Handloader October/November 2018

It was during the end of summer, 1960, that a friend from school (Dean) stopped by to ask if I wanted to shoot his new handgun. When I asked what it was, he answered: “A Ruger .357 Magnum,” while pulling a cartridge out of his pocket that was about three times as long – with an odd-shaped, flatnosed bullet – as the .38 S&W cartridge I had been shooting in a old break-open, double action only. ...Read More >

Some readers may remember George Leonard Herter who, in 1937, turned his father’s dry goods business into a mail order hunting and fishing catalog outlet and later added retail stores. It could be said his business was the forerunner to Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shops. ...Read More >

I have been using Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor factory loads containing the 140-grain Hornady A-MAX bullet listed at 2,700 fps. This load is shooting incredibly well in my Ruger Precision Rifle. ...Read More >

The tremendous increase in gun ownership seen in the U.S. over the past 20 years is certainly welcome news for our hobby. It has not, however, been accidental. Two indisputable facts are responsible: One, increasing drug-related violence and property crimes that law enforcement is not allowed to do much about; two, the now almost country-wide availability of concealed-carry permits. ...Read More >

Ever since Hodgdon Powder Company entered into its agreement with Olin Industries in 2005 to develop and market Winchester powders, the product line has seen constant improvement. The most recent addition is Winchester 244, a midrange handgun propellant with a number of modern improvements. ...Read More >

In 1983 Freedom Arms began offering a large-frame, single-action revolver for a proprietary .454 Casull cartridge. In addition to several innovative features, the Model 83, as it became known, offered new levels of power, strength and accuracy. After 35 years of continuous production, along with the addition of many new calibers, the Model 83 offers unchallenged quality and is essentially a factory custom revolver. ...Read More >

When most enthusiasts think of old Smith & Wesson N-frame Hand Ejectors – First through Fourth Models – there is a simultaneous thought: .44 Special. That’s not necessarily so, especially in the case of the Second Model Hand Ejector versions. More of these were produced than all the other N-frame Hand Ejectors put together, and the majority were .45 caliber because of World War I military contracts. ...Read More >

P.O. Ackley described his .250 Savage Improved as one of the best of the so-called “improved” cartridges. He went on to add that “it shows a greater percentage of increase in velocity than almost any other.” I was puzzled by that statement until it finally dawned on me that he had to be comparing the velocities of his maximum-pressure handloads to 100-grain factory ammunition that at the time had the same velocity rating of 2,820 fps as today. ...Read More >

A strange situation was drawn to my attention recently, involving a handloader, a rifle and an extremely puzzling occurrence. The shooter was on the range with an early Ruger No. 1 .308 Winchester. He had 15 rounds of handloads. The first 14 were fired without incident. ...Read More >

Jean Cantius Garand was born to a Quebec farming family in 1888. Like many Quebecers, the Garands spoke French, and even after the family emigrated to Connecticut in 1899 and Jean started speaking English, a French accent remained for the rest of his life. ...Read More >

The very first “Pet Loads” article appeared in the May 1966, issue of Handloader. The writer was Ken Waters and the subject was the .270 Winchester. As it was originally formulated, “Pet Loads” was intended to compile the favorite combinations of well-known authorities – loads they had found to be particularly effective. ...Read More >

The .32 H&R Magnum was jointly developed by Harrington & Richardson and Federal Cartridge in 1982, with the first ammunition and guns shipped in 1983 and 1984. The case is based on a .32 S&W Long that dates back to around 1902, but it was increased in length from .920 inch to 1.075 inches. ...Read More >

Thumbing through my shooting records shows that my .357 and .44 Magnum revolvers have fired several hundred mild-recoiling loads for every true magnum load. Records also reveal that many of those mild loads developed extreme velocity spreads approaching 200 fps. Such wide swings in velocity came while using cast semiwadcutters and other bullets of similar shape that left an excess of space in cases for the light amounts of powder necessary to achieve velocities of 700 to 800 fps. ...Read More >

Have you ever had the occasion when something caused a twinge of fear or an unsettled feeling? I experienced that this morning when sitting down at my computer to look up Trail Boss powder under the IMR section on Hodgdon’s website. There were many choices but no Trail Boss! The possibility that it had been discontinued was the cause of my unease. I’ve come to rely on it that heavily. ...Read More >