Need advice for 375/408

[thekubiaks]

Disclaimer: I have used the SEARCH function many many times..

I mostly shoot 1000 yard IBS competition but want a tactical 375/408. After reading these forums ad nauseum I still have a few questions.

People refer to 375 CT (Cheytac) and 375/408CT
are they referring to the same caliber??

I am getting the impression that a 11.5 twist is recommended.

Seems that LeHigh are hard to get and Hooker is crazy expensive. What is the best shooting available bullet for 2000+ yards??

I already have a BAT M Action and was thinking of a Krieger 30" Heavy Varmint fluted taper

McMillan A5 stock

Jewell trigger

What brass is recommended, are you necking down 408 brass?

I already have the Optics (Nightforce)

So, can you help me fine tune this setup before I start ordering. Thanks.

 

[RWSGunsmithing]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: thelubiaks</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Disclaimer: I have used the SEARCH function many many times..

I mostly shoot 1000 yard IBS competition but want a tactical 375/408. After reading these forums ad nauseum I still have a few questions.

People refer to 375 CT (Cheytac) and 375/408CT
are they referring to the same caliber?? <span style="color: #FF0000">Yes</span>

I am getting the impression that a 11.5 twist is recommended. <span style="color: #FF0000">Depends on the bullet. If you shoot Jamison bullets then yes. If you shoot GS then your probably going to have to go faster</span>

Seems that LeHigh are hard to get and Hooker is crazy expensive. What is the best shooting available bullet for 2000+ yards?? <span style="color: #FF0000">Check out Boretech for the lehigh style of bullets but I'm not sure how etheir one will preform out to 2k. Jamison int. makes a hooker style they'll do 2k</span>
I already have a BAT M Action and was thinking of a Krieger 30" Heavy Varmint fluted taper <span style="color: #FF0000">Again depends on the bullet. If you want to shoot lehigh style then the kreiger will do fine if you want the jamison style then you need to make sure the bore is a lost river style of rifling. Honestly though there is nothing cheap about shooting these big boys!</span>

McMillan A5 stock

Jewell trigger

What brass is recommended, are you necking down 408 brass? <span style="color: #FF0000">Jamison makes 375 brass</span>

I already have the Optics (Nightforce)

So, can you help me fine tune this setup before I start ordering. Thanks. </div></div>

My reponse is in the red.

 

[XLR]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

As others have stated on here, with the 375 CT system, it is better to pick what bullet you plan on shooting and build the rifle around that. Better performance can be achieved with the Jamison bullets than the Lehighs but the Lehighs are cheaper. I am sure the GSC bullets will out perform all the above but I have not personally tried them.

If you plan on shooting the solids, better look into a LRB barrel from Lawton.

This whole caliber is "crazy expensive" so don't hold back

 

[thekubiaks]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

Thanks for the replies!

I have been looking at ballistics programs and doing a lot of forum reading. Right now, the show stopper is the bullets. Sierra 300SMK's are the easiest to obtain but their relatively low BC as compared to LeHigh makes them less desirable since they go subsonic around 1700 - 1800 yards.

I like the high BC of the Lehigh's but they are practically impossible to find in addition to being solid brass which supposedly eats the barrels. No AMAX's in .375..

What other high BC bullet is obtainable that will stay supersonic past 2000 yards??

If I can get past that hurdle, then I can start designing the barrel/twist. Thanks again..

 

[RWSGunsmithing]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: thelubiaks</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

What other high BC bullet is obtainable that will stay supersonic past 2000 yards??

</div></div>

Jamison's about it for now.

 

[Dogtown]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

Indeed, if the Jamison 350gr solid is going to be too expensive then you might want to step down a notch to a .338LM. As mentioned, you can shoot the Lehighs for less money, but still relatively expensive, but you will not get the performance you get with the Jamison solids. On the flipside, you probably won't foul your barrel as easily

.375 Cheytac is the current king of the hill, but it's a major commitment. That said, it's no longer the obscure caliber it was a few years ago.

 

[Wild_Bill]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

Ok i would get a barrel at least 32" long if you can and step up to a 375 Snipe Tac Dave Viers has dies, brass and reamers it is the Chey Tac case improved and you can run them harder with less pressure and make the cases last. Another option is the 338 Snipe Tac it will throw the 300gr MatchKings out there fairly fast and should get you to 2k's and it will give you the ability to use either the MatchKings or solids. the other thing is to get the 360gr MatchKings that are made for 375 they are also a great bullet either way it is a big step from a 338LM and if you go this way you wont be dissapointed.

 

[XLR]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

I would recommend going with the Jamison solids. Like Dogtown said, if cost is a factor for you I would be hesitatent to build a Cheytac. A lot more goes into shooting these distances besides the rifle. If you only shoot 2000 yards occasionally, the 338 would be a better economic way to go for sure.

