Show us your wildcats!

[turbo1889]

I think there is an entire forum out there that is about wildcatting cartridges just like this forum is about cast boolits.

As to an official list; the extensive reloading die chart at CH-4D is probably the closest thing your going to come to since they offer reloading dies for almost every cartridge ever made that is well known enough to have a semi-standardized name and at least a handful of people want loading dies for. Personally the only existing established wildcat cartridges I have experience with and feel are worth while are the 338-08 (now the 338 Federal since it got adopted), the 8mm-06, and the 35-30/30 all of which are excellent cast boolit cartridges. I especially like the 338-08 and I was building guns for that round long before it was adopted and became the 338 Federal.

I have yet to do up my own original wildcat though. As I posted above my best idea for a pistol cartridge is the 357-LNAM. I also wouldn't mind making a rimless 357-max from blown out and cut down 223-Rem. and chamber a nice little semi-auto carbine like the mini-14 with a 16.5" barrel for it.

[badgeredd]

Here is one list of some more popular wildcats, Pat. A Google search will get a few more. There have been a few books too.

http://www.reloadbench.com/cartw.html

Edd

P.S. Here is a blog about wildcats too.

http://wildcatintel.com/blog/

[bjeffv]

Very nice and interesting rounds here.

[Dannix]

The 7.62x40 is now available from Wilson Combat, FYI.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.htm...382761&page=33

[Charlie Sometimes]

I'm not enthusiastic about the various 30 caliber wildcats based on the 223 Rem or 5.56 NATO case. I think they need more shoulder to head space off of, and a longer neck (for cast boolit use, of course ). 6 to 7mm tops is the largest useful diameter, IMHO.

I'm still considering my options for a 6mm/30-30 AI rifle. Might rebarrel my Ruger #3, but would rather have a bolt action repeater to use for varmint or predator hunting.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Let me see if I can find any of my 22-378Wbee AI rounds laying around.

Rich

[82nd airborne]

I'm not enthusiastic about the various 30 caliber wildcats based on the 223 Rem or 5.56 NATO case. I think they need more shoulder to head space off of, and a longer neck (for cast boolit use, of course ). 6 to 7mm tops is the largest useful diameter, IMHO.

I'm still considering my options for a 6mm/30-30 AI rifle. Might rebarrel my Ruger #3, but would rather have a bolt action repeater to use for varmint or predator hunting.

We ran 2000rds through a single .300 BLK without a hitch, and since we were using ball powder, it got nasty after about 20 rounds, but it never failed to fire, so I think headspace is good.
Also, Shooting semi auto, not single feeding, my ar's will keep an RCBS 200gr under an inch (5 shots) consistantly.
However, I much agree with you on something, even though you didnt say it directly, 6x45 is absolutly perfect. I know from experience that it will drop a black buck at 322 yards, with one shot. An 80g bullet with a fairly high BC, going at 2750fps is pretty cool.

The only one that might be better to me is the .257-.223. I happen to be blessed with several nice .257 moulds, and a 1:9" barrel shoots em all beautifully. I may have just changed my mind. Maybe 6mm isnt perfect, maybe .25 is....

[mpkunz]

OK, this is my offering. I call it the 44Kunz.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imag...ba2a47adba.jpg
The bullet is a custom LEE mould, bore riding, 0.430" diameter, GC'd, and weighs in finished at 455 grains.
Brass is made by cutting down any of the cases like .270, .30-'06, etc., to a length of 1.900". Fired from my humble Turk Mauser, with a suppressor, it does just under 1000 fps and is quiet I can shoot all afternoon just outside the kitchen window while my wife does her thing inside and she doesn't hear it. They are good for 1.5", or 1 minute of Bambi sized groups at 100 yards. I can load them as hot as about 1950 fps, but even at 950-1000 fps they pass clean through deer, even when encountering the spine.

[thehouseproduct]

OK, this is my offering. I call it the 44Kunz.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imag...ba2a47adba.jpg
The bullet is a custom LEE mould, bore riding, 0.430" diameter, GC'd, and weighs in finished at 455 grains.
Brass is made by cutting down any of the cases like .270, .30-'06, etc., to a length of 1.900". Fired from my humble Turk Mauser, with a suppressor, it does just under 1000 fps and is quiet I can shoot all afternoon just outside the kitchen window while my wife does her thing inside and she doesn't hear it. They are good for 1.5", or 1 minute of Bambi sized groups at 100 yards. I can load them as hot as about 1950 fps, but even at 950-1000 fps they pass clean through deer, even when encountering the spine.

We were talking about a wildcat just like this for the AR.

[mpkunz]

Really ? Funny you should mention that. I built one ! The design criteria on the round itself were done so the upper would work with an unmodified AR-15 lower.

