Case Histories: 408 Che Tac

New commercial cartridge designs appear regularly. The experimental output from wildcatters has often been the catalyst for these new offerings, many based on chopped, blown out or re-necked brass from the days of serious Big Five hunting.

The parent cartridge was born in 1911, the brainchild of George Gibbs. It was a huge non-belted, rimless design. An intermediate wildcatted Gibbs from Robert Chatfield-Taylor, the .400 Taylor Magnum, illustrated the development potential to Dr John D Taylor and William O Wordman. In 2001 their wildcat the .408 Cheyenne Tactical (CheyTac) appeared. It’s raison d’être was to fill the performance gap between the two established super long range sniper calibres, the veteran .50 BMG and the record breaking .338 Lapua Magnum.

PERFORMANCE ON A GRAND SCALE

The original design was based around a 419-grain, .408” dia. CNC-turned solid cupro-nickel pill running at 3000 fps and a BC of 0.94. Even more amazing was their follow-up; a 3300 fps, 305-grain variant with an awesome BC of 1.12. CheyTac claim their designs offer a patented quality called “balanced flight”. The resulting performance is impressive, sonic flight to more than 2 Kilometres range and sub MOA accuracy at over 2.25 Kilometres from the 419-grain bullet. Such elevated long range performance offers reduced time of flight and wind cheating stability, all desirable sniping attributes.

Ultra long range target shooting is available to us. Members of the FCSA (UK) compete at Sennybridge, Lydd, Warminster and other suitable locations. Most FCSA members use rifles chambered in .50 BMG and .338 Lap Mag but the .408 CheyTac would be well suited to the challenging distances. Ammo is available from Ultra-Tech and HSM as well as CheyTac, generally at $7.00 to $8.00 per round.

RELOADING

The cartridge is an interesting reloading proposition. None of my manuals quote it, nor is it listed by CIP or SAAMI. Bruce Bertram and CheyTac both offer brass at around $2.50 per case. CH4D, THOR, Viersco and Lee list custom die sets whilst both 1.25” and 1.50” micrometer die sets can be had from CheyTac at around $400. Safe, credible powder data is hard to find but does exist. Some of the internet data from Jamison International seems to refer to HOT military loads, so beware. Norma MPR is widely nominated as one of the best performers but is seemingly no longer distributed here in the UK. However, it is on offer in some European countries. Alliant Reloader-22 and Vihtavuori N560 would appear to be the nearest alternatives… all having loading densities in the region of 100%.

In addition to CheyTac, a number of solid bullet machinists offer suitable projectiles, from well known brands like Barnes to custom makers such as Lutz Möller in Germany and Rocky Mountain Bullets in Montana. Prices are all in the region of $2 to $3 per unit. Federal 250 primers seem to be the favoured brand. If you step up to this type of cartridge, remember that you’ll need a press that can handle oversize die sets and has sufficient throat depth… your Lee Reloader Press or RCBS Jr. will not get the job done! Do the other numbers as well, your bang for reloaded buck will be about £5 per round…. but then, the rifle and an adequate scope is going to set you back around £10,000.

RARE AND MAYBE RARER

Several custom rifle builders offer this calibre in mag-fed bolt action designs. Ideal twist is 1:13 with barrel lengths in the range of 25” to 30”. CheyTac offer a number of build variations and stock configurations but do not indicate details of supply beyond the borders of the USA. Indeed, the present viability of CheyTac seems to be in question as Messrs CheyTac, director Cory Kupersmith, Jamison International and others have been involved in documented claim and counter-claim bankruptcy hearings originally filed on Dec 29th 2012 and then in Alabama on March 29th 2013. Other named builders of 408’s include EDM, THOR and Hill Country Rifles.