The Best Wildcat Ever? Season 2: Episode 6

Welcome to the Ron Spomer Outdoors Podcast! In this episode, I answer listener questions about wildcat cartridges and more.
P.O. Ackley book - amzn.to/3sg2Jtq
Links:
Website: ronspomeroutdoors.com/
Facebook: / ronspomeroutdoors
Instagram: / ronspomer
Who is Ron Spomer
For 44 years I’ve had the good fortune to photograph and write about my passion - the outdoor life. Wild creatures and wild places have always stirred me - from the first flushing pheasant that frightened me out of my socks in grandpa’s cornfield to the last whitetail that dismissed me with a wag of its tail. In my attempts to connect with this natural wonder, to become an integral part of our ecosystem and capture a bit of its mystery, I’ve photographed, hiked, hunted, birded, and fished across much of this planet. I've seen the beauty that everyone should see, survived adventures that everyone should experience. I may not have climbed the highest mountains, canoed the wildest rivers, caught the largest fish or shot the biggest bucks, but I’ve tried. Perhaps you have, too. And that’s the essential thing. Being out there, an active participant in our outdoor world.
Produced by: Red 11 Media - www.red11media.com/
Disclaimer
All loading, handloading, gunsmithing, shooting and associated activities and demonstrations depicted in our videos are conducted by trained, certified, professional gun handlers, instructors, and shooters for instructional and entertainment purposes only with emphasis on safety and responsible gun handling. Always check at least 3 industry handloading manuals for handloading data, 2 or 3 online ballistic calculators for ballistic data. Do not modify any cartridge or firearm beyond what the manufacturer recommends. Do not attempt to duplicate, mimic, or replicate anything you see in our videos. Firearms, ammunition, and constituent parts can be extremely dangerous if not used safely.

[@Dale37]

I love the heck out of my 25-06, 270, 308, 30-30, 243, 6.5 creedmoor and .22 L.R. 🤣 I can't settle on just one cartridge as a favorite but 25-06 does have a soft spot in my heart.

[@308dad8]

25-06 gets in there and sticks with everyone who gets one and shoots it. I also like 30-30 and 308 Winchester. Both offer great diversity of acceptable powders and reliable accuracy in well built rifles.

[@johncox2865]

Yeah. Love the 25-06. What a honey. 30-30? You bet. My dad gave me a Model 94 for my 14th birthday. Just a sweet shooting little gun.

[@Dalesarty]

Hey Ron, gun safety with the grand kids sounds like a great idea. Teach them young, teach them right 👍👍.

[@hs459]

Love the 22--.250 too and my all time favorite 30--06,,,,Also glad we have the Wildcat that is where new cartridges come from

[@lawrencelewis1036]

Ron,the print behind you is beautiful !

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

Thank you, Lawrence. I got that shot the day before Christmas some 8 years ago. One of the more magical days I ever spent photographing waterfowl. Deep, fresh snow, quiet, and crazy action with wood ducks and fox squirrels foraging on the crab apples. Mallards and Canada geese waiting beneath for falling fruit. I sold my last metal print of these and need to make more!

[@demetriuscooksey7147]

My Grandpa had a 99 Savage 22 High Power takedown. He sent the receiver to Savage and had a 250-3000 barrel fit to it. They sent it back to his house in those days.

[@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast]

Ah, those were the days. Buy guns by mail, carry them onto commercial airliners -- and no mass shootings, lower crime rate than now with all our "gun" control.

[@nmelkhunter1]

@@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast Stop Pard, you’re making way too much sense!

[@borkwoof696]

@@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast crime rates have actually been declining for decades.

[@andyeighttre]

The grandkids are downstairs reading. Thats solid grandparenting!

[@davidteague5461]

I’ve always loved your u tube videos. Now I have found this show . Thanks for one more great show to watch.

[@hayeswooten]

That was a very good point on the 375H&H go have with grandkids

[@jimmywhitley845]

7mm Wapitie express my favorite wild cat

[@wayneblair288]

Love some of the Wildcats. A lot of work in some of them.

[@MarktheSharkC]

Roy Weatherby’s 220 Rocket was a true badass!

[@mississippichris]

Your KZbin viewers are pleased to wait for the grandkids. Nothing trumps our grandkids. 😃 I once had a rifle in 280AI. I was foolish for trading it for a much lesser gun. It was a sweet, reliable cartridge.

