7mmx338 wildcat

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Sandhills

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I don't if this is necessarily the place to post this question or not but here we go.

And old timer I grew up around is getting to where he's starting to get rid of his stuff. Between age and the related health issues Mr. Lombardi is reducing the amount of guns he has. One is a wildcat built on a Mauser action. Mr
Lombardi says it's a 338 case necked down to 7 mm. He says it darn close to a 7 rem mag in performance.

The question I have is, has anyone heard of such a wildcat? It's from the 50s. Apex barrel and a mahogany stock. Pretty sure he has the dies for it too.

Another question is do y'all think it'd be worth having? It'd be more for sentimental reasons than practicality because I've always looked up to Mr. Lombardi because he killed some monster bucks in his day.
 
Tell him you want the rifle and his spots so you can go kill big bucks there and share the photos with him. Everyone is happy.
 
180ls1 said:
Tell him you want the rifle and his spots so you can go kill big bucks there and share the photos with him. Everyone is happy.
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While I'm sure there are some big deer left there, I don't think they're have hunts in December in Swan Valley, Idaho anymore
 
Sandhills said:
I don't if this is necessarily the place to post this question or not but here we go.

And old timer I grew up around is getting to where he's starting to get rid of his stuff. Between age and the related health issues Mr. Lombardi is reducing the amount of guns he has. One is a wildcat built on a Mauser action. Mr
Lombardi says it's a 338 case necked down to 7 mm. He says it darn close to a 7 rem mag in performance.

The question I have is, has anyone heard of such a wildcat? It's from the 50s. Apex barrel and a mahogany stock. Pretty sure he has the dies for it too.

Another question is do y'all think it'd be worth having? It'd be more for sentimental reasons than practicality because I've always looked up to Mr. Lombardi because he killed some monster bucks in his day.
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I think it is worth having. It won’t do anything a 7mag would do but it is a cool rifle and its got some history to it.
 
A382DWDZQ said:
That is pretty much a 7 Rem Mag cartridge.
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I think Mr. Lombardi said that the shoulder is a bit different, like an Ackley cartridge. It was made before the 7 rem mag came out. But yes essentially the same. A guy could probably use 7 rem mag data as a starting point you think?
 
Sounds like a great keepsake. Old rifles have a lot more character from their history.

Those old wildcat cartridges are not unlike wildcats today - something sounds fun so rifles get chambered for it and some have nearly identical factory rounds come out to replace it. Just like today, some folks love one rifle and hate others. There was a huge Winchester vs Remington rivalry in the 1950s and I have no doubt more than one 7mm-338 was made just to not have the Remington name on the brass or barrel. The 338 did come out 4 years before the 7mm, and when any new cartridge comes out guys want to neck it up and neck it down and change the shoulder and whatnot.

It’s a wildcat based on something, but you really need a fired case or chamber cast to know what. If it’s an improved 7 rem mag it’s common to use 7 rem mag load data as a starting point and work up. Since it’s a wildcat don’t assume anything about it is normal - check the throat length and neck diameter closely.

More concerning than the cartridge is the old action. Not all Mausers are created equal, and not every gun intended to be a hot rod should be hot rodded. The way many glossy smooth military actions got that way was a lot of grinding down the exterior, and like everything, that can be overdone. At the range, the disappointed look on someone’s face when their old Mauser develops a crack in the receiver says it all. Personally I’d load it a few hundred feet per second less than max velocity and enjoy it as an antique.

IMG_0542.pngIMG_0541.jpeg
 
TaperPin said:
More concerning than the cartridge is the old action. Not all Mausers are created equal, and not every gun intended to be a hot rod should be hot rodded. The way many glossy smooth military actions got that way was a lot of grinding down the exterior, and like everything, that can be overdone. At the range, the disappointed look on someone’s face when their old Mauser develops a crack in the receiver says it all. Personally I’d load it a few hundred feet per second less than max velocity and enjoy it as an antique.
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Personally, as long as it’s built on an M98 and hasn’t been severely ground down, I’d load it like it was meant to be loaded. The M98 is a fine action fully capable of shooting modern cartridges. I have owned rifles built on 1910 Mexicans, 1909 Argies and K98’s, built into rifles ranging from .257AI to .338 Win mag, and have had zero issues. I’d buy that rifle for its history alone, and I would definitely hunt with it. I’m old fashioned, give me a wood stock and a blued Mauser action and it’s love at first sight for me.
 

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Sandhills said:
At least one of those bucks was killed with the rifle in question
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That is one seriously cool photo.

Regarding the gun, as long as he has the reloading dies for it, I'd jump on it. But 90% because of the meaning it would have for you, 10% for the possibility of ever using it on a hunt. Just be sure to also get that photo printed out by a photo-processing company, and frame it near your gun safe. It'll bring a lot of smiles.

You getting it...it would be good for him to know someone genuinely appreciates it, and him, and the meaning of it all. Sad as hell he doesn't have any kids or grandkids who want it.
 
RockAndSage said:
That is one seriously cool photo.

Regarding the gun, as long as he has the reloading dies for it, I'd jump on it. But 90% because of the meaning it would have for you, 10% for the possibility of ever using it on a hunt. Just be sure to also get that photo printed out by a photo-processing company, and frame it near your gun safe. It'll bring a lot of smiles.

You getting it...it would be good for him to know someone genuinely appreciates it, and him, and the meaning of it all. Sad as hell he doesn't have any kids or grandkids who want it.
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I think he's featured in that book later too. Those guys in that picture killed some barn burners back in the day.

As of now it's hypothetical on if i get it. A mutual friend asked him what it was because I thought it might be a 7 OKH. Mr. Lombardi said if I was interested he'd be willing to part with it maybe.

I'm not sure Mr. Lombardi has any children of if he does they all don't hunt.
 
Sandhills said:
I think he's featured in that book later too. Those guys in that picture killed some barn burners back in the day.

As of now it's hypothetical on if i get it. A mutual friend asked him what it was because I thought it might be a 7 OKH. Mr. Lombardi said if I was interested he'd be willing to part with it maybe.

I'm not sure Mr. Lombardi has any children of if he does they all don't hunt.
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What book are you referring to?
 
Here's an issue though. Mr. Lombardi used 4320 powder in it and that powder is no longer available. Can anyone recommend a suitable substitute?
 
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