So I've got this old rifle...

Customs and specials are always hard to find a home for. If you don’t find much love here, try Castboolits.Gunloads. The double OO is correct. They are lead bullet focused, but have a lot of old timers that should remember when that wildcat was hot. They also deal in shooting serious antiques, so they’re less afraid of making brass out of some other brass.

 

I love wildcats and am very interested! I will send u a pm with my email.

 

Well one BIG problem is no one lists reloading dies for a cartridge with that name. If its a 219 Zipper with a 45 degree should as the wiki page on ICL suggests you might have to have a set of custom dies made to fit your chamber. And you talking a LOT of money. Just RCBS obscure dies will run $140+ and those they already have reamers for.

Does your rifle include dies? if so its value would be much higher. Since a rifle with no way to make ammo for its kind of a bummer.

 

Sounds very cool. Mark makes some great points though.

 

I have a set of RCBS custom dies for this, I picked them up at an estate sale 20 years ago for $5.00.

 

If I was sitting on some cash right now I would love to make an offer!
Sounds like a really neat rifle. I enjoy wildcats.


I do wish you the best of luck.

In liberty
Gary

 

Ohhhhh....
I love it!

 

Is there an obvious reason for the step in the forestock? It looks somewhat flattened for some bench rest work.

 

Interesting. Eventually benchresters went top a truly flat bottomed fore-end. Whether that is a "transition era" oval, or not, I couldn't tell, but it certainly has focus. Some of it looks a bit out of place, but all is forgiven as it feeds a goal, "2-bullets-1-hole."

 

40's-50's style vamint rifle. Several stock manfactures made that style of stock. Fajen, Bishop being the most common.
With that style cheek piece and im leaning towards Bishop..

Hard to tell, Fajen worked for Bishop for years then went out on his own and started Fajen stock company. Both of them usually ink stamped their name on the raw wood under the recoil pad.

 

I will compliment you on your initial description, and your basic research as to time period. Mark W was correct in his concern that the dies need to be somewhere, but if they do not accompany the rifle, that would NOT be a major obstacle for a truly interested buyer.

It is somewhat obvious that the original owner was much more concerned about hardware than software. (Barrels and actions vs. Wood). He sought a gun that would shoot the dickens, and would be nothing more than presentable to others. He may well have put a hard-earned paycheck into the action and barrel work, and done the stock himself. These experiments were so very prevalent in the post-war years, and this is indeed a Wildcat that was on the forefront of experimentation. Riflemen of today (even those who purchase new guns, especially in any new caliber; i.e. short magnums, etc.) owe so much to these early explorations.

This gun is a time-capsule. Valuable in its choice of forefront-experimental (and VERY GOOD, I might add) cartridge. Useful in its demonstration of a time gone-by: when GI's from WWII, schooled in arms and ammuntion returned home and found a hobby: some of them took the hobby to extreme and challenged boundaries. We of newer experiments owe so much to these intrepid men. Some of them came to found the very corporations we trust to supply us with guns and ammunition. The youngsters in the field will tragically never know this. It is a story of America that is sadly left untold.

It's a fine gun. Allow no detriments to its intrinsic value.

 

It is confirmed in agreement with your research that this cartridge came out of the Juenke Bros shop in Sparks, Nevada, operating under the marquis, Saturn Gun Shop. ICL stands for " Improved Cartridge Loading".

This will indeed be a fine exploration to discover more of American firearm history. It ain't Winchesters and Colt's, but its damned sure just as important!

 

I'm interested. That doesn't mean I know I have the money you will be asking, but interested enough to want to know.

I'll now do some research to see if a Zipper die can be modified to fit this one.

Pops