Handloader August/September 2019

Several readers responded to “.45 Colt Myths” in Handloader No. 310 (October-November 2017), mostly to challenge the idea that the 40-grain, black-powder load was not the original (initial) arsenal powder charge in the .45 Colt. Most letters were cordial enough, and one stated in so many words, it had to be 40 grains to match the powerful .45-70 500-grain load with 70 grains of black powder ...Read More >

Handloaders know uniformity is key to producing great ammunition. We use components of the same type and lot, trim cases to the same length, carefully weigh powder charges and seat bullets to the same overall cartridge length. Additional steps include segregating cases and bullets by weight, uniforming flash holes, separating out cases that do not meet neck wall thickness requirements or turning necks. ...Read More >

I am a long-time reader of your articles regarding handgun cartridges and hunting. I have duplicated and enjoyed many of your recommended load recipes for my .45 Colt, .44 Magnum and 10mm Auto, which have given me great success on many deer over the years. I frequently shoot Ruger New Model Blackhawk revolvers as well as Smith & Wesson Mountain Guns. ...Read More >

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of tagging along with my dad to the limestone quarry where he shot centerfire handguns. Even though we were fortunate to have an excellent place to shoot, and Dad was always finding another interesting handgun to fiddle with, there was still a problem. In northern Illinois it was the weather. Three months of the year it was often too cold for enjoyable pistol shooting, and the rest of the time it rained every weekend – or at least it seemed that way to a boy who had been waiting all week to shoot something. ...Read More >

To many reloaders the name Shooters World may be unfamiliar, but that is about to change. Clean Shot, on the other hand, may stir up memories, but do not confuse it with a long-discontinued black-powder substitute from GOEX called Clear Shot, nor an earlier black-powder substitute called Clean Shot from the company that introduced Black Canyon powder and now operates as American Pioneer Powder. ...Read More >

Kimber Manufacturing has been building high-quality Model 1911-pattern pistols since 1995. Although this classic John Browning design had previously earned a remarkable reputation in many roles, including combat in two world wars along with other wars and skirmishes, it has also served admirably in slow-fire target and action-shooting competitions, personal defense and hunting. ...Read More >

Upon embarking long ago on what became one of my lifelong passions – handloading – I bought my first bullet mould and didn’t have a clue as to what I was doing. It was a used single-cavity Lyman No. 358432 for a 160-grain wadcutter. The older gent selling it charged me $5 for the mould and another $2.50 for the handles. As a high school senior, cash was tight and I was pinching pennies. It turned out that my first mould wasn’t exactly a mistake; it just wasn’t optimum for my use. ...Read More >

All the cartridges introduced by Nosler to date were developed by Mike Lake, the senior manager of engineering, research and development at the company. His previous accomplishments include the .26 Nosler introduced in 2013, the .28 Nosler (2015), the .30 Nosler (2016) and the .33 Nosler introduced in 2017. Waiting impatiently in the wings for official introduction are the .27 Nosler, the .35 Nosler and the .36 Nosler. All are on the .404 Jeffery case, and rim diameter is the same as for various Holland & Holland- style belted cases. ...Read More >

Somewhere in the dim, dark recesses of some long-forgotten book there has to be an explanation – or at least an initial use – of the term “wildcat” as it relates to homegrown cartridges. The word seems to have been around forever, like “featherweight.” ...Read More >

Remington announced the .25-06 Remington 50 years ago, and it quickly gained widespread acceptance among big-game hunters. It offered outstanding accuracy, a flat trajectory and moderate recoil. It was suitable for taking deer and antelope in open country but also proved to be an exceptional long-range varmint cartridge. While ammunition companies developed new loads that improved its versatility and performance, new bullets and powders are available as components that have increased its versatility. ...Read More >

The .303 Savage is now 125 years old. In its lifetime, it was chambered in only one major rifle – the Savage 99 – and has not been chambered by anyone at all for the last 80 years. It’s often said it won’t do anything the .30-30 won’t do, and vice versa. Ammunition in .303 Savage has not been produced since the 1990s, so brass can be difficult to find, and being an odd size, it’s almost impossible to fashion from any other case. ...Read More >

Anyone who gets their knowledge of frontier ballistics from television and movies is bound to be misled. Upending a card table to stop bullets fired from a big-bore sixgun is one example; or when someone is “safe” in a ramshackle cabin because its thin plank walls protect them from Winchester levergun bullets. ...Read More >

After using rifle dies for a few decades, it finally occurred to me that some are better suited to loading various bottlenecked rounds than others. Straight-walled cartridges and dies work well because straight-walled cartridges are pretty simple, but bottlenecked rounds can vary considerably in dimensions, resulting in complications. ...Read More >

A handloader could remain safe and satisfied by giving no more thought to powder selection than picking a seemingly suitable option listed in a handloading manual for a particular cartridge, and let it go at that. But to make informed decisions about powders, handloaders should consider a variety of factors, including burn rates, single- or double-base composition, case fill and granule shape. ...Read More >