quote:

For the extra effort of a wildcat a person should attempt to achieve at least some point of advantage, whether better ballistics, accuracy, or carryability.

416Tanzan, I agree with this 100%. My first wildcat was a 35 Whelen Ackley Improved 40°, built 20 years ago. If the 338 RCM had been around then, I probably would not have done it.

I would go with a short action thumper if I could only have one. A .375 or .411 WSM would do everything, carry easily and on a Win. Mod. 70 CRF action, would be very reliable.

quote:

Originally posted by whelenite:

quote:

For the extra effort of a wildcat a person should attempt to achieve at least some point of advantage, whether better ballistics, accuracy, or carryability.

416Tanzan, I agree with this 100%. My first wildcat was a 35 Whelen Ackley Improved 40°, built 20 years ago. If the 338 RCM had been around then, I probably would not have done it.

I would go with a short action thumper if I could only have one. A .375 or .411 WSM would do everything, carry easily and on a Win. Mod. 70 CRF action, would be very reliable.

This sort of echos my feelings on the 375Ruger

If a 375Ruger had been around three decades ago I might not have gotten so attached to the 338WM. The 338WM was the largest standard, off-the-shelf, inexpensive calibre at the time. The 375HH and 458 were 50% extra as Safari versions.

There is not a lot of hunting difference between a 338WM and a 375Ruger, but I like the extra powder capacity of the Ruger.

However, back to the thread:
You can get a 9.3 B&M as a short-action thumper, not to mention a 416 B&M. Built on WinM70 actions.

Were it to be a 'standard' cartridge I would say the .375 H+H.But as we are speaking of wildcats
I would have to recommend the 7x57 A.I.as my only b(reloading components are a variable in this choice but we are assuming that is not an issue.)The 7 mm as well as the .375 are only exceded by the 6.5 as to performance in sectional density.Unfortunately in the 6.5's case everything that we wanted was"over bore capacity"...except the .264 W.M. I'm sorry,that is another story indeed.

I'm not much of a wildcatter these days, the factories ran me out of the game, no place to go in most cases however I have had a wonderful little 6x45 for years on a Sako L-461, built up in English style..Weighs 5 lbs., 18 inch barrel, shot deer and plainsgame with the 80 gr. GS Customs HP and the old Barnes X (no longer manufactured) Best varmint load is the 60 gr Sierra HP and a dose of H322..

Out of necessity I had my old and beautiful German Mauser with half round half oct. barrel etc in 9x57 (bad bore as it miked at 364) rebored to 9.5x62..At 5 lbs it was a kicking monster, added 2.5 lbs of lead to forend and buttstock, and now its shootable. A 300 gr. Hornady RN gets me 2500 FPS plus a tad. I may end up restocking it. Can't sell it as it was a gift from a friend.

If I should have only one case, it would be x57. So I could have 5,6x57--->10,75x57 and every bullet caliber between them...

Those are enough for me who hunt only in europe.

375 Whelen.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by igorrock:
If I should have only one case, it would be x57. So I could have 5,6x57--->10,75x57 and every bullet caliber between them...

Those are enough for me who hunt only in europe.

Igorrock, that defines a line of cartridges nicely.
And Arkypete illustrates the next step up in cartridges with an extra 10-15 grains of capacity (the "-06" line).
The Ruger case, based on the .532 casehead adds another 20-25 grains to the -06 and provides another line of development.

Assuming that one wants flatshooting capabilities, the above cases could be assigned to efficiency levels of
(x57) 22-27 calibre,
(-06) 26-33 calibre,
(Ruger) 32-40 calibre,
(Rigby) 40-50 calibre.

But factory rounds have most of this territory staked out. And they even cover the margins like the 308, 25-06, and 300Weatherby or the hybred cases like RUM and WSM.

50 Alaskan AI
458 LOTT AI
Any Weatherby caliber AI
Any WSM and WSSM caliber AI
Any RUM and RSAUM caliber AI
357, 44 45LC AI

I am a x57 fan but only up to 8x57, beyond that it lacks powder capacity IMO..I would suggest beyond 8mm that one go to x62 and that will cover anything up to .375 and perhaps 40 caliber..If there is a better round than the 7x57 I have yet to see it.

