Wildcats vs Traditional Cartridges

[Uncle yib]

Not to bash, but why go through the trouble? For years manufacturers have sold us the same old boring selection, and then came the Ultra Mags and Short Mags. Bench shooters have mandated wildcats for years to the point we don't even realize it. Almost any shooting we do can be done with out of the box Ammo, but if I demand a .338 Campfire, or the 6XC, even the 7mm Blaser is a Wildcat still. These Rounds have been around for years and years. Ackley brought us the "Improved" Shoulder Wildcats & we've seen straight wall Cartridges for near a Century, modern Reamer Rentals offer us just about any Wildcat imaginable. Rifle Manufacturers won't even update Barrel twist rates for modern bullets. So it seems the end consumer is left holding the bag full of dull has been's, or is he? Some shooters wear out a barrel in a month, some a lifetime, but for the average Joe the 270 WSM or 6.5 Creedmoor can handle just about any job. I've been wearing the Wildcat blinders for a couple of years now, but you know, I really just don't need one do I? Are we being Hyped into something unnecessary? Remember there is an entire Industry that depends on Wildcat shooters and the lore of custom Rifles.

I agree with you 100% my friend I pen quite a few rifles or 60PRC65 Creedmoor 338 Lappula mag on and on of loaded them all I'm a long time reloader there's a rifle out there for every niche you can always find what you're looking for in the same good old standards 30 -06 , 270, the 243 shoots better than the 65 Creedmoor or the 60 PRC or the 60 PPC I think U R 100% correct

 

[25WSM]

Mazdayasna depending on what kind of target shooting you are going to do with a 6mm the regular old 6br is hard to beat. May not shoot as small as a 6ppc but it sure stays in tune easier. And will do long range too. If you want to shoot out to 1000 the 6 Creed is a pretty good bet. Yeah the Dasher may be slightly more accurate but not in the wind. And if your doing 257 go 7.5 twist and do a 25 Creed. 131 blackjacks are kicking right now. I know the br and Creed's are boring but they flat out shoot great.
Shep

 

[25WSM]

In what world does the 243 beat a 6ppc a 6.5creed and the 6.5prc?
Shep

 

[just_jon]

How well does your 35 Whelen AI perform for you. I have thought about have one done. I have thought about doing a 270 Win. AI with a 1-8 or 1-7 twist too.

Mine shoots just over an inch. Nothing to write home about. Same goes for the modest 100-150 fps gain over the standard. It was not one of the brightest things I've done, but then I've never really leaned hard. Since I hvae
three 35 Whelen, the barrel may be a candidate for something bigger like a 375 Ruger.

 

[greenejc]

The chances that there is a factory rifle with all the attributes that some people want are slim to none, so the wildcat is born. Most wildcats are no better than many factory cartridges In the right rifle, they are just different. Normally a well though out cartridge fills a gap in the performance offered buy factories, so they will have a purpose. Some will out perform any factory offering in their class and in many cases this is the attraction.

Having built and designed many wildcats there is a great amount of knowledge that is obtained from building wildcats that can improve ones understanding of factory cartridges and the reasons behind some of their design, and will be a valuable to aid in the improvement of these cartridges.

Many of the wildcat designs are the basis for the New factory offerings. So wildcats have been responsible for many of the great designs offered by the factories.

Many shooters are not interested in "How" or "Why" something works, just how it performs for their use. Others Like to know "How" and "Why" so they can get the most from their firearm and understand the effects of any change they might want to make. And as said, Have fun doing and
Understanding the differences that a wildcat offers.

There will always be some that will be more than satisfied with factory offerings. and a small majority will always want something different and wildcats fill their needs.

I don't think that ether one by its self will fill the needs of some and they will have and use both.

