375 SuperMag

[dougk]

I am seeing alot of 375 SuperMags for sale.  Does anyone know why?
thanks
Doug

[David Carey]

There were a couple on one of the auction sites that took around a year to sell, they finally sold so I think those that have been holding them to sell finally are listing them, I noticed it also. I also am one that bought one (when the price hit my range) that sat there forever. I am thinking about getting another and sending it to Gary Reader to do the GNR conversion to it. Turn it into 445 case with the 375 bullet.

Dave

[El Hombre]

It seems like these things go in cycles.
A couple years ago there were a bunch of 414 supermags for sale, now you can't find one for anything. I looked for a 41 mag for a few months, after I finally found one, they popped up everywhere. I have noticed this with other guns also, not just Dan Wessons.

[dougk]

I should have been looking for a 41 mag when there were several for sale. 
I ended up with a very clean 375 SuperMag

[Steel Shooter]

The .375 SuperMag is one DW caliber I never latched onto. Have owned DWs in most of the other calibers at one time or another, except for 32/20, 32 H&R magnum and the .460, but never the .375. Does anyone know how many DW produced of the .375, and over what time span??

Wayne

[blhof]

I don't know exactly, but I do know that both the the Monson and Palmer plants produced them, but not the Norwich.  I've shot a few and found them as accurate as any DW.  Recoil seemed worse than the 445.  Available bullet variety for reloading was a limiting factor in the 80's and I doubt that has improved as DW was the only revolver in 375.  If the price were right I'd buy one.

[Reed1911]

Looks like we'll be doing the ammunition in that caliber so for those of you thinking of buying one that do not handload it will be available.

[blhof]

I should have clarified about the availability of 375 bullets; there are plenty available; but due to the limiting of the OAL due to the cylinder length, there are few that can be used in the Revolver.  The choices for the T/C people are greater. I'd still buy one if the price were right.

[Reed1911]

The two main bullets will be the 200g Power Jacket from Sierra and the 220g Flat Point Interlock from Hornady, from there I think the only other bullets suitable will be hard cast or custom since standard available others are spire pointed. I could not really see a whole lot of sense in having a T/C barrel chambered for it unless you already had a revolver and just wanted to stay with the same caliber. It seems that a quality .375 Win would do everything and more than the .375 SM. To each his own, I can't really say my choices in barrels have ever been logical. 

[unspellable]

Would one really gain anything using a 445 case?  It seems to me the 375 case is already approaching the point of diminishing returns for the caliber.  One could run a bit more pressure in the 375 case too.  The 445 SuperMag is "officially" rated for 44 Magnum pressures, not that it doesn't get pushed a bit.  But the 375 cylinder would have thicker walls.  The S&W 460 and 500 get more velocity by running more pressure, not by case capacity. 

[Reed1911]

 

Would one really gain anything using a 445 case?

Gain anything over what? The .375 SM case is not a necked down .445, it is a straight case based on the .375 Win.
The .445 does have a significant gain over the .44 Mag when ran at the same pressure, obviously running the pressure a little higher just boosts that difference.

The S&W 460 and 500 get more velocity by running more pressure, not by case capacity.

Not 100% true, when ran at the same pressure as the nearest case to them (500WY) and (.454 Casull) both have a significant gain. Of course they are meant to be pushed at higher pressure and that too does add a significant advantage.

[David Carey]

I think this reply was more to my saying to send one and have a GNR cylinder made for it.

375 GNR
Our 375 GNR is next in line and this one was intended for the Contender and for stretch frame revolvers.   It is formed by necking down the 445 SuperMag to 375.  It will pretty much duplicate the ballistics of a 375 Winchester in a Contender.   Works great with 225 gr. LBT bullets from Cast Performance.

The main gain was available brass (the 445) at a better price then 375 Winchester brass and then haveing to cut them down. Gary also sells the dies for the GNR cylinders.

Dave

Would one really gain anything using a 445 case?  It seems to me the 375 case is already approaching the point of diminishing returns for the caliber.  One could run a bit more pressure in the 375 case too.  The 445 SuperMag is "officially" rated for 44 Magnum pressures, not that it doesn't get pushed a bit.  But the 375 cylinder would have thicker walls.  The S&W 460 and 500 get more velocity by running more pressure, not by case capacity. 

[Reed1911]

   (humbly holding my hat in hand for speaking when it was not needed)

[unspellable]

The 375 SuperMag, 445 SuperMag, 460 S&W and 500 S&W all have a case length of 1.610 inch or pretty close to it.  My point was that in a revolver a case of this length has a lot of room and is probably pushing the point of diminishing returns, so there would not be much to gain by going to a bottle necked case.  The 460 & 500 gte higher velocities than the SuperMags by running higher pressures rather than more powder room.

I haven't priced 375 Winchester brass so I don't know how it would compare to 445 brass.

I shoot the 357 B&D in a revolver.  It's a 44 Mag case necked down to 357.  The 357 Mag case is 1.290 inch so there is something to gain by going to a bottle necked case. 

[David Carey]

I did not say anything until I got them in my hands but I ran across these the other day on ebay, Brand new still in the Winchester box labeled 375 SM IHMSA.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190139006025&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=009

Dave

[dougk]

Nice...

[blhof]

I picked up some 357 SM nickel brass on Ebay a while back; the auction was for 2 boxes, but the seller asked if I wanted more for the winning bid.  I ended up with 8 boxes of new IHMSA headstamped 357 Max Federal cases for less than I had been paying for once fired brass on other auctions.  I guess that's all done with now they've gone completely anti-gun.  Haven't seen as much variety at the gun site auctions; maybe that will change not there's no choice.

[BLASERMAN]

   I bought my 375 from a guy in Texas and it came with 300 rounds of win .375 IHMSA Brass and Dies for $575 a year ago.