What are the down sides of a 450/400 in 3.25"

[Hunt101]

Hi, when considering a double chambered in 450/400 3.25 what are the negatives a potential owners should know. At first glance it appears the 3" is easier to located ammo for, but if reloading is there any real draw back? Also please clarify is there a bullet diameter difference for the 3" and the 3.25"?

Thanks in advance

 

[AkMike]

For older rifles there is a wide range in bore diameters of the 3.25 round. I know of an old WR that had a .403" IIRC. It might have caused problems if a .410 had been stuffed in that tube. Luckily the owner had me do a chamber/ bore cast then to double check we slugged it.

 

[Hunt101]

I see that Kynoch uses the .408 diameter bullet in their 3.25" loads, is this the most common among the 3.25"? Who is making bullets in .408 other than Woodleigh, and what are the chances of them phasing out that diameter? In the case of the WR with .403 can you have bullets produced by a bigger firm or do you have to cast your own for the life of the gun?

 

[AkMike]

You can easily draw the bigger ones down or buy Hawk bullets in what ever diameter/jacket thickness you want. Casting is another viable option!

That round is every bit as good as it's shorter brother.