Thread: Dakota calibres

What became of the various Dakota offerings? Especially the 7mm and 300 ? Don’t see or hear much of them these days with plenty of new entrants to the big 7 & big 30 cal offerings.
Assume there’s still a few rifles around? Brass ?
Does the slightly larger base/head ( 0.545 vs 0.532-535) still work with normal magnum bolt face?
Like many of the non-belted magnums around the design seems to harm back to the original 404 Jeffery case.
Might be an interesting case for wild cat development if it fits a standard magnum bolt face

I reload for a 300 Dakota

There’s three that I know of in NZ

Do they fit a standard magnum bolt face?

Didn't they have some quirk like very short necks?

I thought that was more of an issue with wsm’s ?

Originally Posted by chainsaw

Do they fit a standard magnum bolt face?

If Dakota brass is based on 404 Jeffery dimensions they probably fit a Tikka magnum bolt face. What makes ms think so is I have a 300 Blaser and the case is suppisedly based on 404 Jeffery dimensions. The Blaser case fits an unmodified Tikka magnum bolt face. I used the Tikka magnum actio for my rifle.

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

I reload for a 300 Dakota

There’s three that I know of in NZ

Pretty sure there's more than three but I don't know how many more. Not heaps by any means as I assume Dakota cost was always a factor but a few examples reached NZ over the years.

Originally Posted by 30.06king

If Dakota brass is based on 404 Jeffery dimensions they probably fit a Tikka magnum bolt face. What makes ms think so is I have a 300 Blaser and the case is suppisedly based on 404 Jeffery dimensions. The Blaser case fits an unmodified Tikka magnum bolt face. I used the Tikka magnum actio for my rifle.

Both 7mm & 30 Blaser Mag are 0.535. Dakota are 0.545

There are a few 7mm Dakota around. I think the bolt face of most magnums need to be opened slightly up to accept the case.
The 28 nosler is pretty much the same but with a normal magnum head.

I went to visit the Dakota factory in Sturgis twice in the early 2000’s , as a friend of mine over there knew one of their foreman.
It changed hands I believe and has been renamed something else in the recent years.

Is brass available here ?

Originally Posted by chainsaw

Both 7mm & 30 Blaser Mag are 0.535. Dakota are 0.545

You are correct. I checked.
404 Jeffery is 0.543

Originally Posted by chainsaw

Is brass available here ?

If you're looking, which calibre ? I may know of some but would have to check calibre / availability.

Deadeye dicks may have some brass. They supported those cartridges for a time.

Yes Tracy has a Dakota

Dakota calibers are a bit like Lazzeroni and JDJ Wildcats.
They will get some small market share briefly and then be orphans that are hard to feed once the marketing machine moves on to the next big thing.

They do bring innovation and clearly catch people's attention.
But they also seem excessively expensive to own and feed.