rechamber my model 1917 enfield 405 win to 400 H&H?

[comen]

I have a model 1917 Enfield that is converted to .405 win. Will a 400 H&H clean up the chamber without turning a thread off the tenon?

 

[steve white]

I sure hope so!!

 

[Flewis]

The 405 is rimed isn’t it? That’s where I would think you may have a problem. Also check bolt face difference.

 

[Sarg]

I have a model 1917 Enfield that is converted to .405 win. Will a 400 H&H clean up the chamber without turning a thread off the tenon?

What a cool rifle idea, it was my idea many years ago to chamber a Lee Enfield in .405 Win for one of my Lee Speed projects, it would do it safely but in a P14 - M17 it could be loaded up a lot more I suspect ?

Does it feed well from the M17 magazine or was a P14 mag used ?

We have 10s & 10s of BSA customised/sportised P14 rifles in NZ mostly in 303 Brit, right now worth near scrap value as most or large number have poor bores.

Great pity we couldn’t ship a load to the US so you guys could soup them up, most of the hard work is done !

Depends on what you want to use the rifle for & do you need 200-300 fps more to accomplish that ?

 

[comen]

The 405 is rimed isn’t it? That’s where I would think you may have a problem. Also check bolt face difference.

just a couple thousands between 405 and belted magnum rim diameters. My .405 was a 300 win mag when I first bought it

 

[comen]

What a cool rifle idea, it was my idea many years ago to chamber a Lee Enfield in .405 Win for one of my Lee Speed projects, it would do it safely but in a P14 - M17 it could be loaded up a lot more I suspect ?

Does it feed well from the M17 magazine or was a P14 mag used ?

We have 10s & 10s of BSA customised/sportised P14 rifles in NZ mostly in 303 Brit, right now worth near scrap value as most or large number have poor bores.

Great pity we couldn’t ship a load to the US so you guys could soup them up, most of the hard work is done !

Depends on what you want to use the rifle for & do you need 200-300 fps more to accomplish that ?

used the M1917 magazine fine, but if you load 4 it rim locks when you fire the first shell so I can only load 3. 422 gr paper patch lead at 2067 fps. cutting the magazine and welding a P14 back half would probably address that, but 3 at almost 4000 ft lbs. is enough for the time being

 

[Sarg]

Awesome !

Yes I thought you would do 2100fps with 400gr slugs in that, right up with the 450/400NE & no one complains about it’s killing power !

Is your mag box shortened in depth, half of the BSA sporters here have the bottom straightened out & dog leg bolt removed, actually in the rimmed 303Brit the feeding & ejection is amazing & very slick. If you could have the 405Win operate like this if would be a great rifle & caliber I believe.

Not sure if I can send a mag box over but if you need a P14 one I could look into it ?

I have three BSA P14 factory sporters but I do prefer my Lee Speed BSA sporters for handling.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Is the twist rate suitable for the H&H?

 

[Hunter4752001]

The diference in rim diameters is more than "a couple of thou". Try 11 thou, 405 Win = 0.543" vs 400 H&H + 0.532". May come down to individual bolt face. Worse case scenario would be a new bolt. Sounds like a great project. The only thing wrong with the 400 H&H is that it came out a century too late, if it had been designed in the early 20th century it would have dominated the field.

 

[Surgeon1]

I've been playing with a 400 H&H the last 2 months. It's a custom on a Mod70 action. All metal was nitride finished, and the action is as smooth as glass. Everything I've shot thru it has been clover leaf
groups. The loads have been with Ramshot Hunter and IMR 4831, bullets have been Woodley's, North Fork and my favorite .410 bullet in my 450-400 the Swift A-frame, all 400 gr. The barrel is a .411 but
the .410 shoot the best for some reason. Going to work on NF and Swift solids for loads next.
Velocities have been a bit faster than the 450-400 Heym (2140) and seam to settle out at 2235fps for
the A-frames. Could definitely go faster but why? Got 255 correct head stamped brass and Redding dies,
so I will at some point use it to complement my 470NE or 450-400 double! I agree if this cartridge came out 100 yr ago it would be the BIG DOG medium bore!

 

[comen]

Awesome !

Yes I thought you would do 2100fps with 400gr slugs in that, right up with the 450/400NE & no one complains about it’s killing power !

Is your mag box shortened in depth, half of the BSA sporters here have the bottom straightened out & dog leg bolt removed, actually in the rimmed 303Brit the feeding & ejection is amazing & very slick. If you could have the 405Win operate like this if would be a great rifle & caliber I believe.

Not sure if I can send a mag box over but if you need a P14 one I could look into it ?

I have three BSA P14 factory sporters but I do prefer my Lee Speed BSA sporters for handling.