[scrapcan]

Part of the thread may have talked about fitting wildcats to the ar platform, but the original post was about show us your wildcats and was open to all platforms. I like to see and hear them all, not only the black rifle category.

[Charlie Sometimes]

25 cal may be better, I would not argue that. I don't have, nor have ever owned a 25 caliber anything, so I could not rightly say. But, I was not intending to get into too heavy a range of boolits, so I chose the 6mm, and also because I have experience with, and own, one!

[Charlie Sometimes]

OK, this is my offering. I call it the 44Kunz.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imag...ba2a47adba.jpg
The bullet is a custom LEE mould, bore riding, 0.430" diameter, GC'd, and weighs in finished at 455 grains.
Brass is made by cutting down any of the cases like .270, .30-'06, etc., to a length of 1.900". Fired from my humble Turk Mauser, with a suppressor, it does just under 1000 fps and is quiet I can shoot all afternoon just outside the kitchen window while my wife does her thing inside and she doesn't hear it. They are good for 1.5", or 1 minute of Bambi sized groups at 100 yards. I can load them as hot as about 1950 fps, but even at 950-1000 fps they pass clean through deer, even when encountering the spine.

Would be a good round for fighting in Middle East. Not only would it stop a drug induced sucide attacker in his tracks, it might cause missunderstanding with the moniker, and they would think were getting the first half of their 72 virgins now!

Sorry for the bad joke, but I couldn't resist.

[mpkunz]

Our original goal was to get military sales for exactly that situation. Awesome penetration even at subsonic speeds. The bullet is a momentum pig. We experimented around some on an old cement block wall. It can cut down a cement block wall a cell at a time - two rounds per block to make them disintegrate into rubble. Two GI's each with a couple 20 round mags could cut down a cement block house in a matter of about a minute. We lined up 8 five gallon pails full of water, the bullet stopped in the last one.

Retired before it even got started. Now its just an inexpensive and fun plinker.

[blasternank]

I'll get some pictures up of my 309 and 358 JDJ's I shoot out of my T/C pistols. Great rounds and great deer slayers!!

[Dannix]

Not sure if this cartridge has been mentioned yet, but the 6.5 PCC caught my eye today.

223/5.56X45 62gr. FMJBT, Untrimmed 6.5 PCC, Short Loaded (1.625" Case,2.238" COL w/ 100gr. Nosler BT) 6.5 PCC


http://www.ar15armory.com/forums/65m...ar-t95187.html

To bad its neck is so short.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Our original goal was to get military sales for exactly that situation. Awesome penetration even at subsonic speeds. The bullet is a momentum pig. We experimented around some on an old cement block wall. It can cut down a cement block wall a cell at a time - two rounds per block to make them disintegrate into rubble. Two GI's each with a couple 20 round mags could cut down a cement block house in a matter of about a minute. We lined up 8 five gallon pails full of water, the bullet stopped in the last one.

Retired before it even got started. Now its just an inexpensive and fun plinker.

They have "grenade" rounds, etc. for 12 ga. that can do that, and MORE. They probably wouldn't have wanted to add another link to the supply line for yours anyway. Best thing is you got the fun of build a toy for your retirement- like making your own pocket watch that they used to give everyone who "made it".

[Whistler]

I am currently exploring the possibilites of reaming a .357 Mag Desert Eagle barrel to .357/44 Bain & Davis. In theory everything works out, the gun itself should be perfectly capable of handling it and with .44 Magnum mags it should feed fine. The bolt should work without problems. Reality does not always go well with theory however and since this is my first wildcat project I am a bit cautious.

What is required once I have the reamer and the reloading/case forming dies? Do I hand the reamer and barrel to a gunsmith? Does he require dummy cases that I make first? What kind of equipment does he need? I'm asking, since the few smiths I have asked have never done something like this.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Not sure if this cartridge has been mentioned yet, but the 6.5 PCC caught my eye today.

223/5.56X45 62gr. FMJBT, Untrimmed 6.5 PCC, Short Loaded (1.625" Case,2.238" COL w/ 100gr. Nosler BT) 6.5 PCC


http://www.ar15armory.com/forums/65m...ar-t95187.html

To bad its neck is so short.

Yea too bad about "no neck", but the 6.5 looks like it could be in the running with 6mm & 257 for the best 223 wildcat mod! :

[mpkunz]

What is required once I have the reamer and the reloading/case forming dies? Do I hand the reamer and barrel to a gunsmith? Does he require dummy cases that I make first? What kind of equipment does he need? I'm asking, since the few smiths I have asked have never done something like this.[/QUOTE]

FWIW, it depends. I've done several. You need to talk to the gunsmith.