My latest build in custom rifles is a a gun I purchased on the AR classified..It was a pretty rough Brno mod 21 with a good barrel in 7x57 and it came with a shot out 8x57 barrel that had rebored to 9.3x62..It is close to finished and it will be a switch barrel in 7x57 and 9.3x62. It feeds 110% and can seat bullets at to .284 into the case for the 7x57 and .366 for the 9.3x62..A very nice turkish walnut blank and I just finished shaping and inletting that. its looking good..I was going to have interrupted threads and quick change, but opted to just build a wood fitted bloce give the capability to take the barreled action out of the stock and switch the barrels in a standard vice with a tap to mark..I never have trusted tricky take downs and I always know what I'm going to hunt before I leave the house or camp, and I know how it will shoot and that it will hold its zero. I have two detachable scopes that will go with it. Can't wait to finish it up.

Any of the WSM's in AI.

7x57 AI. This is not theory but fact as I have used this calibre for decades with 100% performance.I love the.375 H+H as well but this is a wildcat query + the .375 is at bore cap. + not improved by tinkering. The same can be said with the 6.5x54 M/S 160 G. load. The best S.D.on the market (using the now discontinued Hornady bullet.)

The .450 G&A Short magnum.

338 Edge...

30/35 Whelen or .284/6mm Remington

quote:

Originally posted by steyrsteve:
30/35 Whelen or .284/6mm Remington

= 30-06 or a 7-08??

A rifle chambered in 7mm-375 Ruger.

When matched with another rifle chambered in 375 Ruger, I think this pair would make a fantastic two-rifle battery for North America and many other places.

Or possibly a .257/22-250?

Case? Answer = .30/06

Wildcat? Answer = .338/06

Abundant supply of brass.

Cartridges fit standard length actions

Wildcats suitable for what I hunt, hope to hunt.

400 Whelen. Was there any question as to what my choice would be?

quote:

Originally posted by TAO:
Quoted in the small bore forum:

"You should post the question: What case would you pick to wildcat if you could pick only one?
Put that on the wildcat section and stand by."

Done and done...How about it? I know it is near sacriledge...but if we HAD to choose?

I'll stick with my first: 8mm-06AI

That's just silly....308 based, 284 based, 223 based (20 Tactical), '06 based, etc, etc, etc, ......they're all usefull and I refuse to choose......

I have few gaps left in the caliber spectrum.

I've always wanted a 358 Norma Mag for no particular reason, as my 338 WM will do what it can do, but I am in love with the 35 caliber. I own 35 Whelens and a 358 STA.

I would choose a 35-375 Ruger over a Norma for the extra capacity and no belt. So, caliber wise that is my answer, and case wise, it too would be the 375 Ruger case. As much as I would love to have this caliber/wildcat (35-375 Ruger), I can't seem to justify it in my mind over the 375 Ruger itself! Perhaps I'm being too practical for my own good.

I should state that I no longer reload, so my opinion is of little value. If I "need" another wildcat, I simply get someone to make it for me and have the ammo custom loaded.

6.5mm SAUM,

For me personally, it ticks all the boxes for what I've been looking for in a lightweight mountain rifle build.

35 Gibbs for Alaska

30 Gibbs Stateside

30/35 Whelen sounds like it might be worthwhile.

quote:

Originally posted by steyrsteve:
Or possibly a .257/22-250?

Hasn't that been done already?....

338-06AI works for me. It suits what I intend to hunt and kill.

250 AI
6 Dasher
218 Mashburn Bee

Any of the above in that order

Jim

Mine would be a 35Sambar AKA 35/325WSM

I would go with my 7X57AI but I would surely miss the 416 Taylor.

My favourite is the 22-240 Wby with a 1:8 twist barrel.

Another good one is the 22/243.

And the 338 Edge.

My one and only wildcat is the .358 STA, I own two both customs, one from the Winchester Custom Shop the other from a builder in Cheyenne Wy. They have served their purpose well from Deer-Elk to African plains game for me and my son, hopefully grandkids. No problem finding STA stamped brass. Both are a pleasure to shoot and reload for. Good Shooting.

can it still be a wildcat if it is offered by a factory, and with head stamped brass and ammunition?

The STA would be a very fine "one rifle for NA...".

