What about a .376 Steyr?

[taylorce1]

I have a rifle that I'm thinking of re-barreling into .376 Steyr. I got this idea after talking to a friend on what I could do with this rifle that I have. It is a Win M70 XTR in 7mm Rem Mag. I just can't warm up to the 7mm Mag, in fact I'd almost say I despise this cartridge.

So I've been reading up on the .376 Steyr and I'm interested. Just wanting some opinions on this cartridge from people who might own or have fired it. I just know that putting a new barrel on the rifle would be cheaper than finding that Pre-64 .375 H&H I've been dreaming of.

 

[pinotguy]

It's a cool yet wacky cartridge. It's got a strange rim diameter which will complicate things if you plan on using an action with a belted-magnum bolt face. Oddly enough, it would be easier to re-chamber for the Steyr using a standard action and bolt. I've also heard and read that it doesn't do very well with bullets over 270 grains. I believe this is due to its design and size although I could be mistaken on this particular point. Not sure what you had in mind for this rifle but I'd like to be able to shoot heavier bullets in those bigger calibers. I think the 375 Ruger might be a wiser choice because it's rim and base dimensions are much closer to standard and it's more versatile when it comes to hand-loading.

 

[taylorce1]

Yep knew about the bolt face, figured I'd buy a stripped bolt in a standard bolt face to solve that problem. Thought about the .375 Ruger as well and haven't ruled out that option. What will I use it for, don't know yet. I've been toying around with the idea of a .375 Whelen but didn't have a donor action laying around, and I've got this rifle I don't use so I though why not.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Scorch]

If I had a donor rifle I was thinking about rebarreling in 375 caliber, I would at least look at the 375 Ruger. You might also check if the action is suitable for 375 H&H. And of course, the 375 Dakota would get a look. That's if you want a big bang. There is also a trainload of magnum mid-bore rounds just waiting to be built into custom rifles, like 300 H&H Super, 300 Win Mag, 30 Newton, 308 Norma, 338 Win Mag, etc. Or pick one of the WSMs . . .

 

[taylorce1]

Thanks for the suggestions Scorch. I don't need any more calibers from .224-.338, that is why I'm thinking .375 for my next rifle. The only caliber I'm lacking from my caliber range is a 6.5 and I want to get a Swede to fill that one not the .264 Win Mag. I want to do as little modifcation to the action as possible I figured a little milling to open a bolt face up would be about as much as I wanted to do.

I was checking out Pacnor's web site and seeing what they had to offer in larger than .338 calibers. They have the .375 Ruger as a standard chamber, but they had a .365 (9,3mm) Magnum as well. I can't find any info on the .365 Magnum though, guess I'll contact Pacnor about this one.

 

[Scorch]

Which 9.3 Mag are they talking about? 9.3X64 Brenneke? If so, that would be cool! But it's got an oddball rim size (.492"). I wonder if it's a 8X68 necked up? Interesting . . .

 

[pinotguy]

Which 9.3 Mag are they talking about? 9.3X64 Brenneke? If so, that would be cool! But it's got an oddball rim size (.492"). I wonder if it's a 8X68 necked up? Interesting . . .

The 9.3 Brenneke would be a cool alternative. It basically has the same rim dimension as the Steyr so you'd be looking at the same kind of alterations. It is not based on the 8x68S but was developed as an original case. In terms of performance, the 9.3 Brenneke is on par with the 375 H&H - especially through hand-loads.

 

[taylorce1]

It wasn't the 9.3 Brenneke as that was listed as well. I went back to Pacnor's site and asked them about it. I was mistaken as well as it is listed in the wildcat chambers not the standard calibers. I'll probably wind up going with the .375 Ruger as the dies will be standard and save me some money as well on the whole conversion.

 

[Scorch]

Good choice. I was thinking of sending a rifle to PacNor to be rebarreled this winter. I would be interested in seeing the results and hearing your impressions about their work and the quality of their barrels.

 

[taylorce1]

I asked Pac-Nor the same question several years ago, and as I remember it is a wildcat based on the 404 Jeffery brass. As I remember, they said they bought the reamer years ago, but used it only once.

Here is what I found out about the 365 Magnum. I still haven't got the offical word from Pac-Nor yet.

As far as using Pac-Nor for work I'm just going with what a friend suggested. He was very satisfied with the work they did and how fast they got it done. I trust my friend and his recomendation so when I get the money together I'll send off the rifle.

 

[RugerOldArmy]

What about 9.3x62? A very well respected round in Africa, and your long action should be just fine for it. Components might be more limited, but Speer and others offer bullets. CZ still chambers this fine cartridge.

 

[taylorce1]

That cartridge would require a smaller bolt face than the one I've already got. I can get the rifle re-barreled for around $500 if I use a cartridge that will require no modification to the action. That is why the .375 Ruger is winning the race at the moment. The case head will fit my bolt and shouldn't require any mods to the feed rails or magazine.