New wildcat, first range report

Robbin

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New wildcat, first range report ADDED gun porn

I don't know if it's still a wildcat, I re-barreled from a 300Wby necked down to a 7mm, to a 6.5X47 Lapua, which is a standard (thou fairly rare) caliber. However the neck is only a .290 so you can't use factory ammo with it. Anyway, it's always been my "wildcat" so it will keep it's name even if it doesn't qualify anymore.
28 inch Hart tube, heavy contour SS, .123 FB for the 130 berger VLDs, .290 neck
Jewel trigger set at 1.5 pounds
6X20X56 Leupold VX-L with Varmint Hunter Reticule

Hart made the barrel, trued the action and installed the Jewel trigger. The reamer was mine and I'm going to have an Encore barrel made with it.

It's a hoss at about 18 pounds.

Anyway, All I did was turn, measure, test fire and measure some more. If I clean my factory necks up about 90%, I get .2885 to 289 loaded rounds. Very close tolerance requiring that you measure EVERY round. However, even brass fired 3 times required no resizing to hold the next bullet. Neck tension is mild, but I can't push the loaded round against the table top with moderate pressure and move it, so it's good to go. I've got the bullets seated .02 into the lands and let the bolt do the final seating for me.

39 grains of RL17 and WOLF mag primers. I'm getting NO pressure signs at all.

I got the crony out but it was too late and wouldn't read. I only shot at 50 yards (the range right behind the reloading bench). I usually ignore 50 yard results because bullets don't have time to go to sleep, so they are NOT indicative of how good the load will shoot at longer ranges. That said, my 130 grain Berger VLDs were in .25 inch. I may have a real shooter on my hands, I'll find out next weekend. Using quickload and the OBT for my 28 inch tube, I'll start with 39.1 grains of RL17, sight for 200 and then shoot 400 to see what it can do. I know, no load development and the barrel has 20 rounds thru it, but I'll bet it will tell me a lot about the gun. Next weekend is a long weekend for me, so I'm planning on shooting a lot. I can shoot up to 900 yards in the field across the street from the camp. I've got 16, 12, 8 and 4 inch steel targets hung.

I'll post another range report after next weekend,
Robbingun)
 
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Sounds interesting, hope it is a shooter.
The Lapua round is a smaller case head, is it not? Did you have to use a different bolt?
 
Nope, the bolt has been the same for the original 270, then 300wby and now 6.5X47 Lapua

Here is a picture
Wildcat.jpg
 
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