Wildcat Cartridges

Clymer Reamers announced at the 2010 Shot Show in Las Vegas that they would soon be shipping piloted chamber reamers that match up to the “West Coast” pattern.  They are also moving to the screw attachment for these reamers as apposed to the old spring clip style retainers.

Todd Wilms, Owner of Clymer is clearly proud of his products and rightfully so.  When he purchased the company almost five years he set about the work of moving the company to a new facility, rebuilding and replacing machines and in short looking at the entire operation with an eye toward improving the products they make.

I was tempted to name this the 358 Bureaucrat but some mid-level functionary might mistake the name for a threat and make life difficult for anyone who owns one.  So since it is designed for Indiana’s special rules I decided on the 358 Indy instead.

The Natural Resources Commission of Indiana revamped thier rules to allow rifles used with specific caliber limitations. 

1. Bullet must be .357 or larger in diameter

2. Minimum case length of 1.16"

3. Maximum case length of 1.625"

Of course this allows for a number of good pistol cartridges to be used in rifles for the Indiana Deer season.  Several clients approached me with the idea of using the WSSM case as a basis for a wildcat that would meet the above criteria.  The result is the 358 Indy, 375 Indy, and 416 Indy.

Case capacity for the 358 is identical to 358 Winchester, the only difference is the used of a much shorter cartridge to adhere to the new Indiana rules.  The ballistics with the same bullet weight are virtually identical for the 358 Indy and the 358 Winchester cartridges.  Any rifle that can be chambered for the WSSM cartridges will work well with the 358 Indy.

This is a great example of a wildcat designed to meet a specific set of criteria.