wildcatting

can anyone give some resources where i can find information or even a book or two on this subject. any help would be appreciated.

I think the real challange with wildcatting is finding something that has not been done already. Seems to me just about every combination of neck down, neck up, shorten, fire form, etc has been done. The internet is full of info.

What sort of information are you looking for? Are you looking for load data and cartridge specs? Or are you wanting to design your own? I have done quite a bit of wildcatting and it can be fun. If you are just wanting to chamber a rifle in a wildcat, you can just about buy any reamer and dies you would want. On the other hand if you really want some fun you can do like I do and design your own, then build your own chamber reamer, dies and die reamer. Thats the best way and by far the cheapest. THere are many books out there but the ones that stand out as the best wildcatting books are the PO Ackley handbooks. THere are several books that are nothing but chamber prints, and Ken Howell has a book out that is called "Designing and Forming Custom Cartridges" that tells how to form many of the more popular wildcats. You can also find quite a bit of info on the internet as mentioned before.

Hope that helps.
Chad

Try Wolfe Publishing Co (they publish "Handloader" and "Rifle" magazines) for a two volumn set of books titled "Wildcat Cartridges". This set is right up the alley you are walking into.

I do a lot of custom chambers and "Wildcatting". Have about 200 reamers in the collection, and it grows monthly.

Like the man said, most has already been done, there really is nothing new.


But there is some satisfaction in designing a cartridge and a reamer and putting the theories to work. There are some rules of thumb for designing chambers and reamers that are important for long brass life and accuracy.

Chamber dimensions are important: A benchrest chamber is tighter than a hunting chamber, and a DGR chamber must accept worldwide available ammunition, so a good bit of careful thought must be put into the reamer design. Throating for specific bullets, if you neck turn or not, the make of brass, etc., are just a few variables.

I have pressure measuring equipment, so my trials include both velocity and the resulting chamber pressure. Tells me a lot about what is really going on.

Don't believe everything you read about wildcats, the pressures obtained, and the velocities obtained. Much is estimated, especially the data in the Ackley books. Today a lot of folks have chronographs, but few have pressure measuring equipment, so many of those high velocities you see quoted are running at the expense of high pressures. "Reading" a case for pressures is very unrealiable!!!!! I have seen overpressures, cartridge case failures, and failed rifles, it is not a pretty sight and is down right scary.

One of my buddies several years ago kept reporting high velocities from one of his cartridge designs. My gut feel told me better. So, one day I was at the range when he was shooting. He left the bench for a few minutes, just enough time for me to measure the screen spacing on his chronograph without being seen. Ha!!! He had them spaced closer than the manufacture's specifications called for!

Post specific questions, we may have the answers.

hey, thanks for the replies and info. i am looking at building a long range rifle to hunt in some different places i have around here. most consist of wide open strip mines that have been reclaimed.

i am also glad John Ricks pointed out about the pressure testing equipment as i have also seen a rifle explode due to the chamber pressure being "off the scale" so to speak. one of my early attempts to increase velocity and bullet weight through custom handloads. thank god we had the rifle buried in sand bags for the test fires.

i had bought a .300 weatherby magnum for long range shooting and tricked it out about as far as it can go and i'm still not happy with it. so i wanted to build a wildcat based on a .45-70 cartridge necked down to .30 caliber to do some playing around to see if i can build something better. another thought was to neck the .45-70 down to .284 for the 7mm round.

any thoughts on design factors, possible areas of failures, and thoughts on what rifling to use would be greatly appreciated.

Brass selection is action dependent.

Bolt action: Use either H&H brass or Rem Ultra brass. If a big action, use 338 Lapua brass, as it is about the strongest brass available. 30 Jarrett is a good choice, or a 30-338 Lapua. A 338 Improved Lapua, with the 250 or 300 grain Sierra Matchking, is a fine long range outfit for paper.

You will be wasting your time with a single shot falling block like a No. 1.

I would stay away from 45-70 brass, as it is designed for under 45,000 psi and requires an action designed for rimmed cartridges.

Extreme range shooting: Requires a sturdy action, stiff barrel, stiff stock, high quality optics and mounts, etc., in a package that is put together propely. My choice would be a big 30 or 338, shooting Sierra Matchkings. If this is a big game rig, then the construction is different, and the bullets will be different also. Don't use Matchkings on big game!!!

Nothing wrong with a 300 Win Mag: One rifle I built on a M700 action, has a 28 inch No. 7 barrel, topped with a 12-40X Nightforce. This rifle has shot a 3-1/2 inch group at a measured 850 yards. Tight necked reamer, tight on the base also, throated for 220 grain Matchkings.

I have built two .408 Cheyenne rifles. The jury is still out on this cartridge: Bullet selection is poor, brass is expensive, bullets are expensive, needs a big action, big barrel, total rig will weigh over 20 pounds, has a lot of recoil and needs a big brake. Accuracy has not been all that good.

There is, of course, the popular .378/.300 used by many in 1000 yrd. competition. But if you are hunting in North America, at long range, and can put the bullet where it needs to go, that .300 will take down anything you desire to point it at.

Weatherby brass has a reputation of not being as strong as Lapua, hence my recommendation of the use of 338 Lapua brass. The 338 Lapua uses a derrivative of 416 Rigby brass, and most know that the big Weatherby brass is simply 416 Rigby brass with a belt. Lapua brass is big enough for any 30 cal. 1000 yarder, more powder is not always the best, you get into consistency of ignition problems.

I always recommend that beginning extreme range shooters start with something like a 300 Win Mag or a 300 Jarrett or 300 Baer. Build a nice rifle, and learn how to shoot. When you have mastered this phase, go up to something bigger if you think it is necessary. Ain't much use in building a 1000 yard monster if you cannot shoot decent groups at 300 yards with a entry level rifle!!!! There is a lot more to 1000 yard shooting than big case capacity and high ballistic coefficient bullets: Ya gotta develop a good shooting style and learn trajectories plus, maybe the most important, learn how to read the wind and just when to pull the trigger!!! It also is an addictive sport, meaning pouring a lot of money down a hole in a constant race to improve your equipment in the endless search for tiny groups. Two recommendations before starting down the 1000 yard trail: Be sure you have a place to shoot (not many 1000 yard ranges in America's backyards) and be sure your wife, or significant other, approves of the upcoming money to be spent. This sport gets expensive real fast, and eats up time, so most spouses do not approve.