Help with 360 express

[tokguy]

I must be crazy; I'm going this morning to pick up a 360 express combination rifle. Does anyone reading know anyone/anyplace that can help me with this cartridge?

Re-loading would obviously be a great plan but where to get dies? I know it would be a custom made kinda thing.

 

[Boomer]

You don't say if your rifle is chambered for the straight walled .360 Express or the bottle necked .360 Express No.2., but your pic suggests the straight wall cartridge. The straight wall case appeared in a number of lengths, the most popular being 2.25". Bertram makes cases if you can find any. You might try Bruno Gross at Bullseye Reloading Supplies. Loads cover a broad range from a 134 gr black powder load producing 1025 fps to a smokeless load pushing a 300 gr bullet at 1820 fps. Sorry, I couldn't find any specific load data.

 

[Splatter]

Time to pick-up some CerroSafe and do a chamber cast.

 

[Arctic]

I agree, you do need to do a chamber cast. It looks like the original caliber was filed out and restamped with 360 Express, so maybe rechambered. 360 Nitro Express can be made from 30-30 or 30-06,, but lots of work. .360 No. 2 Nitro Express is made out of 450/400 3" brass. Dies are available from RCBS through Huntington's. Bruno may be able to get you brass once you know what you've got. Bullets can be .357 or 9.3 depending which one.

 

[tokguy]

Thanks guy's, I sincerely appreciate the info. It is a bottle-necked round that much I can tell from a glance. A 38-72 slid handily into the chamber actually; nope didn't even entertain the idea of even closing the action. It was the closest round handy of similiar bore ( curiousity...yeah I know; killed the cat). I'll get some " Cerro-safe" ordered up. Any suggestions for suppliers?
I doubt that it is a nitro load though ; just from the age of the gun. It is a beautiful old open hammered Cape rifle. But it's collectable value will probably be limited, the original fore-end is gone. It's been changed with one that's close, but still...sad.

 

[Splatter]

I don't know of anyone in Canada that has it in "consumer quantities", there some outfit called Alchemy, or something like that had good prices; but 200lbs minimum order!!!
Track of the Wolf has the best price I've seen.
trackofthewolf.com/Categories/partDetail.aspx?catId=2&subId=204&styleId=1074&partNum=CERROSAFE