Wildcat Cartridges

There has been a lot of noise and confusion around the 6.5 Grendel® and the similar cartridges that have sprung up around it. Two have surfaced that bear a closer look. The 6.5 BPC has become “the” bolt action chambering that can safely fire Grendel ammo. The differences in the chamber dimensions are minor; the 6.5 BPC was developed by Jim Borden and Dr. Louis Palmisano, the latter of PPC fame. The newest entry into this race is the 264 LBC-AR™ from Les Bear Custom, as the name implies this

Headstamped brass by Hornady

chambering is optimized for the AR platform. The biggest difference between these variations is that fact that the latter two are open use, in other words, anyone can chamber for them, like any factory cartridge.

Some sources call the BPC and the LBC cartridges “improved”. When you compare the drawings this is improved label is pretty hard to understand. There is little difference aside from the tolerances for case expansion, and the throat design. They do have a 30 degree shoulder verses a 28 degree shoulder on the Grendel, however, this will not provide any noticeable change in ballistics as the volume of the case is virtually unchanged. In fact, 2 degrees is barely outside the tolerance limits that most tool makers offer.

Ammo for the 264 LBC-AR

Black Hills Ammunition has new loads being built exclusively for Les Baer Custom at his request and with his assistance in load development. The .264 LBC-AR is loaded with a 123-grain Hornady A-Max bullet is available exclusively from Les Baer Custom. It’s designed for use in Les Baer Custom rifles as well as rifles of other manufacturers, and will also perform in rifles chambered for the 6.5 Grendel cartridge. The brass is produced by Hornady and head stamped .264 LBC-AR. Naturally this brass could be sized in a 6.5 BPC die and used for rifles so chambered.

Hornady fans have some new bullets to look at this year.  The ballistics boys at Hornady are in the process of building their line of expanding monolithic solid bullets, known as the GMX® Bullets.  This year they introduced the 6mm GMX®, weighing in at 80 grains. 

 

Constructed of Gilding Metal these bullets have been tested at a wide range of velocities for expansion.  Velocities from 2000 to 3400 feet per second have been tested the bullets expand up to 1.5 times their original diameter and still retain 95% of their original weight.

 

So why is this news?  Well, if your one of those folks who just has to use your 6mm for deer or antelope, this kind of bullet will penetrate deep and still shed energy in the target.

 

There are a few more of these bullets in the R&D phase right now.  The .257, .264 (6.5mm), and a .308 bullet for the 30-30 are expected to be the next in line to hit the market.  These are lead free bullets, so they will be good news for the left coast.

Patrick Ryan at Redding told me that one to items that Redding is making a standard stock item for 2010 is dies for the “260 Imp. 40”.  That translates as the 260 Ackley Improved to you and me.

 

We talked about popular wildcats they had made dies for recently.  The 6mm SPC was one that had seen some strong interest.  I am a firm believer that the pendulum has begun to swing away from huge cartridges with super case capacity.  Economics may enter into the change but more likely it is shooters learning that they don’t like recoil, and smaller cases are the easiest route away from recoil.

 

Ballistics from the 6mm SPC will fall right between the 6mm BR and the 6mm PPC so it is in a good family.  Accuracy should be awesome in a well built gun.  It’s not as short and fat as it’s cousins but that should not hinder result too much.  Like many things in life, its more about having faith than anything else.

Recent additions to the NoslerCustom line of brass are the 25-06 and the 7mm-08.   For those of you who may not know the differences that Nosler brass offers, here is a quick run-down.

Nosler carefully checks thier brass, case mouths are chamfered adn deburred, flash holes are deburred and check for alignment.  The brass is all sorted by weight so that you get uniform brass in each box.  Considering the difference in price, its a pretty good deal and saves you lots of time at the loading bench performing tedius tasks.

Following is information, including loading data, for the 224-32 FA cartridge. This information and loading data is only applicable to firearms manufactured by Freedom Arms, Inc. for the 224-32 FA. 

 

 

Please proceed with caution. Make the shooting sports safe and enjoyable for all of those that choose to participate in this fascinating and exciting sport. As always, make sure the proper safety gear is being used when loading ammunition or shooting firearms. Check our web site (www.freedomarms.com) periodically for updates to the following data.

The 224-32 FA is a proprietary cartridge of Freedom Arms, Inc. which utilizes the 327 Federal case. The goal in designing this cartridge was to get a high performance .22 centerfire cartridge that would work in a revolver. This cartridge was designed with small critters in mind but still being able to handle up to coyotes at fairly long ranges. As of this writing the 224-32 FA is only available for hand forming and loading, in ‘Other words, there is no factory ammunition available. Following are a few tips and cautions for the experienced reloader on loading the 224-32 FA.

