Reeder Custom Guns - my 416 GNR and 450 GNR have both taken

Gary Reeder
my 416 GNR and 450 GNR have both taken
Monday, March 21, 2022, 14:33

elephant in handguns. Both are based on the 348 case or 50 Alaskan case. The 450 GNR with a 500 grain Hornady Dangerous Game Bullet doing almost 2000 fps has done very well for me taking a large Cape Buffalo and several like sized animals in Africa.
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We had 2 versions of the 450 GNR. The first with a .200 length neck. That worked fine using older 348 Win. brass that I found here and there. Then a year or two later using newer more current brass when fire forming the case to .458 the neck disappeared totally. I sent several cases, sized and unsized along with a Contender to Dave Manson, my reamer maker. He loaded the cases and shot them and they did the same thing, the neck disappeared. Manson didn't have an answer for me why it did that, shrinking almost .200. He said Winchester must have changed the metallurgy of the case. I talked to the tech at Winchester and he said the current brass was different from the older brass which I had used, but he didn't give me any solutions other than changing the design. We did that giving us a bit longer neck and with the new brass the shrinkage was almost nil. With today's newer brass we have had no problems at all.
I used the 450 GNR in 1993 in a Contender using the Hornady 500 grain solid at almost 1800 fps in the 348 case necked up and blown out straight, then necked to .458.
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The 450 GNR in the Contender was rough on scopes. In one afternoon I blew up 2 scopes on the 450 GNR getting ready for Africa. I made it a habit to take several extra scopes with me when using the 416 GNR or 450 GNR.

Bill Firman took a large (they are all large to me) elephant with the 416 GNR in a handgun. He used, I think, a 400 grain solid in a custom Encore.

The 348 case is a great case for the larger handgun calibers. The 50 Alaskan is even better as there is no necking up and then necking down 2 or 3 times and then fire forming to size. With the 50 Alaskan you simply neck the straight case down to the proper caliber.

The Model 71 Winchester and the .348 WCF Cartridge - Jim Taylor, 2022-03-21, 07:19
- my one favorite cartridge is the .358 and I know am - Lynn, 2022-03-22, 07:02
  - All rounds on the .308 case make fine - WB, 2022-03-22, 07:48
- A great cartridge and rifle. (nm) - bigboar, 2022-03-22, 06:56
- Interesting article. - Alan Horstman, 2022-03-21, 14:09
- REMEMBERING ROBERT (nm) - JT, 2022-03-21, 09:25
  - Amen! (nm) - Jim Taylor, 2022-03-21, 09:50
    - one of my more popular cartridges based on the 50 - Gary Reeder, 2022-03-21, 12:47
      - Nice! (nm) - Jim Taylor, 2022-03-21, 13:38
        my 416 GNR and 450 GNR have both taken - Gary Reeder, 2022-03-21, 14:33
        I blew up 3 scope’s working up my load for African lion - Blake, 2022-03-21, 15:23
        I have the .416, .440, .450, and .476 GNR Encore handguns - WB, 2022-03-22, 06:36
- I've done it on other calibers but in a pinch, - WB, 2022-03-21, 07:58
  - Years back I did that but ... - Jim Taylor, 2022-03-21, 08:16
- Bettter photo of rifle and the rear sight - Jim Taylor, 2022-03-21, 07:31
  - That's a pretty gun! Prices have skyrocketed - WB, 2022-03-21, 08:03
    - Adjustment if I remember right- never tried to remove it. (nm) - Jim Taylor, 2022-03-21, 08:19