Help Educate Me on First Wildcat - REAMERS required for the project?

[300magman]

I like playing around with my own cartridge ideas and often think I can make improvements on standard rounds to make them suit my particular liking better, but I have never attempted a wildcat before.


How many reamers and which ones would I need to end up with a top quality barrel chambered for a new wildcat with a custom neck diameter, throating specificially for the bullet I want to shoot, and a set of seater and neck sizer dies? (Have I forgotten anything?)


From what I understand, PTG could make just about anything I asked for, but I don't know enough about what I would need to estimate what kind of cost I would be looking at.

 

[rscott5028]

You might try re-posting this under Gunsmithing.

If you call PTG, you should be able to speak with Dave Kiff. He can fix you up. I think they have some reamer templates on their website that you can doctor up and send in.

If this is your first wildcat from scratch, I'd suggest finding someone with a similar idea (ideally someone who's done that before) and collaborating with them.

Unless you're trying to patent something proprietary, it might save you a lot of time and money by getting it feedback on your ideas from the many experts (and a few not so experts) that subscribe to these forums.

Be safe!
-- richard

 

[Mikecr]

You might ask whomever you plan for finishing your barrel & dies.
For my last wildcat(26WSSM) I bought roughing, finishing, and sizing reamers(from Pacific).
But the gunbuilder I used didn't use the rough reamer(he drills instead).
My reamers were floating with a 10 bushing kit.

There are a variety of approaches and favored tools though. Some prefer to cut the throat with a throating reamer.
It is worth it to hold your own reamers, and I think it's beneficial to have 2 barrels finished at the same time. With my last barrel swap I did not have to change a thing with my brass or load. My brass didn't chnge in the new barrel, the load held, and I don't FL size.
But might have been a bit of luck on that one..

Also be sure to have a headspace gizzy cut from the barrel stub.
I had wilson die blanks(seating/NS) chambered at the same time also. Then I had JLC Precision make me a bump die from fireformed brass.

 

[300magman]

Thank you for the very detailed answer. There is one question that I still have however.
Is a throating reamer universal to caliber, or does it vary by catridge....or neighter? I was just thinking that if the answer is option one, I wouldn't need to bother with it as most smiths who do chambering work would already have it.

 

[Mikecr]

Good places to find out:
Gunsmiths Corner
Gun Project Questions & Basic Gunsmithing