The 224-32 FA case is very simple to make. Basically just lube the 327 Federal case and run it into the properly adjusted sizing/forming die, then trim the case to 1.115 to l.120 overall length. The sizing/forming die should be adjusted to set the headspace at .005 to .010. This cartridge headspaces off the shoulder, not the rim. This is easily checked by inserting a formed and trimmed case into a chamber, rotate the cylinder around so the case head shows at the top of the loading gate cutout in the receiver, then use a .005 shim as a go gage and a .010 shim as a no go gage between the case head and firewall, If forming primed cases, care must be taken to not get lube inside the case. Annealing is not required or even suggested as annealing will cause premature case sticking when fired.

After fireforming the case it can still take 2 to 4 additional firings (depending on load used) before the case is fully formed. Therefore be careful using the top loads before the cases are fully formed as case capacity will be slightly less which will cause higher pressure. Due to this it is important to keep the cases in batches according to how many times the cases have been fired.

Case life has shown to be good. You may loose an occasional case when forming but the majority of cases will last through at least ten firings. Usually, when using the upper end loads the primer pockets will stretch enough by the time ten to fifteen shots have been fired that the cases should be discarded. Before loading the cases check for neck cracks. Also, if you don‘t feel sufficient resistance when seating a new primer the case should be discarded. If you experience case separation close to the head it is due to too much headspace, because your die is set so that it bumps the shoulder too far back.  Simply back the die off enough to correct headspace.

Bullets

At this time only load data for the 40 gr. bullets have been provided as this weight seems to give the best performance. Both the Sierra Blitz King and Homady V-Max have performed well in this cartridge.

Powder

So far the two best powders for the 224-32 FA have been IMR4227 and AA1680. The IMR4227 isn’t as temperature sensitive. The AA1680 has a slower burn rate which will give more trouble free results as well as better accuracy. This cartridge has a small case capacity so be precise on weighing out the powder. A few tenths of a grain variance in a case that only holds 10 to 12 grains is a lot of variance.

Primer

The 224-32 FA is setup to use a small pistol primer. This primer has shown to provide reliable and consistent ignition of the powder. Both WSP and CCI 500 primers were tested and gave similar results. As always, care must be taken to seat the primer below the case head to prevent recoil from firing a cartridge that is not aligned with the barrel.

The 327 Federal cases come primed with the Federal 205 primer which is a small rifle primer. These primers can be used for firing forming as long as the reduced powder charge shown below is used. Small rifle primers should not be used for your regular loads as they provide too much ignition, which will cause premature rotational binding of the cylinder.

Loading Dies

Loading dies designed specifically for the 224-32FA are available from Freedom Arms. Setting the sizing/form die as described above is important. Form and trim the cases one at a time until you have the proper headspace. This should be checked each time you resize the cases for loading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All velocities are based on a Model 97 with 10 inch barrel.  Expect a reduction of approximately 100 fps between the standard barrel lengths.  Barrel forcing cone life is expected to be 3,000 to 5,000 rounds depending on loads used.  Keep cartridges and chambers clean and dry when firing, otherwise case set back and cylinder rotational binding will occur.

 

Fireform Loads
40 gr. Blitz King or V-Max	Starting Load	Fps	Max. Load	Fps
IMR4227	9.5	1830	10	1940
AA 1680	12	1900	12.5	2020
Standard Loads
40 gr. Blitz King or V-Max	Starting Load	Fps	Max. Load	Fps
IMR4227	10	1900	12	2270
AA 1680	12.5	1965	14.5	2295

Starting standard loads assume the case has only been fireformed.

Max Standard loads assume the case has been fired a few times.

Load and shoot small batches of these cartridges until you are sure you have the process and loads down correctly. Pulling these small bullets can be a pain in the butt if the load is improper.

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Ammunition Accountability Legislation… Sounds like a good idea right?   Like most anti-gun laws the name is misleading.  The plan is to make guns illegal through the back door.  In the summer of 2008 when the Heller v. Washington D.C. decision was handed down by the Supreme Court the liberals knew they had to take a new route because they have lost on the issue of the Second Amendment, and private ownership.

Remember how Obama said that he wasn’t going to take your guns?  Well, it seems that his allies in the anti-gun world have no problem with taking your ammo! The bill that is being pushed in 18 states (including Illinois and Indiana) requires all ammunition to be encoded by the manufacture a data base of all ammunition sales. So they will know how much you buy and what calibers. If  it passes nobody can sell any ammunition afterwards unless the ammunition is coded.

