Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats I Got a Booboo

I have been shooting a 280 Ackley improved for about 16 years now.Ive played with others but the AI is the game getter and I never found much of anything I like better.So about 2 years ago I started looking into what would beat my 280.There are lots of cartridges that will beat the performance of a 280 AI but its like there is always this trade off between performance power and recoil.And yet you still have to be able to carry the thing around.The big 30s
<br>are great at long range but a big 30 unbraked in a 8/10 lb rifle will kick the crap out of you.I will use a break when I need to but I dont care for the noise.So I ruled a break out.I looked real hard at the 240 and the 257 Weatherbys.
<br>The only problem is that I had one about 18 years ago,a 7mm
<br>in a mark 5 action.I could never get it to shoot very well.In fact i did get it to shoot MOA but you had to run at 7-08 velocity to do it.I pounded on it for a year and gave up and sold it.This experance turned me off to magnums and Weatherbys and freebore for a very long time.
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So then I started looking at a 25 STW.Very interesting.The thing I dont like about the STW is the brass.I have fought with 280 Rem brass for years.Theres alot better brass out there than Rem.I know.So finally I dug up an old Precision Shooting article by a guy named Richard Kayser who developed a 25 cal wildcat called a 257 Banshee.This case is based on the RWS 8x68s round.It has a 35 degree shoulder and min body taper,It also had a tight neck.I read up what I could on it.
<br>Very impressive performance.
<br>Pak Nor has a reamer but reloading dies are hard to find.
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One day monkeying around on the net I ran across a web sight by David Tooley.He has a whole line up of wildcats called his Booboo series.A 270 7mm and a 30 caliber Booboo that set a 1000 yard record last summer.All based on the RWS 8x68s case.COOL.I called him and asked him about a 25 caliber and he told me that it had already been done.Its called a Banshee.Turns out Tooley had built one of Kaysers rifles.We
<br>talked.We talked alot.So it ends up with Tooley sending his Banshee reamer out and getting it made into the Booboo.Its really the same thing only it has a 30 degree shoulder.

So I ended up building a Booboo in 25 caliber.The rifle is a Rem 700,Hart barrel,Hy-tech stock topped off with a 3-12x50 Schmidt&Bender PMII.So far 71g of reloader 22 will give MOA with 100g partitions at 300 yards and about .5 MOA with ballistic tips 300 yards.Without wind flags.I just got back from a Ray Atkinson booked pig hunt in Texas last weekend.The pig I shot never took another step.I nailed it on the shoulder and what was left of the partition exited about 3 inches down and back from its left eye.The shoulder had to be thrown away the rest of the pig was humm humm good.
<br>dave7mm
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which do you like better? the pig or the booboo?

Where do you get your brass ? What does it cost ? What demensions are the cases ? E

Pick,I like both.
<br>Eremicus,I got my 8x68 cases from Tooley with the gun so I didnt know what they cost,I just looked them up at The Old Western Scroungers sight. Box cost 37.00 . not cheep.This case would work in any standard mag action it has about .010 body taper and a 30 degree shoulder with no belt.
<br>dave

The idea behind this Booboo was as a long range deer rifle.Under 9.5 pounds.That would shoot much flatter than my 280 AI.With 100g bullets.It does.
<br>I have read with great interest Bigsticks adventures with 257 Weatherby.I have no reason not to believe what he says.I personally have never seen a Weatherby of any caliber shoot 5 shots into a 1 MOA group except for one.And Ive seen alot of them. I knew this old fart that had a 300 in a old German made one.It was very accurate.To be fair to the Weatherby cartridges these were all in factory guns.So Bigstick is on to something here.Hes found a cheeper quicker way to do what
<br>I did.Or what im trying to do.I think what we would agree on is this.Push a 25 caliber 100g bullet over 3600fps that wont explode.And just about any animal you care to shoot is not going to be breathing very much longer.
<br>dave

Dave7mm,
<br>I posted on the Big game board a question to Big Stick about the 257 Weatherby, because I'm in the process of building what you were looking for. Now that you have your Banshee are you happy, did it really meet your needs or could we just get by with something just a little less (25-06, 300 win mag with a 150 etc.)

