I was thinking about how I have built most of my wildcats on either Contender, Encore or H&R frames, because it allows you to switch barrels instead of having to (more or less) permanently remove one and set it aside, as you would with a bolt action rifle. I know you can swap barrels fairly easily with a Savage rifle, thanks to their barrel nut that allows amateur gunsmiths to securely attach the barrel AND get the headspace right. But, even that is not as easy and convenient as swapping barrels on the single-shot, break-action designs.
So, I was wondering if anyone is playing around with the new T/C Dimension platform, to determine whether or not they would be conducive to wildcat cartridges? If you haven't seen this rifle, it allows you to work with four different families of cartridges, based on the case head used and the cartridge length. You can go from a 204 Ruger, to 7-08, to 30-'06 to 300WM, all with the same rifle action, but switching out barrels and bolts. (I'm not sure if you switch the entire bolt or just the bolt head?)
Since you can shoot rounds like 243, 7-08 and 308, there doesn't seem to be any reason you couldn't also shoot a 358 from this rifle. That means you "should" be able to chamber it in 358 Winchester, with the neck trimmed way back, or the 358 Hoosier, which is a slightly shortened 358 Win. You could also build a rimless 357 Super Maximum but using a blown out .378" head (like the 204 Ruger) and a straight case design. It would just have to headspace on the mouth, which may or may not be a good idea, with that much pressure.
There is a whole range of belted magnum wildcats you could build on this rifle, as well, making it incredibly versatile. Up until now, if you wanted this kind of flexibility in a rifle, you basically went with an Encore or H&R, and lived with the fact that they're single-shot designs. Now, with the Dimension, there is the potential to have build a wildcat bolt-action rifle without setting aside the barrel it came with and probably never using it again. You could hunt Indiana with your 358 Hoosier wildcat, hunt Montana elk with your 300WM, and then go hunt coyotes with a 204 or 223.
I guess time will tell if this approach works out to be as flexible as T/C claims, or if it's realistic to build wildcat rounds on this design, but if it is, I think it could be a deal-changer for a lot of folks considering a wildcat build.
So, I was wondering if anyone is playing around with the new T/C Dimension platform, to determine whether or not they would be conducive to wildcat cartridges? If you haven't seen this rifle, it allows you to work with four different families of cartridges, based on the case head used and the cartridge length. You can go from a 204 Ruger, to 7-08, to 30-'06 to 300WM, all with the same rifle action, but switching out barrels and bolts. (I'm not sure if you switch the entire bolt or just the bolt head?)
Since you can shoot rounds like 243, 7-08 and 308, there doesn't seem to be any reason you couldn't also shoot a 358 from this rifle. That means you "should" be able to chamber it in 358 Winchester, with the neck trimmed way back, or the 358 Hoosier, which is a slightly shortened 358 Win. You could also build a rimless 357 Super Maximum but using a blown out .378" head (like the 204 Ruger) and a straight case design. It would just have to headspace on the mouth, which may or may not be a good idea, with that much pressure.
There is a whole range of belted magnum wildcats you could build on this rifle, as well, making it incredibly versatile. Up until now, if you wanted this kind of flexibility in a rifle, you basically went with an Encore or H&R, and lived with the fact that they're single-shot designs. Now, with the Dimension, there is the potential to have build a wildcat bolt-action rifle without setting aside the barrel it came with and probably never using it again. You could hunt Indiana with your 358 Hoosier wildcat, hunt Montana elk with your 300WM, and then go hunt coyotes with a 204 or 223.
I guess time will tell if this approach works out to be as flexible as T/C claims, or if it's realistic to build wildcat rounds on this design, but if it is, I think it could be a deal-changer for a lot of folks considering a wildcat build.
