7mm WSSM Wildcat ???

S

shortaction

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
94   0   0
Location
Manitoulin Island, Ontario
I have been tossing around the idea of taking a 243 WSSM and having it re-barreled to a Wildcat 7mm WSSM.

I don't have any experience with wildcatting a cartridges so I am looking for some info. What could I expect for velocity with 120gr to 140gr bullets? The 243 wssm has more velocity than a 243Win so would it be unreasonable to expect the 7mm WSSM to be faster than the 7mm-08 Rem if I stayed with bullets lighter than 140gr?

How would I go about getting a set of Dies and a reamer?

What are the pro's and what are the cons?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
"...Wildcat 7mm WSSM..." I'd be doing a great deal of research first. I'm seeing the 7mm WSSM mentioned on-line, but no other info.
"...looking for some info..." You'd need a custom barrel and a smithy to install it. RCBS will custom make any dies you want, but they're very expensive. The reamer will be a custom thing too. You'll also need a set of headspace guages. Neither is insurmountable, but it won't be cheap.
"...the pro's and the cons?..." It's fun building a rifle. However, any time you build something odd, it costs a great deal more than for a common cartridge.
 
I agree the 284 Win in a great cartridge but to make it really shine it needs to be in a 3" action length. I had one in a Model 88 Winchester and it would shoot sum MOA groups at 200 yds all day long.

The primary use would be Whitetail deer hunting with a bit of coyote hunting. Hunting situations would be close up bush to wide open fields.
 
shortaction said:
I agree the 284 Win in a great cartridge but to make it really shine it needs to be in a 3" action length. I had one in a Model 88 Winchester and it would shoot sum MOA groups at 200 yds all day long.

The primary use would be Whitetail deer hunting with a bit of coyote hunting. Hunting situations would be close up bush to wide open fields.
Click to expand...

Not to discourage you from getting an impractical wildcat built, but there are about a hundred cartrides that already do what you want.:)
 
Capacity of the WSSM cases are roughly the same as -06 brass. A 7WSSM would about duplicate the 280 Rem or very close. I would much rather have a 280 or the Ackley improved version of it but each to their own.
 
shortaction said:
So that would mean about 99 of those started as impractical wildcats?
Click to expand...

Back when the catridge selection was more limited, many wildcats made sense, so were not too "impractical"

The 7WSSM strikes me as pretty impractical, but as I said, I wouldn't want to discourage a guy from getting what he wants.:)
 
8 ball said:
Capacity of the WSSM cases are roughly the same as -06 brass. A 7WSSM would about duplicate the 280 Rem or very close. I would much rather have a 280 or the Ackley improved version of it but each to their own.
Click to expand...

I already have 2 - 7mm-08's with a 3rd on order and I have 3 - 280's and I like all of them and they certainly get the job done.

I like the Model 70 Super Short action and I have found the 243 WSSM's to be tack drivers. So I was thinking it would make a nice quick handling firearm with with pretty decent ballistics. Only thing I don't like is losing magazine capacity.
 
Last edited:
Does anyone know how you would go about developing load data for a wildcat cartridge?

Loading data shows the 243 WSSM with approximately 5% heavier powder charge than the 243 WIN, so would I be able to use a powder like h4895 which can be loaded at 60% of max charge for reduced loads and take the Max load for a 7mm-08 Rem and add 5% and then take 60% of that. Then work up carefully to find my max for H4895 to give me a baseline? Or could I just start with Minimum 7mm-08 Rem loads and work up from there as the case capacity is about the same but the WSSM can be loaded to higher pressures?
 
280 ackley said:
that sounds like an intriguing build! that small action is a very good platform. a removable pilot wildcat reamer will cost you 200.00 us and go/no go gauges are 50.00 each. you probably already know barreling costs. phone huntingtons for die quotes.bob@custom gunworx 403-845-8712
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I had a gun rebarrelled a couple of years ago and it ran about $650.00 has that changed much?

Looking at the numbers it should run around $1200.00 plus the original firearm?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom