Any young wildcat lovers here? I was in my thirties when the bug bit me. What do you guys have?

My early twenties I was getting Varmint Hunter magazines. None other than our own Steve Timm's writings got me to have a Holland 280 ackley built and later a 243 ackley. Both are now owned by 24 members. I miss his stories/writeups.

Partly why I joined the Fire, found out that Steve posted here.

7mm Mashburn Super and a 35 Newton here. Like them both.

not very young but love my 270-300 win mag.

Not a youngster but having fun with a 6mm wsm

Had an 8mm Gibbs built for my Dad when I was 20...22 years ago. Still love shooting it and working up loads. Dad hasn't used it much since his vision got wonky(his eyes can't focus on a scope very good anymore).

Been thru several wildcats. Got rid of them all eventually mainly due to overlap of common cartridges performance wise.

Kept my 280 Ackley and plan to go thru full scale research with it in all bullet weights that interest me.

No longer "young", but got my first wildcat when I was about 21, a .411 KDF Magnum. I was a sucker for oddballs even then, and an article by Craig Boddington led me to believe I could not live without a .411. He shot a bull Nilgai with one with a Texas heart shot and it exited front of the chest. He said it was the most "sterling" performance he had ever seen from a soft point bullet, a 330 gr Barnes Original if memory serves.

My only other wildcats are a .375-06 JDJ, an 8mm-06 and a 9x57R, which is basically a wildcat now.

I'm not young any more either, but back in the day I had to have a 240 Gibbs. Built one on a HVA action, douglas barrel, and the very latest in stocks, a thumb hole laminated heavy barrel varmint stock. What a ride. I finally had Fred Sinclair set the barrel back and it became a 6mm. Those were the days.

I was 18 when I had my first 25-06 Ackley and 280 Ackley put together, and bought my first chronograph. So I was fairly young when I went through the hotrodding and wildcat phase, and subsequent realization of the futility of such ventures.

Some kids never grow up.

My dad never even owned a rifle, just did a little pheasant hunting. I became a gun looney on my own. I got my first wildcat when I was 27, a Remington 700 LSS I had rebarreled to 30-06 AI, a #5 fluted Shilen. 19 years later I still have that rifle. I also currently have two 6.5 SAUMs, a 6x45 and a .280 AI and have owned and taken game with a 6.5 WSM.

Late to the party and thought I would swear them off but doing a 6mm AI now and thinking about a series on the 280 AI case from 6.5 to .33. Just one body reamer and then different throat and neck reamers. My 7RM is in danger of becoming a Mashie too the barrel is on it's last legs so why not?

Sounds like me. I keep thinking this is my last one.

You and me both my man....

I shoot a 7-08 now.....Grin....

I wonder if I'm still young sometimes, but I just recently took a prewar FN Mauser action in to get some work done on it and have a .411 Ryan barrel installed.

Went crazy over the 17 Ack Hornet, 223 AI, 22/250 AI, 243AI, 6 AI, then with the 257 Weatheby Mag(100's at 3850), all with zero freebore, then 7 STW with zero freebore with a 11 twist for the 140's at 3700.

Was shooting 20K+ a year on p. dogs, chucks, ground squirrels, j. rabbits, and coyotes.

No down side when you love to see hair fly!

280AI and 30-338 for me but I'm not young either.

Had a couple over the years, but none currently. 6.5-06, 223AI and 375CT.

Was reading about the 7mmCreedmoor the other day.

The celebrated Mr. K built one for me, but didn't know it at the time.



The other 'cat has a cold.

I'm 21 and don't have a wildcat, but the 338x57 really intrigues me.
Would like on on a mauser action sized to the 7x57 cartridge.

I've got a 9x57(.358 pilot) reamer that may interest you,..

Just got my first... Not too young but always interested me as well. A 25-300wsm. Still waiting to get it loaded and shoot it.

I've been into wildcats since my college days. Of course I didn't have alot of money, not that I do now, but I was planning some project or another. My first wildcat was a Shaw barreled Model Seven in 250 Ackley.

I am not young, my first wildcats were the .22-250 and .25-06.. Both were built just before they became std cartridges... I currently have a .22-250 AI.. Not much trouble to make.. When the barrel goes, not sure what I will replace it with..

I'm 23 and just got my first one, a 7mm Mashburn. Thinking about a .338-06 AI or .340 Gibbs next.

