What you are suggesting will work and you likely could do it in one step since you are only changing the neck. Here is what I would do since you are talking custom anyway. Chamber it to 300 Sherman which is a jump up in performance over the A.I. and uses the same brass. I have the reamer and can get you a TWO die bushing set with micrometer seater from Whidden for a little over $200. My Sherman would reach 3000 fps with 200 grain bullets in a 28" barrel.......Rich
Here is the thinking behind what I want this wildcat to do:
1. I am looking for approximately the following performance levels from a 26" barrel @ 63k-65k psi:
3050-3100 fps with a Barnes 185g TTSX
2800-2850 fps with a CE 225g D62
2600-2650 fps with a Berger 250g Hunting Hybrid
2. I want to keep the case capacity to a level that favors powders in the 4350 burn rate range. I am hoping that if I do that, RL-17 will work well in my wildcat and provide a velocity advantage that cannot be had in a case capacity that favors the 4831/RL-19 burn rate range. I am probably going to need QL to help me get an idea what case capacity I am really after. That will probably be one of the first items on my shopping list as I plan and research this.
3. I want to retain the option of using Nosler 280AI brass without fireforming. I might still end up going with Norma 280 brass and fireforming, but it would be nice to be able to skip that step, if desired.
Here are my questions/concerns with the information regarding using the Sherman reamer:
Would the .300 Sherman reamer simply need to be fitted with a .338 pilot to produce the desired chamber?
From what I have been able to find out, the 30-06 and .280 case each have a capacity in the neighborhood of 68 grains, the 280AI capacity is around 73 grains, and the Sherman is around 76 grains. By comparison, the .338WM has a capacity of about 86 grains. As mentioned above, I am interested in bumping capacity enough to gain some velocity, but I want to be careful not to bump it so far that I have to use H4831/RL-19 burn rate powders. I believe that would end up costing me performance, rather than enhance it. My problem is that I don't know where the cutoff in case volume is.
I assume that going with the .300 Sherman would require me to fireform my brass. Is that correct? Would I need to use the false shoulder technique to do this?
Where the dies are concerned, I have used a micrometer seater die in the past and never felt that it offered much advantage over my standard Redding dies. Where the bushing die is concerned, I have always been leery about using one because I have read that the bushing dies tend to cause a "doughnut to build up in the case neck. Once again, I have always had excellent results with my standard dies and have never felt the need to manipulate neck tension like the benchrest guys do.
My bottom line, where dies are concerned, is that I would like to stay with standard type Redding dies. What would I need to do to make that happen? If I stayed with the Nosler 280AI case, would that allow me to use off-the-shelf dies like the ones I mentioned previously?
