Handloader June-July 2023

When it comes to 7mm cartridges, there are many options to choose from these days, as things become more and more refined, the improvements seem to be more gradual. Some are eager to embrace these changes and others tend to cling to older, more established cartridges claiming they are “just as good” or “do the same thing.” While there is some truth to these statements, they are generally blanket statements and when facts and/or ballistics are closely examined, some differences can be found. As with most things, your mileage may vary, when discussing the ballistics there are many variables to take into consideration. Introduced in 1962, the 7mm Remington Magnum (7mm Rem Mag) remains a popular 7mm cartridge to this day. ...Read More >

It was the tail end of October 2022, and I was out at the Linn County Izaak Walton League ranges, my local go-to gun club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I was doing some load development work for a future article and had three or four different kinds of powder along to work with. The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) annual Expo had just wrapped up and the word had already gotten out to the shooting public that Hodgdon Powder Company’s Winchester Powder brand had introduced two new ball powders, StaBALL HD and StaBALL Match at the NASGW Expo. ...Read More >

Q: I enjoy your articles and anxiously await each issue of Handloader. My family enjoys a long history of being hunters with many great stories, and the 270 Winchester has always been a family favorite. It was a special favorite deer and antelope cartridge of my great grandpa, grandpa, my dad and my brothers. I first started using the 270 in a Remington Model 700 when I was 14. But when the 270 WSM was announced about 20 years ago, I purchased a Winchester Model 70 Classic that has a beautiful classic walnut stock with outstanding figure. It’s been a good, reliable rifle and is consistently accurate with my handloads. ...Read More >

The first two pages of the Remington 1999 Gun Catalog show a Model 700 rifle and two cartridges. One of them was a 300 Weatherby Magnum for which Remington began chambering the Model 700 in 1989. Loaded ammunition also became available in that year. This spoke volumes regarding the popularity of the cartridge and amount of ammunition fired every hunting season. ...Read More >

The Model 1911 45-caliber pistol, originally designed by John Browning and first produced by Colt, remains a timeless design that boasts of worldwide popularity and for good reason. In spite of polymer striker-fired pistols gaining huge acceptance the past few decades, the 112-year-old 1911, generally made entirely of steel in Government Model configuration, remains in high demand and is still the preferred pistol of choice among many professional soldiers and elite combat units, tactical law enforcement, personal defensive trainers, professional shooters and savvy handgunners. Countless companies, both foreign and domestic, have produced copies. ...Read More >

Firearms-oriented periodicals will carry features covering “150 Years of Colt SAA” throughout 2023. I’m going to take a different tack in this column. Of those 150 years of that world famous revolver’s existence, I’m going to talk about my 55-year involvement. By actual count, I’ve now owned more than 100 Colt Single Action Armys (SAA). What I’ve learned about handloading with them has helped with many other types of revolvers. One such thing has been mating bullets to cylinder chamber mouths instead of barrel groove diameter. Another is that softer bullets are usually much better than harder ones in revolvers until magnum pressures are reached. ...Read More >

The 450 Alaskan was developed during the early 1950s by Gunsmith Harold Johnson, who had a shop in Cooper Landing, Alaska, called “Johnson’s Kenai Rifles.” He picked up a few extra dollars by guiding other hunters and his intent was a cartridge and rifle combination suitable for quickly stopping a wounded brown bear wounded at close quarters from escaping. ...Read More >

The name of Lt. Col. Earl Naramore is not as well-known as it should be, even among veteran hand- loaders. I had never heard it myself until about 10 years ago, when my mentor on all things old and ballistic, Bob Hayley, advised me to go online and find his book, Principles and Practice of Loading Ammunition. ...Read More >

In 1873, big changes were taking place with firearms. The U.S. Army abandoned muzzle-loading infantry rifles for a breech-loading single shot. First in 50-70 Government, the Trapdoor Springfield quickly established itself in 45-70 Government. Winchester announced a new lever rifle, bored not for the 44 rimfire ammunition of its forebears, but for the company’s first centerfire cartridge. Colt introduced its Model P Frontier or Single Action Army revolver in the new, potent 45 Colt. ...Read More >

The U.S. M1 Carbine chambered in 30 Carbine is a unique fighting rifle that was originally conceived by the U.S. Government as a defensive weapon for radio operators, truck drivers, engineers, artillerymen and officers who found the 10-plus pound M1 Garand rifle too heavy and inconvenient to carry during daily responsibilities, but still needed for a weapon. The “light rifle” project technically began in 1938, but the formal requirement was not finalized until 1940. ...Read More >

The primary motive for “wildcatting” is usually geared toward creating a cartridge that performs a particular task better than any existing factory round. The goal is not necessarily to make a more powerful or faster cartridge, although that is often the result. Rather, the focus is often to improve accuracy, efficiency or perhaps create a specialized cartridge for match competition or hunting. Another reason is the satisfaction associated with experimenting and developing new loads. In many instances, wildcat cartridges have resulted in designs that ammunition companies ultimately adopted and offered to the public as an industry standard cartridge. Two examples are the 22-250 Remington and 243 Winchester. ...Read More >

Without a doubt, I think 9mm Parabellum pistols are currently the hottest sellers in the American handgun market. Second; I have no doubt that the great majority of 9mm Parabellum handloads assembled nowadays are intended for pistols of relatively new manufacture. Third; I am of the mind that most of today’s 9mm handloads carry jacketed bullets with the majority being of hollowpoint construction. Fourth: I think most currently handloaded 9mms are fairly hot regarding pressures and velocity to ensure jacketed hollowpoint (JHP) bullet expansion. ...Read More >

Since its introduction by Remington and Ruger in 1983, the 357 Maximum has not set the world on fire. It was one of those cartridges that seemed like a good idea at the time, but in practice, presented so many problems it was either soon dropped or ignored altogether. ...Read More >