Most of the wildcats I played with when I was young are now standardized:
375 JDJ
475 Linebaugh
7 SGLC (7-08)
6.5-06
338-06 AI
475 Wildey (not a standard round )
445 Super Mag

The ones I am playing with now are:
6.5 WSM
30 Newton
416 Taylor
soon to start with a 25 Gibbs

GuideGun PM me, I think I have some 338-06 AI brass still

I'm not that old, but started in my mid 20's when I started building rifles. I still shoot all of these but the 6.5-06. I usually get a kick out of something different.

-6mm-06 imp (several)
-6.5-280 Imp
-280 Imp
-Variant of a blown out beltless 308 Norma of my own doing
-22-6mm
-6.5-06

A couple years ago I bought 100 9.3x64 Brenneke brass and formed them to my 6.5SLR for my six lug Weatherby Mark V. It looks like a .257 Wea with no belt. It holds the same amount of water as a .264 Win Mag. I thoroughly enjoy shooting so I fired it and fired it and fired it and needed new brass. Alas I couldn't find any. A local machinist told me he could solve my problem by turning the belt off 7 Rem Mag brass so I had him do it with 200 cases. I still have to size the mouth and shoulder to hold the 6.5 bullets. They work like a champ. It's getting a new barrel at this time.

By the way the cost is the same as when I purchased the Brenneke brass in the first place.

338x57 is a pretty good one IF ones goal is to refresh an unusually fancy barrel chambered in 8x57. If you're rebarrelling anyway, how's 'bout making yer own 6x57 wildcat. Never saw one of those before...

Agree. But, I'm keeping the 280 AI until death do us part.

Hit me when I was a teenager but never had the money till I was in my late 20 s....my first was a 25-308 ....

And, what'd you think of it?

22-243Win, 223AI, 22K-Hornet, 375 Allen mag, 22 Creedmoor, 6 Creedmoor

OH Man do I......

Oops.

You boys are talkin' rifles.

My bad.

Slave

P.S. I Like Ackley's

[/quote]
338x57 is a pretty good one IF ones goal is to refresh an unusually fancy barrel chambered in 8x57. If you're rebarrelling anyway, how's 'bout making yer own 6x57 wildcat. Never saw one of those before...[/quote]

That would be the 6mm Remington.

Yep.

As a young man of about 65 I had my first wildcat, a 250/3000 AI then a little older I built a 30/284 on a Ruger #3 with #1 type stock/forend. The Rug3 is now a Pac Nor barreled 6.5X55. Still a young feller turning 78 in a month and I'd like another 250/3000AI. Birthday presents now being accepted! Would be nice on a Kimber M84.

Actually it would be a 6x57 Mauser circa 1895, it is getting harder and harder to come up with something new.

You just saved me a walk to the bookshelf to get my copy of CotW.

Great ..still have it....just a warmed up 257 Roberts...but true short action..learned a lot about hand lodging because of it...developed all the data....it's very accurate ....at its best with 100 gr bulłets...

Had a few. They make the world go round. 270 Titus is a favorite. Had a 17 Ackley Hornet about 20 years before they were standardized.

I was young once......it's been a while though. A custom rifle (I'm a sucker for these) in 7X57AI was followed by a 257AI which was followed by a 416 Taylor. I've taken deer with all three and the 7X57 and 416 have been across the pond and used to their fullest.

I have a Germany Mauser chambered In 8mm-06 For sell

Shot a .280 GNR, .375 JDJ, and 8mm-06 for awhile, now just a 6X45 and 6X47 is all I own. I started with the 8mm-06 when I was 25, played with the Encore in GNR and JDJ cartridges in my 30's along with the 6X47 (6mm-222 RM). Just built the 6X45 this year at 45 years old.

243ai, 250ai, 6.5-06ai, 280ai, sold the 6.5-06ai, now thinking about a 6.5-280ai. ( true rifle looney I guess) also had a 30-06ai for a short time. Not sure it’s worth all the trouble but I do enjoy playing with em from time to time.

Still think I'm young but the paperwork says otherwise.

6mm Super Bower
7mm Super Bower
375 JDJ
6.5 Hustler
280 AI
7mm TCU
6.5 TCU
30 Herrett
357 Herrett

I am young at heart and have a 338-378 KT, 35 Whelen IMP, 6mm-06, and 416 Taylor. They are powerful cartridges, but the 35 is the easiest to use.

it's because everybody's mothers son is playing with the same damned old cases over and over and over again, way past overdue time to dump the '06, 308 Win, x57, 284 Win and especially the belted cases and move on to bigger and better things, how about a new never made before case head diameter ? body diameter, case length, capacity etc. etc .... all you see is the same crap rinsed and repeated and renamed Crapmore that doesn't do squat better than what 100 year old cartridges have been doing, way past time to move on

I got hooked as a kid in my 20's 40 years ago. I never cared for calibers bigger than .22 though, never saw the need for all the sturm und drang. I went through a lot of the .22's imaginable- the Lovells, Donaldson Wasps (both variations), K's, and a Niedner or two. My favorites are the various Lovell wildcats based on the .25-20 Single Shot case. My current favorite is a .22 Maximum Lovell built on a highly modified Krag action, by Hervey Lovell himself for me around 80 years ago.



