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trappermike · Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:04 pm Post subject: Another Wilcat cartridge

About 10 years ago I was in my friends shop,he's a machinist and gunsmith. He was showing me a gun he was building for a customer,it was a new Weatherby .340 Magnum. He had taken a .460 Weatherby cartridge and "improved" it for more case capacity,changing angles and expanding it slightly,I think the usual stuff. Then he necked it down to.338,and reamed out the chamber of the rifle accordingly. The owner of the gun was heading off on holidays to the U.S. and had arranged to stop at RCBS to have some loading dies made. After that I'm afraid I never heard how the gun worked out,but I'm not sure if I'd want to shoot it...
Anyone out there heard of this being done? ::-k

bitmasher · Joined: 27 Feb 2002 Posts: 2652 Location: Colorado

Hmmm... odd for a couple reasons.

First, I'm not sure why one would start with a 340 weatherby (based off the 300 weatherby) then go to 460 weatherby (based off the 378 weatherby), the bolt head would need to be modified.

Second, the resulting cartridge would effectively be a 338-378 with some modifications, depending on where it was necked and how far the shoulder was blown out. Might have been easier to just rebarrel a 338-378....

trappermike · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 2:29 pm Post subject:

Thanks bitmasher,I'm sorry I don't have details on this,that is why I was asking...I saw an improved cartridge case,but I did not look at the stamping to see .378,or .460. I saw the rifle,a new Weatherby. The machinist was easily capable of any altering anything. It seemed like a likely wildcat,but as I said I had no follow up details. I know the customer had a 8mm mag. to 7mm mag. done to another rifle by this guy.Was it an STW,I'm not sure,I don't know a lot about wildcat cartridges.I used this guy's machining expertise to build me many exotic parts for small racing engines. Much stuff from titanium. Including a muzzle brake for my Win. Model 70.
Machinists hate working with titanium. :)

Don Fischer · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 2147 Location: Antelope, Ore

HUH! How do you improve a 460 weatherby? It's almost straight sided as is and it has a double radius shoulder.

trappermike · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 10:23 pm Post subject:

Don't attack me! I'm only trying to report what I thought I saw. But I did see an improved case be it .378 or .460.
What ,you did not think of it first,so Canadians are incapable of doing it first? It is probably an old wildcat,I don't think my friend dreamed of it on his own.
Like I said I dont know the details,but I SAW a .460 improved and a .340weatherby rifle. All I can say...

trappermike · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 10:36 pm Post subject:

Put a dent in a great inflated ego? :o
I don't lie,only say things as I see them.
If you got a problem...sorry.
Ceartainly inferiour Canadians cannot come up with something new,we are Neanderthals...

Don Fischer · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 2147 Location: Antelope, Ore

You misunderstand. You likely did see what you saw. I'm just wondering how he could have improved a case that has little or no room for it. Nothing to do with you. If you still know this guy, why don't you have him tell you exactly what he did. maybe he did do something, would be neat to know what.

As far as Canadians and Americans, don't stir that pot. I don't think anyone around here look's at it the way you said. We have a lot of both on here and I've never heard a claim like that befor.

CVC · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 1299 Location: Kansas

One of the things that I value most about this forum is the diversity of the posters. There are several Canadians whose name I see as the author of a post that I will immediately open because I know that post will be interesting and informative. Likewise with American posters, those from Africa, Australia and other countries.