Handloader August/September 2022

The .300 Whisper/Blackout is an interesting cartridge because of its history, military interest and versatility. The concept for the cartridge must be credited to J.D. Jones of SSK Industries and dates back to the 1990s when the .300 Whisper was born by shortening and necking up .221 Remington Fireball cases to accept .308-inch diameter bullets. If I look back to 2011, the .300 Whisper was essentially reintroduced by Advanced Armament Corporation as the .300 AAC Blackout, which was approved by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) while the .300 Whisper remained a wildcat cartridge. The .300 Whisper is essentially survived by the .300 Blackout and many barrelmakers are chambering the cartridge. ...Read More >

To say the very least, we live in interesting times. As I write this column, it is well into May, and spring should have arrived in the West. With truck and travel trailer, rifles, reloading tools, and the required Canadian paperwork, Cathy and I ventured north to Saskatchewan, Canada, to visit family and get in a spring gopher shoot. The trip up was eventful as we dodged the tail of the spring blizzard that hammered Montana, North Dakota and southern Saskatchewan, while trying to miss being caught up in the second blizzard that was in hot pursuit of the first blizzard. The campgrounds that we had planned to overnight in on our trip north where all closed because they just physically did not have any place to push the snow to open the campground roads and campsites. ...Read More >

Q: I am a big fan of your “Pet Loads” feature in each issue. Just prior to the current powder and primer shortage, I started working up a new big-game load for my wife’s rifle chambered in 7mm-08 Remington using the Hornady 139-grain GMX. In your “Pet Loads” articles you generally include a load with a GMX bullet. I am curious how far off the lands you normally start when developing a new load with GMX bullets? And is there a sweet spot where you find the best accuracy? With powder and primers in short supply, I’m loath to do much in the way of experimentation. I appreciate your help! A.M., email ...Read More >

American cartridge handguns of .38 caliber have always been very popular. If we note that the 9mm Luger bullet is only .003 inch smaller in diameter than a .38 Special, .38 caliber becomes the most used size today as well. ...Read More >

In 1983, Glock Inc. introduced a new pistol chambered for 9mm Luger known as the Glock 17. Due primarily to its polymer frame, it immediately became highly controversial. It was lightweight (24.3 ounces with magazine), striker-fired, the magazine capacity was 17 rounds plus-one, and while it was anything but handsome, it was definitely innovative. Among savvy shooters, trainers, military personal, etc., Glock pistols have earned a reputation for extreme reliability and endurance. In the decades since, many gun manufacturers have began offering lightweight, high-capacity, striker-fired pistols with polymer frames in order to compete. Nonetheless, Glock pistols remain hugely popular. ...Read More >

Quite often, I’ve been asked, “What’s the best load for… insert cartridge name.” To be honest, I truly have no idea what powder, bullet, primer or case brand combination would be best. There are too many variables to consider. Such as, what would be the purpose – hunting or target shooting? What sort of rifle – bolt action, levergun or semiauto? Handguns can really be difficult, for they vary from revolvers to autoloaders. If it’s a cartridge I have considerable experience with, then I don’t mind giving my preferences. Other times, such as when a fellow asked me about .30-378 Weatherby Magnum, he only got a blank look. ...Read More >

The .45 Super was created during the 1980s by Dean Grennell, good friend and longtime reloading columnist for Gun World magazine. The idea was new, but the concept goes back to the 1920s, when law enforcement needed a handgun cartridge capable of punching through the sheet metal of an automobile and delivering a fatal dose of lead poisoning to gangsters riding inside. Revolvers in .38 Special carried by lawmen at the time were capable of little more than chipping the paint of those four-wheel behemoths. ...Read More >

In times of shortage, such as handloaders have been experiencing for the past – how many months? years? – a lot of questions come up regarding primers. ...Read More >

When the U.S. Army Special Operations Command teamed with Remington to design the 6.8 Remington SPC (Special Purpose Cartridge), a.k.a. 6.8x43mm, there were specific goals. The first was to improve on the exterior ballistics of the 5.56mm NATO in a cartridge that would operate in an AR-style rifle. The secondary goal was a round that performed well from the 16-inch barrel of today’s military M4 carbine. The SPC was devised to answer reoccurring reports from military troops that the 5.56mm NATO was doing a poor job of incapacitating enemy combatants. The SPC maximized knockdown energy without sacrificing undue magazine capacity or conspicuously increasing felt recoil. ...Read More >

The .44 Russian, or .44 Smith & Wesson (S&W) Russian, is an important cartridge development that played a significant role in the design of future cartridges. Early loads varied in bullet weight, powder charge, etc., but it was eventually standardized with a 246-grain (some sources list 245-grain) bullet at 750 feet per second (fps). In spite of its name, it was an American development. While it was soon overshadowed by more powerful sixgun cartridges, such as the .45 Colt, .45 S&W Schofield, .44-40 Winchester (a rifle cartridge adapted to sixguns), it also proved effective for defense. It soon earned a superb reputation as a highly-accurate target cartridge. Furthermore, it boasts of being the parent cartridge to the wonderful .44 Special, which in turn became the parent cartridge of the legendary .44 Magnum. ...Read More >

The .257 Weatherby is one of what some call the “original four” belted magnum cartridges Roy Weatherby developed in the mid-1940s; the .257, .270, 7mm and .300 Weatherby Magnums. The .257 turned out to be Roy’s favorite, and after acquiring my first .257 Weatherby Magnum in 2004, I found out why. It was a Vanguard Sporter with a walnut stock, ordered directly from Weatherby, and was not only very accurate, but the .257 came as close to a perfect “point-and-shoot” big-game cartridge as any tried before or since. ...Read More >

This being an article about Hornady’s 6.5 PRC, the simplest course would be to advise everyone to buy one, assure them they’ll never regret it, and go on to something else. That would take care of the “what.” As to the “why,” that requires a little history, and some explanation. ...Read More >

Early in 2021, a longtime quest of mine was fulfilled. That was a search for a fine condition, smokeless era, 1st Generation Colt Frontier Six Shooter with a 7½-inch barrel. For the unknowing, Colt Frontier Six Shooter in one version or another is how the manufacturer stamped “most” of its .44-40 Single Action Army revolvers between 1877 to 1941 when production ceased the first time. Early on, Colt acid etched “Colt Frontier Six Shooter” in small panels on the barrels’ left sides. Later, the marking was roll-stamped in several versions, with my new one dating from 1913 being marked “Colt Frontier Six Shooter.” ...Read More >