ar15a292f
.224 member
Reged: 25/03/04
Posts: 5
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Has anyone built a rifle in 425 Westly Richards? In know that the 416 Rigby and 404 Jeffery are popular here. According to John Taylor's "African Rifles and Cartridges" it was the third classic "medium large bore". I see that brass is available from Bertram and bullets from Woodleigh. Since the cartridge is in the 30-06 lenght class it seems that is would be suitable standard lenght action. It would definately have more nostalgia than a 416 Taylor or 404 Dakota. I am just curious to know if anyone has any experience with this cartridge. It seems that the cost of the rifle would be reasonable, but the cost of components high. How well did this round feed with its rebated rim?
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Gibbs505
.333 member
Reged: 09/08/03
Posts: 442
Loc: BC, Canada
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No, but I would love one!!!  
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So I can't spell, so what?
Those who beat their swords into ploughshares, will plough for those who don't!
Those who fail to learn from history will be doomed to repeat it
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Hauptjäger
.275 member
Reged: 03/01/04
Posts: 94
Loc: Hilo, Hawaii
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I have no personal experience with the .425 Westly Richards however I did see last night that http://www.huntingtons.com has HDS Brass ( 20 Pack) 49.98. I don’t know if you have seen this, however maybe it helps. Good luck with the project.
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To a point you can never have too much horsepower!
Hauptjager
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Tom_Bigbore
.224 member
Reged: 16/01/04
Posts: 44
Loc: Germany
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The .425 WR cartridge seems to base on the earlier Schuler 11,2x60. Both have rebated rims to fit standard Mauser bolt head. The feeding timing of the 11,2 is quite on the edge, but the longer WR cartridge has always been complained on feeding problems.
Westley Richards installed some tricky spring support clamps in their systems to prevent the rim to jump out of the bolt face when pushing the cartridge up the ramp into the chamber. I don´t say you will not get it done, but you will have to invest in the timing job.
If you want to hunt DG with it, then I would choose a similar cartridge, 10,75 x 68. It has the almost the same optical aspect but is not rebated and is on par with the 425 WR. Brass, bullets and dies are the same price.
Tom
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470Rigby
.333 member
Reged: 23/02/04
Posts: 328
Loc: Melbourne, Australia
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I have owned a couple of .425 WR's, one a plain affair, and the other with an extended 5-shot magazine, side panel on the stock, drip points, etc. Both gave no problems with feeding. Both were made up on standard length '98 Mauser actions. Even the bolt head requires no modification. But, if buiding one up, the tricky bit would be duplicating the retaining system Westley Richards developed for reliable feeding.
If that can be resolved, IMO, the concept is ideal, particulatly for the romantic that want's buid up a medium-bore rifle on a genuine Mauser action.
An often overlooked advantage of the rebated rim is that they can be clip fed, using standard Mauser clips. Handy if you want to say, change from Solids to Softs in a hurry.
Ballistically, it is on par with .416 Rigby! Go for it!
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mehulkamdar
.416 member
Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.
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Despite it's disadvantages as a rebated rim cartridge, the 425 Westley Richards was standard Game Department issue in Uganda for a long time and they apparently did not have too many problems with it until the ammunition became scarce.
It may not have the romance of a 416 Rigby or other equally great cartridges but it was good enough for the Game Department of a prominent African country in the golden days of African hunting - enjoy yourself building one and do post pictures of your rifle when it is completed.
Good hunting!
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The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.
Mehul Kamdar
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