HandLoader - August 2018 USA

H
A Half Century with Colt’s Single Action Army

RIFLE’S
ANDLOADER
®
Ammunition Reloading Journal
140 Years
of History
280
FOR THE .204 RUGER August 2018 No. 315
• Glock 27 Gen 4 .40 S&W

• Propellant Profiles: Accurate 2460 Display until 9/17/18 Printed in USA
KNOCK OUT FOULING FOR 300 BLACKOUT.
Give your cleaning kit and hearing protection some
well-earned time off. Because the first powder optimized
for suppression and copper fouling elimination has arrived.
Phone 913-362-9455 • www.hodgdon.com

COLUMNS FEATURES
6 Utility Loads
Reloader’s Press
Dave Scovill
10 Cutting Case Necks

Practical Handloading
Rick Jamison
14 Ruger New Model

Blackhawk On the cover . . .
Convertible Page 44 . . .
These Colt SAA .38-40s
.38-40 Winchester include one made in 1904
Bullets & Brass
Brian Pearce
(top) and one made in 2004.
Photo by Matthew West.
38 Colt’s Single
Action Army
Fifty Years of Shooting
18 8x60mm
Cartridge Board
Page 26 . . .
Iconic Revolvers
Mike Venturino
Gil Sengel
44 Lyman: 140
22 Accurate 2460
Propellant Profiles
Years of History
“Ideal” Handloading
R.H. VanDenburg, Jr. and Shooting Gear
John Barsness
26 Glock 27 Gen 4
.40 S&W 50 .204 Ruger
From the Hip Handloads for a Speedy
Brian Pearce Varmint Cartridge
Brian Pearce
30 Snub-Nose
.38 Specials 70 Western Powders
Handloading
Mike’s Shootin’ Shack Guide, Edition 1
Mike Venturino
Book Reviews
R.H. VanDenburg, Jr.
34 .17 Mach IV
74
Wildcat Cartridges Deviant Standards
Layne Simpson In Range
Terry Wieland
Page 22 . . . Page 50 . . .
Page 18 . . .
58 Lightweight Bullets
for Big-Game
Cartridges
Turn your deer rig into
an off-season
varmint zapper.
John Haviland
64 Old Bottle,
New Wine
The .32-40 in the
Modern World
Terry Wieland
4 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

®
Utility loads Ammunition Reloading Journal

ISSN 0017-7393
Volume 53 Number 4
RELOADER’S PRESS by Dave Scovill Issue No. 315 August 2018
Publisher/President – Don Polacek
R eviewing years of correspon-

dence with readers of this col-
umn and the now-defunct cast bul-
thereabouts, it had a bowl-shaped
(.3-inch wide by .1-inch deep) hol-
lowbase cavity. Currently, how-
Publishing Consultant – Mark Harris
Editor in Chief – Lee J. Hoots
Copy Editor – Andrew Buskey
let column of the late 1980s, it is ever, the component version is the Art Director – Chris Downs
apparent that most, if not all, folks same bullet found in Remington
Production Director – Becky Pinkley
are interested in “good, accurate” factory loads with a concave base.
Graphic Designer – Kimberly Hernandez
loads with powders and bullets on Winchester’s counterpart to
hand for the cartridge of interest. Remington measures .456 inch Contributing Editors
Many readers fail to state what and weighs in at 255 grains in Dave Scovill
they intend to use the load for, factory loads with a cone-shaped John Barsness Layne Simpson
which usually has a bearing on base cavity that until a few years John Haviland Stan Trzoniec
Rick Jamison R.H. VanDenburg, Jr.
bullet weight, powders and veloc- ago was available as a component. Brian Pearce Mike Venturino
ities. Hunting loads, for example, The Remington slug has a graph- Gil Sengel Terry Wieland
are often pushing maximum veloc- ite/waxy coating; the Winchester
ities and pressures. Recreational version features a clear lubricant Advertising
loads for target shooting, plinking, of some sort. Advertising Director: Tammy Rossi
hiking/foraging, midrange small To date, judging from the num- tammy@wolfepub.com
Advertising Representative: Tom Bowman
game loads, etc., don’t necessarily ber left in the third of three boxes bowman.t@sbcglobal.net
require top velocities but should of Remington RNFP bullets or- Advertising Representative: James Dietsch
shoot well, so they fall into a cat- dered from Huntington Die Spe- jamesdietsch@cox.net
egory that includes thousands of cialties over that last 30 years or Advertising Representative: Jeremiah Polacek
jeremiah@wolfepub.com
loads developed over the years in so, I’ve shot something close to Advertising Information: 1-800-899-7810
handguns and rifles. Collectively, 2,300 of them in various smokeless
they fall into the “utility” category. and black-powder loads. Circulation
An example of a utility bullet in Early interest in the Remington Circulation Manager: Marie Wolf
the .45 Colt is the almost ancient factory loads with the 250-grain marie@wolfepub.com
Subscription Information: 1-800-899-7810
Remington 250-grain, .455-inch, swaged-lead RNFP was sparked in www.handloadermagazine.com
conical flatnose, swaged-lead slug 1973 by a Colt SAA with a new .45
Handloader® (ISSN 0017-7393) is published bi-
featured in Remington, Remington/ Colt cylinder and a 7.5-inch bar- monthly by Polacek Publishing Corporation, dba
UMC or UMC factory loads over rel from Numrich Arms, now Gun Wolfe Publishing Company (Don Polacek, Pres-
ident), 2180 Gulf-stream, Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona
various charges of black and Parts. The first three shots formed 86301. Telephone: (928) 445-7810. Periodical Post-
age paid at Prescott, Arizona, and additional mail-
smokeless powders for well over a tidy cluster at 20 yards or so, and ing offices. Subscription prices: U.S. possessions
140 years. Prior to the 1970s or they have been a standard go-to – single issue, $5.99; 6 issues, $22.97; 12 issues,
$39.00. Foreign and Canada – single issue, $5.99;
bullet in utility handloads since 6 issues $29.00; 12 issues, $51.00. Please allow 8-10
weeks for first issue. Advertising rates furnished
the first box of 1,000 was ordered on request. All rights reserved.
from Huntington. Change of address: Please give six weeks notice.
Send both the old and new address, plus mailing
In those days the standard .45 label if possible, to Circulation Dept., Handloader®
Colt slug was roundly respected, Magazine, 2180 Gulfstream, Ste. A, Prescott, Ari-
zona 86301. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
owing its diameter, weight and to Handloader®, 2180 Gulfstream, Ste. A, Prescott,
Arizona 86301.
reputation for penetration. Most Canadian returns: PM #40612608. Pitney Bowes,
of the would-be, up-and-coming P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.
experts, however, leaned toward Wolfe Publishing Co.
the standard 250- to 320-grain 2180 Gulfstream, Ste. A
Prescott, AZ 86301
cast semiwadcutters produced in Tel: (928) 445-7810 Fax: (928) 778-5124
Lyman, Ohas and RCBS moulds. © Polacek Publishing Corporation
The key word, of course, was “hard Publisher of Handloader® is not responsible for
mishaps of any nature that might occur from use
cast” – Brinell hardness number of published loading data or from recommenda-
(BHN) 12 to 16, Lyman No. 2 alloy tions by any member of The Staff. No part of this
publication may be reproduced without written
or wheelweights, or a mixture permission from the publisher. Publisher assumes
The Remington 250-grain RNFP bullet thereof, and the Lawrence mag- all North American Rights upon acceptance and
payment for all manuscripts. Although all possible
has been the standard in the .45 Colt num bullet alloy, 92-6-2 (lead/ care is exercised, the publisher cannot accept re-
sponsibility for lost or mutilated manuscripts.
for more than 140 years. antimony/tin), which is generally ac-
cepted as the standard today by Accuracy problems with my .455-inch slug, or casting bullets
commercial casting outfits. handloads early on were the result from a mould that dropped bullets
The gun of choice was the newly of not using cast bullets sized to fit at .455 to .456 inch, which, accord-
introduced (1971) Ruger Blackhawk the chamber throats, .456+ inch, ing to Ed Schmitt at Lyman, were
.45 Colt, that at the time had .451- and pre-1981 RCBS reloading dies rapidly becoming nonstandard
to .452-inch chamber throats and that did not size the case neck to owing the trend toward .452-inch
.451-inch barrel groove diameters. form a proper grip on a .452-inch bullets (Lyman mould 452424 ver-
Moreover, much of the enthusiasm diameter lead alloy bullet. That left sus 454424) in the more modern
surrounding the Ruger Blackhawk the Remington swaged-lead RNFP .45 Colts by Ruger, etc.
was its application for hunting big
game with stout hunting loads
up to 30,000 psi. All was well and
good but completely ignored Colt
SAA .45s, leaving the impression
that, as a well-known handgun ed-
itor told me at the time, to para-
phrase, no one in their right mind
would consider hunting with an
old Colt black-powder-era relic,
aka cowboy gun, with open sights
that was hardly appropriate for
small game or varmints, let alone
deer-sized game. Of course, that
also applied to Italian Colt repli-
cas, which had just started to sell
like hotcakes in Europe and North
America and by the early 1980s in-
spired the rapid spread of cowboy The .45 Colt Lyman 310 die expander measures .451 inch for use with Remington
action shooting (SASS). and Winchester swaged-lead bullets sized to .455 to .456 inch, respectively.
August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 7