[@bretnmannn]

7-33 Nosler longer barrel life than 28 nosler, with .838 BC bullets wins all ! And for the rifle build size titanium and carbon fiber 6lbs with scope!

[@sakrifistthstdamnroe3236]

When you're talking about the varmint cartridges how come you don't talk about the 204 Ruger I have one and I really really enjoy it

[@uralbob1]

Don't forget the .22 Kilburn Hornet!

[@JohannTheBurnt]

It's Fantastic that you do these kind of videos Ron. Great content and some usefull information. I really enjoy watching your videos. I also have a 6,5x55 SE as many here in Norway were I live do, and a combination gun in 16/70 - 7x65R with an extra shotgun barrel set and I love them both. I'm planning on doing some handloading for them and looking forward to learn more about it.

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

Thank you Johann. I'm pleased you enjoy them and your new handloading efforts.

[@randylong8156]

6.5-06 AI for the win I have 3

[@cw7661]

All 6.5 mm X (anything) is simply fantastic !!

[@missesmew]

My brother had a 7mm STW for sheep. Long distance but man it sure would give you a jolt. Lol

[@thomasdaum1927]

It’s very flat shooting , a 140 gr at 3500 fps ! I used to have 3 but I still have one , a Ruger no 1 with a custom 29 in Lila barrel !…..

[@missesmew]

@@thomasdaum1927 brothers was a Sako. Yeah, when your used to .308’s and 30:06’s and see the difference in distance, wow. He shot a couple moose with it, said right in the head from distance and instant death. Lol Mainly his sheep gun though. He said one thing about the speed is if it hits a blade of grass, could deflect. But i guess in them conditions you grab what’s needed, 30-30, .308. Definitely built the STW for going “downtown “! lol

[@thomasdaum1927]

@@missesmew 👍🐑🐑🦌

[@bobwills7607]

I’m a 6.5 fanatic!!! 6.5 x257 Roberts, 6.5x 55 Swede, 6.5x57,6.5x284, 6.5 TCU, 260 REM, 264 Win. My favorite is the 6.5 x284… my mentor Bo Clerke and I, had a on going competition between his 6.5 06 and my 6.5x284 shooting at 1000 yds!!! Both are very efficient and accurate. The 6.5x284 kills elk like Thor’s hammer!!!

[@borkwoof696]

Isn’t 6.5x257 Roberts just a 6.5x57?

[@ivanmollet2491]

@@borkwoof696 no, Roberts moves the shoulder. Not interchangeable.

[@mothman-jz8ug]

Ron, you picked a slow horse for the favorite wildcat race. Looking back on the 17 caliber craze going on when I wore pants with a much smaller waist, my favorite wildcat emerged: 17-06. I never owned one myself, but I found them fascinating...or amusing, at the very least. I liked it not because it was so good, but for it being so absurd. I was waiting for the 17-375 to come along, but it never materialized. I have always wondered what barrel life would be for a 17-06, but I think too few ever built one of the things to really get a true picture of the barrel burner it had to be.

[@jaydunbar7538]

Good morning everyone

[@timeverett7828]

Best wildcat 6.5-284win. Period! Now standardized.

[@308dad8]

If we can name wildcats that later were adopted I would say my favorite is 25-06. Was a wildcat until the 60’s so it was almost old enough to retire by the time it got adopted. It came out in the 19 teens and didn’t make that big a splash until surplus powders after WW2 left slower burning powders to use to get speeds up. I know mine loves slower powders.

[@markheupel3216]

The 1st time I've heard you mention the 340 Weather be Which is one of the greatest cartridges That was ever developed

[@johnoltrogge6333]

Ron, I sure wish I would have got my hands on a 338 Weatherby RPM first, but my experience with something similar has been with the 338-06 and the 338-06AI. By using 180 grain Nosler Accubond bullets in the standard -06 and the 200 gr Accubond in the 338-06 AI, I can get 2800 fps from both cartridges. I happily used the 338-06 on my best whitetail buck in Missouri and a 6x6 bull elk in New Mexico a few weeks later. So far, I've only shot steel with the 338-06AI, out to 600 yards, but am sorely tempted to let it hunt with me for something this year; it just shoots too good and is so economical to load for, thanks to the abundance of standard 30-06 cases. What I found interesting was how close in velocity the AI comes to the 338 Winchester Magnum, so the RPM should be even better, but in a more slender, lightweight, easier to carry package than any 338 Win Mag. Can't wait to hear more about that new round!

