Handloader February/March 2019

As downrange trajectory tables published in a variety of loading manuals over the years reveal, a significant change in ballistic coefficient (BC) is required to cause a significant and/or meaningful difference in trajectory at normal 100- to 400-yard hunting ranges. Even then, BC only reflects how efficiently the bullet makes the trip from the barrel to the target, i.e., time of flight. The quicker the bullet gets to the target, the less time gravity, wind and atmospheric conditions affect its path. ...Read More >

Sierra is a company long known for making bullets that produce a high level of accuracy. With its MatchKing and tipped MatchKing target offerings, the company produces bullets with some of the highest ballistic coefficients (BC) around. Until now, such a high-BC bullet has not been available in the Sierra hunting bullet lineup. ...Read More >

I finally acquired a Nosler Model 48 chambered in .28 Nosler and have purchased brass and components, but would like your advice for powder selection. I am primarily going to use 140- and 150-grain Ballistic Tip and AccuBond bullets. My rifle is fitted with the 26-inch barrel and I would like to reach as much muzzle velocity as possible with each bullet, and would like to draw upon your experience. ...Read More >

Arthur W. Savage was a very interesting fellow. Born on May 13, 1857, in Kingston, Jamaica, his father held the position of Special Commissioner to the West Indies from England. Arthur was educated in England and the U.S. before heading out into the world, where he was very much a man of his time. ...Read More >

As noted previously in this column, Vectan powders are manufactured in France. They are part of SNPE, a French conglomerate that includes Vectan powders, Nobel Sport ammunition and Martignoni primers, which are marketed under its own name and that of Nobel Sport. All of the powder containers are labeled “Vectan by Nobel Sport,” followed by the powder name. ...Read More >

After Heckler & Koch’s (HK) unusually good success with the compact USP autoloading pistol, engineers set out to make improvements and create new models that would become known as the P2000 and P2000SK. These versions (9mm, .357 SIG and .40 S&W) were subjected to extensive durability tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which ultimately lead to their beating out five highly respected competitors and earning a “superior” technical rating. On August 20, 2004, HK was awarded the largest pistol contract in U.S. law enforcement history with the P2000 and P2000SK .40 S&W pistols. ...Read More >

Flexibility of shooting purpose is a largely unrecognized benefit of cast bullets. For example, back in 1968 I landed my first U.S. Model 1911 .45 Auto and first .45 Colt Single Action Army. Because I was also going away to college that fall, there was also a shortage of cash with which to buy reloading equipment. ...Read More >

We will never know for certain who was first to neck down the 7mm Remington Short Action Ultra Mag case for .264-inch bullets, but George Gardner of GA Precision is the person who put the wildcat on the map. In addition to being a serious participant in Precision Rifle Series competition, he is one of its strongest supporters as well. ...Read More >

When Henry Deringer introduced his pocket pistol in the 1830s, he probably never suspected it would create a whole new class of firearm. “Deringer-Philadelphia” was the simple inscription born by genuine Deringers, whereas his imitators generally spelled the name differently. Today, the word “derringer” (two ‘r’s) denotes a class of pistol that is very simply defined: It fires one shot or two and is small enough to be carried in a pocket or up a sleeve. ...Read More >

The 8mm Mauser was originally adopted by Germany’s army circa 1888, though it was never actually named “Mauser” by Germans; nor was it determined to be 8mm in bullet size. It was known to the Germans as the 7.9x57mm or 7.92x57mm. (American terminology will be used here because of its familiarity.) The cartridge served Germany continuously for 57 years until the end of World War II in 1945. However, the cartridge changed in regard to bullet size, weight and velocity. ...Read More >

The .38 Super has traveled a rather rocky road during its 121-year history. Due to its ballistic performance, accuracy in modern guns, wide selection of components and ease with which top-notch handloads can be assembled, it has become popular for action pistol competition, defense and field use. The addition of the “Automatic +P” designation in 1974 helped differentiate it from the old .38 Automatic Colt. ...Read More >

My father bought a rifle cartridge reloading kit out of economic necessity when my four brothers and I were boys. With all of us target practicing and hunting, we shot a lot of .30-06 and .250 Savage cartridges. Seeing his monthly ammunition bill significantly decline at the local sporting goods store, my dad then bought a shotshell reloading press. He always believed in “learning by doing,” so he gave us no more guidance than “Read the instructions, and be careful.” ...Read More >

Twenty-first-century America seems to be crowded with “trending” lists, and for many hunters feral pigs rank right up there. Despite being highly edible, over the past couple of decades pigs have become the biggest varmint in the country. Once considered a problem in the South, their numbers are increasing in northern states, where some biologists thought winters would kill them off: Colorado, Michigan, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. This should not have been totally surprising, as Europe’s truly wild “boars” (Sus scrofa, the ancestor of domestic pigs) live as far north as southern Finland, Norway and Sweden. ...Read More >

Legend has it that Harry M. Pope made the very first .25-caliber rifle in America in 1887. He said so in print later in life, and the story was perpetuated by his long-time friend and chronicler, Lucian Cary, in magazines from True to the Saturday Evening Post. As a result, many rifle buffs think Pope developed – or at least was the father of – the .25-20 Single Shot, as well as the later .25-20 WCF, and every .25 that followed. ...Read More >