ROCKDock™
Enter the old Lyman 310 tool
with a neck expander that mea-
Reloading Bench Docking sured .4515 inch as a stopgap mea-
Mount System sure to accommodate .455-inch
Checkmaker™ Remington bullets that reduced
Gas Check Forming
Dies the relatively soft swaged lead to
about .4535 inch when seated and
Patmarlins™ effectively duplicated the diame-
Patmarlins.com ter of bullets pulled from factory
loads. (Hollowbase bullets pulled
Traditional Fair Chase from pre-1970 Remington and Win-
From its inception until the early 1920s
Alaskan Game Hunts! chester RNFP loads measured .454 the Remington 250-grain RNFP had a
inch.) bowl-shaped, swaged-lead bullet with
•Brown Bear Eventually an early version of a hollow base (left). The current design
• Black Bear the Lyman/Keith-type 454424 SWC (right) has a concave base.
•Moose mould that dropped wheelweight
Sheep RiveR
hunting CampS alloy bullets at .455+ inch was lo- duced by modern carbide sizing
907-745-0479 cated. Since they offered a close
hunting@mtaonline.net dies that reduce bullet diameter
www.alaskan-brown-bear-hunts.com fit for the Colt and replicas thereof to .451 inch or slightly less.
with .456-inch chamber throats, To illustrate how things are not
they didn’t require sizing. As a always what they seem when load-
temporary measure, they were set ing cast and swaged lead bullets,
up in a Lyman lubricating tin with size an unfired case neck in a car-
melted graphite-base Lyman bul- bide die down to about where the
let lubricant deep enough to cover base of the bullet would be when
NOE Bullet Moulds is a premium manufacturer the lubrication groove. When the fully seated. Then use the standard
of bullet moulds and casting tools. lubricant cooled and hardened .449- to .450-inch neck expander
somewhat, they were cut out us- to bump the inside neck diameter
ing the neck end of a .45-70 case up with minimal bell on the case
with the head cut off, and bullets mouth, and seat a standard .451-
were driven out the opposite end, to 452-inch jacketed bullet.
Check Us Out, where the inside diameter was I use a Lyman .456-inch, .45-70
You Won’t Be Disappointed! honed out to .456 inch and pol- neck expander and a .455-inch,
ished. The whole process was a 230-grain Silvertip upside down
bit messy, but with those Lyman with the base flush with the case
454424, .455+ inch bullets seated mouth so it won’t be confused
in a .4535-inch case neck diameter with a loaded round. It is import-
with a mild crimp, accuracy with ant to note (1) the inside neck di-
relatively quick-burning powders ameter is routinely a bit less than
like W-231, Bullseye and Unique the diameter of the expander ow-
was clearly superior to the same ing neck spring back when the ex-
NOE Bullet Moulds LLC bullet sized to .452 inch or so and pander is withdrawn.
Use Code HL315 for 10% Discount
801-377-7289 seated in a typical .449- to .450- To begin, (2) measure the out-
www.noebulletmoulds.com inch inside neck diameter pro- side diameter of the case neck af-
ter seating the bullet. Subtracting
the known diameter of the jack-
Montana Bullet Works eted bullet, divide the difference
by 2 to yield the average case neck
• Large Selection of Handgun and Rifle wall thickness. For purposes out-
Calibers for the Serious Handloader lined here, I used a batch of fairly
recently manufactured Winchester
• Various Alloy and Hardness Options .45 Colt brass, sans cannelure,
• Premium Hand-Cast Bullets with a neck wall thickness of .095
to .105 inch when taking measure-
Montana Bullet Works ments spaced 45 to 90 degrees
P.O. Box 1109 • Bonner, MT 59823 apart around the circumference
of the case mouth.
www.MontanaBulletWorks.com With a jacketed bullet seated,
Bruce@MontanaBulletWorks.com (3) subtract the case wall thick-
ness from the outside neck diam-
eter to find the diameter of the measurements are taken carefully, ing it was .4745 inch. The differ-
bullet. With a jacketed bullet, the the case neck should be the same ence, less the averaged neck wall
calculated diameter should be the or quite close to what it was prior thickness equals roughly .4535
same as it was determined prior to seating the bullet. This indi- inch, revealing the new calculated
to seating. Using a cast or swaged- cates the amount of elasticity of diameter of the swaged lead bullet
lead bullet, the calculated new the case neck as bullets are seated to be .0015 inch less than the origi-
diameter will yield the amount and how it affects the diameter of nal diameter. Pull the swaged-lead
it was reduced by seating in the cast or swaged-lead bullets. bullet to reveal the new (actual)
somewhat undersized case neck. Cast or swaged-lead bullets will diameter after seating, which can
Then (4) use an inertial bullet measure from .001 to .004 inch vary slightly depending on how
puller to knock the bullet out of smaller in diameter than mea- much numbers are rounded off in
the case. Measure the outside di- surements taken prior to seating, calculations and measurements.
ameter of the case neck again. If depending on the strength or hard- Repeating the above with the
ness of the bullet alloy and the ac- .455-inch Remington bullet seated
tual inside neck diameter after the in an inside neck diameter of .450
expander is withdrawn during siz- inch, about standard for brass
ing (refer to 1). sized in post-1980s .45 Colt car-
With the jacketed Silvertip noted bide dies, the pulled bullet mea-
above, the first outside neck diam- sured .452 inch.
eter measured .474 inch; with the Having done all the above with
bullet seated upside down it mea- Elmer Keith’s 429421 bullet cast
sured .476 inch. Subtracting the from his alloy that was based on
bullet diameter, .455 inch, yields an melted down 405-grain .45-70 bul-
average neck wall thickness of .010 lets – tin-to-lead alloy of 1:16, BHN
inch, i.e., 20 divided by 2. 8 – sized to .430 inch, as per his in-
Prior to seating a Reming- structions in SIXGUNS by Keith,
The outside neck diameter of this ton .455-inch swaged lead bullet the bullet was seated after using
Remington factory .45 Colt load seated upside down, outside neck a .426-inch neck expander that
measures .4745 inch. diameter was .474 inch; after seat- (Continued on page 69)

CUtting Case neCks
PRACTICAL HANDLOADING by Rick Jamison
W hen forming shorter cases from long parent
cases, a good portion of brass must sometimes
be removed from a newly elongated neck, as in mak-
ing .22-250 Remington cases from .30-06 brass. This
same long-neck situation may come about when form-
ing various wildcat cartridges. Sometimes .30 or .40
inch of neck must be removed; too much to take off
with a conventional case trimmer.
RCBS makes a case forming (form-and-trim) die for
the purpose. The top surface of this die is file-hardened
so that neither hacksaw teeth nor file will cut into the
die metal. In use, the die is threaded into a conven-
tional loading press so that a shellholder contacts the
bottom of the die when the ram is at or near the top of Above, RCBS makes a case forming die. The case is run into
the stroke. Then the ram forces a properly lubed case the die until the shellholder contacts the bottom of the die.
all the way into the die, forming it. The case neck ex- The case protruding above the die is then cut off. Below,
tending above the die is cut off with a hacksaw as close after using a hacksaw to remove the bulk of the brass, a
to the die as possible. Next, the remainder of the brass bastard file is used to remove the rest, making it flush with
is filed flush and smooth with the top of the die. The the top of the die.
case mouth is then chamfered inside and out, and the
neck is reamed or turned if necessary.
Years ago, the late Fred Huntington, founder of
RCBS, gave demonstrations wherein he illustrated the
use of the form-and-trim die. One quick, smooth swipe
with a sharp hacksaw blade can remove the bulk of
the brass, with the cut-off neck flying across the floor.
That operation is impressive to an audience not used
to seeing it done. (Fred was a great showman.)
The process results in a square neck after filing
flush. You can even use the method as a case trimmer
if you want. If the case is run all the way into the die,
it will be trimmed to the correct length.
The down side is that when there are a lot of
cases to cut and file, it takes a fair amount of time
and filing effort; enough that your hands and wrists
can tire. After using various form-and-trim dies to
shorten thousands of cases over the years, I found a
better way.
Harbor Freight sells a DrillMaster Mini Cut-Off
Saw with a 2-inch blade for about $35 that is great for
cutting brass case necks, and it comes with a built-in
vise. The unit is made of lightweight material not in-
tended for heavy duty work; it is perfect, however,
for cutting case necks. The problem is that the vise is
not ideal for holding cases, nor does it have a means
for case length repeatability. Enter handloader Wayne
Myers who made a case-holding fixture for his own
use, cutting .223 Remington cases to make .300 AAC
Blackout brass. His fixture is a small aluminum block The small, inexpensive Mini Cut-Off Saw is available from
machined as shown in accompanying photos. A hole Harbor Freight. It takes a circular blade 2 inches in diameter.

of the proper diameter is drilled to depth lengthwise is pulled out of the block, another is inserted and the
in the aluminum. A case is dropped base first into sawing action is repeated. Once adjusted, it is fast and
the bottom of the block’s cavity. The block with case easy to cut cases. It makes no difference the length
is slid laterally between the saw’s vise jaws until the of the brass to be removed; the time required is the
proper cutoff length is attained. The block is then same.
clamped in the vise jaws. I checked mouths for squareness by putting some
In use, finger pressure on the side of the case ex- sawed cases into a form and trim die that I had been
posed through the window keeps it firmly seated at using. The case mouths were as square as those
the base of the internal cavity. The high-speed saw made in the form-and-trim die. The Mini Cut-Off Saw
is then started and the blade lowered onto the case cuts so cleanly that I started using it for simple trim-
neck, cutting it quickly and cleanly. The trimmed case ming operations where only a small amount of brass
The fine-tooth saw leaves a smooth surface with almost no

The aluminum block shown is from Myers Fabrication as burrs. When the case is cut it is slipped out of the block and
placed in the saw’s vise. another is slipped in for cutting. It is fast to use.

Gentry Quiet Muzzle Brakes
Dealers Welcome —
406-388-4867
www.GentryCustom.com
The .22-250 Remington case in the

front was shortened in a form-and-trim
die and finished with a file. The .350
Jamison case in the back was cut with
the Mini Cut-Off Saw. Note the burrs
resulting from the form-and-trim die
that do not occur with the saw.
is removed. The blade’s teeth are

so sharp and fine that it removes
even a thin donut of brass without
Get Trim . . . burrs on the case mouth.
Accompanying photos show the
. . .with the case-holding fixture and how it
works. If you do not want to go to
“World’s Finest Trimmer” the trouble of making a case-hold-
6593 113th Ave. NE, Suite C The WFT is designed for ing block, contact Myers Fabrica-
Spicer, MN 56288 trimming bottle-neck tion, Inc. at 90020 Prairie Road,
Tel: (320) 796-0530 cartridges powered by Eugene, OR 97402 or wmyers@
info@littlecrowgunworks.com your hand held drill. myersfab.com. The cost is $19.99
• The Original WFT –
for any conventional rifle or hand-
Single caliber trimmer (3/8” shaft) gun case diameter. He is now
available for .17 through .338
calibers. $69.95
making blocks with a screw/bolt
• The WFT2 –
adjustment in the base to take the
Interchangeable caliber trimmer tedium out of case length setup.
(1/2” shaft) available for .17
through .45 calibers.
Simply clamp the block in the vise,
Housing Assembly - $69.95 insert a case then adjust and lock
Chambers sold separately - $24.95
the bolt to cut the proper case
• The “Big Boy” WFT –
50 BMG model also available length. This is easier than trying
We currently manufacture more
to slide and clamp the block to a
than 150 different calibers precise length.
WFT provides accurate
Starting at I have used the block with only
and consistent results,
rimless rifle cases of a minimum
GUARANTEED!
After a dozen cases you
$69.95 taper. I do not know how square a
should be an expert! cut would be with a rimmed case,
Visit our website for example, since the rim would
www.littlecrowgunworks.com tilt the case in the block cavity.
to order and view video demonstrations,
Perhaps a sleeve could be made to
instructions and additional products. slip over the case body and hold it
squarely in the block. •
GOING STRONG FOR
75 YEARS.
Only RCBS has the design thinking and precision engineering to stake the claim of a true
original. With uncompromising craftsmanship and a dedication to service in the name of
accuracy, RCBS stands alone as the brand of choice for serious reloaders and shooters
everywhere. RCBS delivers where others stop short in design and execution. Truth is, there
are no shortcuts to better shots, there is only expertise honed over time. From first measure
to the last shot, there is no substitute for achieving the world’s most accurate shots with RCBS.
It’s time to reload with the original in precision.
LEARN MORE AT RCBS.COM