My mag still has the belly. I can put 5 in, but can't shoot it with more than 2 down with one in the chamber. This is one reason I'm looking at the 400 H&H, I have another .405 that I could save the Hornady brass for, and make brass from 375 H&H for the 400

 

[comen]

The diference in rim diameters is more than "a couple of thou". Try 11 thou, 405 Win = 0.543" vs 400 H&H + 0.532". May come down to individual bolt face. Worse case scenario would be a new bolt. Sounds like a great project. The only thing wrong with the 400 H&H is that it came out a century too late, if it had been designed in the early 20th century it would have dominated the field.

My smith didn't need to open the bolt face from what the rifle had for the 300 win mag. I can pick up 7 stw and 7 rem mag shells from the magazine and eject them even though they only go a short distance into the chamber

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I have a model 1917 Enfield that is converted to .405 win. Will a 400 H&H clean up the chamber without turning a thread off the tenon?

@comen
Why would you want to change it.
You have one of the strongest actions made
The 405 win stoked up to its FULL potential is fully the equal of the old 450-400 and buffalo and other big game have been successfully hunted with that for years.
That big M17 will handle the pressure of FULL power loads with room to spare.
The only reason I can see for the change is cheaper more plentiful brass for the 400 but then you have to form the cases( yes an easy job) then try and find proper head stamped brass if you want to hunt Africa.
You may get away with running a reamer into the chamber because the 400 has a belt so that should take care of the bottom end but as the case tapers it may not clean up the 405 chamber

As the saying goes
If'n it ain't broke
Why try and fix it.
Being the mad bastard I am I would leave it as is and just thow more coal on the fire with that 405 and go have fun. But hey what do I know. After wildcatting for year I now like simple a lot more
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Awesome !

Yes I thought you would do 2100fps with 400gr slugs in that, right up with the 450/400NE & no one complains about it’s killing power !

Is your mag box shortened in depth, half of the BSA sporters here have the bottom straightened out & dog leg bolt removed, actually in the rimmed 303Brit the feeding & ejection is amazing & very slick. If you could have the 405Win operate like this if would be a great rifle & caliber I believe.

Not sure if I can send a mag box over but if you need a P14 one I could look into it ?

I have three BSA P14 factory sporters but I do prefer my Lee Speed BSA sporters for handling.

@Sarg
Yes you can send SOME parts with a bit of imagination as long as it is sent as a GIFT.
DON'T label it as a magazine box just send it as a metal box or car parts.
I've sent projectiles as experimental 3/8" gas plugs solid and expanding. Well in a way it ain't telling porky pies they are gas plugs of sorts.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

My mag still has the belly. I can put 5 in, but can't shoot it with more than 2 down with one in the chamber. This is one reason I'm looking at the 400 H&H, I have another .405 that I could save the Hornady brass for, and make brass from 375 H&H for the 400

@comen
If'n it's a M17 action with an M17 follower to suit the 06 a simple change to a P14 follower for the rimmed 303 Brit round may solve the problem along with a slight tweak of the feed rails. You will have to alter the feed rails for the bigger H&H round anyway. That way with the guppy belly you will get 5+1
Bob

 

[BlueFlyer]

Whichever way you look at it the 400H&H is going to out perform the 405W. And if you have another rifle in 405W then why not go for 400H&H.
The only real issue I see is the action and magazine will need to be opened up to accept the longer 400H&H @ 3.550 vs 405W @ 3.175. You might also need a bit of work on the feed rails due to the 400H&H actually having a shoulder.

 

[comen]

@comen
Why would you want to change it.
You have one of the strongest actions made
The 405 win stoked up to its FULL potential is fully the equal of the old 450-400 and buffalo and other big game have been successfully hunted with that for years.
That big M17 will handle the pressure of FULL power loads with room to spare.
The only reason I can see for the change is cheaper more plentiful brass for the 400 but then you have to form the cases( yes an easy job) then try and find proper head stamped brass if you want to hunt Africa.
You may get away with running a reamer into the chamber because the 400 has a belt so that should take care of the bottom end but as the case tapers it may not clean up the 405 chamber

As the saying goes
If'n it ain't broke
Why try and fix it.
Being the mad bastard I am I would leave it as is and just thow more coal on the fire with that 405 and go have fun. But hey what do I know. After wildcatting for year I now like simple a lot more
Bob

I checked the case diagrams and the 400 will clean up the 405. I Will have to have to lengthen the mag box. My load in the 405 is 3,3 inches in the unaltered box. I have the same action opened up to 3.6" for my 8mm rem mag and 3.7" in my 338 Jarret In each instance all metal was removed from the rear of the action, milling off the stripper clip slots, shortening the ejector and bolt stop to allow the extra bolt travel. Also the mag box was lengthened by cutting and welding the long front ang long rear section of two mag boxes together My goal is not to so much increase performance. In a previous post I mention I'm already throwing a 422 gr bullet at 2067 fps. Instead I would like to use some of my plethora of H&H brass, and preserve my 405 brass for my other rifle in this caliber. I have a fondness for 40 calibers as I also have my .411-284 wildcat and a 40-65