I am finally figuring out the goal/objective of this project.

OK. Here's a thought. I really like the Garand platform. It is strong and reliable if maintained and in good condition to start with. How about a wildcat... a 375-458. Just a 458 WM necked down to 375 but with a bit of taper for reliable function. That maintains the positive attributes of the original HH version but just a tad shorter to reliably function in the Garand. If no???.... then just a Garand in an '06. Erra ahhh Ohhh! that's what it was originally

BTW a Garand in good condition with a good, sharp bore say maybe a late model (Korean War era) in original '06 tends to be inherently accurate and really packs a LOT of fire power as is!

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I am finally figuring out the goal/objective of this project.

OK. Here's a thought. I really like the Garand platform. It is strong and reliable if maintained and in good condition to start with. How about a wildcat... a 375-458. Just a 458 WM necked down to 375 but with a bit of taper for reliable function. That maintains the positive attributes of the original HH version but just a tad shorter to reliably function in the Garand. If no???.... then just a Garand in an '06. Erra ahhh Ohhh! that's what it was originally

BTW a Garand in good condition with a good, sharp bore say maybe a late model (Korean War era) in original '06 tends to be inherently accurate and really packs a LOT of fire power as is!

375 Wheelan? Or maybe 416 Taylor

 

[CoElkHunter]

I am finally figuring out the goal/objective of this project.

OK. Here's a thought. I really like the Garand platform. It is strong and reliable if maintained and in good condition to start with. How about a wildcat... a 375-458. Just a 458 WM necked down to 375 but with a bit of taper for reliable function. That maintains the positive attributes of the original HH version but just a tad shorter to reliably function in the Garand. If no???.... then just a Garand in an '06. Erra ahhh Ohhh! that's what it was originally

BTW a Garand in good condition with a good, sharp bore say maybe a late model (Korean War era) in original '06 tends to be inherently accurate and really packs a LOT of fire power as is!

Well, I don’t see any real goal/objective in Forrest’s “project”? Ha! Ha! AND, I guess he’s not old like me and is having a child! Anyway, if we must continue with this, a BAR or Garand or the AR platform in .458WM, .416 Taylor Or .375-.338 would suffice in Forrest’s dream of a “combat stopping style rifle” which could take out the engine blocks of opposing enemy vehicles and take a deer for dinner? He can use a Miter box and cut his Lott brass down to .458WM lengths, melt down the leftover brass in a bullet mould and make his own solid brass bullets for taking out engine blocks. You guys are killing me here!

 

[rookhawk]

You might want to link up with @ian-bradley . I think he has a heavily used pre-64 model 70 in 375 and a new McMillan or other ultra premium synthetic stock.

a bit of cerokote and plating some internal parts, swapping some screws for stainless, you’d have something accurate, fugly, and indestructible.

 

[rookhawk]

I'm concerned that if I fired several dozen rounds rapidly the barrel would likely burn out in short order.
I guess that's unfounded given that it takes several hundred rounds to melt a barrel on a machine gun especially an M2.
Just a thought process I wanted to walk through with a group of experience in the subject.

if you’re worried about barrel heat up, add a huge 1.25” diameter barrel as a heat sink. Flute the living hell out of it to bring the weight back down. Presto, you’ll be cool as a cucumber. You can get extra clever inletting an aluminum rod in the forestock, epoxy it in, and make it contact the barrel for even more heat transfer. Or buy an aluminum stock and make the whole gun an ugly heat sink.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

With no hunts going on at the moment I am a bit bored or else I would not be pay attention to this particular threa! I have reread Mr. Halley's thread a couple of times and I think I see what he wants, but I do not understand exactly what the actual use will be. Paper? Game? What Game? Where? Apocalypse?

I guess a model 70 could be converted to a clip fed magazine and possibly a water cooled barrel, I guess it would have to be crew served? I am really just kidding, but I would like to know the purpose of this rifle?

 

[greyfox]

I'm pretty sure that's why the 375 Steyr was designed and produced, 375 out of a standard action, lower recoil.
Or go with a 375 Ruger, should run fine in a semi-auto. Feeding will require a little tweeking.

 

[Forrest Halley]

I might try to shoot a four gun match with my .375, it's too slow for a three gun, and I'd definitely pull it in an apocalypse. If I must go forth to just reward in an epic moment I will be accompanied by a rifle with a little bit of class and a fine cigar.

 

[fourfive8]

Hah! I'm still trying to visualize a 375/458 battle rifle based on a Garand! Might be able to do it with some serious mods to the bolt face, gas port, op rod and spring, bolt face and enbloc. May reduce the enbloc capacity from 8 to 7 though. Heck, the US did it going to the 30 Carbine and Ruger took it one step farther with the Mini 14 in 223. So why not just go a wee bit larger from '06 to 375/458. Yep this covid cluster flop makes for some odd thoughts popping into one's head all right!

 

[Forrest Halley]

That's pretty much what it was: an exercise of the mind that seems to entertain more than just me, myself and I.

 

[greyfox]

For a Garand, 06 to 35 whelen is just one step, 35 whelen to 375 is one step, shouldn't be an issue at all.....

 

[BeeMaa]

I might try to shoot a four gun match with my .375, it's too slow for a three gun, and I'd definitely pull it in an apocalypse. If I must go forth to just reward in an epic moment I will be accompanied by a rifle with a little bit of class and a fine cigar.

For speeding things up, make it a Blaser R8.
Then you can change out barrels quickly if you want.

Not fast enough...move up to a NEMO Arms in 458WM.