RUgeR new Model
BlaCkhawk ConveRtiBle
.38-40 winChesteR
BULLETS & BRASS by Brian Pearce
Q: I have been a reader of Hand-
loader magazine since 2013 and Vihtavuori powders work well
really appreciate your articles. I with 180-grain bullets shot
just bought a new “old production” from strong .38-40 revolvers
Ruger New Model Blackhawk con- such as the Ruger New Model
Blackhawk and USFA SAA.
vertible in .38-40 Winchester and
10mm Auto. In referencing the en-
closed paperwork, Ruger states
that the gun can be used with
“38-40 regular and high speed”
ammunition. All of the data that
I have found for this caliber are
for Cowboy Action Shooting with
low pressures and low velocities.
Could you please offer some hand-
load data for the 175-grain cast
bullet from Lee mould #TL401-175-
SWC crimped in the first groove,
as well as data with 180-grain
jacketed bullets. The powders that
I have on hand include Hodgdon
Titegroup, Vihtavuori N-110, N-340 sometime prior to 1905, with the loads were recommended for Win-
and Vectan SP2. strong Winchester Model 1892 and chester Model 1873 rifles or any
Thanks in advance for your Marlin Model 1894 rifles (and revolver. It is unclear exactly
reply. With my best regards. others) available, Winchester in- when all of the high-velocity loads
- P.G., Switzerland troduced a Special High Velocity were discontinued, but it appears
A: I am unsure what .38-40 “high .38-40 load labeled “.38 WCF that most vanished during World
speed” ammunition Ruger would W.H.V.” with a muzzle velocity War II or soon thereafter. How-
have been referring to, as those advertised at 1,776 fps. Varia- ever, into the 1970s there were
loads (in factory form from Win- tions of this load were soon of- 180-grain factory loads adver-
chester and Remington) have fered that included 130-, 150- and tised from a rifle at 1,330 fps, or
not been produced for more than 160-grain bullets, but in 1938 a 975 fps from a revolver, but they
70 years and are highly collect- 145-grain load was offered that were not listed as “high speed.”
ible today. Just for the record, exceeded 2,000 fps. None of these Today’s factory loads are gen-
erally loaded with a 180-grain
JSP bullet at 1,160 fps from a
rifle but only yield around 700 to
800 fps in most revolvers.
Your Ruger New Model Black-
hawk is built on the “44” cylin-
der frame and is therefore very
strong and certainly capable of
handling notably greater pres-
sures and velocities than current
factory loads. I have had experi-
ence with the Ruger .38-40, with
my sample proving extremely ac-
curate with select loads.
Since you don’t state what ve-
locity you are trying to achieve,
select loads offered reach 1,000 to powder, it yielded 848 fps, while
1,200 fps and are intended only for 10.0 grains achieved 880 fps, 10.5
nobody
the Winchester Model 1892, Mar- grains, 923 fps, and 11.5 grains
lin Model 1894, your Ruger New produced 1,006 fps. Switching to
messes
Model Blackhawk Convertible and VV-N350, 11.0 grains gave 1,015
U.S.-manufactured USFA SAA- fps, 11.5 grains 1,051 fps, 12.0
pattern revolvers. These loads grains reached 1,073 fps and 12.5
with
should not be used in Colt Single grains hit 1,100 fps.
Action Army revolvers or other an- These velocities were recorded
tique designs. from a USFA Pre-War revolver
heather.
I suggest using Starline cases with a 5.5-inch barrel. I hope this
with CCI 300 Large Pistol prim- information helps, and I am glad
ers. Using 175-grain cast bullets that you are enjoying our mag-
from Lee mould TL401-175-SWC, azine.
start with 9.5 grains of Vi- BRowning BlR lightweight
htavuori N340 for 990 fps, while .450 M aRlin
10.5 grains will give you 1,118 Q: I recently obtained a new Brown-
fps. Increasing that charge to 11.0 ing BLR LT WT (Lightweight)
grains will produce 1,189 fps. Stainless chambered in .450 Mar-
I realize that in Switzerland lin with a 20-inch barrel. I have
your powder selection is limited, been very pleased with the accu-
but you should have all Vihtavuori racy using Hornady’s 350-grain
powders readily available. So factory loads. I mounted a 1.5-5x
I also developed loads with the Leupold VX-3 scope, and at 100
above bullet using VV-N350 and yards, groups below one inch are
VV-3N37 powders. Using VV-N350, more common than groups that
start with 11.0 grains for 1,049 measure over one inch, with the
fps, then work up to a maximum latter probably being my fault.
charge of 12.5 grains for 1,280 I would like a load that will al-
fps. Using VV-3N37, start with low me to duplicate the velocity
10.5 grains for 909 fps and work and accuracy of factory loads but
up to 12.5 grains for 1,170 fps. would also like to try a cast bul-
Regarding discontinued 180- let that weighs between 400 to 430
grain Winchester or Remington grains for larger game. Any loads
jacketed bullets with a crimp can- that you can suggest would be
nelure, they have been difficult greatly appreciated.
to obtain for many years – even - J.Y., via e-mail
in the U.S. In developing data for A: Using the Hornady 350-grain
you, I used the Hornady .400- flatpoint bullet, start with 45.0
inch, 180-grain XTP-HP bullet grains of Hodgdon H-4198 (the
consequently,
nobody
but rolled a crimp cannelure into same powder used by Hornady
it. Using 9.5 grains of VV-N340 in its factory loads) and work
Hodgdon H-4198 powder will duplicate

misses
either.
Hornady’s .450 Marlin factory loads.
– heather cooper –
Quality Control Leadperson,
Sierra Bullets
www.sierrabullets.com
800.223.8799

up to a maximum charge of 48.5
grains. From a Marlin Guide Gun Alliant Bullseye,
Hodgdon Titegroup
with an 18.5-inch barrel, that and Accurate No. 2
load yielded 1,842 fps, which is powders are good
very similar to the velocities pro- choices for 200-grain
duced by Hornady factory loads. accuracy loads in the
These loads were developed with .45 ACP.
a Winchester Large Rifle primer.
For a cast bullet load, try RCBS
mould 45-405-FN that was de-
signed for leverguns and features
a gas check. From my mould and
Lyman No. 2 alloy, with gas check
installed, it weighs 415 grains. I
would start your load develop-
ment with 44.0 grains of Alli-
ant Reloder 7 powder and work
up to a maximum charge of 48.0
grains, which yielded 1,875 fps in
the Marlin rifle mentioned above.
.45 aCP Cast BUllet loads with making as tight of group as top accuracy with this bullet? I am
Q: I recently obtained a new STI possible. I shoot considerably and looking for around 800 to 850 fps
Model 1911 Trojan chambered in therefore want to use cast bullets velocity.
.45 ACP. The accuracy and reli- for longer barrel life. I have settled - R.M., via e-mail
ability of this gun have been out- on bullets from Hensley & Gibbs A: For your application, fast-
standing (the only modification mould No. 68, supplied to me by burning pistol powders will be
was to change the front sight). I a local caster with a 15 BHN. Can the best choice, with examples in-
especially enjoy offhand shoot- you suggest a couple of loads that cluding Alliant Bullseye, Red Dot,
ing and the challenges associated will give low extreme spreads and American Select, Accurate No. 2,
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Hodgdon Titegroup, Ramshot Zip 420-grain cast bullet at around 850
and similar powders. I suggest be- to 900 fps, which I believe I can
ginning with 4.0 grains of Tite- handle and may end up using it on
group and work up to 4.5 grains an upcoming whitetail deer hunt.
for around 860 fps. You can also In referencing some old data that
try 4.7 grains of Accurate No. 2 was developed back in the 1980s, I
for 830 fps or 4.5 grains of Bulls- was getting high extreme spreads
eye for the same velocity. You will and lots of unburned powder resi-
not see large accuracy differences due. Then it dawned on me to ask
with different primers; however, you for better data.
I believe Federal 150 Gold Medal The powders that I have on
primers will be a top choice. hand include Alliant 2400, Unique,
While there is an industry spec- Bullseye, Hodgdon HS-6 and H-110.
ification as to overall cartridge I would be willing to purchase
length, to help increase accuracy other powders if necessary. The
it is suggested to seat bullets so 420-grain cast bullet that I have on
that the shoulder is just barely off hand in very limited quantities is
the leade of your gun (assuming no longer available. Can you sug-
that the STI Trojan is the only gun gest a supplier for an LBT-style
that you will fire these loads in). bullet of that same weight?
.500 lineBaUgh deeR loads Thanks for your help.
Q: Many years ago I had John Line- - P.G., via e-mail
baugh convert a Ruger New Model A: Using a Hunters Supply (hunters-
Blackhawk Bisley to .500 Line- supply.com) .511-inch, 420-grain
baugh. It is a beautifully built gun flatpoint cast bullet, start with 9.7
with a 5.5-inch barrel, barrel band, grains of Alliant Unique powder
etc., and it shoots better than I can for 860 fps, or bump the charge to
hold. I used to shoot it regularly 10.3 grains for 900 fps (from a
with 440-grain bullets pushed 5.5-inch barrel). These loads were
to over 1,300 fps. But eventually assembled in Starline cases and
it got pushed to the back of the were ignited with CCI 300 prim-
safe, as my aging hands don’t ers, which produced impressive
handle the recoil like they did 30 extreme spreads of around 10 fps
years ago. and were very accurate in my test
After reading your articles on revolver.
the virtues of reduced sixgun Thanks for taking the time to
loads, I decided to dig it out and write, and I hope your deer hunt
try to develop some loads using a is successful. •
Alliant Unique is an excellent choice for

reduced loads in the .500 Linebaugh.

