Went to the Calgary gun show today. Extremely dead in there today. It's the biggest gun show in Canada. To me you could see the low oil prices and what it has done to my Alberta home. Everyone that we asked said it was the slowest lowest sales Calgary show they had ever attended. Anyhow found a guy that had a pair of ponsness warren 375 loaders there I bought one of them it was in 12 guage which I already have one but I will get a 28 guage tooling kit for it. I paid less that the price of a ring to quickly change guages for a 375. The shot gun loading bench will look kind of neat now.lol.  I need to spend some time in my loading room both to load and setup a few things and organise a bunch of stuff in there. I have got four of them for just a tad bit more than one new one. I like the idea of them all working the same way. The loading procedure is the same less to think about that way. I find them quite easy to make a good looking crimp with. Other things there that were of interest I saw a side by side 16 guage muzzle loading shotgun. There was a fair over under in 28 guage that was nice good price but more than I had to spend.  There was a 218 Ackley improved bee in a Bruno bolt gun I liked that gun the guy wanted 1200 for it I felt that was way to much. There were a number of sour ( lol cannot remember how to spell it) rifles there including on colt version. There were about dozen Holland and Holland double rifles a couple of Wesley Richards double rifles. The custom rifle maker out of cranbrook British Columbia Hagn had a table. Oh my true beauty. Single shot falling blocks starting at 14 000 up to 45 000 perhaps the best fit and finish I have ever laid eyes on. He has a web site that some of you may want to look at. Then the totally useless rifle I really wanted to buy. I got his card just in case. A fellow there had a custom 505 Gibbs built on a Bruno zzk602 action with a beautiful stock. Which was interesting in some ways it looked like it was built out of zebra wood but I don't think that would be meet strong enough for a 505. It came with about 50 pieces of brass. He wanted 2500 for it. It was well done muzzle heavy which I like a large but pad lots of area to spread the recoil on your shoulder over. A barrel band for the front sling. The pistol grip was played back well setup so in recoil it would not bite your finger. I would guess about twelve plus pounds. Three cross bolts for recoil through the stock one behind the back action bolt another behind the recoil lug and a third one down the barrel a bit I am guessing a second recoil lug. Folding leaf rear sights. Really nice wood to metal fit really well polished metal work with a perfect bluing job. I want that gun bad! I will think it over I would never need but I always wanted a stopping rifle. Then a man can dream about an African safari. Even if some day I could afford to go there the only one of the big five that I would be interested in hunting would be a buff. The safari that would most interest me would be the tiny ten. The rabbit sized deer hunt would be neat. Speaking of rabbits that perhaps maybe the true use for a 505 Gibbs. I am thinking the killer rabbit you know the one where the bones of a thousand men lay strewn at the entrance to its lair! That truely is a funny movie. Well that was my day at the Calgary gun show.

Your gun show is about the opposite of gun shows up here. We're "at the end of the road" and still in the "what does a man need more than one rifle for" era. Consequently, there's precious little of interest to me. .300 Win Mags, .338 Win Mags, 7mm Rem Mags, and a plethora of RUMs and STWs in plastic. An occasional "Guide Gun" that I wouldn't use for anything other than a fencepost.

Give us a picture of that bench when you get it set up.

Paul

Yes I will. I should have taken a picture of the muzzle loading 16 guage lol I thought of you. Also I should have taken a picture of the 505 gibbs. Not sure I could handle it I looked up the free recoil numbers and I think I am about maxed out on my ten guage at 65 pounds of free recoil the 505 loks to be around a hundred pounds of free recoil I think likely beyond my tolerance. But I sure would like to try it. A buddy has a 458 Lott I should try first perhaps. I am going to look the guys card up and see if he can send me a picture of it.

Quote from: farmboy;143948Yes I will. I should have taken a picture of the muzzle loading 16 guage lol I thought of you. Also I should have taken a picture of the 505 gibbs. Not sure I could handle it I looked up the free recoil numbers and I think I am about maxed out on my ten guage at 65 pounds of free recoil the 505 loks to be around a hundred pounds of free recoil I think likely beyond my tolerance. But I sure would like to try it. A buddy has a 458 Lott I should try first perhaps. I am going to look the guys card up and see if he can send me a picture of it.

The .505 Gibbs is designed to disrupt the plans of an angry behemoth approaching at close range—not to snipe him from long distance, so scopes are out of the question. You would simply have no use for the rifle and would probably wear yourself out after the first shot! A sensible alternative and much cheaper by the way, would be a 375 H&H......JMHO......and you can mount a scope on one and not fear damage to your face when the scope comes detached from the 505!

I agree it is totally useless I have just always wanted a huge gun I have never done it because of the total lack of practically of one. The big gun that I have thought might be the best compromise would be a 416 about as big as a guy can get and still flat enough shooting to be of some use. A guy could use one on elk or moose. A bit overkill but I am sure it would work.

In regards to the 375 consider these ballistics using a 260 grain Accubond and a full charge of Reloader 15 sighted in zero at 225 yards:

Muz, E 4494, v= 2790 (ouch!)
100yd, E 3893, v= 2599, +2.3 inches
200yd, E 3368, v= 2415, +1.2 inches
300yd, E 2895, v= 2239, -5.7 inches

Then read this....http://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/375-hh-magnum-king/

I like "big", but I don't care for "magnum". One way to get "big" AND be practical is muzzleloaders. I gotta tell ya that if the hole that 10 gauge made was smaller, I would NEVER put up with the poorly designed stock and associated recoil. Seeing those .75 caliber holes in the target 'covers a multitude of sins'.

