Another thing I have learned is
that for most of our wildcat chamberings we would be far better off to go to the added expense of ordering a chamber- ing reamer that only cuts the chamber, along with a second reamer that cuts the throat and leade. This approach has two significant advantages. First, this is apt to result in a more concentric chamber because the small and relatively flexible pilot on the main reamer is significantly shorter and therefore it is far more rigid. Second, this allows us to cut the throat to the desired (ideal) length for our pre- ferred bullet.
Just create a dummy, push that into the chamber and measure the dif- ference between the location of the head of that case and the head of an empty chambered case. Then cut the throat to that depth and the dummy will have zero bullet-to-rifling jump. Could not be easier. Pacific offers an indexed throat-
ing reamer. This tool allows precise adjustments in ¹⁄₁₀₀₀-inch increments. It will stop cutting automatically at the set depth! Throating to a precise depth could not be easier.
This approach also allows us to create a throat of any feasible depth. If we are unsure of what bullet we want to use, this can be helpful because we can then start with the shortest bullet and progress to heavier bullets, if need be while incrementally cutting the throat deeper.
I also have learned, the hard way, that it is far better to order a selection of pilot bushings. Force a lead slug into the chamber end of the barrel (I prefer to use the next bigger available pure lead round ball as are offered for use in black powder guns). Then take your best
measurement of the minimum diameter of that slug. Or, preferably send that slug (well protected in bubble wrap) to the reamer maker and have it measured by the experts who have precise equipment. In either case, it is far better to have, in hand, bushings that are both a bit smaller and a bit larger than the minimum measured diameter (barrel land) size on the slug. When working with premium barrels, I prefer to use a bushing that is within about ²/¹⁰,⁰⁰⁰-inch of fitting the bore. For factory and factory class barrels a bit more clearance might be necessary, depending upon the qual- ity of the bore finish.
If such a bushing is not in hand
when you begin the chambering process, either you will be tempted to use a bush- ing that fits the bore “… almost good enough,” or you will use such a bush- ing, or you will have to wait to get the properly fitting bushing. It is far better to have a selection in hand when you set out to chamber the barrel so that you will
have the one that fits the bore correctly. Compared to other costs involved,
bushings are not expensive enough to worry about. I once had to order larger bushings twice (still cannot figure out how I messed up the bore measurement so badly the first two times!), and ended up spending more on postage than it would have cost me to have ordered five of the things in the first place! THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
WHEN DESIGNING A WILDCAT It might seem unnecessary to state
this but recent experience by many folks suggests otherwise: Before designing a wildcat, consider the future availability of the basic case that is necessary to cre- ate that wildcat. I had a customer who had to wait many months to shoot his rifle because when he went looking for cases those were sold out and the only source (at that time) produced that par- ticular case only once annually. That was another wildcat based upon the 348 Winchester. Winchester
Left, custom wildcat loading dies for the 2.4-inch version of the 510 Kodiak Express (improved version of the 50/110 WCF, to prevent use of this ammunition in blackpowder guns). This set includes: Left-to- right, full-length sizing die, neck expanding die, bullet seating die, and, at bottom, Custom Lee Factory Crimp Die.
Right, custom wildcat loading dies for the 17/23 SMc, a simple fireforming improvement of the 17 Fireball. This set includes, left-to-right: custom full-length sizing die, custom RCBS Gold Medal seating die, custom Lee neck-sizing collet die. (I had Lee Precision make up 20 sets of these full-length and collet dies to my specifications. Yes, I am hoping that others will take advantage of this ideal improvement of the 17 Fireball.) The ability to have made custom dies that precisely match the chambering is one significant wildcatting advantage. Case neck working is minimized while chamber fit of resized cases is as precise as one prefers.
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