Looking into my first custom build, and I've been researching, researching and more researching. I'm not looking at run of the mill calibers, I want something thats a bit different.

This was brought up by someone, about necking a .350RemMag down to a .257..and it caught my interest. Being as it looks like a good bit of folks here have done the wildcat thing, I wanted to see what kinda info/help/thoughts yall could give me.

So, what say yall???

Been done many years ago and was considered very over bore for the caliber. That was P.O. Ackley's opinion however.

I am thinking that maybe another good choice would be a 257WSSM. Shorter fat case that some have been having success with the various calibers off this case.
338

Ok, hubby just made another suggestion, 6.5-350..??? 350RemMag necked down to 6.5

300WSM necked down to .284?

quote:

Originally posted by Nicole:
Ok, hubby just made another suggestion, 6.5-350..??? 350RemMag necked down to 6.5

WHAT???? Has hubby never heard of the 6.5 Rem Mag?????

C'mon folks, we need to get real. I am a certifiable wildcatter, as crazy as the next guy, but it seems that we are now in a mode of designing wildcats simply for the sake of designing them. There are not many holes left to fill but we are hell bent on filling them whether it makes any sense or not.

JMHO

Ray

quote:

Originally posted by Cheechako:

WHAT???? Has hubby never heard of the 6.5 Rem Mag?????

C'mon folks, we need to get real. I am a certifiable wildcatter, as crazy as the next guy, but it seems that we are now in a mode of designing wildcats simply for the sake of designing them. There are not many holes left to fill but we are hell bent on filling them whether it makes any sense or not.

JMHO

Ray[/QUOTE]

Is the 350 what the 6.5RemMag is based off of?

I'm just throwing out ideas, not sure whats been done before or not. I'm here lookin information, I figured yall were more knowledgable on this stuff then me. I figure someone out there can help with the yay, nay, try this, or thats similar to this, and so on.

I have to agree with Cheechako over the last 100 years most wildcats in any number of variations have been tried. As he said the 6.5Rem Mag is simple a 350Mag necked down to 6.5.

As to the idea of necking down a 300Wsm to 284. That happens to be the 7mmWSM. It actually has more capacity than a 300 case necked down because the shoulder on the 7mm is moved forward to keep it from chambering in a 270WSM which is a 300Wsm necked down to .277.

You might want to look at Steve's page. It has a large number of case dimensions. You will quickly see that the vast majority are simply a parent cased either necked up or down. IE the 25-06, 270, 280, 338-06, 35Whelen 375 Whelen, 400 Whelen and the various AI versions are just the 30-06 case. Not to mension the Brown, Gibbs, PDK, JRS versions that move the shoulder around and change the angle.

Hmm ok....gotcha

What is this "Steve's Page" you talk about?

Nicole

Like Ray indicated: Most of us wildcatters have a purpose to achieve something with whatever we are trying to do. Then there are some that do just because.
Many years ago I ran the Gibbs line of cartridges and found the same problem many others did. Great cartridge but the quality of current production throw away brass would not handle the pressure, Then I got a bunch of RWS 06 brass and I was in fat city. About the same time I started hunting with break open single shots and wanted a rim. One thing lead to another and the 338R Cooper Express came about. It is a special cut match quality reamer of which several around the country are shooting this cartridge. 2800+fps with a 180 grain accubond from a 16.5" handgun barrel and I am at 15 reloadings without loosing a case. My need was two fold. I needed was to have a reasonable heavy hitter for walking across the bear choked flat country and still have a long range sheep,goat and deer cartridge. Then someone said what about a 30 cal,7mm,6.5? I achieved what I was after, so you must decide what it is that you are after and ifffff you want to spend the money.

Reamer $200. Core drill $200. Headspace gauge

$100. each Wildcat dies from Hornaday $125. Now by my count that is $625. That is what a base price is before action,barrel or stock. I do my own work or have friends that do the work for me so most people will also have a 6-24 month wait to have a quality gunsmith put everything together.
SInce you mention a 25 or 6.5 caliber I read in your post the need is for something to do that may not have been done before. Tough to do as most everything has or is being done. I suggest a good 6.5X 06, 25X06 0r a smoking 257WSM or WSSM as all of the above are being done so there are reamers,loading dies and cases readily available.

For what its worth.

338

quote:

What is this "Steve's Page" you talk about?

Sorry it would have helped if I had included the link.

http://stevespages.com/page8d.htm

Thanks yall for the info.

I guess it just boils down my incessant need to be different

The toughie is so many cartridges seem to do better with longer bbls, and for hunting, it does make it a bit awkward, but then again, I guess thats why I have several different rifles for huntin, and one with a shortened (20") bbl

I really apreciate all the info. Its all a learning thing at this point, for me, and while at the moment, I'm a bit in over my head, thats why I figured I'll start thinkin bout it now, vs 6mo or so down the road when I can go ahead and get things rollin better

Appreciate it yall!!

Nic

quote:

The toughie is so many cartridges seem to do better with longer bbls, and for hunting, it does make it a bit awkward, but then again, I guess thats why I have several different rifles for huntin, and one with a shortened (20") bbl

My wife's go to rifle is a 22" 7X57. If I was wanting a 25 cal for her in a 20" barrel I would simply go 257Roberts and never look back.

25-06

The 350 rem mag necked down to 257 would be a ballistic twin to the 25/06. The only "advantage" being the short action. A better choice if you want to stay with the "fat" case would be a 25 off the WSM case or a 25 on the SAUM case. I looked at designing a case similar to a 25SAUM before I settled on the 257DGR but, at that time short actions with magnum bolt and a magazine box that would feed the case were pretty scarce. So I went with the 257DGR design because it would work with all brands of short actions.

www.duanesguns.com

There is also the new Ruger Compact Magnum case to play with now.

Nothing wrong with wildcatting just to be differnt. Problem is in finding something to be different about!
I'd say pick a bullet and figure what muzzle speed you need to achieve the external ballistics you want. Same time, find a rifle you like - action, stock, etc., unless you plan on going full-blown custom tailored.
When you have that, then find the case you need to get the speed you want.
If you like the quarter-bore, and want 100-120g bullets to down whitetail and the like, you can get serious performance from a Better Bob (257 Roberts Ack Imp), e.g., 100g at 3350, 120g at 3100 fps, from a 24" bbl. That is a very, very good example of matching case capacity to bore size. That round will generally fit in a short-action Rem or the like, and can be built down to 6.5# and 22" without giving much up at the end of the day.
Now if you are just hell bent for leather on making a wildcat, figure some other intersting way to do that same thing. Because much more powder room and you get into flamethrowing, mouth-eroding overbore with very little in the way of "gain." Much less and you still have a fine cartridge but just not much more than a really expensive 243 Winchester.
I wouldn't say a 257-350 RM would be too far into the realm of overbore, but you better want a 24" tube to even begin to have it make sense, and there is a fine to pay in the form of recoil for the marginal velocity gain. The 6.5 RM is a fine round itself, deserving of more praise than it gets, so decreasing the bullet diameter by .007 is unlikely to instantly damn it.

save yourself in devaluing your first custom.
build a 257 roberts, not AI, and put a fast twist barrel in it, and have something you can get 50cents on the dollar for later,..

and a 25x6.5 rem or 350 rem is EXACTLY the same case capacity as a 25-06 or a 25x284, as the 350 rem case and the 284 win case are basically the internal volume of a 30-06 case

Now, if you are looking for speed and a custom gun, nosler sells 280 Ackley Improved brass, and the .284 bullet is a little more "all around" than the .257