J E CUSTOM

Sometimes its just getting more performance out of your rifle while retaining the same barrel length/weight. Sometimes its curiosity. I didn't need another .35 Whelen, but I'm having one made anyway. It has a 26 inch 1 in 14 inch twist barrel from ER Shaw, a stock and trigger guard/detachable magazine from Magtech, and a P2 Shepherd scope in leupold rings mounted on it. The rifle shoots around 0.5 to 0.7 inch 5 shot groups at 100 yards. We tested it yesterday. My gunsmith is blueing it now. I'm thinking about getting each of the Whelens Ackley Improved next, just to minimize brass stretching. Of course, it would increase powder capacity a little, and that won't hurt.

 

[greenejc]

We all win with more options. Improvements over standbys, improvements on the wildcat, all good. Sometimes the hype and claims get to be a little much, but that is the shooting world, it is not changing. Pick what you want, make it work.
Remington abandoned their Saum case, why, no clue. Bigger now than when they marketed it. I am glad I can sort through all the parameters to make a build work w/o worrying about restrictions.

I think it was because they were offering it in the model 7 and it didn't perform out of the short tube on that rifle. Also, they were competing with Winchester and Ruger and losing. I just checked and they no longer offer a rifle chambered in the 300 Remington SA Ultra Mag at least.

 

[montana west]

the ackley Improved better known a AI are about the best in wildcaten. today the # is about the best at lease in my collection. it is the 338/06 AI. With Reloader 15 it will roars like a lion. it will = the great 338 magnum without all the recoil. I am sure the 40' sholder reduces recoil. no it won't out shoot the 338 rum but up to 200 yards it will match it.

 

[montana west]

Wild cat's are the base for many very good factory rounds. like the 22/250-25/06-6.5/284-280 -35 whlen remington the new Ruger 375 & 416 came from the 416 Taylor and as did the 416 Remington.

 

[J E Custom]

In my case the reason to wild cat is to fill a blank space in the performance that doesn't exist with traditional cartridges. One of my wildcats Was a 416 that fell between the 416 Remington and the Rigby and the 416 Weatherby. The gap filled was 2400 ft/sec with a 400 grain bullet. to 2900 ft/sec with the Weatherby The 416 Buff produces 2700 ft/sec with the 400 grain bullet. Another advantage was that the Buff works on a standard magnum bolt face and a 700 Remington action instead of needing a Mark 5 action or equal.

There will always be something faster or more powerful but chasing these reasons for wild catting is
not very rewarding in my opinion. The best reason I can think of is that a person just wants something different.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Mram10us]

I like wildcats because you can maximize certain actions. I love wsms in tikkas, but even with a long throat, you still have .050"+ of clearance that could be used if you somehow modify the cartridge.

 

[Rich Coyle]

My 6.5 Coyle is an example of my signature line. My wildcat matches the Wea 6.5RPM except I used Weatherby radii because I like the look. I made mine by turning off the belts of 7 Rem Mag brass. Weatherby has the money to have a .284 Win lengthened. I received a notice from Weatherby the brass for the 6.5 RPM is now available.

Just like I did Weatherby used the six lug Mark V.

 

[ShootMo]

I have been working out the bugs on my first build project and will at some soon point have the chamber reamed a little deeper to take the 30/06 to a 300 Sherman. Why? Because changing bolt faces on the factory action is a pain in the ***, or more expensive and time consuming than I care for. That's the only two options for changing to a magnum bolt face.

So by going to a very simple wildcat, I get a great boost in performance, in a platform that makes other avenues unattractive to me. All while retaining the factory barrel, bolt, and action....for less than 300 bucks.

 

[Gibbshooter43]

The old saying, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose" just doesn't apply with wildcats. I don't have the expertise that Jerry does, but I follow his posts because he has proven sound. The wildcats intrigue me and i have a smith that knows his stuff. Even when the gain isn't significant in fps, the appearance of the cartridge is pleasing, and the reloading is made much easier. And to just_jon, I would say, instead of the 6.5:06AI, consider taking it a step further and do a 6.5 Gibbs. It's a hummer, and you'll have one few in your circle of friends will have. Gibbs...

 

[Swamplord]

Life is too short to date, marry and live out the rest of your life with that ugly, fat girl next door, just because she is easy to get ..... and cheap to keep around forever

same applies to cartridges