8x60MM
CARTRIDGE BOARD by Gil Sengel
O rigin of the 8x60mm car-
tridge is unique in the annals
of ammunition design. Riflefolk
because they were well made, 1
affordable and reliable. Man-
ufacture of such arms was
2 3 4 5
were not asking for a larger or soon allowed, but not in

smaller caliber than some other 7.9x57. Popularity of the
popular round. There was no cry 7.9mm caliber, plus all the
for higher velocity; no demand existing 7.9x57 rifles, led to a
for greater energy to better take brilliant solution.
“thousand-pound greater unicorns.” References vary. Some
Strange? Yes, because the 8x60 credit named and unnamed
was created not by ballistic need, Mauser employees while oth-
but by treaty. ers believe known or unknown
We all know the Treaty of Ver- gunsmiths originated the idea.
sailles, signed in the summer of At this late date it is probably
1919, fixed the terms of peace end- impossible to know for sure.
ing World War I. It was composed Nevertheless, first the body
of 15 parts, the fifth part was for of the 7.9x57 was lengthened
German armaments. There are dif- 3mms. Then shoulder angle
fering versions of how this actually was increased slightly, creat- Early cartridges include a (1) 7.9x57 with
played out, but German ownership ing a neck just over one bullet a roundnose bullet, (2) 7.9x57 spitzer
load, (3) 8x60, a (4) .318 Westley
and manufacture of rifles and am- diameter in length. Thus was Richards and the (5) 8mm-06 wildcat.
munition for the 7.9x57mm (8mm born the 8x60mm, also called
Mauser) military round was not the 8x60 Mauser. Germany now require a new, longer action to be
allowed. Since the 7.9x57 had be- had a cartridge for which 7.9mm built – a very expensive undertak-
come popular as a hunting car- rifles could be made and existing – or bullets seated deeply in
tridge, there were many sporting ing 7.9x57 sporting rifles recham- the case.
rifles in civilian hands. This posed bered. Also, firing 7.9x57 military All, however, was not as it ap-
a problem. ammunition was prevented by peared. When the 7.9x57 cartridge
Germany also had a reputation the far greater headspace of the was designed for Germany’s Model
for manufacturing fine sporting new round. Attempting this would 1888 Commission Rifle it fired a
arms, the export of which pro- cause complete head separation, long, parallel-sided, 227-grain jack-
vided a lot of jobs. Mauser sport- blowout the floorplate, shatter eted roundnose bullet. Cartridge
ing rifles were especially prized the stock and possibly injure the length was 3.25 inches. The new
shooter. It would definitely be a M98 rifle that replaced the M88
The 8x60 case one-time event! used the same cartridge. In 1903
(left) is easily Students of the bolt rifle are a 154-grain pointed bullet was
made from
.30-06 brass
now thinking that this solution adopted. It was shorter than the
(right) by can’t be real because the M98 old bullet, so cartridge length de-
sizing in a rifle’s magazine was designed creased to about 3.16 inches. Be-
8x60 die and specifically for the 7.9x57 cartridge cause the M98 action was in full
trimming the length. Adding to case length would production, the magazine length
case to length.
The 7.9x57 military

round (top) and 8x60
(bottom) show why
the 8x60 fits in a
standard M98 Mauser
magazine despite its
longer case.

8x60S Handloads
overall
loaded
bullet powder charge primer length velocity remarks
(grains) (grains) (inches) (fps)
170 Speer semi-spitzer IMR-4895 48.0 CCI 200 3.150 2,547

IMR-4064 49.0 2,515
50.0 2,578
IMR-4350 55.0 CCI 250 2,488 near maximum
56.0 2,506 maximum
H-4831 57.0 2,364
200 Speer spitzer IMR-4064 48.0* CCI 200 3.200 2,377
50.0* Rem. 9½ 2,550 maximum
IMR-4350 53.0 CCI 250 2,388 near maximum
IMR-4831 55.0* 2,460 compressed
* RWS case
Notes: A Type “A” original Mauser with a 24-inch barrel and open sights was used to test all loads. Norma
cases were used throughout except where noted; .323-inch groove diameter bullets were used throughout.
For more data on this cartridge please visit LoadData.com.
Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test firearms used.
Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while watching for pressure signs.
was not changed. Also, hunting groove diameter of .3188 inch. Bul-
bullets for this caliber at the time lets taken from ammunition made
were rather blunt softpoints and at the time were .3177 to .3189
thus shorter than the extremely inch, or 8.07 to 8.10mm.
pointed military spitzers. Maga- Unfortunately, the early smoke-
zine length was entirely adequate less powders were hot-burning and
for the 8x60. very erosive. The long bearing sur-
Now we must cover bullet/barrel face of the steel jacket roundnose
groove diameters because these bullet caused pressure to build to
can cause an extremely danger- dangerous levels in heat-rough-
ous condition when coupled with ened bores. Cartridge cases and
both new rifles and those recham- barrels failed, wrecking rifles and
bered from 7.9x57. Sixty years ago injuring shooters. The fix was just
this was somewhat well known. to cut the rifling deeper, allowing
Today its a new concept for most a bit of gas leakage and decreas-
shooters. ing pressure. Groove diameter in-
Basically, the 7.9 figure in the creased from .3188 inch (8.1mm)
7.9x57 cartridge name is the bore to .3228 inch (8.2mm).
diameter in millimeters, which is Newly made military rifles were
the diameter of the reamed hole quickly given barrels of the new
through the barrel before rifling. internal dimensions, and existing
It becomes the land-to-land di- rifles were pulled out of service
ameter after rifling. This figure for rebarreling. The sporting rifle
is also the caliber, which is .311 trade, however, was not so eas-
inch. Checking many military and ily converted. Hunting guns were
sporting arms over the years has fired far, far less than military
shown this to be spot on. rifles. They did not suffer the same
Rifling depth in the M88 Com- problems. Small gunmakers did
mission Rifle was .00394 inch not change dimensions.
(.10 mm) per groove. This gave a Then when the lighter weight
Gil’s rifle is marked “8x60S.”
spitzer bullet was adopted, its di-
ameter was increased to .323 inch
(8.2mm) to fit the “new” groove di-
ameter! Couple this with reports
that contractors making Mauser
M98 military rifles offered count-
less existing smaller-grooved bar-
rels and barrel blanks to the trade
at bargain prices to avoid scrap-
ping them. Thus, it is no surprise

that sporting rifles
All 7.9mm sporting rifles made before
in any cartridge of
World War II should have the bores
7.9mm caliber made slugged to determine groove diameter.
in Germany could
have either groove
diameter – right
up to World War II.
All such rifles must
have their barrels
slugged to deter-
mine groove diam-
eter if it’s not know
for certain.
It was into this environment The original load of the 8x60
that the 8x60 was launched. Two is given as a 196-grain bullet at
different groove diameters obvi- 2,443 fps yielding some 2,600 foot-
ously required cartridges loaded pounds (ft-lbs) of muzzle energy.
with both bullet diameters. Those Somewhat enigmatic are DWM
using the smaller size had the suf- 8x60S Magnum loads showing a
fix “J” added to the cartridge name, 187-grain softpoint at 2,788 fps and
as in 8x60J. The letter “J” is a cor- an 8x60S Magnum Bombe giving
ruption of the German “I,” which the same bullet 2,820 fps – impres-
looks like a “J” and was applied to sive figures for the 1920s.
the original 7.9x57 Infanterie (in- Modern powders allowed RWS
fantry) military loading as 7.9x57J; to offer the 187-grain softpoint
this was long before there was any at 2,810 fps for 3,275 ft-lbs of en-
indication there would be two bul- ergy, and a 196-grain softpoint at
let sizes. When the larger bullet 2,580 fps and 2,890 ft-lbs a few
did come along it was indicated by years back. Such numbers make
an “S,” as 7.9x57JS, or in the case it roughly equivalent to the .30-
here, 8x60S. 06 or the American 8mm-06 wild-
Despite the confusion that de- cat. Today I’m told ammunition is
veloped in the U.S. (Germans and still available in Europe, but it is a
other Europeans weren’t con- hunting cartridge, so it may only
fused) the 8x60 succeeded in its be loaded as demand requires.
mission. Countless 7.9x57 sport- Huntington Die Specialties, how-
ing rifles were converted, though ever, has Prvi Partizan 8x60s
not all of them are so-marked, al- headstamped brass in stock. I
lowing them to be legally owned hope it is forever so, because
in Germany. The 8x60 was also those beautiful lightweight sport-
available in a rimmed version ing rifles constructed so long ago
(with both bullet sizes) to convert by skilled hands from wood and
doubles, combination guns and steel belong in the field and not the
single shots. gun safe. •
Gil’s 6.5-pound 8x60S is probably a rechambered 7.9x57.

aCCURate 2460
PROPELLANT PROFILES by R.H. VanDenburg, Jr.
O ver the past year this column
has been used to review Ac-
curate Powder Company’s dou-
ern has brought Accurate’s ex-
truded, single-base powders closer
to home by manufacturing them
ble-base spherical powders that at the General Dynamics facility
have been moved from their Eu- in Ontario, Canada, where IMR
ropean source back home to the powders are made. Now the dou-
U.S. and are now manufactured in ble-base powders have followed
Florida by St. Marks Powders. In- suit – the St. Marks plant is also a
cluded in the move were Accurate part of General Dynamics.
2230, 2460 and 2520, along with When A-2230 and A-2520 were
Ramshot X-Terminator. reviewed in recent issues, the one
The Accurate Powder Company, thing that stood out was that in
formerly a part of Accurate Arms each case the St. Marks versions
of McEwen, Tennessee, has been a were very slightly slower burn-
part of Western Powders of Miles ing than their Belgium-made pre-
City, Montana, since 2004. Most of decessors. In the case of A-2460,
Accurate’s powders were imported comparing an older lot on hand
at various times from Israel, the made in Belgium to the new St.
Czech Republic, Belgium and even Marks Powders lot just received,
South Africa. In recent years West- the two lots appear to perform
similarly, with the new lot being
a few feet per second slower; not
enough, certainly, to not follow
Western’s published load data pre-
cisely.
Specifically, Accurate 2460 is
a double-base, spherical powder
with a nitroglycerin content of
10 percent. Its diameter is listed
as .022 inch, the same as A-2230
and A-2520. Bulk density is given .10-inch squares
as .990 g/cc. The burning rate,
according to Western, is a tick Accurate 2460
slower than IMR-3031 and similar Select Loads
to, or slightly faster than, Hodg- cartridge bullet charge velocity
don BL-C(2), Winchester 748 and (grains) (grains) (fps)
Vihtavuori N133. .222 Remington 50 24.3* 3,171

In perusing the new Western .223 Remington 50 26.0* 3,389
Powders Handloading Guide, .22-250 Remington 55 36.0 3,664
Edition 1, I found 37 cartridges .30-30 Winchester 150 32.5 2,182
paired with Accurate 2460, from .308 Winchester 150 45.5 2,780
the .17 Remington Fireball to the .303 British 150 44.0 2,658
.458 Winchester Magnum. As so of- 8mm Mauser 150 51.0 2,901
ten happens, the list of cartridges 170 49.0 2,703
varies a bit from earlier manuals * Remington 7½ Small Rifle primers
in places, dropping a cartridge Notes: Federal 210GM Large Rifle primers were
used except where noted.
here and picking up one there.
For more data on these cartridges please visit
Still, the list is impressive. All of LoadData.com.
the loads listed here are within Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors
in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test
Western’s published parameters. firearms used. Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and
When reviewing A-2460 a de- work up while watching for pressure signs.

