wildcat calibers
11-17-2003, 10:04 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 104
wildcat calibers
Hi all. I' ve never reloaded before but i' m wanting to real badly. You see, I' m not wanting to reload normal calibers like 270 or 300' s. I' m wanting to reload wildcat calibers. I' m getting ready to build some custom guns and need some info on how to make the brass, ect. I' m going to build a 22-243 middlestead on a sako 75 action with a hart #7 contour barrel and a richards wildcat thumbhole stock in tigerwood. This will be my first custom gun as well. Plus i' m WANTING to build a 257 ferguson using the same configuration except on a #4 contour barrel if i' m pleased with the 22-243. I' ve been reading the ballistics on both and they seem to be what i' m looking for. I love small fast bullets. Does anyone know where i can get some literature to read upon about these 2 calibers and some info about reloading them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
11-22-2003, 11:55 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Western Nebraska
Posts: 3,393
RE: wildcat calibers
22-243 is a reasonably popular wildcat and dies for it should be available off the shelf from RCBS Get the dies first and using a once fired .243 brass, resize it full length and use that case as a gage for chambering the barrel. Chambering reamers should be available from Clymer.....you only need the finisher and not the rougher.
The .257 you mention isn' t familiar to me but if it' s a .257 based on a standard case (such as 6.5 Rem Mag case) it' s possible that RCBS has a die for that as well. If not they will make one for you. Hornady also makes wildcat dies.
Think this over real long. Wildcats are expensive to make and usually offer very little performance difference over the " similar-to" cartridges.
It' s your money.
The .257 you mention isn' t familiar to me but if it' s a .257 based on a standard case (such as 6.5 Rem Mag case) it' s possible that RCBS has a die for that as well. If not they will make one for you. Hornady also makes wildcat dies.
Think this over real long. Wildcats are expensive to make and usually offer very little performance difference over the " similar-to" cartridges.
It' s your money.
11-22-2003, 08:39 PM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2003
Location:
Posts: 920
RE: wildcat calibers
The 257 Ferguson is nothing more than a 7mm STW necked down to 25 caliber. It was developed years ago by Layne Simpson, a scribe for shooting magazines. He calls it the 257 STW. I believe it use' s 80+ grians of powder to push 100 grain bullets to 4000 fps. With those blazing speeds, barrel throats wont last long
Simply running a 7mm STW through a 257 STW FL sizer should do the trick and then all you need is to fireform the case.
DoubleA
Simply running a 7mm STW through a 257 STW FL sizer should do the trick and then all you need is to fireform the case.DoubleA