Paul

Something I started to grasp as I moved up the caliber scale is that one can always load these big calibers 'down', but at some point there's absolutely no need for the "magnum" case capacity when you intend to load it 'down'. Said differently, big caliber bullets come with a recoil 'cost'. That cost can be mitigated to some extent by reloading relatively "light", or at least not "full house", loads. However, at some point, (and the bigger the caliber the more 'sudden' that point becomes), down-loading a big caliber-big cased cartridge is counter-productive.

I "like" a few calibers: .17, .257, 7mm, 8mm, .338, and pretty much everything above .40. Among those between .40 and .50, I really like the .416. I 'created' this wildcat by putting a .416 bullet on a .348 Win case. (A case I REALLY like!). http://thehunterslife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12911&highlight=cape
And
http://thehunterslife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13953&highlight=cape

This cartridge can be loaded 'appropriately' for the case capacity and still deliver serious energy 'out there'. I CAN be loaded "up" into recoil ranges that are most 'appreciated' by people with monikers like "Recoil Junky".

Anyway, my point is that I have given up on "big caliber" AND "magnum" cases. Big calibers are "good". Big calibers AND big cases are not... well, not for me.

Paul

Here are some .375 wildcats I toyed around with.
http://thehunterslife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11739

Paul

Rick I built a 358sta magnum years ago. I was going to build a 350 Ackley magnum on a full length h and h case. When my gun smith called clymar they were about to build a reamer for Kenny Jarrett for lanye Simpsons gun. So they built another one for me at the same time. We had the reamer in a week. I have always thought that I likely had the first 358 sta not Layne Simpson. He has written that Bob nosler had the second one built I am quite sure if mine was not first it was second! Lol after the reamer arrived I had my rifle in my hands in two weeks. The last thing we ordered was the reamer. I had my sta months before the article in shooting times. Lol.

Years ago when I was deciding on hunting rifles I thought that four different calibre s would nicely cover all big game. I had a fixation on 3000 fps for heavy for calibre bullets. So my small rifle was chambered for 6.5_06 Ackley improved. So I could get 3000 fps with 140s. Then I went to a 308 Norma magnum and the same thing I could get 3000 fps with 180 grain bullets. The 358sta I could get 3000 fps with 250 grain bullets. It was the largest calibre I could make the 3000 fps with a full length h and h case. I never really went anywhere with the last gun because I really had no need for it basically useless. But I always wanted to finish what I was doing. About a year after I had the other rifles built the 416 explosion happened on the gun scene. I wondered about building one of them either a weatherby or a rigby. I also wondered about a wild cat in the 423 bore size with that case. I have looked around for years for a full sized double square bridged Mauser to build something on. Every time I found something I backed away because there was just no use for the finished gun. And I never found one so cheap that I thought I would just buy it and put in away for someday. For prices around here that 505 Gibbs was cheap and really well made. It would not be my choice if it was a money is no object thing. But it is more useless than a 416. In reality around here if a person wanted a big one there are three diameter s that should be looked at 375,416,&458. Everything else would be hard to get components for. If I was going to do one I think the 375 size is to close to my 35 si I would want more space between them. 458 would likely be the best between it and 416 for component availability. After all there are bullets designed for 45.70 that could be loaded.  But the 416 with a big case behind it would get close to my magic 300 fps. Lol the 505 Gibbs case necked down would do it for sure. The likely hood of me getting anything bigger is slim the only real way is if I fell into anything really cheap. I did find a 416 Remington cheap that had the same stock and action I built my 35 on. I should have bought that not what I dreamed of but it was a big gun for cheap.

I'm just offering food for thought. A 416 is a great caliber and if I were headed to Africa(I will never do) and hunting dangerous game the 416 would be my choice......no question. That said, we live in North America and the 375 is relatively inexpensive and easy to reload. I can reload almost three 30-'06 Ackley shells for one 416 which is a powder hog. But it sounds like you want one so, far be it from me to rain on anyone's parade! I trust you have a sled!:)

Yes I don't disagree I have never bought one because it would be useless! Some times the dream is where the fun comes i f I ever got a big one the dream would be over as well as the fun!  When I was a young man I really wanted to hunt Africa but I will never go now.  Funny how we all change as we get older.

Paul, have you ever shot my 1895 Marlin 45-70? I can't remember. It's an absolute HOOT with 457124's at 1380 fps, just like the originals.

RJ

We fondled it when I was there, RJ, but I'm pretty sure we didn't shoot it.

I think I'm coming down this fall, so we should give it a whirl.

Paul

Quote from: recoil junky;143989Paul, have you ever shot my 1895 Marlin 45-70? I can't remember. It's an absolute HOOT with 457124's at 1380 fps, just like the originals.

RJ

Recoil wise they are not to bad then? I often wondered what those would be like to shoot l. A young neighbour bought a Henry in 45 70 I don't think he has shot it yet or the last time I asked he had not.