Show us your wildcats!

[Dannix]

This is a wildcat that has been in my mind lately and unless anyone can come up with a better (or previous) name I am going to call it the 30 Cast Boolit .

Sounds like a neat wildcat! Could you choose a more specific name though? Perhaps one that indicated OAL, or parent case, et al? I imagine over the years there will be quite a number of .30 calibre "Cast Boolit" designs by different members here.

What parent case are you considering? 30-06 or perhaps something fatter?

[heathydee]

A 308 Winchester as the parent case . I mentioned that in my first post in this topic and did not repeat it in my last post . Apologies .
I am going out to the garage shortly to make a "D" reamer which will cut a case forming die before it gets too hot here . I might have something to look at in a couple of days.

[Dannix]

Ah, I see your post now. I read that one, but I didn't associate you with both posts. My apologies. Keep us posted!

[Charlie Sometimes]

heathydee- I want to see that one when you get it done! That sounds like another winner.

I like the size of 7.62x39 Russian, but I sure wish it had a longer neck, too, but for a cast boolit of regular proportion. My big ol' fingers have a hard time with cases smaller than that in a rifle, and something like your above project might give me ideas.

I don't care how much these old cartridges are bumped up or back, I like this stuff. Rehashing previous work is great fun and good reading, too!

And, heathydee, where are you that it is getting "too hot" this time of year? Down Under? I'm burning up my propane stock in my shop just trying to stay around 40 degrees to do some afternoon reloading.

[PatMarlin]

You know, I've never had a martini. How do they taste?
Anything like a screwdriver?

How did you come up with dies for your 9.5 x 57 Ackley, same way?
You may be giving me ideas.

I've never had a martini either, and I keep forgetting to try one. They look so good when James Bond has one at the craps table...

[Charlie Sometimes]

I was thinking about something on a smaller diameter case- not as small as a 223, but not as big as a 308 either.

308 Long Neck- now that sounds like a slightly bigger beer!

[thehouseproduct]

I have had a look here at the 300 Savage and 308 Winchester drawings .http://stevespages.com/page8d.htm
Doing as you suggest would lengthen the neck a couple of millimetres but not as much as I want . A neck around a half inch long , still with the 20 degree shoulder would (in my mind at least) make a perfect thirty calibre cast boolit cartridge .
Long , cast boolit friendly neck .
Easily formed from readily available brass .
Around a 40 to 45 grain powder capacity so the slower powders for the cartridge could ease a heavy for calibre cast boolit up to the 2200 fps mark .
Rimless cartridge works better in a box magazine.
A Lee Collet die,bullet seating die and factory crimp die could be used unmodified . As could their case trimmer . Full length re-sizing would be the only problem .

This is a wildcat that has been in my mind lately and unless anyone can come up with a better (or previous) name I am going to call it the 30 Cast Boolit .

I'd take a savage barrel in one of those. If it was just a 308 with the shoulders pushed down, you could use trimmers, crimpers and seating dies for 308. All you would need is a reamer and full length die.

[heathydee]

And, heathydee, where are you that it is getting "too hot" this time of year? Down Under? I'm burning up my propane stock in my shop just trying to stay around 40 degrees to do some afternoon reloading.

Yeah mate . the Great South Land . Currently 35 degrees Celsius in the shade .

[heathydee]

A day in the garage was spent first of all making a reamer out of drill rod and then a die to push the shoulder back on some once fired 308 cases . This is the result . I am quite pleased really . The neck is .440" long ; long enough to cover the lube grooves of every 30 calibre cast boolit for which I have moulds , and powder capacity to the base of the neck is 45 grains of AR2209/H4350 .
http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/...hp?albumid=483

[bigdog454]

I would like to take a 35 rem shorten it to the length of a 7.62X39 and fit that cartridge to a SKS rifle, would make a He++ of a hog gun in MHO. be able to use .357 boolits or jacketed.
BD

[Dannix]

That's one neat looking bespoke boolit cartridge heathydee. I assume you're going to have to turn the necks, yeah?

[rhbrink]

Boy-O-Boy that would be a dandy!

