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.

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.

Headspace for Ackley Improved cases should be a no-brainer. Ackley set up probably the simplest headspace system for a line of wildcats that any gunsmith ever devised.

Rimless or Rebated Improved Chambers…

Ackley Improved cartridges in this category seem to receive the most abuse at the hands of hobbyists and local gunsmiths who do not understand the proper headspace of Ackley Improved designs. P.O. Ackley did establish specific headspace dimensions for all his Improved case designs. The process is extremely simple and for this reason alone folks seem to think they need to make it more complex. Keep it simple.

The most important innovation that Ackley brought to the “improved” concept was with regard to bottleneck rimless cases. He chose the simplest of mechanical solutions to insuring that his improved cases would safely fire factory loads. He shortened the chamber by .004” (4/1000 of an inch). Because the factory case is then a crush fit between the bolt face and the junction of the neck and shoulder, proper headspace is insured. This is why Ackley prescribes setting the barrel back on such cases. You will note that if you follow these simple guidelines there is no confusion about the headspace measurements for “Ackley Improved” designs in rimless or rebated cases.

Some confusion seems to arise out of this headspace issue. Folks get confuse between the set up for a rimless bottleneck case and a rimmed or belted case when discussing ‘Improved” chamberings. Rimless and rebated cases are the case designs which always require a barrel set back to be properly headspaced. As memtioned in the paragraph above headspace on an Ackley Improved rimless or rebated designs is .004” shorter than standard. The shorter headspace means you have no choice but to set the barrel back if you want correct headspace.

There are special Ackley, go-gauges, they have the same shoulder angle as the parent case but they are shorter. This ingenious method effectively controls headspace with factory cartridges in the new larger, ‘Improved’ chamber. The factory cartridge or parent go-gauge becomes the no-go for the new chamber. This system works because the parent go-gauge is .004” longer than the Ackley gauge, exactly the same as the difference between the parent go-gauge and no-go gauge. Example: 30-06 Ackley Improved go-gauge is used with the standard 30-06 go-gauge as the no-go gauge.

The only place the factory case will touch in the new chamber that matters is the bolt face and the junction of the neck and shoulder on the case. It will actually slightly crush the case shoulder when you close the bolt on the factory round. If you eject such a case unfired you will normally see a shinny area on the shoulder where the case was crushed just a little. This crush fit maintains proper headspace during the fire-forming process.

Chambering an Improved Rimmed Case…

Rimmed cases are the easiest of all Improved or wildcat cases to chamber for. The rim is the headspace control feature on these cases. The rim is trapped between the bolt face and the rim cut in the back of the barrel. So if the rim is headspaced correctly you can have almost any shape of case fire-formed beyond the rim, so long as it will extract. The action of the firearm is not sentient; it does not care what the chamber looks like. So rimmed cases utilize standard headspace gauges for the caliber, no Ackley gauges needed.

There is no need to set the barrel back on a rimmed cartridge when you convert it to an Improved design! Why? Because the rim controls headspace, the fact that the shoulder will be moved forward and the neck shortened has exactly NO effect on headspace. Reamers for improved cases normally have the rim cutter integral to their design. Simply paint the rim cut in the barrel with machinists blue, when the rim cutter gets close to this material just watch close, as soon as it scratches the material, stop reaming. Utilizing this method there is no danger of changing the headspace of the gun in the process of ‘Improving’ the chamber.

Rimmed cases headspace on the rim of the case only, ‘Improved’ cases of the rimmed variety often incorporate a shorter neck, thus the shoulder is moved forward to increase capacity, this is combined with increased shoulder diameter. Often rimmed cases benefit the most from an ‘Improved’ design, simply because they gain a much higher percentage of case capacity.

Chambering an Improved Belted Chamber…

What was said of rimmed cases above is also true of belted cases. Belted designs headspace on the belt much the same way rimmed cases headspace on the rim. The distance between the bolt face and the belt cut in the barrel is the headspace for these cartridges. Like the rimmed designs, ‘Improved’ belted cases use the standard headspace gauges, no Ackley gauges.