But of course, it is not a 375 so...
Here are a few more bullets for consideration:

Predator Bullets
Rocky Mountain Bullets

 

[thekubiaks]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

Thanks for the info!! I am starting to get more interested in the .338LM. The new Berger 300gr Hybrid results are looking very good and I have learned that having uniform factory (Lapua) brass can make life a whole lot easier.

 

[Dogtown]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

Hell, even the 250 Scenar out of a .338LM @ 2900fps is good to a mile

 

[viersco]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

I think your looking at the wrong bullet when saying 300gn smk Sierra 375cal. They are 350gn and the BC is .770 They will fly past 2000yds with ease and my customers in Australia say they are more accurate vs the cheytac bullet. They also shoot the 350gn predators, they too are very accurate and BC is stated at .940 Either of these bullets shoot good out of the 11.5 twist LRB bore or the standard 375cal bores. The 350 Sierra is about half the cost of turned solids.

 

[shoot1760]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

Wild bill is right on the money....I would take a serious look at the 375 snipe tac...Others are shooting the 338, it's really accurate, but it's a barrel burner...The 375 is a burner also, but has a bit longer life.

I am currently building a 375 snipe tac, but I jumped the gun on a 10 twist 32 inch for the lehighs, preditors or smk's. So now Im contemplating building a second barrel for the new GS 414 solid.

I would encorage you not to pick a barrel twist until you wait for Dave Viers test results on the new GS 414. He has shot to 1,150 yards with some of the best groups I have ever seen with any of the big magnums....Dave is testing this bullet for GS here in the states and he will have more results shortly.

I have been researching bullets and barrel twists for the chey tac for quite sometime now and I've been real close to the testing of the GS 414. This thing has a BC near 1.250 and it will run out of the snipe tac at more than 3200 fps. When you run a ballistic program like the Xbal, it will knock your socks off. This bullet looks to stabilize in a standard 1--8 twist,, although I think Dave will be doing some more test at 1--7.75 twist,,,,,

Dave is posting data on this hide about the GS 414, so you can keep tuned in by just waiting and reading. Also, if you want to keep the gun light like me (16 pounds),,,Manners has the T2 and T3 stock that can be 90% carbon fibered...This will bring it down to near 2.3 pounds.

cheers,
zman

 

[shoot1760]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

Not that I agree with everyone here,,but XLR has a point I should have addressed....If money is an issue...Dude, don't go with the chey tac...snipe tac,,,etc....You will be buying a big mac meal every time you pull the trigger. My snipe tac will not be my defacto shooter.

My defacto shooter is my 338 edge. Problem is my edge does great to 1900 yards, but man at 2,000 I cant hit the broad side of a barn. It goes transonic and everything goes to hell.

But to 1900 yards, the 338 edge is much cheaper to shoot, it weighs only 15 pounds, it kicks like a 243 (with my huge break), my 10 year old can shoot it to 1,000 yards and its a tack driver.

And lastly, guys are now shooting the new bergers out of the edge and the lapua and UNDER 2,860 fps, this new bullet is having some killer results. If you can get the berger to fly, you can extend the 1900 yards by the edge by a couple hundred more.

As everyone knows, berger is working on revision two, and it looks like the second gen bullet will performe at speeds much higher than what my edge can shoot. Im also hearing that berger may continue to sell the first gen bullet for guys that just don't need to exceede the 2,860 or so velocity.

So not to confuse you, but you have alot of choices. And money may help you determine the direction to take

zman

 

[thekubiaks]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

Thanks for all of the data, I think I will sit back and see what Berger does with the 300gn Hybrids for the .338. If they toughen the rounds up a little and increase the BC a little, then I think the .338 is the winner.

I am going to start watching the GS414 and see how that comes along. I need to look into the snipetac a little closer. Since I was going to go the 50BMG route, $$$ is not an issue. As for the snipetac route, I think the cost per shot and equipment is closer to the 50 BMG than the .338 setup is.

 

[shoot1760]

Re: Need advice for 375/408

My snipe tac barrel came in yesterday...its a 1--10 twist, as I said before Im kind of wishing I orderd the 1--8,,cause thats what Dave viers thinks the 414 will stabilize in. His test are very promising to 1,050 yards the the GS 414, but he still has to shoot to 1,400. He's also tested with a VGT barrel from 16.5 to 8 and it seems to be doing fine, but he still wants to shoot it in a standard 8 twist. I know Lawton is cutting a new barrel for this as we speak so the final test data should be comming soon.

My 1--10 twist barrel is designed to shoot most anything from the 350 smak to the lehighs, I took the safe route.

As you follow Dave Viers testing on the GS 414, you may wish to ask him about his new Viersco Mag. This is basically the chey tac's big brother. It will be a totally new caliber and if money is not a big deal, you should look into this. It really should cost about the same as a snipe tac to shoot. It will send the GS 414 some 200 fps faster than the Snipe Tac.

cheers,
zman