[heathydee]

That's one neat looking bespoke boolit cartridge heathydee. I assume you're going to have to turn the necks, yeah?

It may not be necessary Dannix . I cut the forming die to match the neck diameter of a fired case . I can cut a chamber with the same reamer . A .311" boolit slips easily all the way through the neck . I ordered a 308 Winchester Lee Deluxe die kit yesterday and as soon as it arrives , I will see how much of the neck the collet die will re-size . I expect it will re-size no more than the original neck length leaving 3/16"or so unsized . That should not be an issue and then I can assemble some dummy cartridges to come up with an overall length . Delivery time for the die set will be about ten days .
This is only the first step . Long way to go .

[Dannix]

It may not be necessary Dannix . I cut the forming die to match the neck diameter of a fired case . I can cut a chamber with the same reamer . A .311" boolit slips easily all the way through the neck . I ordered a 308 Winchester Lee Deluxe die kit yesterday and as soon as it arrives , I will see how much of the neck the collet die will re-size . I expect it will re-size no more than the original neck length leaving 3/16"or so unsized . That should not be an issue and then I can assemble some dummy cartridges to come up with an overall length . Delivery time for the die set will be about ten days .
This is only the first step . Long way to go .

Awesome. I'll be watching with interest. .308 Boolit Special?

[Charlie Sometimes]

Hey, here's one that will be a while in the making for me, but it looks to have LOTS of cast boolit potential.
I bought the 6mm/30-30 Ackley Improved die set from Molly. Got them today, cleaned them up, and put a couple of junk cases through them to see them work. Then I made chamber cast of the sizer die to check dimensions, etc. It has a real nice long neck just right for the Lyman 245498.
Now, I need to find a nice single shot rifle in a 6mm or 30-30 that I can turn into a CB shooter deluxe! I'll really have to save up for this project.

I'll post a picture of the chamber cast tomorrow, I need to do it over again, with a warm die body to get a real good one for taking dimensions, so I know where to go from here next.

[Euan]

Originally Posted by Charlie Sometimes
You know, I've never had a martini. How do they taste?
Anything like a screwdriver?

How did you come up with dies for your 9.5 x 57 Ackley, same way?
You may be giving me ideas.

Charlie & Pat,
Don't know about taste of Martini's, I tend to like to be hanging on to the butt end of them. I have seen what happens to the to the intended targets at the front end many a time. Not real good for them.
The dies; i just neck size at the moment, And seat with a shortened 375 H&H die.
Heathydee;
Where did you get the 30/357 reamer you used on your little martini? As I am quite keen to do one.
Cheers Euan

[heathydee]

Heathydee;
Where did you get the 30/357 reamer you used on your little martini? As I am quite keen to do one.
Cheers Euan

Here is a link to the whole sad story .


http://garagegunsmithing.com/index.p...php&f=34&t=912

[Charlie Sometimes]

Picture of the 6mm/30-30 Ackley Improved sizing die casting next to a chamber and bore casting of a 375 Win (1:18 twist), and a 222 Rem. (factory twist), for size reference.

Neck is as long as a standard 30-30 and just right for the gas check on a Lyman 245498 to remain in the neck and case to crimp in the crimp groove- as best as I can tell from this casting. The casting ends right where the neck would end.

These are all made from Cerro-Safe. In bores, I just usually lube the bore and then plug it about an inch or so ahead of the chamber with a cleaning patch rammed tight against another ram rod, but for the sizing die I used a 311316 w/gc down, and then used the decap rod retention bushing to set the boolit solid against the "mouth" of the sizing chamber. Remove that, it tapped right out! Worked like a charm.

[NoZombies]

Some of the stuff you guys have been coming up with is pretty neat. I like the looks of all the cast-specific wildcats here.

I think the "next" project for me will be something in 6mm caliber. I don't own anything in any 6mm right now, and I think I should.

Here's a little progress on the wildcat I'm currently working on. It's for the 22/32 project.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

If I knew how to post pictures, I'd show you all my 22 Eargesplitten-Loudenboomer. AKA, the 22-378 Wbee.

Rich