While it is possible to use machinist blue as suggested with the rimmed case, you will quickly find that it is much harder to determine if the machinist blue has been scratched, there is simply much less area to view. For this reason it is a good idea to set the barrel back when doing a belted magnum improved case. If the barrel is slick with no sight holes drilled in it you can set it back .004” so that that bolt will not close on the go gauge. Then rechamber with the Improved reamer until the go gauge will allow the bolt to close normally.

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

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.

Well, pretty busy for a first day of the show. 

Found some time to get out on the show floor and look for things that might interest the wildcatters.  First stop the Lapua booth.  One of the reps asked me what I was interested in and I said, “Always looking for the new stuff.”

The first thing we looked at was the new Lapua 222 Rem. Match brass.  So, if you have always liked this cartridge or any of it’s offspring and just wished for better quality brass… Now you have it in the form of unprimed brass.  Lapua has a reputation for top quality components for reloaders, they are exceptionally strong and uniformity exceeds normal expectations by a fair margin.

The advantage of quality match grade brass is in the uniformity.  Lapua holds tight tolerances in neck concentricity, base straightness, and wall thickness.  These conditions along with quality brass, and proper grain structure make for a case that be reloaded over and over, while delivering excellent accuracy.

Loaded ammo is also available from Lapua in the 222 Remington Match case.  The current loading is with a Lapua 55 grain FMJ.

222 Rem Lapua Match brass

OK, Shot Show is just a couple of weeks away now.  We will be attending the show and will look for reloading tools, bullets, dies, and of course anything that might be of interest to the wildcatter.

Watch here for updates during the Shot Show. 

Here is a link to an article that might help answer a few questions if your learning your way around wildcats and some of the nomenclature.  This article also discusses some methods and concepts that could be helpful, check it out.

FindArticles - Loading wildcat cartridges: a few simple considerations make life much easier
Guns Magazine, August, 2005, by Charles E. Petty

FDZ

Painciples and Practice of Loading Ammunition, By Earl Naramore

This book was first published by Samworth in 1954, my attention was drawn to it by a mention in P.O. Ackley’s books as a good resource.  I figured if it impressed Ackley it was worth a look.  Obviously a book this old is in some ways out dated, however, this book centers more on mechanical design, strength and processes than on reloading data.  So it is still a very interesting read.

Many writers today cater to the reader who wants to know just a little bit about a lot of different subjects, so their explanations lack detail and fail to make the subject fully enlightened.  Naramore spent 914 pages on the process of loading ammunition, as you might imagine this allowed him to go into great detail about many aspects of the reloading precess.

Because this treatise was written over 50 years ago it includes some information that might not be found in too many other places today.  Are you going to learn something that will put you way out in front of the pack, probably not, but you will likely pick up some useful ideas that modern reloaders are forced to learn on their own by trial and error.  All in all an enjoyable read, sometimes it’s just fun to see how things used to be done, or how much they have changed.  I would have to say this is a must have book for reloaders and wildcatters alike.

FDZ

Small caliber fans know that Bill Eichelberger was a driving force in the development of calibers smaller than 22. He developed numerous cartridges in .10, .12, .14, and .20.  The most interesting thing about Bill’s work is that he made bullets, designed cartridges, and reloaded.  He developed load data for his designs and published books so that other shooters could pick up where he left off.

Bill Passed away last year but the tiny cartridges he originated will outlive him.  There are several folks working with 14 caliber’s these days.  Barrels are available from Pac-Nor, http://www.pac-nor.com/.   RAR is offering bullets and cleaning equipment, last time I talked to them they were planning to stock barrel blanks too.  http://www.reedsammo.com

Recently an acquaintance (Marty from Twistedbarrel.com) brought me a cartridge from his latest toy, a 14 Ackley Hornet.   Marty simply took the 17 Ackley Hornet and necked it down to 14 caliber with no other changes.  It’s good to see a guy name a cartridge so that you can trace it’s lineage instead of feeling the need to hang his name on it.

The toughest part of working with these lesser know cartridges is that not all reamer makers make them the same.  Be sure to check with the reamer maker for a drawing so you know what you are buying.

FDZ