If I wanted to design a beltless wildcat that would have .257 Wby capcity and performance what parent case would you suggest?
Either short action or '06 length action would be acceptable. A .25 WSM would be close. 25/06 AI falls a little short, but isn't out of the running. Any other suggestions? Maybe .375 Ruger case?

Thanks,

John

You nailed the first three that came to my mind.

9.3x64 case comes to my mind...

7mm Dakota necked down?

WSM's or SAUM's....shortened .404 Jeff.

take a 300 ultra mag and neck it down.

7mm WSM

What is wrong with the standard .257 Weatherby?


LC

Been shooting belted cases since 1978, Many 7 Mags, 7 STW's, 257 Weatherby's, and 300 WM...

Have yet to see a problem.

I fall squarely into the "rifle looney" category. Practicality is not a requirement. So, any additional ideas?

John

Hondo;

FWIW, here are the QL (water max) case capacities in grains:

.25-06 - 65.80
.25-06AI - 73.00
.250 Howell - 72.00
.257Wby - 84.00
.257STW - 94.00
.25WSSM - 54.30
.25WSM/Pronghorn - 83.00

The .25RSAUM should give about 74-75ish grains of water capacity.

The .375Ruger case should EASILY eclipse the .257Wby in capacity, as it shows 99.00 grains at .375 and the .375/.338Chatfield-Taylor (.338Win/7RM necked up to .375) shows only 87.63 grains. That same percentage increase should give a .275Ruger necked down to .257" about a 94-95 grain capacity, and about the same edge in velocity over the .257Wby as the Wby has over the .25-06AI. Basically, it'd be a shorter-actioned .257STW.

The 25SAUM has already been done and IIRC, it is slightly better than a 25-06. I'd think a 257WSM would be very close to the 'bee.

For the record, belts do not bother me either.

RH

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. Looks like the .25 WSM is closest, but I would possibly have to deal with questionable feeding. Was really surprised how big the Ruger Mags are. I had no idea. Overall, 25-06 AI might be my best bet if I didn't go with another .257 Wby. Lots of stuff to think about. Thanks again.

John

What about the Ruger Compact Magnums?

I did 2 .257 WSM's years ago-- one on a SA 700 and one on a MRC99-- The MRC99 fed way better than the 700...The .257 WSM does everything the Weatherby does in the same length barrel with 3-4 grains less powder.
I easily eclipsed 3800 fps with a 100 TSX and a 26" 3 groove Pac-Nor tube.

Did you think them worth the trouble?

John

8x68S or 6.5x68 (they're the same) maybe? The 6.5x68 has been standardized (CIP) for many years now and is only one step above the .257 you're looking for, so it would be fairly easy, I would think, to neck this case down.

My vote is for the 25 WSM. If that doesn't trip your trigger, do a 257 Ruger and stick to mono bullets.

...how about 256 newton (original actually uses a 6.5mm projectile)...if practicality is not required it could probably be stretched out to AI shoulder and get you in the neighborhood.

Its called a 25 Booboo.
Cases are very expensive.


dave

Maybe belts aren't cool anymore.

I shoot belted cases on a pushfeed. That's out there!

.

Turn the belt off standard case, done.

Hondo64d,

If you are still here and want the info, I have it. While looking for something on BING this thread came up. I took the 9.3X64 and necked it to 6.5. Then the body taper was taken out and Weatherby radii used for looks. Someone told me it looks like a .257 Wea without the belt.

Now back to BING.

Thanks Ringman. I've since lost interest and moved in other directions.

John

.26 Nosler in this era

Its already been taken care of for you. Just call Lazzeroni Arms in Tucson, Arizona and ask about his long beltless .257 caliber magnum called the "Scramjet". You can buy rifles or ammo or cases and dies.

6.5x68 case is a good starting point for lots of wildcats and hell for strong RWS brass available.

I built myself a 25 STW and it doesn't get any better for a Big Case 25

The Sherman would fall a bit short, but would be closer than any of the other std cases and make for a really unique rig.