Any privately held unencoded ammunition must be destroyed as a part of this proposed law. (Including hand loaded ammo.) They will also charge a .05 cent tax on every round so every box of ammo you buy will go up at least $2.50 or more!  That is just to start, how long do you think it will take for that tax to rise to the point that plinking and soon hunting are simply too expensive for the average person to participate in.  If they can deprive you of ammo they do not need to take your gun!

Reloading and therfore wildcatting would be a thing of the past.  You will not be able to buy bullets, cases, primers, powder.  All components will be gone because they would violate this law.  If you love reloading, if you love shooting, if you like wildcats, this is a death nail to your sport!

This legislation was active in 18 state legislatures in 2008 and will be reintroduced in 2009, call you state legislators and tell them to fight this bill when it pops up, don’t even let it out of committee!  The Following states considered this bill in 2008; Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington.

To find more about the anti-gun group that is sponsoring this legislation and the specific legislation for each state, go to: http://ammunitionaccountability.org/Legislation.htm

Explanation of the technology: http://ammunitionaccountability.org/Technology.htm

Quality Cartridge offers a wide variety of custom formed and headstamped brass.  For the first time there is a supplier who can make headstamped brass for your wildcat without having to order 10,000 rounds or more.  This interview gives you a pretty good idea of the brass and services available to you from Quality Cartridge.

http://www.qual-cart.com/

If your interest is in long range shooting the 338 Xtreme would probably interest you.  I spotted this cartridge at the Shot Show in the American Tactical Imports (ATI) booth.  With an eye toward the market for long range accurate rifles, the guys at Xtreme decided to build a new cartridge with the idea of maximum velocity, and therefore flat trajectory.  A 266 grain bullet design with a Secant Ogive and boattail design was selected to maximize the terminal ballistics of this cartridge.

Compared to the 338 Lapua, the 338 XT produces velocity of almost 400 more fps.   That translates into nearly an additional ton of energy over the Lapua as well as more than 100 inches LESSdrop at 1000 yards.   Combining this cartridge with Lapua’s new 300 grain Scenar bullet would make an impressive combination.

Xtreme Machine is also building rifles for this cartridge.  Barrels are available in 26 or 30″ length.  Single shot and repeaters available, the repeater uses a 7 round detachable box magazine.  Trigger is adjustable, comes set at 2-2.5 lbs.  Overall length of the rifle is 49″ and the weight is approximately 20 Lbs.  A 40 MOA Picatinny rail is included with the rifle.  International Cartridge Company is loading ammo for the 338 XT wit the 266 grain bullet described here.  An interesting package.

Shot Show Friday the 16th, Hornady is offering ammo for two new cartridges this year that make a couple of wildcats obsolete.  First is the 338 Marlin Express, which is essentially the 308 Marlin Express necked up to 338.  The loading offered now is a 200 grain bullet at 2565 fps, that compares to the 338 Federal sort of poorly as the Federal pushes a 200 grain bullet at 2700 fps.  However, the 338 Marlin Express works in a standard 336 Marlin.

The other new Hornady cartridge that is killing  a fairly popular wildcat is the 416 Ruger, based on the 375 Ruger case.  Two loadings are listed for this cartidge with 400 grain bullets.  One loading is an expaning bullet the other is a solid.  So much for the 416/375 Ruger.  I guess the boys are Ruger really do pay attentions to the discussion boards, this has been a pretty popular wildcat the last couple of years.  In addition to the 416 Ruger, Hornady is also offering 375 Ruger Basic brass, this should be a popular choice since it can be used to form any wildcat on the Ruger case.

Hornady is also offering some classic cartridges, the 470 Nitro Express, 500 Nitro Express, and the 404 Jeffery.  That is not the limit of the Hornady offerings, they have been pretty prolific this year.

The next new Item I saw in the Lapua booth at the Shot Show was a 300 grain Hollow Point Boat Tail Scenar bullet.  Intended for the 338 Lapua, reloading data is supplied on the technical specifications sheet for this new bullet.  Max velocity listed for the 338 Lapua with a 27.5″ barrel is 2746 fps.  They are available either loaded in Lapua ammunition, or in boxes of 100 as components.  According to the charts supplied, this huge 300 grain bullet when launched at 2700 fps still retains 1000 Ft. Lbs. of energy at a little over 1500 yards.

While we are talking about long range Lapua has also introduced new Drag Coefficient Data for QuickTARGET Unlimited TM.  Utilizing Doppler radar Lapua has collected data for all their bullets at various velocity levels.  Such data allows you to calculate trajectory more accurately that with simplified B.C. numbers.  The data is also available at the Lapua web site, WWW.Lapua.com