Re: New 30/375 Wildcat - Transforming the Parent Case
Rich,
I'm going to post my thoughts on the forming of your 30/375 S.I. cases from the parent .375 Ruger casing. Here's a diagram of the .375 Ruger parent case. And your diagram of the 30/375 S.I. case. [Rich - my calculations identify an error in your diagram.
I believe your 2.114" dimension is in error. I believe that dimension should be 2.151".
Paul]
First sizing step is to purchase a standard .375 Ruger full length resizing die. Remove the neck expander ball and depriming stem. Grind 0.020 inches off the base (bottom) of that full length die so that the .375 case body/shoulder joint is set back 0.010" to 0.015" (or set back to whatever distance you desire). Since this die will encompass the case wall snugly, the case wall should not collapse during this shoulder setback step. Grinding or lathing 0.020" off the base of the .375 Ruger full length sizing die will allow the shoulder to be set back without bottoming the die out against the shell holder on the press ram.
Next, purchase a 338 WSM full length sizing die. Again remove the neck expander ball and stem. Use this die to step down the neck on the .375 Ruger case neck all the way back to the neck/shoulder joint for .338 bullets. I think necking down from .375 to .308 in one step would collapse case shoulders.
Next use the custom 30/375 die, constructed to your final specifications, to step the neck down from .338 to .308, and to set the 40 degree angle into the shoulder of the .375 Ruger casing. Turn the die into the press such that the neck/shoulder joint is set back for the 40 degree shoulder all the way back to just shy of setting the case body/shoulder joint back. Without any setback of the case body/shoulder joint on the parent .375 Ruger case, I think the 40 degree shoulder taper will be achieved without case body collapse.
During these resizing steps, the case neck will lengthen more than the length that would be expected, because larger diameter brass case material from the .375 Ruger case neck, from the even larger diameter case shoulder area, and from the even larger case side wall are being swaged down to smaller diameters. Just like was posted earlier that the .375 Ruger case neck elongated by 0.010" when sized down from 0.375 to .308.
Following these resizing steps, I believe one could achieve pre-fireformed case dimensions of:
~2.165" to 2.170" instead of 2.114". 0.010" to 0.015" less than the factory .375 Ruger case.
~2.275" to 2.280" versus 2.260"
~2.600" instead of 2.580"
Case neck length of 0.320" to 0.325", versus 0.320".
This modified case design should provide slighter greater case capacity than illustrated in your design case detail. Mostly because the case wall/shoulder joint is left further forward by about 0.060". But again, I think the 2.114" dimension on your drawing is an error and that it should really be 2.151".
Following the first fire-forming to blow the case walls out to the Improved diameter, the overall case length might be reduced very slightly, but with the case shoulder jammed against the shoulder surface on the chamber, and only blowing the case wall out 0.005 to 0.006 inches, I think case length shrinkage would be negligible. The case neck length, which is your concern, might be largely preserved. And of course, the case neck will grow slowly with each additional firing and resizing cycle.
Any members with wildcatting experience? If so, what do you think? Will these sizing steps covert the .375 Ruger parent case into elkaholic's 30/375 S.I.