[@308dad8]

So what about shooting sabot slugs from smooth bore and smooth Improved cylinder choke? If it’s too inaccurate I could get a rifles choke but a rifled barrel isn’t an option for me.

[@josephstabile9154]

My best wildcat, if you mean a cartridge that never went into production, is the .22 AI Zipper. Very balanced, efficient, ready supply of brass, fairly easy to craft, headspaces on rim & therefore made to order for single shots & .30-30 bolt actions, easy reloading. Some say .225 Win is really this cartridge, but it headspaces on shoulder, was in production, now not, and brass is hard to come by, and can't easily be made from other cases.

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

Joseph, are you making your AI Zipper from 30-30 brass?

[@davidanderson1951]

What about 8mm o6 I had one wow was a dandy

[@justinwilson2595]

Ron I'm gonna ask a kinda dumb question for wildcat rounds. I love my M1 carbine also love my AK and my SKS. I'll pick them up for shooting hogs and deer along with varmints all day everyday. But between the ammo and the platform they shoot from. 200yrds is max. Being ethical even on a groundhog. The power is still there but not the accuracy. Why do we not see bolt action rifles in the 30 carbine or 7.62x39. Both round have been here forever and both have more to give. If they are not put in a semi or full auto rifle. Yes we have the 300 blackout. And it's nothing in my opinion cuz we already had 2 good rounds long before.

[@mattpie595]

6.6 /06 is more efficient than the improved version. Oh Wow what a cartridge! Poor mans 257 Weatherby! My 700 with A Shilen barrel does 5/8 moa with a 120 gr ballistic tip. My first 6.5 chuck was at 500 yards outside of Herkimer! I t was WoW! One of the most efficient bullets drsigned in the early 90’s.. Big hole too!

[@johngeisel901]

If money was no option and you could buy over the counter tags where in North America would you choose to go whitetail, mule deer, antelope, moose, black bear and elk hunting? You can choose any state province or territory for each specific game.

[@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast]

Are you buying, John! Yippeeee. Let's to to AZ for elk, pronghorn and mule deer, NC for big blackbear, Yukon for moose, a big ranch in central or western KS for whitetail. This assumes you've got trespass permission lined up for us. Might need to switch to Sonora for mule deer.

[@timbaskett6299]

Wildcat concept on a new cartridge .20cal on a .30 Super Carry case.

[@jerryhammack1318]

.17 rem. Fireball the most devastating round I have ever seen on the internal organs on deer! Turns them to gell! .177 cal in the .221 fireball case! Very high velocity.

[@renaissanceman5847]

223 WSSM... 4,300fps. barrel burner, but the bullets are basically tiny nukes

[@michaelgarrow3239]

100g Partitions are great in a 6.5-06. Imo Should have called it the 26-06- a rose by another name…

[@robertfree1908]

At one time “26-06”. Not necessary now. The Six-Five Creedmoor has solidified 6.5 as a household name(number? Prefix?)

[@michaelgarrow3239]

Robert Free lol- I have more guns than I need; but not as many as I want.

[@justahologram2230]

According to SAAMI spec the .338 RPM is a 225gr at 2800FPS

[@JAKDRZR]

Fairly useless round. Very close but not as fast as a 338 win mag. Then you have a 338-06 or 35 Whalen or 30-06

[@WayStedYou]

@@JAKDRZR the whole point of it is to have 338 win power in a much lighter rifle

[@JAKDRZR]

@@WayStedYou explain to me how they make it lighter with the same length action??? They are both standard length actions so you can get the same rifle in either round. That’s why I’m saying there is no point to the 338rpm. It’s still going to kick the shit outta you so why not just run the win mag with a bit more juice. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@borkwoof696]

@@JAKDRZR it fits their 6 lug action. That’s specifically what it was designed for

[@robertfree1908]

@@JAKDRZR I’m a 338 Win Mag fan so to an extent I agree with you. But I can’t blame Weatherby for capitalizing on their 6-lug action. It may not be Kimber 84 slim but it’s slimmer and lighter the rest I believe. I think it’s a interesting case. For some rich rifle loonies I think it’s right up their ally. More power to them. But, like you, I’d rather just stick with the 338 Win if choosing between the 2. Everything about the RPMs so far is very pricey.

[@user-gk2ir4ml3t]

The best Wildcat ...the 25/06 I have a 1969/ model 700 . It just became to a factory round

[@tylarhaugan7908]

Im building tikka timber mountain rifle with 21 inch 5r 7mm08 ackley for using on coyotes to elk max range for me in timber is 120 yards

[@MarktheSharkC]

Thank you Ron for answering my question. I much appreciate you and the knowledge you have. I hope you get to shoot the 338 RPM and I’ll know with your answer if I will buy one. Thx again!