cade ago, six cartridges were high- with 26.0 grains produced a very
lighted. This time I’ve selected respectable 3,389 fps and equally
•275 Rigby •348 Win. •25 Rem. seven, adding two and dropping impressive groups. In the .22-250
•7x61 S&H •284 Win. •30 Rem. one. The first cartridge this time Remington, a Sierra 55-grain Var-
•303 Savage •350 Rem. •32 Rem. is the .222 Remington. I limited minter was used. Accurate recom-
•8x68 S •455 Webley
•9.3x64 •350 Rem.
bullet choice to a Barnes 50-grain mends slower powders with this
•8mm Nambu Varmin-A-Tor. Most of Accurate’s cartridge, but performance was
•32-40 Win. maximum velocities with several quite good.
•25-20 WCF powders were very similar, and my Moving up to a popular hunting
rifle’s velocities were very close. cartridge, the .30-30 Winchester,
Accuracy was, as expected, quite in a Model 94 with a 20-inch bar-
satisfactory. In the larger .223 rel, 32.5 grains under a Speer
Remington, the same bullet paired 150-grain bullet almost matched
the previous effort with the same
components. Earlier I had re-
corded 2,192 fps; this time veloc-
ity was 2,182 fps. That’s close
enough. This is a pretty good com-
bination, although slightly faster
powders may produce higher ve-
locities. I wouldn’t ignore this
one without trying it. In another
popular cartridge, the .308 Win-
chester, published maximum pow-
der charges for 150-grain bullets
have increased a little bit, as did
my listed load, up .5 grain from
my previous report. This time,
with 45.5 grains under a Sierra
150-grain bullet, I found a most
pleasant load that was consistent
and accurate. For heavier bul-
lets I’d go with a slower powder.
Earlier manuals hinted at using
A-2460 with light bullets in the .30-
06. This time there is no such pair-
ing, a decision I support.
In previous manuals A-2460
was not used in the .303 British.
This time data appears for 125-,
150- and 180-grain bullets. For
deer-sized game I often select a
Sierra 150-grain spitzer, so that
is what I worked with here in a
Ruger No. 1 with a 22-inch barrel.
Results were a bit off Western’s
24-inch barrel data but were cer-
tainly within any requirement for
short- to moderate-range hunting.
For heavier bullets A-2520 is likely
a better choice.
One of the cartridges I enjoy
hunting with is the 8mm Mauser.
I have two: a WWII-era Model 98K
Mauser and a modern Remington
Model 700 Classic. The Mauser is
stock and in excellent condition. I
tricked-out the Remington with a
Timney trigger and a replacement
Remington firing pin assembly.
The changes are definite improve-
ments both in trigger control and
lock time. In the last A-2460 re-
view I listed only a 170-grain bul-
let. This time I added one of 150s
as that is the weight I generally
use. If using these loads in the
Mauser, I would probably throttle
the powder charges back a grain
or two in deference to the rifle’s
age and unknown heat-treating
provenance. In the Mauser, mod-
est loads, often with cast bullets,
serve nicely.
In the previous review I la-
mented the absence of .45-70 data
with A-2460. In researching Accu-
rate’s literature I’ve not found any
listing of the powder in this car-
tridge, but since it is, for all intents
and purposes, a slightly slower
version of A-2230, it seemed as if
it might work. To this end I found
a load of 49.0 grains under a
Sierra 300-grain HP duplicated the
old Winchester Hi Power load of
1,880 fps in a Marlin 1895 Cowboy
with a 26-inch barrel. I don’t shoot
this load often as the Marlin only
weighs 7.25 pounds, but it cer-
tainly worked. My typical Marlin
loads contain cast bullets at tra-
ditional trapdoor velocities – quite
pleasant to shoot.
In reviewing Accurate data I no-
ticed that Western has reduced its
A-2230 maximums with 300-grain
bullets in the .45-70 cartridge. I as-
sume this was done as a result of
improved laboratory pressure-test-
ing techniques being developed,
and it seems prudent to cut back
that 49.0 grain load with A-2460 to
47.0 grains; still not a bad load, but
slightly slower. Different rifles may
react differently to the change, but
in this case accuracy remained the
same and recoil was reduced a bit
– not a bad tradeoff.
Western refers to A-2460 as a
derivative of its notable A-2230.
An opportunity to fine tune good
loads and make them better is how
the company expressed it. I sus-
pect this is a good way to look at
A-2460: not necessarily a needed
powder, but one that can help to
improve some A-2230 loads. Once
tried, a handloader may wonder
how he ever did without it. •
gloCk 27 gen 4 .40 s&w
FROM THE HIP by Brian Pearce
W hen the Glock Model 17
autoloading 9mm pistol
was introduced in 1983, it clearly
demonstrated significant inno-
vation; however, many skep-
tics questioned how the polymer
frame could possibly hold up to
continuous usage. The unusual
(but not new) “safe action” safety
built into the trigger caused con-
cern among some traditionalists.
However, as pistols began selling
in large quantities in other coun-
tries and the U.S., the Glock began
proving itself to be extremely reli-
able, tough as nails and accurate.
They have endured extensive tor- The Glock 27 Gen 4 .40 S&W was shot with a variety of factory loads and handloads.
ture testing by being subjected to
salt water, sand and dirt, high-vol- earned an outstanding reputation gevity and function while offering
ume shooting durability tests and among combat veterans. They good ergonomics. The Glock “safe
have even been dropped from air- are not handsome or pleasing to action” is not only a constant op-
planes. Still, they continued to the eye; rather they are tools de- erating system that results in what
function reliably. Glocks have also signed for extreme reliability, lon- is commonly referred to as “dou-
ble-action only,” but they also in-
clude a trigger safety, firing pin
The frame is
safety and drop safety. Due to its
constructed of relatively simple operation, the
tough polymer Glock is an extremely good pistol
that serves to for training new shooters.
keep weight Glock pistol sales quickly soared
down. worldwide, with the first U.S. sales
beginning in 1986. Competing hand-
Glock 27 Gen 4 .40 S&W Handloads gun manufacturers had to scramble
overall 4-shot
loaded 20-yard
bullet
(grains)
powder charge
(grains)
length
(inches)
velocity
(fps)
group
(inches) Glock 27 Gen 4
155 Hornady XTP Power Pistol 7.2 1.130 1,056 2.15 Specifications
165 Speer Gold Dot HP CFE Pistol 6.0 1.125 959 2.40 Caliber: .40 S&W
6.5 1,029 2.25 Barrel Length: 3.42 inches
180 Nosler JHP Power Pistol 6.7 1.130 1,003 2.60 Finish: Gas nitride
CFE Pistol 6.3 991 2.45 Rifling: Right hand, hexagonal
Factory loads Capacity: 9+1 standard, optional extended
155 Black Hills JHP (1,050*) 1,033 2.10 13 and 15
165 Blazer FMJ (1,100*) 1,070 3.05 Trigger Pull: 5.5 pounds
165 Hornady Critical Defense FTX (1,045*) 1,032 2.20 Trigger Travel: .049 inch
180 Federal American Eagle FMJ (1,000*) 966 2.35 Sights: White outline drift adjustable rear,
* stated velocity white dot front
Notes: A Glock 27 Gen 4 .40 S&W with a 3.42-inch barrel was used to test all loads. CCI 500 primers and Safety: Safe Action System includes trigger
Starline cases were used throughout. Trim-to case length: .845 inch; maximum length: .850 inch. safety, firing pin safety and
For more data on this cartridge please visit LoadData.com. drop safety
Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while watching for pressure signs. MSRP: $599

Chambered in .40 S&W, the Glock 27 Gen 4 is compact
while providing a nine-shot magazine capacity plus one in Several accurate handloads were developed using Hornady,
the chamber. Speer and Nosler bullets.
to develop similar designs; how- options for additional cost; how- but as a long-time, double-action
ever, the Glock has continued to ever, the test gun was fitted with revolver shooter, it is not difficult
be a dominant option among poly- a standard, white-outlined rear to manage in either slow-fire or
mer-frame pistols. With more than sight with a white dot front. rapid-fire strings. One tip that will
170 variations, continued improve- Glock lists the trigger pull at decrease “time” between shots in-
ments to the product line as well as 5.5 pounds. Due to the trigger and cludes only allowing the trigger to
being chambered for the most pop- safety design, testing the pull move forward just far enough to
ular pistol cartridges ranging from weight is a bit tricky and will reset, then instantly begin the pull
.380 Auto to .45 ACP, Glock is rap- change depending on methodol- for the next shot.
idly approaching 10 million pistols ogy; I am comfortable calling it The .40 S&W cartridge has be-
sold since 1983. Incidentally, orig- 5.5 pounds. This may sound heavy, come widely popular for personal
inal production began in Austria,
and by 2005 Glock set up polymer
manufacturing and assembly in
Georgia.
One of Glock’s most interest-
ing pistols is the 27 Gen 4, a sub-
compact version chambered for
the .40 S&W cartridge designed
for concealed carry without sac-
rificing power or capacity. The 27
was first introduced in 1995 and
upgraded in 2010 with Gen 4 fea-
tures. It has a 3.42-inch barrel,
comes standard with nine- and
10-shot magazines and will read-
ily accept any .40-caliber Glock
magazine for increased capacity.
Additional features include a re-
versible magazine catch that only
takes seconds to change, dual re-
coil springs for increased life and
“rough textured technology” for
an enhanced grip. The gas nitride,
flat-black metal finish is tough and
durable. The backstrap is modu-
lar for interchangeable grip shapes
that can be tailored to best fit var-
ious shooters’ hands. It weighs a
practical 21.89 ounces, which is
lighter than many traditional con-
cealed-carry guns. There are sight

