Handloader October/November 2021

In October 2020, Hodgdon Powder Company purchased the exclusive rights to Western Powders’ Blackhorn 209, a black-powder substitute, and the Accurate family of smokeless propellants. In this edition, our focus is on what I have found to be a superb powder from the Accurate Ramshot line – True Blue. ...Read More >

Q: Back in the 1990s, I was regularly competing at cowboy action events. During that time, I acquired a new Marlin Model 1895CB Cowboy rifle chambered in .45-70 Government with a 26-inch octagonal barrel. It was purchased for side match events, however, my job soon forced me to move and I never really had a chance to shoot the gun or develop handloads. Lately, I have been shooting it some and have been very impressed with its accuracy. I would like to try it on Alabama whitetail deer this fall. I just installed a Skinner Sights aperture rear and black post front. Using the old Remington 405-grain JSP factory loads, I am consistently getting 1.5-inch groups, which is better accuracy than my 1970’s vintage Winchester Model 70 .30-06. ...Read More >

The first target match using revolvers appears to have taken place in 1886, during the annual rifle competition at the Creedmoor Rifle Range. The Standard American Target for 200-yard rifle shooting was tacked up 25 yards from the firing line. This target may seem a bit large by today’s standards, but it was in keeping with the dismal accuracy of percussion revolvers that carried over into early cartridge guns. ...Read More >

Back in the 1970s, a leading magazine conducted a straw ballot vote as to what was the “All-Time Classic Handgun.” The competition was stiff and included the fine old Colt Single Action Army, Smith & Wesson Model 29, the famous Luger and others. However, when the results were tallied, the clear winner was Colt’s Model 1911 .45 ACP. In addition to serving as the U.S. military’s official standard issue sidearm for 74 years (1911-1985), it continues to serve admirably within elite combat units. ...Read More >

A revolver cartridge that seems to cause more confusion than any other is Smith & Wesson’s (S&W) .45. Perhaps the cause has been the numerous names also given it along the way, such as .45 S&W “Schofield,” .45 S&W Government and simply .45 Government. All those names describe the same cartridge with a nominal 1.10-inch case length and rim diameter of approximately .520 to .523 inch. (Measurements were taken from vintage military and civilian factory loads.) ...Read More >

The 7mm Shooting Times Easterner (7mm STE) was introduced in 1989 and it is formed from .307 Winchester brass. For those who do not know, the .307 Winchester is basically a rimmed version of the .308 Winchester and it was introduced in a Winchester Model 94 rifle with the rear of its receiver walls adjacent to the locking bolt thickened for reinforcement. The .356 Winchester on the same case was also introduced at the same time, and as you might guess, it is a rimmed version of the .358 Winchester. Since the two were developed for use in a tube-magazine rifle, Winchester ammunition was loaded with flatnose bullets. I still have a pair of Model 94s chambered for those cartridges. ...Read More >

More than half a century ago, a sergeant named Al Gravelle, a veteran of Korea and the survivalist larceny of the peacetime army, advised the guys in our unit, “If you’re gonna go, go big!” This is not exactly the kind of wisdom he was supposed to impart to his recruits, who were all in their teens and likely to misinterpret it. As I remember, it had to do with looting the quartermaster’s stores. But over the years, I’ve found it to be remarkably useful advice. ...Read More >

The .357 Sig was developed in 1994 by Federal Cartridge and SIG Sauer and is based on the .40 S&W case necked down to accept .355-inch bullets. Its development was the direct result of requests from a U.S. government law enforcement agency that wanted a cartridge designed specifically for auto-loading pistols that would duplicate .357 Magnum revolver ballistics when loaded with 125-grain jacketed bullets. ...Read More >

In the 1980s, there came a renaissance of black-powder cartridge rifle shooting focused on the big-bore single shots, such as those used by bison hunters or long-range “Creedmoor” competitors of the 1870s. Those modern events began as informal “gong” matches with various types of steel targets usually placed at amazing distances. Following soon, more formal NRA sanctioned metallic silhouette and paper target competitions appeared. As might be expected, rules for informal events are at the whims of match directors. However, with NRA events there is one rule carved in stone. That is: only lead alloy bullets are allowed. Even gas checks are not permitted. ...Read More >

The current unprecedented situation with supply and demand of guns, ammunition, loading components and even handloading equipment, has reached such a fevered pitch that it has even made the august pages of both The Economist and National Review. ...Read More >

There seem to be two contrary trends in new centerfire rifle cartridges, rounds both much smaller and larger than average. Oh, once in a while a company tries to squeeze something into the “average” cartridge lineup, but with a few exceptions these tend to falter, due to competing with long-established, yet still popular cartridges. An example might be the several .30-caliber rounds introduced in recent decades to approximate the performance of the .308 Winchester, the commercial version of the 7.62mm NATO military cartridge. None have made much headway, leading some people to suggest the .300 Savage – introduced in 1920 to approximate the early .308-like ballistics of the .30-06 – might still be more popular than more “modern” medium .30s. ...Read More >

A wildcatting favorite, .22-284 is the .284 Winchester case taken to extremes. On paper, the .284 Winchester, released in 1963, should’ve been a groundbreaking cartridge that enjoyed huge success. The round uses a short, fat case (like the Winchester Short Magnums) with a steep, 35-degree shoulder angle (like every cartridge introduced during the past five years) and a rebated rim (like the .22 Nosler) designed to accommodate .30-06 Springfield bolt heads. It was obviously well ahead of its time and allowed greater ballistic potential than previously available in short-action rifles. The 7mm bore diameter supplied excellent ballistic coefficients. ...Read More >