When is Widcatting Worth It?

[Carlos88]

I've been messing with wildcat cartridges since 2014. I know many of you have been doing it much longer. I also have at least 12 different wildcat chamber reamers in my reloading room. I know that many of you probably have hundreds.

Lately though I've started to wonder, when is it worth it to wildcat a cartridge? Especially when you consider what we get from the standard SAAMI cartridges, and the extras in costs (You need custom dies), time, case prep efforts, (I like tighter neck tolerances) load testing and development, risks to body from mistakes, and limited availability availability of this cartridge (since we are often the only source of this special cartridge).

Is it when you get 3 or more extra grs of powder from a case. Is the gain of 50 to 60 fps in velocity per grain of powder? What level of improved stability and accuracy is needed to make it worth? Or, when does it just become just an exercise in burning more powder and creating more recoil.

I have 4 different custom chamber reamers for my current project. I've settled on one that increases both the case length and lead/freebore. The new wildcat will give at least 3.5 grs of extra powder space and resulting velocity simply due to a longer case. There is lot more velocity potential from the increase powder space from lengthening the freebore so the bullets can be seated well out of the powder space.

So rather than discuss a particular wildcat cartridge, my question is for all of them. When is wildcatting worth it?

By the way, the last 7 or 8 years have been a ton of fun!!

Wherever you want to do it.

 

[WYOHTF]

@memtb
Thread zapper

 

[BoatTail]

Thanks everyone. You have restored my interest in continuing with wildcatting. What started my negative view was a bad experience this last year with a 6.5/300 WSM. I think I mentioned this in another thread. I thought I had the perfect chamber reamer. After the rifle build, I started load development. I soon found that some of my loaded ammo would not fit into the chamber. I carefully checked my bullet seating depths and my neck size, and finally discovered that new brass loads worked fine but resized brass did not. I checking my sizing dies against my 270 and 300 WSM dies and it was fine.. Looking closer at my reamer drawings I discovered the issue. The chamber drawing that was supposed to be based off the SAAMI 300 WSM was not. It had some dimensions at the web area of the case that were off. The dimension allowed brand new brass, that was obviously undersized, to fit the chamber but resized brass would not. I was devastated after all the work, time and cost I had put into this project.

Reading this thread, and thinking about it for a time, I'm now over that. I just ordered a proof research 30 caliber carbon fiber barrel for my next wildcat project. I'm stepping back in.

 

[WildRose]

Thanks everyone. You have restored my interest in continuing with wildcatting. What started my negative view was a bad experience this last year with a 6.5/300 WSM. I think I mentioned this in another thread. I thought I had the perfect chamber reamer. After the rifle build, I started load development. I soon found that some of my loaded ammo would not fit into the chamber. I carefully checked my bullet seating depths and my neck size, and finally discovered that new brass loads worked fine but resized brass did not. I checking my sizing dies against my 270 and 300 WSM dies and it was fine.. Looking closer at my reamer drawings I discovered the issue. The chamber drawing that was supposed to be based off the SAAMI 300 WSM was not. It had some dimensions at the base of the case that were off. The dimension allowed brand new brass, that was obviously undersized, to fit the chamber but resized brass would not. I was devastated after all the work, time and cost I had put into this project.

Reading this thread, and thinking about it for a time, I'm now over that. I just ordered a proof research 30 caliber carbon fiber barrel for my next wildcat project. I'm stepping back in.

Well if it were me I'd just take those reamer specs and call whomever made the reamer and have them make me a set of dies to match. Probably send them some once fired brass to ensure they get it right.

I'm probably going to do a .30 next myself and I'm having a hard time deciding whether to do a PRC or maybe do some sort of improved version using the same .375 Ruger case.

I've gotten to where I shoot the .375's so much I probably have four hundred rounds of once fired brass just setting in a bucket so I'm going to do several WC's using it as the parent case this year. I'll definitely do a 7mm, and probably a .338 while I decide on exactly what to do for the .30 cal project.

I hate to say it but I'll probably use a coupe of my M70 300wm's as donors for the project since I'm not shooting them all that much anymore.

 

[Greyfox]

to the OP's questio…"Is it worth it? ". I'd have to say yes! Think about how many of the very popular and successful SAAMI cartridges began life as a wildcat! It is the wildcatter that has brought some of the most desirable cartridges to the broad marketplace. I think that there are shooters that fall into one or more general categories of wildcat enthusiasts. Those that are the true innovators/designers, those that are the avid users/hobbyists, and those that don't necessarily define themselves as a wildcatter of any sort but may find a particular cartridge that happens to strike a nerve, fulfilling a particular need. I'm in the latter category. Two cartridges in particular captured my attention many years ago that have persisted, with my very avid use to this day. Both being fairly basic modifications of an existing cartridge, they were the 6.5x284(284W), and the 6mmAR/Whitely(6.5 Grendle). The former(6.5x284N) has been my most extensively used cartridge for LRH, and the latter(6mmAR) for competition. Both were well worth the trip!

 

[L.Sherm]

The chamber drawing that was supposed to be based off the SAAMI 300 WSM was not. It had some dimensions at the web area of the case that were off.

Reamer maker? I think I know.
So the web was undersized from saami?
If anything it should be a little bigger.

 

[BoatTail]

I would rather not mention their name. They help me get into wildcatting. The owner has been willing to talk to me personally many times and help me. However the service from the rest of the team has been terrible for the last several projects that have done. Orders getting lost, orders coming in 6 months late, and then this issue of not using a SAAMI based drawing for the basis of the wildcat. I even tried one more time purchasing an extended magazine box and follower, and the follower was undersized by 1/4 inch. This is my last attempt at working with them going forward.

Yes, 0.200 inches from the base the dimension at the web on the wildcat is 0.5545, when on the SAAMI drawing it is 0.5563. I know that doesn't sound like much. Using my Dial caliper on the resized cases, it looks like they should barely fit , but they don't. The tolerance is just too tight.

I tried to measure across the flutes on the rimmer, to see if it matched the drawing but didn't feel like it do it accurately.

I did check with another chamber reamer maker, and they said they would regrind it for half the cost of a new one, but frankly I just gave up.

I went so far as buying a is buying a punch that had 6.5 on it, So I could Punch that number on the casehead to define it from the parent case.

Oh well live and learn

 

[L.Sherm]

Man that really sucks, it hard to believe they got it almost .002 small at the web there is no way dies are gonna size it back enough after there shot.
My question is what the H$$$ were they thinking. Its why I really like JGS they email me a print for approval and I look it over then have to approve before they move forward, so its on me if I screw up.

 

[BoatTail]

Man that really sucks, it hard to believe they got it almost .002 small at the web there is no way dies are gonna size it back enough after there shot.
My question is what the H$$$ were they thinking. Its why I really like JGS they email me a print for approval and I look it over then have to approve before they move forward, so its on me if I screw up.

Yes that's who I contacted that said they would regrind them for me. I'll be using them going forward.