.22 Super Jet
Rifle|Rifle Special Edition Varmint Fall 2019
Loads for an Old Wildcat
Jim Matthews
.22 Super Jet

Wildcats usually arise when a varmint hunter or shooter identifies a need not met by a factory loading. For most wildcats – especially all the “improved” versions of existing rounds – the goal is to wring out more velocity from the parent case without exceeding equivalent pressures. The other “wildcat line” is to neck down or neck up cartridge cases to a caliber different from the original chambering.

Most factory chamberings actually began life in this way, and sometimes the wildcats gain more fame than their parent cases – think of all the wildcats on the .284 Winchester case or the .22-250. Beyond these two schools of thought, however, the “need” for a wildcat can become a bit more esoteric.

Friend Paul Neidermann is a consummate tinkerer, inventor, gunsmith, stockmaker and ground squirrel shooter. He is also a fan of single-shot Martini Cadet actions for their compactness and simplicity. When he decided to build up a varmint rifle just for his regular trips to a large California ranch to shoot ground squirrels, the small Martini single shot was to be the heart of the rifle.

This story is from the Rifle Special Edition Varmint Fall 2019 edition of Rifle.

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This story is from the Rifle Special Edition Varmint Fall 2019 edition of Rifle.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.