OK Now We've Solved The Brass Problem...Let's Wildcat !!

I read about a guy doing the 35 version over on 24HRCF. He called it the 358 Nukalpiaq or something like that. I like 35s so I was particularily interested. I thought about doing one but couldn't decide on a rifle. Maybe a model 70 sporter? Time will tell.
 
How about a 458 Ruger...................ballistics should equal or exceed the Lott on a standard action.








Thoughts............

Doug,

as you re starting from WW brass what is the difference in grains capacity between the 458 win mag and your 458 Ruger?

just out of curiosity.

all the best.

Phil
 
OK guys I was rooting through my gun vault/loading room and I came across a gun I forgot I bought off a buddy as a donor action a while back. It is the perfect action for the 458 Imposter, it is a BSA magnum, the stock has a good grain and lots of meat in the forend, good steel bottom metal and the trigger is acceptable. It is a 270 Wby now, but a new barrel, a second recoil lug, get rid of the white "v" rosewood forend spacer and a barrel band sling swivel as well as a banded front sight.............we could make a pretty decent 458 Imposter to try out. A buddy here (Rock Chucker) has the reamer and I have a buddy who has a neck & throater. Making brass from 375 H&H is a breeze, just did it. All I'm short is a 458 barrel, thought I had one but can't find it for the life of me. 416 and 475 but no 458, very odd, I was sure I had one of Bevan's kicking around. Maybe a gain twist Ron Smith barrel would be the ticket, I'll have to give him a call. My calculations say this cartridge should drive a 500 gn bullet at 2400 fps from a 22-23" barrel. This is absolute perfection for a heavy, dangerous game rifle, sorry guys the BSA is not a CRF, but a proven action none the less. I forgot to say, eet has der roll over scheekpiece, und de vundhammer svell grip, mit der schkip line scheckering, das ees da ting of beauty.

Anyone interested in this project/experiment?
 
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sorry guys the BSA is not a CRF

Well, aside from your #### dropping off from building a DGR on a non-CRF action (but you're old...what use is a #### on an old codger anyway?) the whole thing should be quite a big handful of a good thing. Should do the trick nicely!
 
Doug,

as you re starting from WW brass what is the difference in grains capacity between the 458 win mag and your 458 Ruger?

just out of curiosity.

all the best.

Phil

Phil, I don't have a single piece of 458 WM brass in the house to check..............I gave it all to a young PH in SA, he was just getting going and as all PHs he was flat broke. He had ordered up a new 458 but had no ammo and no money, so........I sent him all my 458 stuff, brass and bullets as he had a buddy who loaded for the 458. Anyway I have no 458 brass to compare, any I have, have been run down to 416 for the Taylor I once had.
 
The kid and I were kicking this topic around and I said how about a 3 gun battery based on this case........258 Ruger, 358 Ruger and 458 Ruger.......So you'd have a 257 Wby ++ and then a 358 STA equivalent and a 458 Lott equavalent and if you felt a hole between the 25 and 35 you could throw in a 308 Ruger, for a 300 Wby equivalent. I am currently dealing on a 458 WM which if it works out I will make a 458 Ruger on it.
We discussed the 30 Ruger and decided if one were to do this cartridge I would design the reamer to perfectly headspace the 300 WM case, then you have the interchangability of the Lott, meaning if need be you could shoot and hunt with 300 WM ammo just fine..........a wildcat you could take anywhere in the world and hunt, and lost ammo wouldn't be the end of the hunt. A quick resight and you're back in the game with a still very respectable cartridge.
This 4 gun battery would cover all your big game hunting needs, 25, 30, 35 (could substitute the 9.3 here) and 45. Light game, deer, antelope sheep etc, with the 25....medium game like elk, moose, black bear, plains game and caribou with the 30.... bigger mean bitey things like grizzly, coastals, polar bear, lion and large plains game with the 35 (9.3).... and finally the biggest and meanest the planet has to offer with the 45.
Build them all on the new FN model 70 action (just to make you CRF boys happy) and put them in appropriate barrel lengths (my choice would be 26...25...24...22") and highly figured dense walnut........1/4 rib the 458 and get bottom metal to hold 5 rounds under, barrel band front sight and sling swivel.........Zeiss scopes across the board, magnification to suit the owner (my choices would be 2.5-10X on the 25 and 30, 1.5-6X on the 35 or 9.3 and a quick detachable 1-4X on the 458)

Opinions.........what would be your 4 caliber choice, based on this case, for the perfect battery, calibers, barrel lengths and glass?

Douglas
 
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That's a lot of burning powder to fit down a .257" tube. I wonder if 26" would be optimal or if it would have to be longer. Should easily exceed the 257 Wby's performance, provided you can mak euse of the increased case capacity.

The 30 caliber seems the obvious choice. Probably the most popular bore size and a vast selection of bullets. I imagine it would give very good performance with 200 grain bullets (though the TSX might be a touch long). My guess is that the parent case would be better suited to the medium bore sizes rather than the smaller ones.
 
.277, .323, .358, .458

I know I know, but I don't like to follow the crowds.... I also believe the .277 and .323(8mm) don't get enough credit and attention
 
Well, if you just want to make cartridges based upon some trivial matching numbers thing, why not just leave them as imposters instead of making something useful and with taste? Lol
 
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