There are many incredibly valuable things we learn when we work with wildcat cartridges. Loading with no data, or questionable data, is part of it. Also, learning the minut1ae of determining the very beginning of pressure signs and a zillion other aspects of load development.
BUT THE MOST valuable thing we learn from wildcats is to approach EVERY loading project, even if it is for the common .30-'06, as if it was a wildcat.
When you've gotten to that point, when you use the loading data as a rough guide instead of Gospel ... you have become not only an accomplished handloader, but a safe one.
Blessings,
Steve
This is one of the wisest postings I have read in many years.
I screwed an old 308 barrel onto a surplus Venezuelan 7x57 Mauser action and had it reamed out to a 30-06 AI, back before the days of internet forums or electronic load data.
The only load data I could find was a forty year old Speer manual. I learned more about this hobby of reloading from that project than I have from everything else I have done all put together.
Today half of my meager collection consists of wildcats, and the other half are rare enough chamberings that load data was nearly nonexistent when I purchased the rifle.