Rich

My rifle came from Winchesters Custem shop which a Art Alpin of A-Square commissioned to build 58 rifles. They were not in general production as far as I know. I get my brass from Superior Ammo a Custem loader who loads the STA, where they get it I don't know. All the reading I have always refer to it as a Wildcat, I stand to be corrected if it is not. It has been listed in older Nosler and Barnes books, but is not now. In my book it outperforms the .375 H&H in larger bullets and has a better selection in smaller bullets. Good Shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:

quote:

Originally posted by whelenite:

quote:

For the extra effort of a wildcat a person should attempt to achieve at least some point of advantage, whether better ballistics, accuracy, or carryability.

416Tanzan, I agree with this 100%. My first wildcat was a 35 Whelen Ackley Improved 40°, built 20 years ago. If the 338 RCM had been around then, I probably would not have done it.

I would go with a short action thumper if I could only have one. A .375 or .411 WSM would do everything, carry easily and on a Win. Mod. 70 CRF action, would be very reliable.

This sort of echos my feelings on the 375Ruger

If a 375Ruger had been around three decades ago I might not have gotten so attached to the 338WM. The 338WM was the largest standard, off-the-shelf, inexpensive calibre at the time. The 375HH and 458 were 50% extra as Safari versions.

There is not a lot of hunting difference between a 338WM and a 375Ruger, but I like the extra powder capacity of the Ruger.

However, back to the thread:
You can get a 9.3 B&M as a short-action thumper, not to mention a 416 B&M. Built on WinM70 actions.

My favorite cartridge is the .338WM with its great number of bullet weights and design differences. But I also like any cartridge that uses a .30-06 or .308 case that's topped with .338-caliber bullets.

A wildcat I often think of-but never taken the time to realize-is a .375 Chatfield Taylor (a .338WM case necked up to .375 diameter). Yes, the .375 Ruger is real nice, but I have plenty of relatively cheap .338WM cases readily available. Also, I could use any .338WM action without any modification, except for the barrel.

quote:

Yes, the .375 Ruger is real nice, but I have plenty of relatively cheap .338WM cases readily available. Also, I could use any .338WM action without any modification, except for the barrel.

It will take a lot of 338-cases to pay for the wildcat gunsmithing and barrel, not to mention time and work in case reformation.

If you want to donate a 338action to a project, you might want to consider a 416 AccRel (shortened RUM-case) or even more distinctive, a 458AccRel. That would be a worthy wildcat that cannot be duplicated 'over-the-counter'. Just saying. Then pick up a 375-Ruger as a back-up loaner.

A gunsmith friend of mine would do the work. The most expensive part would be buying a .375 Chatfield Taylor barrel from Pac-Nor.

I really like the way this one looks:
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/...php/topics/3158318/1

Otherwise I could use these expensive ones:
http://www.midwayusa.com/produ...375-taylor-box-of-20

Heck, your' probably right.

you saw what BMT said?

quote:

Very Nice . . . . .

I am glad that Ruger brought out the 375 Ruger and solved the 375 action length issue.

Otherwise, I would have made a "taylor"

quote:

Originally posted by 416Tanzan:
you saw what BMT said?

quote:

Very Nice . . . . .

I am glad that Ruger brought out the 375 Ruger and solved the 375 action length issue.

Otherwise, I would have made a "taylor"

Good points.

Ray ; the Taylor line of carts are not just necked up 338s they have less taper in the case, wider shoulder and steeper shoulder . They really are very well balanced cartridges
.I've never had a 375 Taylor but have had 2 , 416 Taylors. Its a killing machine that doesn't burn a lot of powder. It can easily push a 350 gr bullet at 2400 fps from an 18" barrel . Which makes for a great all around rifle.

CTF,
I have built a number of Chatfield/Taylors in 35, 375 and 416..all were simply a necked up .338 Win. or necked down 458 Win??

I have to take exception to your statement, I have never heard that before,or perhaps the reamer makers are different, mine was a standard Climer..You can buy 338/375 Taylor dies from RCBS, but they are on the 338 case as was my reamer.

In fact I have a set of RCBS new dies,( marked 375/338 Win., and a bag or two of new brass marked .375/338, that I would sell if anyone is interested they been lying around the shop for a couple of years. I don't need them..