Handloader April/May 2018

Over the years, it has been interesting to observe the change in interest regarding handgun bullets. In the early 1970s, cast bullets appeared to be of primary interest to handloaders, both in revolvers and semiautomatics. Currently, most of the interest appears centered around jacketed bullets, likely paralleling the rising popularity of progressive reloading machines that tend to clog up somewhat when fed a steady diet of lubricated cast bullets. ...Read More >

Handloaders often view a cartridge case only as a container for components, and as a separate entity from a firearm. But the two, cartridge and firearm, must work in concert to produce the best function, accuracy and overall performance. Handloaders of rifle rounds are concerned with a number of cartridge case dimensions, not so much for the specific measurements, but insofar as they relate to function and performance in a firearm. ...Read More >

First, I would like to say that I have subscribed to Handloader for more years than I care to remember. I consider it a best-of-class publication and look forward to reading it every month. On a recent trip to the range I decided to shoot up a stock of .44 Magnum handloads that have been in storage for many years. ...Read More >

Shooters today may say there is an error in the title of this column. “Isn’t it supposed to read .22 Long Rifle Rimfire?” No. The .22 Long is real. In fact it is the second-oldest continuously produced metallic cartridge, the first being the .22 Short, from which the Long was derived. ...Read More >

Treading the aisles of the annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show is great fun, made much more so by those stops of particular interest to me as a handloader. One of those stops is the Vista Outdoors area, which encompasses Federal Cartridge, RCBS, Speer, CCI and Alliant Powder, among many other brands. At the Alliant Powder booth in 2017, friend Ben Amonette told me about Sport Pistol powder. ...Read More >

During the 1890s the U.S. military began searching for a new handgun to replace the battle-proven Colt Single Action Army .45 Colt revolver. While the Colt Model 1892 .38 Long Colt revolver was adopted in 1892, it proved inadequate in both reliability and power. The military recognized the possible advantages with autoloading designs and tested samples of the Mauser C96 “Broomhandle,” Mannlicher M1894 and Colt M1900 that all failed in one way or another. ...Read More >

For some reason it got into my head that a nickeled Colt Government Model chambered for any cartridge would suit me just fine. So I bought the first one encountered. It was a like-new .38 Super, only it wasn’t nickeled. It was highly polished stainless steel, which was actually better in my opinion, although when it was purchased I didn’t know Colt had ever made highly polished stainless Government Models. With my impulsive nature, things like this happen occasionally. ...Read More >

The first rifle in 6.5 Shooting Times Westerner was built in 1998 by Ross Spagrud, owner of Prairie Gun Works of Canada. Like precision rifles being put together in his shop today, it had his Model 18Ti titanium action and was quite accurate. It weighed 6 pounds and had a Pac-Nor, 26-inch, 1:8 twist barrel measuring .640-inch at the muzzle. ...Read More >

People in this business set great store by product testing. By “people,” I include readers, writers, editors, advertising salesmen and, not least of all, manufacturers. There are many pitfalls connected with this practice. Not the least is the fact that almost all testing is done without any real standards or guidelines. ...Read More >

Ruger introduced its New Vaquero revolver in 2005, and ever since it has been a favorite of real and wannabe cowboys – and everyone else who likes shooting a slick, single-action revolver. Various Vaquero models include blued or stainless steel metal, and a Bisley model, with 3.75-, 45⁄8- or 5.5-inch barrels chambered in .45 Colt or .357 Magnum. A Single Action Shooter Society two-gun set is also available. ...Read More >

Believe it or not, back in the 1970s “premium” big-game bullets were pretty scarce, probably because not many American hunters went after game larger than deer. That changed during the 1980s, thanks in part to Bob Hagel’s popular 1977 book, Game Loads and Practical Ballistics for the American Hunter. Hagel primarily discussed the Nosler Partition, which appeared in 1948, and a newer bullet made in small quantities by Bill Steigers, who lived in Idaho not far from Hagel. ...Read More >

The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952 in the Model 70 bolt-action rifle, with the Model 88 lever-action and Model 100 autoloading rifles offered in 1955 and 1961, respectively. The case was based on the .30-06 with the shoulder set back and cut from 2.494 to 2.015 inches, and maximum overall cartridge length was reduced from 3.340 to 2.810 inches. ...Read More >

The Nosler Partition was the first truly premium American hunting bullet, and even today it’s still in the top tier. If told that I could use nothing but Nosler Partitions for the rest of my hunting life, I would not feel at any disadvantage. Short range, long range, high velocity or low, big animals or small, the Nosler Partition is a bullet I know of that can be depended on to do the job. ...Read More >

When the British entered World War I their Army actually wanted to transition to a more modern rifle than their “Smelly,” the Short Magazine Lee Enfield chambered for their likewise obsolescent .303 British cartridge. In the complicated British method of naming military items, this rifle in 1902 was termed SMLE No. 1 Mk I. ...Read More >