what is the advantage of wildcats.....

[Apache]

;D

[dcloco]

So far, all the the wildones that I have, are wonderful in terms of ballistics and performance.

223 AI - Will do everything a 22/250 will do with a lot less money tied up in brass, uses less powder, and you don't have to trim cases.

22/6mm AI - what a phenomenal round. I do not push this above 3700 fps to save the barrel, but WOW!!, talk about terminal performance on prairie dogs at 400 yards and beyond. Article written about this cartridget titled "The Half Mile 22".

6.5x55 AI - If you want to "wildcat", then pick a bullet with stupendous BC and find a case for it. I went the x55 case route because the brass is good and does not cost $1 per brass. Lapua brass is also available for a reasonable cost as well. There is a 5 shot 3" 700 yard group taped to the side of my safe.

[tammons]

What kinda wildcat did you build?

Started on a 22-47 lapua but lost interest.
Still have the reamer.

Set up a 30BR. Shot it for a while.
Sold the barrel to somebody here.

Have a 338-284 that is sweet, but
now I have a 375 ruger so I might sell it too.

My main hunting rigs are

375 ruger
6.8 spc Ar15 (most used)
I load either 110 gr barnes TTSX or 85 gr TSX sledgehammers in that one.
338-284, but I have not used it lately. Barrel is sittiing int he corner.
7mm-08 that will hopefully soon be a 6mm-284 or a 6mm-WSM or a 25 WSM via EF

Also have a 50 cal set trigger hawken flintlock repro and 2 44 caliber black powder
revolvers. One 12" barrel ( l o n g ) and one 8" barrel.
I am going to sell the 8" barrel for a pocket gun, 4" barrel or so.

Have a target action with a 223 A+B barrel thats sweet.

As we speak I am loading up some 85 gr barnes bulelts for
Pops 270 weatherby magnum.

[Apache]

Hmmmm......22x47 Lapua reamer sounds interesting...tight neck?

[tammons]

Cant remember on the neck.
It is from Kiff so I would have to call him.

[newton]

Because when at the range and someone asks what you are shooting you can confuse the hell out of them!

[Forester]

I think it is funny that the argument against wildcats always involves examples of cartridges that started life as wildcats themselves.

Having just dipped my toe in the pool with a 7-300WSM Savage with great results I am already thinking about other options around the WSM case.

[358Hammer]

My first wildcatting was to increase velocity to increase energy without blowing up or stretching the frame on my Thompson Center Contenders. Being a handgun hunter in big bear country I wanted to reach out and touch a deer and still have something for bear protection. SO either my bud or my wife always carried a repeating rifle.

When the Encores came out I immediately got a 338 X06 barrel! After a very close encounter of the worst kind (bear/cubs/12 feet) I decided that my single shot just wasn't big enough. Think of the old volkswagen beatles,put hair and legs on it with a really nasty personality! SO I improved the 338 X06. I did not get enough improvement so went to the 338 Gibbs. Poor brass = poor case life awesome ballistics. Ran into a fellow wildcatter who also shot many of the Gibbs line and he turned me onto the RWS brass. Tried it,liked it,never wore a case out . In the process I learned of the 7X65Rimmed case. Ordered a bunch, had a reamer made based on the slightly under 30-06 case size.

Now I had a rimmed 06 sized case so I did not have to take gloves off to extract cases. I had pre-WSM ballistics and did not have to go to belted Magnums to get what I wanted. I was after 06 rifle ballistics when the 06 was shooting 180 grain bullets. The 16" Encore barrel was safely shooting the 180 grain Accubond at well past 2800fps and I quit checking case at 15 reloads. I have never lost a case and have gone past 20 reloads..
SO for me it was application pure and simple. I wanted something that would reach out and take a sheep,goat or deer in the high country and still cover my bacon along the rivers when I was trying to gain access to a distant mountain.

Then there was another bear attack. Yes I felt comfortable screwing the barrel in a ear if the bear chose to come around the tree to get me. But what if I were in the open/unprotected? I now have a 8 pound 338 Edge, 6.2 pound 338WSM and a couple 6.7 pound 338 Win Mags. The 338R CE just hasn't the powder capacity to drive the big bullets like the larger cases will. 225 and 250gr bullets down the pipe in close in country and lighter long ranging bullets in the high country.

Need is what I was after. No excuses the past couple years for where i have been though.

Neal

[Hammer]

.

99¾ percent of all folks should do as I do and avoid all contact with wildcats.

The remainder should do as I do and...


14-221 Walker
17 Super Bumble Bee
20 TAC
22½ Hornet-Fireball
222½ Remington
22 XC
219 Donaldson Wasp #1
219 Donaldson Wasp #2
22-6mm Remington
6mm TCU
6mm-250 International
6XC
6mm-06 Mashburn
.
.
.
470 Capstick
475 A&M
500 Alaskan
500 A-Square
550 Magnum
585 Nyati


That should cover 100%.

.

[dcloco]

Well, speed, accuracy, wider powder selection, wider bullet weight selection, and...the fun of it.

The primary reason for me, prairie dogs. I run 223 AI's because I get very close to 22/250 velocity without using that much powder.

Less powder = less heat = less throat erosion

[Hammer]

.

Now why, pray tell, shoot a 223 AI when a 222 Remington Magnum will outperform it at similar pressures ?


.

[phantom]

Why Wildcat . . Because Boys will be Boys - and - Just because we can . . . ;D ;D ;D ;D

What a great Question to ask . . and look at the responses. I built my first Wildcat back in 68' or 69' a 25-06 and over the course of 25+ years shot the barrel out of it . . What a great caliber it was too, could reach out and touch a deer on a ridge 300 yards away and not loose him. Since - I have built several and the mystique of them is just the reason to keep doing it - love them . . .

[dcloco]

Now why, pray tell, shoot a 223 AI when a 222 Remington Magnum will outperform it at similar pressures ?

Ultra cheap brass comes to mind right away. :)

Lots of factory 223's with 1:12 or 1:9 are rather plentiful. If the smitty pays attention, you don't have to set back. It is good to set back, but you don't absolutely have to, IF you are careful.

[Hammer]

.

Cheap brass ?

You will let yourself be lured by cheap brass ?

Next thing you know you will be advising upstanding young men into being lured by cheap women and booze.



.

[Hammer]

.

You do know that 32 Winchester Special brass can be used to form the 219 Donaldson Wasp with only six forming dies before getting to the standard two die handloading set. There is the matter of case neck reaming and then neck turning.

Hydraulic case forming can be used too.

.

[Hutch]

There's cheap women and booze here??!!



Hutch ???

[Hammer]

.


Also, can use fired 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire brass to make 6mm bullet jackets and with a seven-die set can form rebated boattail bullets with a secant ogive. Combined with salvaged swaged lead bullets (sorted from hard cast bullets shot on the same range) can produce nearly free 6mm bullets to be fired in the 6mm-22 Hornet.

Oh, but you got me carried away.




Will go back to sorting my 16 gauge 2-5/8 inch shells from my 2-9/16 inch shells.

Will never accept this 2-3/4 inch standard that the communists are trying to foist on us.



Have y'all seen my 16 gauge 3-inch collection ?


.

[Blue Avenger]

there was a lot of free space on the die shelf that had to be filled. I need more dies to fill it. being a non conformist I could not fill it with conforming dies that would do nothing to stop people at the range, causing them to stare at the ammo box and finely ask what it is that I am shooting.

[EFBell]

.

Cheap brass ?

You will let yourself be lured by cheap brass ?

Next thing you know you will be advising upstanding young men into being lured by cheap women and booze.



.

We tried that with Nick, he didn't fall for it.