.425 Express?

[saswart]

Hi and welcome MooseHunter! Quite the coincidence, read this thread yesterday. Someone at our club shoot in RSA, built himself a "425 Safari Express". It is a 458 Express case (3 inch 375H&H lengthened case), which is shortened and necked to 423. The gents current data is a 400gr bullet at 2270 fps. Sounds like a 425 Express, just with word safari in it though..

 

[Muskox]

I read the same thing. However MANY 404j rlfles were built on standard M98 actions, so the actual gain here is unclear. At least two of my loads tested during development were in excess of 2400 fps with 400 grain swift AFs - 80 grains of N-150 (2411 fps) and 83.5 grains of IMR4350 (2401 fps). I backed off to about 2250 fps... seemed like a good load - accurate and modest recoil. I have no pressure testing equipment so I cannot even speculate on that, but the 404 is a larger volume hull, intended to keep pressures down.

Still, I celebrate people who go to some lengths to make their ideas reality... and I expect they had fun developing the .425 Express cartridge.

The actual gain is that you could get 375 and 458 brass and you could not readily get .404 brass.

 

[Muskox]

I shoot a 10,3x68 RWS, which is .413 barrel diameter to shoot the bullets of the 10,3x60R or 450/400 2.5 inch NE.

I have two of these barrels in the r8.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Hello All!
I am new member here. Been reading up on the 425 Express with interest. I happened to stumble on one awhile back. In reading here, it must be one of A Square's creation. It is on a 1917 Remington action. Barrel is stamped 425 Express. A barreled action only. Barrel is 26 inches long "in the white". Never fired. It seems some people love em and some people hate em I am neither. Just a garden variety gun nut.

It's an interesting cartridge. I might have been interested if I had not already built a 404 Jeffery on 98 Mauser. It can be problematic taking ammo to Africa that's not headstamped the same as its rifle. Finding factory brass for 425 Express is apparently quite difficult. Great action to build on. Should be a fun project.

 

[MooseHunter]

It's an interesting cartridge. I might have been interested if I had not already built a 404 Jeffery on 98 Mauser. It can be problematic taking ammo to Africa that's not headstamped the same as its rifle. Finding factory brass for 425 Express is apparently quite difficult. Great action to build on. Should be a fun project.

 

[MooseHunter]

Here is a picture of it. I may put it on classifieds. If I get to Africa it will probably be for Plains Game at least the first time.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

I shoot a 10,3x68 RWS, which is .413 barrel diameter to shoot the bullets of the 10,3x60R or 450/400 2.5 inch NE.

I have two of these barrels in the r8.

10.3x60 is a 450/400 2 3/8, I have one on a martini
Gumpy

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Here is a picture of it. I may put it on classifieds. If I get to Africa it will probably be for Plains Game at least the first time.

No bolt?

 

[Flewis]

If I’m not mistaken ruger did a very small run of 425 express rifles.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Here is a picture of it. I may put it on classifieds. If I get to Africa it will probably be for Plains Game at least the first time.

Take your deer rifle. That's what I do.

 

[MooseHunter]

No bolt?

Yes It is complete

 

[MooseHunter]

Take your deer rifle. That's what I do.
View attachment 666777View attachment 666778

 

[MooseHunter]

That's a fine Buck! Where did you get him? Is that Eland or Impala?

 

[Ontario Hunter]

That's a fine Buck! Where did you get him? Is that Eland or Impala?

Montana. Eland are the largest antelope. Impala are one of the smallest. The rifle is a dressed up WWII Springfield 30-06. This is a gemsbuck (oryx).

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Is the maker specified on the barrel?