.375 Winchester and G2 Contender

[Dan Chamberlain]

Read an article that indicates the .375 may be a tad too hot for the Contender.  I owned one years ago and recently acquired another Super 14 barrel for my G2.  I'm wondering if there is any truth to this?  I know I'm not into hotrodding and will be more than happy with factory or a shade lower hand loads for it.  I recall the factory loading in a 200 grain bullet seemed to be reasonably tame compared to my 300 grain loading for the .45-70!  This article talked about frame stretching and was touting the .375 JDJ as a better way to go.

Dan

[Hopalong7]

If it were so TC would not be building them.   Walt

[Alaska Dave]

I'm shooting the 375 Win  200 gr. in a rifle barrel with no problems.   Dave

[Dan Chamberlain]

If it were so TC would not be building them.   Walt

Walt, that's just it.  TC isn't making them anymore, are they?  That's why one has to buy custom or find an old barrel.  I was wondering if anyone had read the same thing.  The JDJ is based on the .444 brass and so pressures are less.  I doubt I'll do much damage as I'm not a competitor and will probably fire less than 100 rounds a year with it.  Too many other guns to shoot!

Dan

[Hopalong7]

I was not aware TC had dropped them but that doesn't surprise me.  They have reduced the Contender chamberings more and more every year.  Still, I don't think they would have been available ever, let alone for as long as they were, if the pressure level is questionable.  Since the case head is the same as the 30-30Win, the chamber pressure would have to be significantly higher for there to be a problem.  There are a lot of .375Win barrels out there and I've never heard of a problem from any of them including mine.  TC has never erred on the unsafe side of any chambering that I can remember.   Walt

[Hopalong7]

FWIW, I just checked TC's custom shop and the .375Win is still available there in the Contender list so if there's a problem they aren't aware of it.  Walt

[EdK]

The JDJ is based on the .444 brass and so pressures are less. 

What is it about 444 brass that results in lower pressures than the Win 375?

[sweetwyominghome]

Wildcats based on .444 brass do not necessarily operate at lower pressures and in fact are approaching  the ragged edge of Contender safety, particularly with the .309 JDJ.

The .375 JDJ, if loaded to .375 Win ballistics, would of course be operating at lower pressures due to the greater combustion area. But why have a JDJ if you shoot .375 Win level loads in it?

Loads listed by J.D. Jones for both the .309 JDJ and .375 JDJ, along with the ammo now offered by TC, operate at pressures equal to or even slightly higher than .375 Win factory ammo.

If the .375 Winnie was not safe for the Contender, you can rest assured that TC would not have chambered for it or continue to offer it through the custom shop.

[Dan Chamberlain]

The JDJ is based on the .444 brass and so pressures are less. 

What is it about 444 brass that results in lower pressures than the Win 375?

If all else is equal - bullet weight, powder charge, bullet velocity, the case with the greater expansion volume will have the less pressure.  So, necking a .444 case down to .375 will give you a larger expansion chamber.  You can reach the same performance with less pressure.  I'd have gone the JDJ route long ago, but Illinois requires a straight walled case for anything that has a case longer than 1.4 inches in a hunting handgun. 

Dan

[Rog]

Walt, that's just it.  TC isn't making them anymore, are they? 

Dan
[/quote]

The 375 Win is still available as a T/C Custom Shop barrel. 

Regards,

Rog

[Rog]

The JDJ is based on the .444 brass and so pressures are less. 

What is it about 444 brass that results in lower pressures than the Win 375?

If all else is equal - bullet weight, powder charge, bullet velocity, the case with the greater expansion volume will have the less pressure.  So, necking a .444 case down to .375 will give you a larger expansion chamber.  You can reach the same performance with less pressure.  I'd have gone the JDJ route long ago, but Illinois requires a straight walled case for anything that has a case longer than 1.4 inches in a hunting handgun. 

Dan

That's all true if "all things being equal" is indeed equal.  However, the reality of it is that the .375 Win and the .375 JDJ are loaded with different powders, with the 375 JDJ normally using slower powders than what would normally be used in the .375 Win.  The .375 JDJ with it's greater powder capacity is able to be loaded with a larger charge as well, thus taking advantage of lower pressure and still get greater velocity by means of a greater volume of gas expansion after ignition.  Just a couple of ways that helps reduce the overall pressure of the .375 JDJ compared to the .375 Win.

[EdK]

The JDJ is based on the .444 brass and so pressures are less. 

What is it about 444 brass that results in lower pressures than the Win 375?

If all else is equal - bullet weight, powder charge, bullet velocity, the case with the greater expansion volume will have the less pressure. 

OK - but that's the same as saying a 454 Casull has less pressure than a 45 Colt...

[Dan Chamberlain]

The .454 will operate at less pressure than the .45 Colt only if all else "is" equal.  And, to use our friend Bill Clinton's statement:  "That depends on the what the definition of "is"...is.

Dan

[Rog]

 

Bill Clinton is not my Friend....