RK Deadeye, Well we could all get by with less.Heck I already have less in my 280 AI.The Booboo at this time is a brand new gun.And a work in progress.Ive only had it at the range 3 times for load development.Before my pig hunt.And I'd have to say that im happy with what im seeing so far.The second trip to the range I shot a 1.55 inch 5 shot group at 300 yards,with ballistic tips, I think thats pretty good for only my second trip out.I have alot more load development to do.Its not like you can look this one up in a book.As of right now its the only one.Thats what makes wildcatting fun.Use quality products a good gunsmith and hope you dont end up with a real booboo. :-)
<br> What I can tell you so far is this.A 100g Nosler partition
<br>will shoot a 3 inch 5 shot group at 300 yards.And im hoping I can work that down even more .When zeroed at 300 yards its only hitting like a 1.25 high at 100yards,Hows that for flat shooting?The pig I shot looked like it got struck by lightening.Just stone dead,hay that works for me.
<br> I did everything I could think of to make sure that this gun would shoot before I went ahead.Its set up like a benchrest rifle.It has a tight neck and you have to turn case necks.If you have ever worked 220 Russian cases into 6mmPPCs or turned 308BR brass into a CHeetah.Then you know the grunt work thats involved here.I had a long time to dream this up and id say so far its working as planned.
<br> The 8x68s RWS case is some of the finest quality brass that I have ever worked with.Pin mikes dont lie.It should be for what it cost.This case is part of the reason I wanted it.
<br> Case life? Get this.I have what they call a minimum full length resizing die.This is the same process that benchrest shooters use on the 6PPC.You size the case just enough each time.Tooley tells me that as long as you dont blow the primer pockets that he has other Booboo shooters with the 270s and 7mms getting 50 reloads per case.Now thats case life!
<br>Its not for everyone.But I already have just about everything else.(not as many as bigstick but im working on it)
<br>dave
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Dave7mm,
<br>It appears from your post that your happy thus far with your project, I figure I'm at that second guessing point, you know (I Do - I don't). I asked the following question to Big Stick why not a 257 STW should get all the velocity we want, his thoughts were that there would not be enough gain or so little in a 26 inch barrel that all you end up with is a long 257 weatherby. I will not start the project for a bit so I'm just trying to gather all the information I can. I am going to use a 26 inch barrel maybe 27 but nothing longer then that.
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<br>So what are your feelings on the 257 STW in a 26 or 27 inch barrel. Do you think that with current powers and a 25 caliber, 26 inch barrel the Banshee or 257 Weatherby are at the top of game.
<br>Rick

Morning Dave >> Glad to hear you finally got your gun made. I might have missed it but what length barrel did you end up going with. I know Kayser called for a 30" barrel to squeeze 4000 fps out of his Banshee. Did you match that or make it shorter?
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<br>Anyway, congrats. Sounds like a fun one to work with. Chat with ya later. >> klallen

RK Deadeye
<br> No Weatherbys for me.For me a Weatherby with that freebore is like buying a gun with a pre shot out barrel.I know there are guys that claim that they shoot.But like I said up top.
<br>I've never seen it.
<br>Kallen glad to see you around
<br>more later
<br>dave
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Klallen,I chopped the barrel off at 26 inches.Its a number 5 fluted.I just didnt want to carry anything longer that that around.One of the very first bullets I tryed was the 90g
<br>Lost River.I seem to remember you usuing these?Any luck.A
<br>90g bullet with a BC of 460 sounds oh so interesting.But they shot like crap.I mean crap.Tooley told me that there ok if "you can get them to shoot." Well something tells me hes been down this road before.Tooley reccommended the 100g Swift A frame.Said he felt they were more accurate than a Partition.I Will find out.Just havent got to it yet.
<br>Im going to give the Lost River bullets another try.
<br>sure didnt look very good the first time out.
<br>dave

Morning Dave >> No, I've never used those Lost River bullets in anything. I've looked at them aweful hard. With the new project I'm tinkering with, the 162 gr. .284 J40's (BC .778) look REAL good and will be experimented with. I've heard they're an EXTREMELY finicky bullet. Sounds like you might be experienceing this with your .257 BooBoo.
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<br>26" barrel, huh? What twist you get in your Hart? Twist also seems to have a LOT to do with those long Lost River bullets functioning well or not.
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<br>Since we last chatted, I've changed gears big time for my 1000 + yd. varminter. The .257 Banshee still interests me greatly, but I'm working on something a bit larger in the .284 class. Along with the above Lost River J40's, I want to use 168 and 180 gr. VLD's for 1000 yd. paper and jugs and 162 gr. Hornady A-Max's for the varmints. Will also give the 168 gr. MatchKings a go.
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<br>She'll be built on a Sendero platform. Already got that in the cabinet. Lilja has been contacted. Plans for the 30", 4-groove, SS, fluted, 1:9 twist, #7 contour .284 barrel blank is set and ready to go. Just waiting for the OK from the boss (ie - wife). I'm trying to do as much tailoring of the barrel to those Lost Rivers that I can to make them work. Still no guarantee, I suppose.
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<br>Cartridge is still being wrestled with. Got it narrowed down to three:
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<br>7mm STW (doubtful)
<br>7mm RUM (???)
<br>7.21 Firebird (probable)
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<br>With the length of barrel I'm looking at, I'm leaning towards the powder capacity of the Lazzeroni cartridge, but we'll see.
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<br>Sorry I'm of no help with a Lost River report. Give me a little time and I may have some infor for ya ;o) . Chat with you later. >> klallen

klallen,
<br>If your going to start shooting 1000 yards then you should look over this sight.
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<br>http://www.longrangehunting.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi
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<br>Lots of very interesting stuff there.There is a guy on the sight by the name of Darryl Cassel who is like a founding member of the Original Pennsylvania 1000 yard Benchrest Club
<br>This guy is someone you should be talking to if you plan on getting into the long range game.His favorite caliber is a 338/416 Rigby Improved and hes thinking about a 408 Chy-Tac
<br> YEA! Hes got more trigger time at this than anyone I know of.
<br>The Booboo should handle the Lost River bullets with no problem as I set it up with a 1-12 twist.Had no interest in shooting heavy bullets so I went with the slower twist.Tooley also suggested the 110g Fowler BR bullet.So many bullets so little time.I hope the Lost River bullets are not that finicky.Then it just turns into a big pain in the azz.I will try them again and let you know where I end up
<br>dave
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