(And yes those are Pacific double set triggers. Push the front trigger forward to set the rear trigger. Will not fire un-set.)

when i was young i thumbed through cartridges of world and decided i had to have a 308 norma mag and 7mm stw.

hindsite it was a very expensive book for me

17 Badger
20Vt
20SCC
20Prac.
20 Nitro
6.5x300wsm
280AI

Its quite interesting what can be accomplished with the 338-06 or 35 Whelen in a controlled round rifle like
early pre-64 Winchester Model 70s. Mine have the original barrels, which means someone knew exactly what they wanted -and were willing to
arrange the barrel work.

That being said, most of my deer and moose have been killed with the 348 cartridge in the pre-war Winchester Model 71. The 348 Ackley with Woodleigh, Hawk or Alaska Bullet Works bonded 250 gr bullets constitute an amazing combination.
In bear country hunting moose or deer, the moose hunt may quickly accelerate into a big bear hunt. That possibility can bring up an older comparison like weaponry in
Dodge City or Tombstone: having both bolt actions and lever actions, I can tell you the answer. No bolt action can keep up with a fast handling Winchester 1886 or
Model 71 in aimed fire. It cannot be done because of physics and rifle design. The lever action is a standard shift" that helps itself cycle and there is no tendency to drop
the arm from the shoulder.

That is why the serious guides for bear in Alaska and Canada still carry heavy lever actions like the .450 Alaskan wildcat.

I know quite a few Alaskan bear guides but none of them must be “serious bear guides” as none of them use lever actions. Who are these serious bear guides that prefer lever actions?

I did a bing search for bear guides and their rifles. I found only one serious guide. Most use bolt action rifles mostly in .338 Mag or .375 Mag. Some use .416 or .458 Mags.

I was still young when I got my first "wildcat," like Woodson the Varmint Hunter magazine poisoned my mind. Steve Timm contributed some of the toxins.
Started with the 22BR as I had a 98 Mauser action, right, and wasn't that impressed with the 22-250.
The BR is on it's third try and second barrel. I enjoy it.
On the list now, I have three rifles in "retirement" that are burnt out and needing a set-back:
1. 2506 to 257 Roberts AI
2. 243 to 6-250 40 degree
3. 221 Fireball (still goes, but someday toL Short-reamed with a 223 AI reamer to make a 221 FURball.

Just something about having things a hair different from the other guy without getting too radical.

Phil Shoemaker for one- a bear guide from Wasila-who guides the Brooks Range and the Interior. He and his other
guides use old and newer 1895 Winchesters, 1895 Marlins and Model 71s.
He is not a young guide anymore, however and values his client's hides.

That being said, he also has a custom Mauser in 505 Gibbs or he re-chambered it to 500 Jeffrey. The recoil is substantial
but a solid hit requires no backup shot.

What distinguishes a "serious" guide from a guide? I know/known a good number of AK guides and I've never seen a lever-action among them. Besides, the lever rifles you mention are not CRF, doesn't that make them likely to malfunction when hunting dangerous game?

I always thought Phil mainly guided for brown bears in the Alaskan Pensinula rather than he smaller grizzlies from the Brooks and Interior. Maybe he moved his guiding operation as of late to focus on Brooks Range and interior grizzlies these days and coastal brown bears got boring?

Anyways Phil being a gun nut has used a good many rifles and cartridges over the years but I guess he uses his 30-06 or his 458 win or his guides using 375 rugers and such only use those when they aren’t being “serious”. When serious time comes they bust out the lever guns??

You dang right they do. And each of them hand forged and machined by Jim West. Serious.

I might have believed you if you hadn’t added the JW part.

I had a .333 OKH Belted. Built by Charlie O’Neil

I'm not a kid anymore but I've always pondered the virtues of something different.

Current less common,
416 Taylor
224 Durham Jet
30BR
6mmBR 1-8 and 1-10
338-06

used to have 375JDJ
30-338
7x30 Waters

Oh if the 338-06 counts then I am in the money. Had one of those done up in a Kimber Montana 3 years ago now. A joy to carry.