Wildcat Development (and rifle build?)

Greener Jim

Well-Known Member
So I designed a wildcat a while ago but shelved it. That is until I saw a mates wildcat on another forum

If it works it'll be big and have the potential to be deer legal whilst subsonic.
The progress will be slow due mainly to deployments with cost being a consideration also but I thought I'd do a step by step.

The cartridge will headspace on the mouth and from guesstimates/talking to aforementioned mate I should have enough brass to do this.
My parent cases arrived today and I took them straight to my mate to machine down to 51mm. Once that's done I can work out if this is even feasible :D Completely open to the possibility that it may not be.
These are the cases pre-trimming:
View attachment 68202


Feel free to berate and criticise accordingly ;)
 
I know very little about the bigger calibres. What will yours end up to be? 50cal?
 
When you say sub sonic dose this mean your going to have a a drilled and ported barrel with a fully integrated mod or are you going for the more conventional type of mod?
 
Very interesting. I've thought about subsonic before but was thinking something like 358 Win or 35 Whelen or perhaps 45/70. Will you be using lead or jacketed bullets ?
 
To be deer legal you'd need 45-70 with the very heavy cast bullets available. Obviously if you weren't going after deer then 358 Win would be a good one.

I don't think that factory jacketed buckets in this calibre would expand so it'd be some form of home brew. Maybe a less stout swaged jacketed bullet or a hollow pointed factory bullet.
 
So, I've hit a problem. Case mouth wall thickness is 0.1mm which is nowhere near enough to headspace on I don't think.
Now this wildcat is designed to work in something roughly approximating a WSM action so I guess the next step is to shorten it down a little more to work in a WSSM action and hope that gives enough brass to headspace on.

Open to ideas on this
 
That would be preferable but the largest commercially available belted case is that of the 460 Weatherby. The largest bullet I could realistically go with that case is .510". You can go bigger (.550") but barrels this side of the pond in that calibre just don't exist.
 
Would 510 not be big enough? Otherwise a rimmed or tapered case would seem necessary. Are you looking at this being a repeater?
 
510 is big enough yes but they've been done so no point in going that route really. On top of that, the increase in frontal area is beneficial at such slow impact velocities.

Rimmed is easy, it's a 577 Snider. However finding a modern rifle which is suitable is tricky. Basically it's a Ruger No1 or certain shotguns.

Repeater would be the aim but single shot would also suffice.

I did shorten one of the cases down to 41mm (from 51mm) today and it's much more promising. At that length it would work in a WSSM action.
I'm going away with work next week but when I come back more playing will happen to see the best route.
 
A guy near me has just had a .50 whisper made. Deer legal with subsonic rounds. I think it's just a shortened .50bmg?

.338 LapMag case reworked normally. A fun round with sub MOA performance out to 600 yards with the 750 A-Max.
 
Spot on tiff. It's a very interesting cartridge in its own right. Bit of a ballache making the shoulder though. 500 Whisper seems a better idea
 
Small update, spoke to onelesscharlie and he'll make me a moddy to go on it. Very reasonable price, muzzle mounted, 8" long and a max weight of 1.5lb. Throw that on the planned 16" barrel and it should still be nicely pointable.

This trip with work is saving me money so when i'm back the cases will get shortened properly, measurements taken, and, if feasible, variation will go in. I feel a good cover letter is in order.
Really it's only the size that is the issue as even with max loads energy is around 3300 ft-lbs which is about what some factory 30-06 and 7mm Rem Mag is quoted at. Basically its a 577 2 3/4" Black Powder Express in a bolt gun with the ability to run subsonic.
 
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