Handloader October-November 2023

When it comes to cartridges for varmint hunting, there are many great cartridges out there. However, it seems that inevitably, the 22-250 Remington will come up in conversations among varmint and predator hunters. This is for good reason as many big names in the firearms industry tinkered with this cartridge while it was cutting its teeth as a wildcat. Interestingly enough, the 22-250 was offered by Browning Arms Company in a factory rifle prior to it getting its official Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) approval. It wasn’t until 1963, when Remington made the jump and got the cartridge SAAMI approved, thus adding its name behind the 22-250. The history of this cartridge is quite storied, from how it earned its reputation for accuracy in competitive environments to the success of hunters in the field with the cartridge. ...Read More >

Vihtavuori, the Finnish propellant manufacturer, was a brand known to very few reloaders a decade ago. With the advent of the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) matches, the development of cartridges optimized for the PRS game, and the F-Class International and other long-range matches, Vihtavuori has come to the forefront of propellant suppliers challenging Alliant, Hodgdon, IMR and Winchester. Of course, it does not hurt that Vihtavuori is part of the product line portfolio of Capstone Precision Group, which also includes well-known and respected Lapua ammunition, Berger bullets and SK rimfire ammunition. ...Read More >

Q: I completely enjoy Handloader magazine and learn something from each issue. With your obvious love of sixguns, I recently added two 357 Magnums and a 44 Magnum to my collection and am in the process of developing handloads and have questions, but will save those for another day. Most of my handloading has been for rifle cartridges such as the 6.5 Creedmoor, 30-06 and 223 Remington. But I recently added a new Ruger-manufactured Marlin Model 1895SBL to my collection. I obtained a quantity of 420-grain cast bullets from a local dealer and used 38 grains of IMR-4198 powder in Starline cases that were primed with CCI No. 200 primers. I crimp the bullets for an overall cartridge length of 2.535 inches. ...Read More >

Daniel Wesson is credited with designing the first totally self-contained metallic cartridge in the U.S. It was a 22 caliber, first called the No. 1 and later, the 22 Short. A small seven-shot revolver was available to fire it in 1857. ...Read More >

The history of the Colt Model 1911 is fascinating and can be insightful to shooters interested in obtaining a practical and versatile big-bore, auto-loading pistol. To be brief, after many wars and skirmishes, the U.S. military wanted nothing less than a 45-caliber pistol loaded with a 230-grain bullet. This had proven many times in battle to be a highly effective load in the famed Colt Single Action Army revolver in spite of having reduced ballistics. When compared to the full-power civilian 45 Colt loads that contained a 250- to 255-grain bullet pushed to around 1,000 feet per second (fps). In an effort to somewhat modernize, in 1892, the U.S. military adopted the Colt M1892 double-action sixgun chambered in 38 Long Colt, which proved to be inadequate in battle. ...Read More >

In the firearms world, some guns and/or cartridges are at the top of the heap, but then, with time and new developments, they become obsolete and nigh on forgotten. That seems to be the case with the 357 Magnum. The round is now 88 years old and seldom considered when newcomers to the sport are revolver shopping. Actually, the truth is that newcomers to handgun shooting seldom consider revolvers at all. ...Read More >

While growing up on a Missouri farm during the 1940s, George Hoffman’s passion was hunting quail with his father and an uncle. Years later, after earning an engineering degree, he and his wife, Mary, relocated to Pampa, Texas, where both became avid deer hunters. Then it was on to Farmington, New Mexico, at a time when the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation and the Carson National Forest had excellent populations of mule deer and elk. George used a Remington Model 721 in 270 Winchester to take his share of good bucks and bulls. In 1968, his employer moved him to Gunnison, Colorado, to develop mining properties. By that time he had gained enough experience to begin outfitting and guiding hunters in his spare time. While doing so, George became acquainted with Cotton Gordon, another outfitter in the area who would later become one of few Americans to obtain a professional hunter’s license in Africa. In the meantime, George had started handloading his ammunition. ...Read More >

As I write this, I’m on the verge of loading a box of smokeless powder in the car and heading off for Alabama. The powders are all from the Enduron family (4451, 4166, 4955, 7977) and the recipient is a friend who no sooner arrived at ideal loads for several of his rifles than the Enduron powders became unobtainable. ...Read More >

The outwardly modern 357 Magnum was introduced in 1935, in the Smith & Wesson (S&W) Model 27. The round was created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe and Douglas B. Wesson, with Smith & Wesson and Winchester coordinating the project. The case of the 38 Special is 1.155 inches long and holds 24 grains of water, while the 357 Magnum is 1.29 inches long and holds 26.2 grains of water. ...Read More >

There’s a saying that goes, “Two things can be the same but different.” I apply this to two semiauto pistol cartridges. One is a vintage military classic. The other was introduced in 1929, but is still a popular competition and self-defense cartridge. Those two rounds are the 9mm Largo and 38 Super+P. No doubt they are different regarding to factory ammunition, but for practical shooting purposes and using only a modicum of caution, handloaders can make them the same. ...Read More >

There are three major reasons for loading your own ammunition, aside from situations where factory stuff is simply unavailable. The first is to improve accuracy, the second is to improve ballistics, and the third is to save money. ...Read More >

The 30 Winchester Center Fire, 30 W.C.F., more commonly known as 30-30 Winchester, is uniquely the first smokeless, small-bore sporting rifle cartridge in the U.S. Perhaps it is better known for earning the unofficial title of being the most popular centerfire sporting rifle cartridge ever developed. The sheer number of rifles and carbines produced since its introduction in 1895, is staggering. It played a significant role on the western frontier as it served cowboys, sheepherders, meat hunters, trappers, lawmen, prison guards or anyone that needed a handy, fast-handling lever-action rifle that offered a unique blend of power, effectiveness and moderate recoil. In the eastern U.S., it quickly became the standard for deer hunters. ...Read More >

Have you ever annealed cases by standing them in a pie pan of water and heating them with a torch? Welcome to the future. The Annealing Made Perfect machine from New Zealand introduces precision digital “plug & play” to case annealing – no propane torch required. But the pie pan is still handy. ...Read More >