WB
I'm a .400 fan. The .401 Herter's could
Monday, February 07, 2022, 10:01

be easily resurrected. It is more perfectly situated between the .357 and .41 magnum that the .41 is too close to the .43 Remington Magnum. (not a typo)

With bullets ranging from 135 to 230 gr. they work great. I make .401" bullets by lubing .410" and passing them through a LEE push through die. Works fine on any lead core projectile. The Sierra .41's to .401's are particularly nifty, 170 and 210 gr. JHC.

Gary has his .401 GNR that is a .44 Magnum Necked to .400. This is a good solution as you won't blow up your .38-40 and no fuss with making the .401 Herter's brass from another. I mostly use .41 Mag cases with the "belt" left by the sizer turned off in a lathe. You cannot size this part off, it's the solid web. I like to think of it as the .410 GNR "lite" as it does about 85% of what that wonderful round will do. 44 Mag. brass is easy to find and lasts a long time.

Also .40 S&W will shoot wonderfully in the revolver and gives perfect .41 Special performance. The 10mm is fantastic and does better in the wheelgun that semi-auto for me. It's just a little shorter than the .401 Herters and rimless. I have not had any issues at all with bullet pull in recoil.

.400 options are out there, you just have to be a little creative.

The .40 S&W cases were loaded with ancient Lyman 170 gr. SWCHP at 1100 fps, the .401 cases sport 155 gr. 10mm bullets with a cannuler added for fun and go 1600 fps. Recoil is snappy but about the same as a warm .44 Special in my #5 Reeder.