Tell me about your obscure cartridge

[Carl 9.3x62]

Not sure if the 9.3x62 fits your bill. Created in 1905 to use as an all-around hunting rifle for Dutch farmers in Africa, capable of killing everything from small antelope to elephant. Normally shoots a big slow bullet, of about 286 grains at around 2300 fps. It's a fun elk cartridge.

 

[Maverick1]

6.5 Creedmoor?..........

 

[Addicting]

I had a 300 Sherman, the one based on a 30/06 case. It sent a 180g bullet at 3050FPS. There was no allegedly, it flat out worked.

The catch was, with components so hard to get, fire forming brass was just too expensive.

 

[OntarioHunter]

404 Jeffery. Once fairly obscure, especially in North America, the 404 Jeff has recently become quite popular again. It was the first rimless big bore cartridge designed for Mauser 98 bolt action rifle. First ones came out in 1905. Was a bit of a trick fitting that fat cartridge into a standard action rifle designed for 8mm (Mauser didn't make a magnum action until 1913 exclusively for Rigby's new 416 cartridge). Jeffery cut away the two sides and front of the Mauser 98 bottom metal magazine box, using the opened up wooden stock as magazine box. A piece of tin lined the top of the box to keep cartridge tips from pounding into wood during recoil. The receiver had to be significantly altered to make the larger shells feed and eject. I decided if Jeffery could do it, so could I. Finished my Mauser 98 404 Jeffery just in time for this year's trip to Africa. Sent it off to be blued yesterday.

And now it's back. He did a great job.

 

[Farmerj]

404 Jeffery. Once fairly obscure, especially in North America, the 404 Jeff has recently become quite popular again. It was the first rimless big bore cartridge designed for Mauser 98 bolt action rifle. First ones came out in 1905. Was a bit of a trick fitting that fat cartridge into a standard action rifle designed for 8mm (Mauser didn't make a magnum action until 1913 exclusively for Rigby's new 416 cartridge). Jeffery cut away the two sides and front of the Mauser 98 bottom metal magazine box, using the opened up wooden stock as magazine box. A piece of tin lined the top of the box to keep cartridge tips from pounding into wood during recoil. The receiver had to be significantly altered to make the larger shells feed and eject. I decided if Jeffery could do it, so could I. Finished my Mauser 98 404 Jeffery just in time for this year's trip to Africa. Sent it off to be blued yesterday.
View attachment 290184

That’s awesome…

Since learning about it, I’ve been considering a .400 Whelen build

 

[OntarioHunter]

That’s awesome…

Since learning about it, I’ve been considering a .400 Whelen build

FYI 404 Jeffery is actually .423 caliber. No one knows why Jeffery chose the 404 name but probably to distance his new cartridge from anything close to 45 caliber. Export to colonies of 45 caliber ammo or close to it was banned by Britain. Too many restless natives (and colonists!) were getting their hands on British 45 caliber service rifles (Martini or Westley Richards). They could pull the bullets from 45 caliber sporting ammo and load them for use in subversive guns.

 

[Farmerj]

And the 400 Whelen is really .411, I went researching the history of the .308 win and .30-06 Springfield cartridges.


Holy cow is there a lot of children and grandchildren off those parent cartridge’s



But yes, a lot of that obscurity is what makes these obsolete cartridges so fun to explore.

 

[OntarioHunter]

And the 400 Whelen is really .411, I went researching the history of the .308 win and .30-06 Springfield cartridges.


Holy cow is there a lot of children and grandchildren off those parent cartridge’s



But yes, a lot of that obscurity is what makes these obsolete cartridges so fun to explore.

Story has it that Winchester short magnums and Remington RUM magnums were designed on 404 Jeffery case. Not quite. There's enough difference to make each cartridge proprietary. Try using a WSM shell holder to load 404 Jeff. Nope. Ask me how I know!

 

[old roper 42]

How about 35 Whelen/35 WhelenAI.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Another thumper gun cartridge from days gone by. This one pre-dated the 404 Jeffery by twenty years. Marlin introduced the 40-60 cartridge with their first lever action rifle in 1881. I have one of the rifles in good condition. Wonder if it ever shot any buffalo or Indians?

Not to be outdone, John Browning literally copied the cartridge five years later when he introduced his first big bore lever action. The Winchester 40-65 is indistinguishable from the Marlin 40-60. Stamp on the rim is different and that's about it. How did Winchester get away with copying the Marlin cartridge? Hmm. Perhaps Marlin forgot to patent their version? I have an Ideal all-in-one tong tool for reloading 40-65. It's probably worth as much as the gun. A fair amount of change. Both cartridges were discontinued during the Depression. Buffalo were all gone by then.

 

[ismith]

Killed a nice bull elk with an old 375 Express once, which is just the British name for the 9.5x57.

 

[YoungGun]

I had a 300 Sherman, the one based on a 30/06 case. It sent a 180g bullet at 3050FPS. There was no allegedly, it flat out worked.

The catch was, with components so hard to get, fire forming brass was just too expensive.

I believe the numbers that Sherman posts about- but I don't have any first hand experience, hence the "Allegedly" bit, and the reason for this thread. Among all the Hunttalkers, there's a wealth of experience and knowledge with various cartridges, all of which I find interesting.

What kind of rifle was your 300 Sherman chambered in?

 

[shrapnel]

Here is another rare cartridge. 17 Cooper, it was made from scratch from the previously invented cartridge by Dan Cooper a 22 Cooper.

It is a tiny case with a small pistol primer and a few grains of AA1680 powder and a 20 grain 17 caliber bullet. This picture compares it to a 17 HMR and a 17 Hornet…

 

[Addicting]

I believe the numbers that Sherman posts about- but I don't have any first hand experience, hence the "Allegedly" bit, and the reason for this thread. Among all the Hunttalkers, there's a wealth of experience and knowledge with various cartridges, all of which I find interesting.

What kind of rifle was your 300 Sherman chambered in?

It was a Remington 700 I had built. Worked really well till I oopsed on a powder measure and had a case head separation.

I still have the dies and new RWS brass, I may revive it someday.

 

[88man]

Is that 7mm Dakota in a custom rifle? I understand that it takes a bit larger bolt face, no?

Yes custom, I think so, don't remember all the specs

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

My wildcat wet dream is that 6.5 Leopard. It’s a 6.5 WSM and with about 24” barrel gets 3,200fps with 140gr bullets. It’s kind of like 277 Fury without the extreme pressure and can be necked off other WSM brass.

 

[Brandon.in.parts]

Not one I currently own but on the wish list is a 348 Win AI.

 

[std7mag]

Is that 7mm Dakota in a custom rifle? I understand that it takes a bit larger bolt face, no?

Same bolt face as most of the magnums. 0.532".

Try finding some 257 Kimber.

Myself.....
250-3000 Savage
257Roberts
257 Roberts AI
25WSSM
280Rem
284Win
7mm WBY Mag

Heck, even my 257 WBY Mag is more mainstream than the 7mm WBY.

 

[Farmerj]

Same bolt face as most of the magnums. 0.532".

Try finding some 257 Kimber.

Myself.....
250-3000 Savage
257Roberts
257 Roberts AI
25WSSM
280Rem
284Win
7mm WBY Mag

Heck, even my 257 WBY Mag is more mainstream than the 7mm WBY.

How hard is the .340 wby to find?

 

[Hook]

One that's not seen too much nowadays, especially on this side of the Atlantic. 9X57 Mauser. Took this deer with a powder coated cast bullet.