New to this forum. I reload a lot of different calibers, but have gotten into my first true wildcat, sort of by accident.
I live in Oklahoma City and do a good bit of informal rifle shooting and reloading. I think I reload 12 different calibers. My equipment is Lyman T-Mags. I haven't felt the need for a progressive rig yet since I will typically shoot ten to twenty rounds in each gun I take to the range.
I hunt deer, hogs, coyotes, armadillos, etc. in southern Oklahoma. My username, criticalbass, describes my condition when I haven't been bass fishing in a month or more. I have several friends who have large bass ponds with jonboats on them. I bring trolling motor, paddle, gear, etc, and usually do quite well. Last year my two best were seven pounds, and I caught probably ten fish over five pounds, and quite a few over three.
That's about it for an intro. Read on only if you are interested in my first entry into the wildcat realm.
I have a converted Turk Mauser which was a 22-250. I bought it form an individual whose grandfather had believed himself to be a gunsmith.
The chamber was too shallow to accept rounds, and it's a good thing, because if you engaged the aftermarket safety, pulled the trigger, and disengaged the safety--CLICK! So I had a real gunsmith fix these issues and float the fluted barrel which had been jammed against the forend, mounted a scope, and sighted it in. Shot dime size groups at 100 with commercial 45 gr 22-250.
Now to reload some of the brass. Resizing was like extreme case forming. Cases wrinkled at the neck and grew .040! I tried some brass from my other 22-250, and the resizing was normal. Chamber was 'way big. My smith suggested taking it out to 22-243, and that's where it is now. Dies are, according to FedEx, arriving tomrrow.
I have done a lot of internet searching for loads for this rifle. I see lots of Middlestead and 22-243 AI info, and some data for the regular 22-243 Win chambering which I have, but almost all of it is for barrels with a faster twist than the 1/14 which my conversion has.
This is my first true wildcat, though my 338-06 almost qualifies, but I know to work up loads slowly and carefully. I have PM'd one member here because he used to have a 22-243 with a 1/14 twist. I will search for more info, but if anyone has pet loads that will drive something 50 grains or lighter at very high velocities, I am interested. I know barrel life will be short, but it's a price I'm willing to pay.