[@randalnorwood7540]

Ron What caliber has killed the most game? As a kid a Game warden once told me it is the .22 mag. He said that is what most of the poachers used.

[@mikebeddingfield2144]

I don't know the answer but I did know a man that killed more deer in a year than most have in lifetime with a 22 magnum. If you seen him in the grocery store he was just picking up vegetables to fix with it.

[@USAACbrat]

I have heard that Ackley thought the 30-40 Krag improved, his first. As a one time 30-40 shooter and reloader, since you have the book, Is that true?

[@philipfreeman72]

An old 218 bee beat my 223 Ruger for accuracy .

[@barrychouinard4019]

Not a true wildcat, as it's an improved cartridge. I've not heard you mention the 250 Ackley. It's one I ended up with when I had to buy a new barrel anyway - and it was just as easy to chamber it in 250 Ackley as it was anything in the standard calibers. Having one - it's become a favorite, and really performs well, for me anyway. Try one Ron, you may like it!

[@saltycowboy8900]

Ron how heavy of a bullet would you use in a 308 with 1/10 twist and 20” barrel. Most ammo I find is 150-180, but I’m curious about the use of 110 grain or maybe some custom 230 grain bullets for game like elk and moose.

[@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast]

165- to 168 would be my choice in a lead core bullet, 130- to 150 in all copper unless I was expecting no shots farther than 250 yards or so. Then I'd go 180. But higher MV with ligher bullets of some makes, like Hammer, might work surprisingly well, too. I haven't personally tried them.

[@forward1165]

Excellent podcast with answers to some great questions! Interesting experiences you had with a 375 H&H magnum. I’ve heard so many people brag on that cartridge and there’s nothing wrong with it but in my opinion I like to 375 Ultra mag much better. Mine is a model 70 Winchester rechambered and I absolutely love that cartridge and rifle combination. I just wish the barrel was a tad longer 24 inches is a little on the short side for it. What are your thoughts on this cartridge?

[@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast]

I've never hunted with the 375 RUM, but if you're looking for max power and reach in .375, that's your baby. I suspect it has the velocity to actually make the hard bullets they make for the H&H open up. That's been most of the trouble I've seen with the H&H. Not enough dramatic upset.

[@DaBellyMan318]

378 wby is pretty fast also. I plan building a long throat 375 rum this summer

[@robertfree1908]

@@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast a rechambered Model 70 to 375 RUM? Hmmm… if that’s possible would a Model 70 Extreme Weather in 338 Win Mag rechambered to 338 RUM be feasible?

[@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast]

@@robertfree1908 Robt. I don't know if the bolt face will be wide enough to accommodate the RUM .534 rim diameter. Actoin should handle the 3.6" OAL cartridges, but check with an experienced gunsmith.

[@hunt4life56]

Ron, Have you ever done anything on the 300 Weatherby mag? I have one and really love it for about anything i hunt with 180 gr bullets.

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

Yes, I enjoyed a few hunts in Namibia with 300 Wby. Mag., one pig hunt in CA. My bride took her first big game animal, a splendid springbuck, with one perfect shot from a 300 Wby. Mag. When I asked her how she liked the recoil she said: "What recoil?"

[@thomasdaum1927]

In the IMR handloader guide they list a load for the 300 WBY with 7828 a 180 gr at 3300 fps . If you want the load let me know and I will post it . I have shot it many times and it works very well on Elk !…….

[@hunt4life56]

@@thomasdaum1927 Thanks, i also hand load and it looks like i have the same load as you do. One of my go to gun for about everything.

[@thomasdaum1927]

@@hunt4life56 This load is from the IMR handloader’s guide . 300 WBY Nosler 180 gr spitzer oal 3.560 86 gr of 7828 with a Fed 215 primer . This load gives me a little over 3300 fps in my rifle with no pressure signs . This load hits an Elk very hard and shoots very flat at 300 yds !….

[@jerryhammack1318]

Then they brought out the .17 hornet! Another devastating little round!

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

And the 17 WSM rimfire. But top of the 17 heap is the 17 Remington at 4,300 fps.

[@stephenkennedy3145]

Does anyone remember the Winchester 307

[@RonSpomerOutdoors]

Sure do. Essentially the 308 Win. with a rim and flat nosed bullets.