From
defense and within state and fed- with .40 S&W cases that have been
Anneal Cartridge Cases
Consistent • Fast • Perfect
www.cartridgeanneal.com
$98 eral police circles. It offers sig- fired in pistols with unsupported
nificant terminal performance, chambers. This feature leaves a
See 8 min.
video at
controllable recoil and increased slight bulge in the case just for-
website magazine capacity when com- ward of the solid head. If cases
Enterprise
Services, LLC pared to larger calibers. Due to are only sized in standard carbide
(479) 629-5566 its immense popularity, factory dies, there will virtually always
Satisfaction
Guaranteed!
load selection is extensive. Virtu- be a small portion of this bulge
ally all manufacturers offer inex- remaining. If this bulge is not re-
pensive FMJ practice/target loads moved, reloaded cartridges will
but also include many expanding not chamber reliably. However,
John henriCh bullet defense loads. The most the new 27 Gen 4 provides better
Company, inC. common bullet weights are usu- case support than my early-pro-
ally between 135 to 200 grains, but duction Glock 22. After running
Custom Gunsmith, Fine Firearms & aCCoutrements
the most popular typically weigh cases through the G-RX die, they
SCHOOL-TRAINED GUNSMITHS
4
between 150 to 180 grains. are then full-length sized, the neck
4 TRADITIONAL GUNSMITHING As can be seen in the accom-
DISABLED COMBAT VETERAN
is expanded and the brass primed
4 panying table, factory loads were in the traditional manner.
OWNED BUSINESS
checked for accuracy and velocity. Like most autoloading pistol car-
“A FULL SERVICE SHOP FOR Black Hills 155-grain JHP loads tridges, the .40 S&W headspaces on
THE SPORTSMAN & WOMAN.” chronographed at 1,033 fps and
the case mouth. As a result, SAAMI
ADAM G. HENRICH produced a nine-shot group at 20
PRESIDENT, GUNSMITH maximum case length is .850 inch,
yards (shot from a sandbag rest)
(716) 992-3985 while trim-to length is generally
www.JohnHenrich.com that measured an impressive 2.120
suggested at .845 inch. As long as
inches. Hornady’s Critical Defense
they are adjusted accordingly, most
165-grain FTX load at 1,032 fps
dies will allow bullets to be seated
gave similar accuracy with five-
shot groups hovering between and crimped in the same step,
2.20 and 2.50 inches. Federal Car- which almost always results in sub-
tridge 180-grain American Eagle standard ammunition. I always sug-
FMJ loads produced similar ac- gest seating bullets to their correct
curacy. Few compact pistols can overall length, and applying the
deliver this degree of accuracy, crimp as a separate step. The taper
combined with significant power crimp should measure .423 inch.
and capacity, while weighing less It should be noted that several
than 22 ounces. ammunition manufacturers have
When handloading previously struggled to produce cases that
fired .40 S&W cases, they are first are within industry specifications,
tumbled and cleaned then run and as a result, many have been
through a Redding G-RX Push encountered that are too thin at
Through die. This serves to re- the case mouth. As a result, when
move what is commonly known as they are full-length sized they fail
the “Glock Bulge” that is common to hold the bullet securely when
it is seated. It is suggested to dis-
card such brass, as their lack of
proper neck tension with the bul-
let can cause bullets to become
deep-seated when cartridges are
slammed into the feed ramp. This
can result in pressures that spike
to dangerous levels. Starline cases
were used to develop the accom-
panying loads because they are
strong, are of correct dimensions
and can be purchased factory di-
rect (800-280-6660).
The .40 S&W has a short powder
column, so handloads should be
seated to the exact length listed. A
bullet seated just .050 inch deeper
The test sample provided good accuracy. This 10-round,
The Glock is easily field stripped for cleaning.
20-yard group was shot with Black Hills 155-grain JHP loads.
will cause pressures to spike sig- tioned above. Another top load in- pressure for the .40 S&W is 35,000
nificantly! cluded the Speer 165-grain Gold psi. All the accompanying data is
As expected the Glock 27 Gen Dot HP bullet at 1,029 fps using within that limit.
4 fired all of the accompanying 6.5 grains of Hodgdon CFE Pistol As indicated, the Glock 27 Gen
handloads without a single fail- powder. Both Alliant Power Pistol 4 .40 S&W offers an impressive
ure in any form. Using 7.2 grains and Hodgdon CFE Pistol are top- blend of power, capacity, accuracy
of Alliant Power Pistol powder choice powders for the .40 S&W, and reliability while being com-
with a Hornady 155-grain XTP with both duplicating factory-load pact and lightweight. In checking
bullet, velocity was 1,056 fps, and velocities and pressures with the street prices, it is available from
accuracy more or less duplicated Nosler 180-grain JHP bullet. Cur- dealers for around $500, which in
the Black Hills factory load men- rent industry maximum average my opinion is a bargain. •

snUB-nose .38 sPeCials
MIKE’S SHOOTIN’ SHACK by Mike Venturino
T hroughout most of my life,
if something piqued my inter-
est I would dive head first into it.
Also for most of my life, I would
not have given $1 for a bucket of
snub-nose .38 revolvers. That is
not the same as saying I never
owned any. I did, but they never
stayed around long.
Seven are on hand right now.
Six are Smith & Wessons and
one is a Colt Detective Special.
Six are .38s. The exception is a Comparing the same loads
Smith & Wesson Model 360 .357 from the 6.5-inch barrel of a
Magnum. Some “bright light” at Smith & Wesson Model 23
.38 Special and a 2-inch barrel
Smith & Wesson thought a Scan- Model 15 .38 Special showed
dium frame, 11-ounce snub nose about 150 to 200 fps velocity loss.
would be a great idea. It wasn’t, at
least not with true .357 Magnum
loads. I needed only to shoot one are five shooters; the rest are six- dard-weight (150- to 160-grain)
round to determine that. How- guns. Six are capable of single- bullets. A Smith & Wesson M&P
ever, it makes a fine .38 Special. or double-action firing. A Smith (later Model 10) consistently shoots
Six of the seven have the usual & Wesson Model 442 is double- every load tried several inches to
groove down the frame’s topstrap action-only. the right of point of aim. I would
for a rear sight. The seventh – a At about seven to 10 paces, dispose of it had it not been “born”
Smith & Wesson Model 15 – has most of them shoot to point of the same year I was. Fully adjust-
a fully adjustable rear right. Two aim, or slightly above it, with stan- able rear sights on a revolver with
a 2-inch barrel doesn’t seem to
make much sense, except I once
watched an FBI firearms instruc-
tor fire 50 rounds from one at
ranges from 7 yards (double ac-
tion) to 60 yards (single action)
and all bullet holes in the target
could have been covered with a
paper plate.
What sort of factory ammuni-
tion do most snub-nose revolver
carriers use? I have no idea, but
those with much more savvy
about concealed carry stress that
everyone should use factory loads.
What I do know is that my revolv-
ers are not loaded with jacketed
bullets, either in factory ammu-
nition or as handloads, and nei-
ther for packing or practicing.
My chronograph indicates that
a great many .38 Special factory
loads and handloads give veloci-
ties low enough that jacketed bul-
lets might stick in barrels. The Skeeter Skelton even wrote that he 2-inch barrel compared to a 4-, 5-
chances of that in 2-inch barrels thought factory 148-grain wadcut- or 6-inch barrel. Loads that no one
is likely slim, but since my .38 ters made good snub-nose loads. would sneer at from a longer bar-
Special handloads could also I also use semiwadcutters, round- rel .38 Special can be downright
be fired in barrels as long as 6.5 nose/flatpoint and even round- anemic from a 2-inch barrel. Let’s
inches, I’m not willing to risk it. nose bullets for my handloads. All consider the 148-grain factory
My .38 Specials get lead-alloy shoot well from my snub-nose as- wadcutters first. Fired from the
bullets, cast by myself or from sortment. 6.5-inch barrel of a Smith & Wes-
commercial casters or swaged A factor to be aware of is that son Model 23, five rounds averaged
by major bullet manufacturers. .38 Special muzzle velocities drop 758 fps. From the 2-inch barrel of
If memory serves me well, I think dramatically when shot from a my Smith & Wesson Model 360, the
same load averaged 634 fps. From
1 2 3 4 5 a Smith & Wesson Model 14 with a
6-inch barrel (K38), Double Taps’
158-grain SWC +P factory load
gave 1,038 fps, but from the 2-inch
barrel of a Smith & Wesson Model
15 it averaged only 844 fps.
Another factor that is often
stressed by firearms instructors
and trainers is that practice should
be done with the same ammuni-
tion one would carry. If practicing
with snub-nose .38 Special revolv-
ers is done with handloads, as I’m
Mike has tried these bullet styles in .38 Special handloads from an array of snub- sure most readers of this magazine
nose revolvers, including the (1) Speer 148-grain swaged-lead WC, (2) commercially would, then getting a load near to
cast 150-grain SWC, (3) 158-grain RN/FP (RCBS 38-158CM), (4) 158-grain RN factory velocities will take some
(Lyman No. 358311) and a (5) a 200-grain RN (Lyman No. 358430). experimentation. It did for me.
A Smith & Wesson Model 442 .38 Special is shot from about seven yards.
For instance, for more than 50 maximum charge weights. Using

years I have loaded .38 Specials 3.4 grains with a 150-grain, com-
with 150- to 160-grain bullets with mercially cast SWC, velocity hit
3.2 grains of Bullseye. That load 744 fps from a nickel-plated Model
with either bullet breaks 800 fps 10 snub nose.
from longer barrels. When shot Someone has to be wondering
from a Smith & Wesson Model 12 about accuracy with these short
(alloy frame) snub nose, velocity .38s. Truthfully, I’ve never fired
did not exceed 700 fps. Another them at 25 yards and seldom at pa-
old favorite is 4.5 grains of Unique per. Most of my shooting with all
that gives a velocity just shy of seven revolvers has been at about
900 fps from the 6.5 barrel of my seven to 10 paces at steel plates.
Smith & Wesson Model 23. It pro- While standing and shooting dou-
vides 750 fps from a Smith & Wes- ble action, if I can cover the group
son 442, which makes it a more with my palm I’m completely satis-
viable choice for practice. Tite- fied. None of these well-made .38s
group powder will provide a good has failed to do that with any hand-
practice load, but only at near- load tried. •
Of seven snub-nose
.38 Specials on hand,
five are six-shooters
such as the Smith &
Wesson Model 12
at left, and two are
five-shooters like
the Smith & Wesson
Model 442 at right.

