Handloader April-May 2023

We often choose cartridges to serve various purposes, such as hunting big game, versatility or self-defense. We may have preconceived notions about such cartridges regarding accuracy, energy downrange, velocity or any number of individual factors. For example, the .32 Auto being insufficient for self- defense, or the .243 Winchester being inadequate for game much larger than deer. It seems the handloading and shooting world is very diverse when it comes to opinions. If I ask 100 handloaders how to handload, I’ll get 101 answers. It brings me back to the days of my youth and learning about horsemanship and all the advice and wisdom that was freely given out to those willing to listen. ...Read More >

Progressive powders like IMR- 4350 changed the ballistics world by introducing a perforated, tubular geometry that changed the burn characteristics of smokeless propellants. The perforations allowed the propellant to burn both on the exterior of the powder grain and simultaneously from the inside via access from interior perforations. Since the molecule maintains its basic geometry until it is converted to gas, progressively-burning powders lack a sharp pressure curve and are able to push at peak pressures over a longer period of time. With the advent of IMR-4350, shooters who craved extreme velocities could finally realize significant performance increases from their rifles. ...Read More >

I love Handloader and look forward to each issue, as no other gun-related magazine can compare. I am hoping you can help me with a dilemma. I have a Smith & Wesson Model 25-2 with a 6½-inch barrel chambered in .45 ACP that I purchased slightly used about 1979 or 1980. At that time, I shot it briefly using various factory loads and then put it away. I thought that it shot okay, but now, more than 40 years later, and with much more experience and skill with handguns, I recently discovered that it really is not shooting all that well. My Smith & Wesson Model 29-3 .44 Magnum is much more accurate, but I want to use an N-frame chambered for a cartridge that is a bit more mild. ...Read More >

Awhile back, I was at a local range to shoot an old Mauser military rifle. Since it was a weekday morning, nobody else was around. Perfect. No paper targets were put up because the high dirt berm into which the bullets impacted, was peppered with small, light-colored rocks. These were just large enough to appear clearly above the pyramid-shaped military front sight at 200-plus yards. Shooting prone with a sling offered excellent practice. Let the fun begin! ...Read More >

The best place to begin this story is in 1930 when Smith & Wesson (S&W) introduced the .38-44 Heavy Duty (fixed sights) and .38-44 Outdoorsman (target sights) sixguns chambered for .38 Special and built on the 44 N-frame (thus the “.38-44” nomenclature). Winchester and Remington introduced special .38-44 high-velocity loads designed specifically for the above guns. ...Read More >

Three different versions of .45 Colt loads were made and labeled by their manufacturers. They would all fire safely in any .45 Colt chambered revolver. However, as I will cover shortly, one of the three wasn’t a perfect fit in some revolver types. ...Read More >

The 6mm Dasher was developed in 1999 by Dan Dowling and Al Ashton for 100- and 200-yard benchrest competition. Its name was derived from the names “Dan” and “Ashton.” The 6mm Dasher is basically the earlier 6mm BR Remington case with its shoulder moved forward .120 inch or so for about 8 percent gain in capacity while the shoulder angle is increased from 30 to 40 degrees. ...Read More >

Broadly speaking, handloaders can be divided into two categories: Those who set out to develop a good load, and having found one that’s suitable, lock it in and move on to another rifle. Then there are those restless souls who are never satisfied, continually experimenting with different brass, bullets, bullet weights, powders, and powder charges, never quite finding the right one. Every cartridge is a perpetual work in progress. ...Read More >

In the spring of 1975, after delivering my grandparents to their home in Van Lear, Kentucky, I took a swing through nearby Prestonsburg to check out gun stores. In one, I found a Colt SAA with a 4¾-inch barrel marked “.38 W.C.F.” Although brownish/gray in finish, it functioned fine mechanically. It was legally an antique as evidenced by its so-called “black powder frame,” in which its base-pin retaining screw angled in from the frame’s front. All SAAs of that frame style in 1st Generation production had been made prior to the ATF’s (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) antique cutoff date of 1898. Happily, I was legally able to buy it – my first of many Colt SAA .38 WCFs. ...Read More >

While still an ardent .22 Hornet fan, more recently I have solved the Hornet accuracy conundrum by adopting the shouldered .22 K-Hornet. The basic problem with the .22 Hornet has always been its sloping shoulders and the fact the cartridge headspaces almost entirely off its prominent rim. This has generally made the round a touch fussy – aside from the small doses of fast-burning powder the round thrives on, which I’ll touch on momentarily. The K-Hornet has not only that rear rim, but a 35- to 40-degree shoulder to headspace on, which better aligns bullets and starting them straight down the bore. This automatically improves accuracy. ...Read More >

Let’s establish one thing right away: The .250-3000 is one of the great cartridges of the twentieth century and it can be a tremendously effective big-game round. Everyone from Jack O’Connor to Ken Waters to Jim Carmichel admired it, but every one of them did so with certain reservations. ...Read More >

The .32 Winchester, .32 W.C.F., or more commonly known as .32-20 Winchester, was originally introduced around 1882 and first offered in the celebrated Winchester Model 1873 lever- action rifle, making it a rifle cartridge. It was originally a black-powder round that contained around 20 grains of powder and pushed a 115-grain lead bullet at around 1,177 feet per second (fps). However, ballistics would soon change substantially. By modern standards, its early performance is unimpressive, however, this was one of the finest cartridges for the working “people of the Earth” that was ever offered (more on that in a moment). Marlin, Remington and many other rifle manufacturers soon offered a variety of rifles and its popularity soared. With modern powders, bullets and brass, handloaders can improve accuracy and performance. ...Read More >

I wanted to write about one of the most underrated big-game cartridges that never caught on like it should have, the .338-06 Ackley Improved (.338-06 AI). For some reason, I’ve wanted this cartridge ever since I first heard about it. But then again, I am a sucker for anything based off of America’s well-rounded cartridge, the .30-06 Springfield. ...Read More >