[cottontop]

I mean true wildcats where there are no factory loadings available and you have to from your own cases. What sizing steps do you have to go through? Do you see any advantages over any factory loadings or do you just like doing it and having a little fun being different from all of the standard cartridge guys?
cottontop

[OldManMontgomery]

I have a rifle with a wildcat chambering. The round is called - stamped on the barrel - Scott's .30 Imp(roved). It is a variation of an 'improved' .30-06 Springfield round. The neck is shortened by moving the shoulder forward a bit and changing the shape of the shoulder by making it more of a 'step' than a shoulder.

A regular .30-06 round will headspace in the chamber, so fire-forming is pretty easy. I found some dies for a .30 Gibbs which neck size the case and re-size the main body just enough to chamber.

The advantage is in reloading. It has about 7-10% more capacity than a 'normal' .30-06, so it holds more powder; this allows a larger charge of a slower powder and more velocity. It is especially advantageous with heavier bullets. This rifle loooooves 200 and 220 grain bullets.

And I must confess, it's fun to have an out of the ordinary rifle as well. The rifle itself is built on a 1917 Eddystone action and barrel. The stock has been replaced with an aftermarket by Fajen or some such vendor. The trigger is also an aftermarket and very nice. I put a Leupold scope and mounts on it. It is a very effective .30 caliber rifle - somewhere more than .30-06 and a bit less than .300 Winchester Magnum. I can get a chronographed 2800 f/s with 200 grain bullets without damage to cases.

[cottontop]

That's pretty cool. Your wildcat definitely is a valid cartridge choice. I once had a chance to buy a 6.5-06, but at the time I could not see any real advantage of it over the .270. Now, I wish I would have gotten it just to have a wildcat.
cottontop

[masterPsmith]

One of my favorite rifles is a Mauser 98 based 30-06AI which I built back in the 70s. Fireforming brass is easy, using a clean and un-lubed chamber and factory 30-06 ammo. I usually neck size only and check brass for proper chambering prior to loading. You can load the improved rounds to approximate the .300 Win Mag ballistics. You can also shoot standard 30-06 when you want and come out with your improved brass as a result.

Jim............

[cottontop]

From what I have read in loading manuals, all of the Ackley Improved rounds are a good thing and they do improve performance if you look at performance as increased velocity. I may persue an AI wildcat someday. Probably the .257 Roberts Improved.
cottontop