.17 MaCh iv
WILDCAT CARTRIDGES by Layne Simpson
T he photo of a very dead Alas-
kan brown bear took up a full
page in a 1960’s magazine article.
.045
.375 30º
.360
.199
The caption read “10½ footer,” and
it appeared to be no exaggeration. .378
Compared to the bear, the tiny .17 Mach IV
rifle held by one of the two hunt-
ers in the photo looked like a toy.
It was not far from being just that. 1.058
One of those hunters was Vern 1.197
O’Brien, owner of a shop in Las 1.400
Vegas called O’Brien Rifle Com- 1.770
pany. The “bear slayer” was built
by him on the dainty Sako L461
action, and its .17 Mach IV car-
tridge pushed a 25-grain bullet
along at 3,700 fps. As the story
went, O’Brien had wagered his
rifle that the guide could not kill
the bear with it and lost the bet.
Would close examination have
revealed a .375-inch hole or two
in the bear’s hide? We will never
know. Whether the tale was fact
or fiction will long be debated, but
it likely sold quite a few .17-caliber
rifles, not to bear hunters, but to
varmint shooters like me. During the 1960s, Vern O’Brien offered RCBS .17 Mach IV case forming and
As mentioned, O’Brien’s rifles reloading dies with his rifles, and these were included when Layne purchased his
were built on the Sako L461 ac- rifle from a varmint-shooting friend.
tion. The .17 Mach IV was the .221
Remington Fireball case necked Javelina on the .222 Remington and 20 inches, and while most of
down and with its shoulder an- case and the .17 Magnum on the the barrels used by O’Brien were
gle increased from 23 to 30 de- .222 Remington Magnum case. made by Bill Atkinson and Paul
grees. Also offered were the .17 Standard barrel lengths were 18 Marquardt in their Prescott, Ari-
Case forming includes starting with a

(1) .221 Fireball case, (2) running it into form
die No. 1, a (3) form/trim die No. 2 and,
finally, a (4) full-length resizing die.
Years after
selling his
O’Brien rifle,
Layne, over-
come with
nostalgia,
1 2 3 4 bought this
Model 700
that had been
rebarreled to
.17 Mach IV.

zona, shop, some came from P.O. Western Powders Handloading can require a bit of muscle. I have
Ackley. Nils Hultgren made the Guide, Edition 1 differ from those attempted to chamber .17 Fireball
stocks and workmanship was top in the Hornady manual, but they factory ammunition in two Mach
drawer. Prices ranged from $295 are quite close. IV rifles, a Cooper Model 21 and a
for the field model to “on request” As rumor has it, Remington rebarreled Remington Model 700
for the Hultgren Deluxe. O’Brien moved the shoulder of the .17 Fire- purchased off the rack at a local
also chambered custom Reming- ball case a bit forward to prevent gun shop. One accepted it, but only
ton XP-100 pistols for the cartridge it from being chambered in ri- with plenty of muscle behind bolt
but their barrels were marked .17 fles chambered for the Mach IV. closure. The fit was so tight that
Mach III to indicate lower veloci- Whether or not that is true I cannot continued use of factory ammuni-
ties from a shorter barrel. say, but it is not uncommon for the tion would likely have eventually
In 1970 I bought the field ver- Fireball cartridge to seat all the resulted in locking lug galling.
sion of the O’Brien rifle in .17 Mach way home in a Mach IV chamber. Redding offers two distinct and
IV from a friend who decided the It is usually a crush fit, so push- specific die sets for the two car-
.222 Remington was more fun. The ing the bolt all the way into battery tridges. According to Robin Sharp-
rifle, along with a cleaning rod and
RCBS case forming and reloading
dies, came in a metal case. Some
years later an avid collector of
O’Brien rifles made an offer I sim-
ply could not refuse. He had no in-
terest in the dies or my boxes of
handloads, so to this day they re-
side in my reloading room.
When domesticating wildcat
cartridges, Remington has for the
most part stuck with the original
case shape and dimensions as
closely as possible. In other words,
the new is pretty much the same
as the old. Examples that spring
to mind are the .25-06 Remington,
7mm Remington Magnum, 7mm
Shooting Times Westerner and
the .35 Whelen. Examples that dif-
fer from the originals include the
.257 Roberts, and to a lesser de-
gree, the .17 Fireball. Some shoot-
ers consider the .17 Mach IV and
.17 Fireball to be one and the same
with the name changed because
“.17 Mach IV” was a Vern O’Brien
trademark. That is not quite true.
Dimensional differences be- Designed for the serious shooter, our SIZES AVAILABLE
tween the two cartridges are mi- PRECISION BRASS is meticulously .204 RUGER .270 WIN
nor, and they vary a bit among manufactured for maximum reload- .300 AAC BLACKOUT 7MM REM. MAG
reloading manuals. Cartridge draw- ability and accuracy. Components are .223 REM 7MM-08 REM
ings in Hornady’s Handbook of .22-250 REM .308 WIN
made from the finest raw materials and
.243 WIN .30-06
Cartridge Reloading, 9th Edition are recognized by reloaders worldwide 6MM NORMA BR .300 WIN MAG
show maximums of 1.058 inches for their superior performance. 6.5 CREEDMOOR .300 RUM*
from the head to body/shoulder “Shoot the Best... 6.5 GRENDEL .338 LAPUA MAG*
junction and 1.197 inches from Shoot NORMA PRECISION.” .260 REM *50 BRASS CASES PER BOX
head to the shoulder/neck junc-

tion for the Mach IV versus 1.065
inches and 1.205 inches for the
Fireball. Maximum diameters at
the junction of the body and shoul-
der are .360 inch for the Mach IV
and .366 inch for the Fireball. Some
.17 Mach IV dimensions in the new
.17 Mach IV Handloads they are not enough to greatly affect
powder capacity, and for that rea-
5-shot
100-yard son load data is quite similar. Data
bullet powder charge primer case velocity group in the Berger manual is exactly the
(grains) (grains) (fps) (inches)
same for the two cartridges. Start-
20 Berger FB Varmint CFE BLK 17.0 Fed 205M Lapua 3,933 .58 ing and maximum charge weights
20 Hornady V-MAX A-2015 16.2 Fed 205M Lapua 3,854 .65 between the two differ slightly in
Benchmark 19.5 Rem 7½ 3,970 .48 the Hornady manual, but no more
RL-7 16.5 3,891 .54 than to be expected from different
A-2230 18.5 4,012 .56
lots of powder or slight differences
A-2460 20.0 Fed 205M 4,030 .81
in barrels, cases and bullets; same
20 Nosler Varmageddon A-2015 18.0 Fed 205M Nosler* 3,977 .63
8208 XBR 20.0 4,063 .85
goes for data in the Western Pow-
H-322 19.0 4,086 .49 ders manual.
25 Berger FB Varmint H-4198 15.2 Fed 205M Nosler* 3,588 .68 The easiest route to a supply of
25 Hornady V-MAX RL-7 15.5 WSR Lapua 3,642 .92 cases is to run .17 Fireball brass
30 Berger FB Varmint A-2520 18.0 WSR Lapua 3,522 1.11 through a .17 Mach IV full-length
* Formed from Nosler .221 Fireball brass
resizing die. Even so, forming
Notes: Powder charges are maximum, or close to it, in the test rifle and should be reduced by 3 grains for them from .221 Fireball brass is
starting loads. A Custom Remington Model 700 with a 26-inch Shilen Barrel and 1:10 rifling twist was used not difficult. Form dies are quite
to test all loads. Velocities are the average of five or more shots chronographed 12 feet in front of the muzzle short so an extended shellholder
with an Oehler 33 chronograph. Brass was formed by using Lapua .221 Fireball brass except where noted.
For more data on this cartridge please visit LoadData.com. is needed. Die No. 1 reduces inside
Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test firearms used. neck diameter to .190 inch and
Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while watching for pressure signs.
pushes the shoulder from its origi-
nal 23-degree angle to a sharper 30
less of that company, headspace measured from head to junction degrees. Die No. 2 reduces interior
dimension for the .17 Fireball is of the body and shoulder as well neck diameter to .165 inch or so,
.003 to .004 inch longer than for as from head to shoulder-neck and its hardened top surface al-
the .17 Mach IV. The .17 Fireball is junction. lows a slight amount of case neck
also .003 to .004 inch longer when While some dimensions do vary, to be trimmed and squared with
Dimensional differences between the
.17 Mach IV and .17 Remington Fireball
are quite small, but Redding consid-
ers them significant enough to make it
At first glance the .17 Mach IV (left) and .17 Remington Fireball (right) appear to be necessary to offer different die sets for
the same cartridge, but some of their case dimensions differ a bit. the two cartridges.
a fine-tooth file. After chamfering So many powders do such fine by a bit of scrubbing with a bronze
and deburring, a case is ready to jobs in the .17 Mach IV it is impos- brush and a good solvent such as
load, but I first run it through a sible to single out a favorite, but Shooter’s Choice. Jacket fouling is
full-length resizing die. The unoffi- if I had to eliminate all but two, not a problem in the extremely
cial maximum case neck diameter the survivors would be Hodgdon smooth bore of my Shilen barrel,
for a loaded round is .199 inch. If Benchmark and Accurate 2230. but should it appear, an application
loaded rounds in formed cases ex- Velocity spreads are quite low or two of Barnes’ CR-10 makes it
ceed that, neck walls may require with both, and neither leaves a go away. I shoot more Hornady 20-
thinning by reaming or outside great deal of fouling behind in the grain V-MAX and Nosler Varmaged-
turning. Maximum neck diameter bore. Any fouling is easily removed don bullets than anything else. •
for the .17 Fireball is .204 inch and
Remington factory ammunition
OEHLER 35P
usually measures .200 inch.
RCBS form and loading dies
that came with my O’Brien rifle
IS BACK!
are still being used for the Model
700, but a Redding neck-sizing die
with interchangeable bushings has
been added. A bushing .001 inch
smaller than the diameter of the Oehler is making a special,
neck of a loaded round is perfect limited run of the Model 35
for new brass, but after the brass Proof Chronograph.
loses some of its elasticity from sev-
eral firings a switch to .002 inch is Call or go online for
made. After forming many .17 Mach more information.
IV cases for high-volume varmint
shooting, I have come to the conclu- Phone: 512-327-6900
sion that Lapua .221 Fireball cases oehler-research.com
cannot be beat. They cost more but
in addition to being exceptionally
uniform in weight, their hardness
enables them to withstand more
maximum-pressure firings than P.O. Box 9135
other cases. Nosler cases do not
last as long, but they are of better
Austin, TX 78766
quality than .221 cases made by
Remington. Regardless of the brass
used to form .17 Mach IV cases,
neck diameter of a loaded round
RESEARCH, INC.
should be at least .005 inch smaller
than the chamber neck diameter of
the rifle in which they are fired.
Colt’s
Single
Action
Army
Mike Venturino
T
Photos by Yvonne Venturino
he very first Colt Single Ac- The chamber mouth dimensions of this 3rd Generation .45 Colt
tion Army (SAA) I saw in show Colt’s problems with consistent chamber size.
person was also the very
first one I bought. That was Compounding the financial problem was that a
U.S. Model 1911A1 had basically fallen into my lap
in the summer of 1968 just after my for free. Buying reloading equipment dedicated to
19th birthday. It was a very slightly each handgun just wasn’t possible. This was during
my second year as a handloader, so I wasn’t overly
used .45 Colt manufactured in 1964, a knowledgeable. However, I did know that 2nd Gen-
2nd Generation version. Barrel length eration .45s were supposed to have .451-inch barrel
was 5.5 inches, which was by far the groove diameters. So I bought .45 ACP dies, Lyman
No. 452374 225-grain RN moulds, a .451-inch lube-
most common length in that produc- sizing die and happily reloaded hundreds of rounds
tion run. for both handguns with that single set of dies and
That was the summer between my first and second one mould.
years of college when I was hustling freight on a dock Now 50 years later my most recent Colt SAA cost
for $1.60 an hour. Buying that .45 pretty much ate up 22 times more than that first one! It is also a .45, but
two weeks’ take-home pay. It was fall before reloading from the 3rd Generation of production. It has a 7.5-
equipment was purchased. The reason for the delay inch barrel and is based on the misnamed “black
was that with a few weeks between my job ending and powder frame.” To me that made it worth a premium.
school beginning, I used my ready cash for a camping According to its serial number, it left the factory in
trip to Montana. Best money I ever spent! 2008 and is every bit a nicely crafted revolver as was
Fifty Years of Shooting Iconic Revolvers