[@robertfree1908]

Videos with grandkids on gun safety would be beneficial for all. Hopefully that would broaden your viewer base even more! Keep at it and we may see you coaching a shot at a buck or turkey with one of the kiddos. That would be very enjoyable as well. 6.5-06 AI is very high on my list of “most interesting”. I’d say in the top 3 with 338-06 and the old 270 Redding. I would be confident getting factory 270/130 performance out of that 270 Redding with a 22” bbl and today’s powders. All three of those would be great candidates for a rebarreled Kimber 84(L). My fave rifle for cartridges of ‘06/-08 head diameters. And,pardon my ignorance with this question, does just improving a case make it a wildcat? Thank you and happy hunting!

[@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast]

I doubt there is a firm definition of wildcat vs. Improved cartridge, but I think the majority of us prefer to call an improved cartridge just that, not Wildcat.

[@robertfree1908]

Clear enough for me. Thank you

[@jasonw9423]

7mm-300 weatherby mag

[@StevenMMan]

For me the wildcat would be .25 Gibbs. Not all improved cartridges was P.O. Ackley

[@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast]

Good one Steven! I once lived about 12 miles from where Gibbs concocted his whole line of wildcats but my timing to meet him was off by a decade. Most consider his reshaping of the 30-06 in 24, 27, 28, and 30 calibers to be the ultimate expansion of that case for powder capacity. Nearly straight sides, shoulder pushed forward about .196", slope somewhere in the 35- to 40-degrees range, powder gain 6 to 10 grains. Most interesting was his inclusion of a primer tube that funneled the fire toward the top of the powder column for a center-out or front back burning for, reportedly, more uniform and/or consistent ignition/combustion. The cases could be made/loaded/fired conventionally, too, without the bothersome primer tube. I don't know if Gibbs or P.O. Ackley copyrighted either name or any of their cartridges, but Gibbs were always labeled just Gibbs, never "improved," whereas all the Ackley's seem to have been christened with the Ackley Improved behind the number. I'vbe heard the 25 Gibbs could come within 100 fps of the 257 Wby Mag. What kind of performance are you getting with yours, Steven?

[@thomasdaum1927]

The 270 WBY With 7828 you can get 400 fps over the 270 Win !…..

[@maxsteel6092]

338/378 3300 FPS at the muzzle I think that is fast is that fast?

[@jcows12]

Amen about gun safety and teaching them young.

[@devinleenhouts6562]

30-338 ‽

[@travissmith-wz5nc]

7 08

[@DaveL9170]

So I shoot the.375 H&H for quite literally ALL of my big game animals from coyotes all the way to elk. Reason: it makes holes and never stops!! On small critters it just drills a pencil ✏️ sized hole. On deer when I have been forced to take a “Texas heart shot” it blows all the insides out the front of the deer’s chest!!! It is fairly gruesome actually. Lol. Needless to say at 100 meters or less with open sights my Winchester Model 70 Super Safari in .375 H&H will kill anything currently walking the planet. With 350 Woodleigh brass solids it makes little holes with no mushrooms straight through a deer’s rib cage.

[@robertfree1908]

Is that solid legal in America? Or is it elsewhere that you hunt?

[@ivanmollet2491]

8mm-06 AI

[@donaldmartin4980]

Best, most useless wildcat ever is the possibly mythical .22 eargesplitten loudenboomer

[@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast]

Useless? Are you kidding Don? The old Eargesplitten has gotten more attention and more laughs than all other wildcats combined. A most valuable metaphor.

[@donaldmartin4980]

@@RonSpomerOutdoors-Podcast Lol….a nuclear weapon for prairie dogs?

[@jimb8904]

You. Gain. Respect. Here. For. Even. Mentioning. .22. Hi... power... the. Original. Loadings... sold. Were... 70. Grain. Bullets... and. They. Were. Very. Popular. With. Grandpa.s. generations...and. I. Have. Met. Two. Hunters. That. Say...They. Are. Still. Common. In. Europe.... there. Is. A. Company... by. The. Name. Sellier...and. bellot... they. Were. selling. New. Hi..power. ammo. ... around...1994.thru. 2000. I. Filled. An. Order. For.... 5. Or. 10. Boxes.... And. I. Think. Only. 70g. Available. On. Bullets... Because. The. Bullet. Diameter.... is. .224..... just. Fueling. The. Thoughts... have. A. Nice. Day....