Seems like every single shot rifle I have bought in the last 15 years has been a wildcat and since many were built in the 50"s and 60"s, you never really know what you have without a chamber cast.  My last purchase was a sporterized military #5 Rolling Block marked 6mm/30-30.  I bought the rifle with the thoughts of throwing the barrel in the canyon and starting new with something that I knew what it was but thought that I better shoot the thing and see how it did as it looked to be a very excellent job.  I managed to size some of my 25/35 brass down and it was soon apparent that the chamber was for some shortened version.  I finally got a handful sized and shortened to chamber and fireformed some to see what I had.  It is an improved version holding 43 grains of water to the top of the case.  Like always brass loss was severe using 25/35 but the few that survived were loaded up with 85 grain bullets and off to the range.  They shot pretty good so next I loaded up some 105 grain bullets and that rifle shot them lights out.  After much cussing and discussing I decided to use either new Hornady 25/35 brass or Nosler 30/30 brass to start with.  What a pain trying to get 30/30 down to 6mm without the proper set-up!  One more trip to the range and I decided this barrel was a keeper and my new antelope rifle!  At that point I sent 3 fired cases off tho Whidden Gunworks for a custom sizing die.  It showed up last week and by using bushings to go from 30 caliber to 7mm to 6.5 mm to 6mm I was able to get enough 30/30 brass sized so that I had a false shoulder.  It took me the better part of an afternoon but what else better do us old farts have to do anyway.  I fireformed 40 Nosler 30/30 cases this morning and only had 2 split.  I was ecstatic to say the least!    Now I have 48 pieces of brass to work with.  I am going to try to make some out of my Hornady 25/35 to see if it works any better.  As much problem I have with split cases forming other improved cases I can live with the small loss even though it takes 5 minutes to get the case ready to fireform.  My next build is going to be either a 7x57 or standard 30/40 Krag as I am wildcatted out for a year or so!  Tom 

Had a big group of friends here and all they used for deer hunting was a 6MM 30-30 all in Savage 99's all put together by the gunsmith by trade in the group. Have since changed to 6MM Rem. now all in bolt rifles and most individually built. My own favorite was the 6MM in a Ruger #1B and I could not have wanted for more. Bullet used by all was a 90gr. Speer no longer offered and it would lay them down pretty much on the spot if shot in a vital area. Going with the heavier bullets usually meant you have to go and track them down. 

JLouis

Nothing against big bullets but if all they do is go in one side and out the other they are totally worthless. A good bullet.choice is one that just enters expels all of its energy and delivers a tremendous amount of immediate shock that also takes out the nervious system and doee not exit. If it does exit all of the above is just being wasted by letting the ground aborb it all instead of the animal and it's then its time to go tracking an animal with only two useless holes in it and suffering like crazy until it finally bleeds out. 

JLouis

If that's the case, pretty soon my .30-40 Krag and .300 Savage will become wildcats. Long time since I saw any in that useless Cabela's we have.

Joe, does that mean I am now obsolete cuz I can't hang with the young hunters in the mountains no more!    I remember like it was yesterday sitting in hunting camp in 1961 listening to my dad and his hunting partners trying to figure out what made the 30-40 Krag kill so good.  They were all shooting 30-06's except me at 11 years old shooting a 7x57.  After all these years I think I figured out the answer they were looking for....the 30-40 Krag doesn't kick as much and is thus easier for the average person to shoot straighter!

Also been said Pope's favorite was the 30-40 Craig and killed somewhere around 20+ deer with one shot with his HiWall and only one requiring two. Most know Pope by his barrels and not the hunting side of his life of which is seldom mentioned.

JLouis

Off their rockers ? maybe, but we owe them thanks for some really great cartridges, and or them pushing the big companies to legitimize said cartridges, ie 22 hornet, 22-250, 243, 6mm Rem, 270, 257 Robt,  25-06, 35 Whelen etc, given that some of the "wildcaters" worked for the big boys. I'm not aware of the history of some of our earlier single shot cartridges, but given the vintage would think that most experimentation took place at factories. Thirty three calibers based on the 32-40 Ballard, 33-47 etc. would have to be considered wildcats.

rkba2nd wrote on Apr 24^th, 2018 at 7:41pm:

WoW!  I never knew I am a wildcatter    my .33-47 takes a standard .32-40 case.  R U sure that still counts?