These Colt SAA .38-40s were made 100 years
apart (1904 and 2004) and have identical cylinder
chamber mouth dimensions.
that first .45. Today I have a pleth-

ora of suitable moulds and reload-
ing tools for it.
Since that fateful day in 1968, ac-
cording to my handwritten notes, I
have owned another 83 SAAs if a single
.45 New Frontier is included. These have
included all three generations, with some
each of full-blued, full nickel-plated and blue/case-
colored frame finishes. The barrel lengths have in-
cluded 3, 3.5, 4, 4.75, 5.5, 7.5 and 12 inches. The earliest
SAA I have owned was made in the 1880s, but the exact
year of manufacture escapes my memory. It was a .38-
40, but interestingly there was a tiny “.44 CF” stamped
on the trigger guard’s left side, meaning it started out
as a .44-40. Again referring to crude records, at least
36 of those SAAs have been .45s, including one that
also came with a .45 ACP cylinder. (I don’t remember
ever firing that second cylinder.) In second and third
place are .44-40s (16) and .38-40s (15). A smattering
of .32-20s, .41 Colts, .38 and .44 Specials and .357 Mag-
nums round out the remainder. Despite owning more
.45s, my favorite SAA chambering is .44-40 followed by
Colt’s
Single
Action
Army
Mike is shooting a wooden baffle box
with a full black-powder load from a
After trying .45 Colt SAA. Note the distance the
virtually all lead- black powder smoke traveled and the
alloy bullet styles, amount of recoil.
Mike favors the
roundnose/flatpoint.
This Lyman design is .38-40, .32 WCF/.32-20 and .41 Colt,
shown loaded in .44 in order of total numbers made.
Russian (left) and There were four choices in the
.44 Special (right). 2nd Generation: .45 Colt, .44 Spe-
cial, .357 Magnum and .38 Special.
.38-40. This is because I also have numbers took off at 80000SA and In the 3rd Generation, all of the
a rack full of Winchester rifles and ran to 99999SA in 1978. Then the above cartridges were offered at
carbines in those cartridges. SA became a prefix, with num- one time or the other, except .41
At this point, let’s nail down bers jumping to SA01001. For Colt. Over the last half century, I
this matter of “generations.” Ac- some reason, 1,000 numbers were have handloaded all of the rounds
cording to Colt, there have been skipped. In 1993 number SA99999 mentioned in this paragraph to
three. Running continuously from was made, so Colt’s move was to the collective tune of many tens
1873 to 1941 was the 1st Genera- make “S” the prefix and “A” the of thousands.
tion. Serial numbers started at 1 suffix. Serial numbers started at Barrel and cylinder dimensions
and stopped at 357859. The 2nd S02001A. (Note this time a skip of for SAA cartridges are a must-
Generation started in 1956 at se- 2,000 numbers.) Several 3rd Gen- know for handloaders. For ex-
rial number 0001SA and ran to eration parts are not interchange- ample, only a few hundred SAAs
somewhere between 73000SA and able with earlier production runs. were marked .38 Smith & Wesson
74000SA. Almost all parts are in- The most recent 3rd Generation Special, but starting in 1922 many
terchangeable between 1st and samples of which I am aware have more were given the exact same
2nd Generation SAAs. After a hia- been in the S75000A range. barrel and chamber dimensions
tus of two years for retooling and A well-known fact is that Colt and had a “.38 Colt Special” stamp.
some engineering changes, the 3rd chambered the SAA for about 36 However, .38 Colt SAAs prior to
Generation was introduced. Serial cartridges in the 1st Generation. 1914 actually had barrel groove di-
Only five were truly significant:
Purchased in 1968, Mike’s very first .45 Colt, .44 WCF/.44-40, .38 WCF/ These SAA .45 Colts (blued/case colored)
Colt SAA was a 2nd Generation .45 Colt and .44-40s (nickel-plated) were available
with a 5.5-inch barrel. It was identical in the 1970s as commemorative editions.
to this one, except for the stocks. They proved to be some of the best
shooting SAAs ever made.
www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

ameters of .375 inch instead of the reintroduced in 1956, that specifi- mouths varied from .453 to .456
.354 inch standard for later .38 Colt cation was changed to .451 inch. inch. Of six .44-40s, the measure-
and .38 Smith & Wesson Specials. I have a Colt factory specification ments ran from .428 to .431 inch.
When Smith & Wesson intro- sheet dated 1922 that lists .45 Colt, Five .44 Specials varied from .430
duced its .357 Magnum in 1935, .45 Auto and .455 Colt barrels as to .433 inch. Sometimes all six
the company stayed with the same measuring .451 to .452 inch across chambers were the same per re-
.357-inch barrel groove diameter their grooves. That specification volver, and sometimes they varied
used for .38 Special. I thought that sheet also gives all calibers from within the range mentioned above.
surely Colt would also have moved .22 to .45 a rifling depth of .035 Now get this: All five of my .38-
from .354 inch to .357 inch for such inch, making bore diameters .007 40s, ranging in age from 1904 to
a high-pressure round. It did not. inch smaller than barrel groove di- 2004, had uniform .400-inch cham-
My Colt SAA .357 Magnum’s bar- ameters. ber mouths.
rel made in 1969 slugs exactly .354 Barrel groove and cylinder Sharing barrel dimensions can
inch. chamber mouth specifications be especially beneficial in .44s.
If you are not confused yet, try should be of prime interest to any Two of my 3rd Generation .44-
this one on: When Smith & Wesson handloader of Colt SAAs, for di- 40s have been fitted with .44 Spe-
introduced the .44 Russian in 1872, mensions can be all over the map. cial cylinders, which allows me to
followed by the .44 Smith & Wes- An 1892 vintage .44-40 I once fire .44 Russian in them. And of
son Special in 2008, specifications owned had a barrel groove di- course, .45 Colt SAAs can fire .45
for barrel groove diameter was ameter of .427 inch, but its cham- S&W Schofield rounds just as .38
.4295 inch. Colt did not follow suit. ber mouths were only .425 inch. Special and .38 Long Colt can be
It used .426/.427 inch minimum/ Groups fired with that revolver shot from .357 Magnums.
maximum for the .44 Russian, .44 were on the large side. Reloading manuals can give
Special and .44 WCF/.44-40 barrel- For the purposes of this article, readers far more detail than I
groove diameters. Something writ- I sat down with plug gauges and can in a couple thousand words.
ten many times is that 1st Gener- measured every chamber mouth My only caveat about manuals is
ation Colt .45 SAAs (1873 to 1941) on two dozen Colt SAAs of all this: Be sure to refer to one that
used .454-inch barrel groove di- generations. Here are some bare lists lead-alloy bullets. Of the car-
ameters, but when the SAA was bone facts: Of nine .45s, chamber tridges listed above, only .32-20
CZ 527

Colt’s Single Action Army
Shown are the three Colt SAA basic finish options since 1873 and three
standard barrel length options: (1) nickel-plated with a 5.5-inch barrel,
(2) blue with color-case hardened frame with a 7.5-inch barrel and (3) full
blue with a 4.75-inch barrel.
During 2nd Generation SAA production (1956 2

to 1974), Colt only offered four cartridges to 3
include (left to right): the .45 Colt, .44 Special,
.357 Magnum and .38 Special.
and .357 Magnum might bene- .45 Colts that would be .454-inch told this story before but will re-
fit from jacketed bullets because bullets, even if the barrel groove peat it here. The first time I went
they can give velocities upwards diameter is .451 inch. ground squirrel shooting with
of 1,200 fps from modern SAAs. With that said, seldom do I use Colt SAAs, a .45 and a .38 Special
Lead-alloy bullets will suffice for such hard bullets anymore in hand- accompanied me. The .45 Colt
all other calibers. loads for Colt SAAs. At sedate ve- used conical – essentially round-
Here are details on how I hand- locities of about 700 to 900 fps, nose – bullets. The .38 was used
load for more than two dozen soft alloys actually result in less to shoot semiwadcutters. Several
SAAs after more than 50 years of lead fouling because they obturate times the little varmints were hit
experience. Admittedly, I no lon- at low pressures. Thusly, they seal well with .45s only to still run to
ger have a .32-20, .38 Special or .41 and prevent gas blow by. Because their holes. Those hit solidly with
Colt, but if a bargain-priced sam- I keep hundreds of pounds of 1:20 .38 SWCs just sort of collapsed.
ple was waved under my nose, I (tin-to-lead) alloy on hand for There’s a lesson here: Roundnose
would not be averse to owning an- BPCR Silhouette shooting, it has bullets are fine for steel targets
other in those calibers. become my go-to alloy for casting and plinking, but a wide flatnose
First consider bullet alloys, SAA bullets. Again using the .45 is better for game. Because I also
keeping in mind sometimes mis- Colt for an example, my softer cast shoot many SAAs alongside lev-
matching chamber mouth and bar- bullets shoot very well when sized erguns, roundnose/flatpoint bul-
rel groove diameter variations. My to .452 inch. Experiments with let moulds are on hand for all my
experiences are that when using powder coated bullets have been SAA calibers.
harder alloy blends of, say, a BHN cursory so far, but a New Frontier Upon beginning loading for
of 15 and higher, bullets close to .45 shot very well with them sized .45 Colt in 1968, Unique was the
chamber mouths in diameter will .452 inch. most commonly recommended
give best results. For example, in What about bullet shape? I’ve smokeless propellant. It was al-
The five most popular chamberings of 1st Generation Colt Of the more than 80 Colt SAAs Mike has owned in 50 years,
SAAs include the (1) .45 Colt, (2) .44 WCF/.44-40, (3) .38 only one has been a New Frontier .45 with a 7.5-inch barrel.
WCF/.38-40, (4) .41 Colt and the (5) .32 WCF/.32-20.
1 2 3 4 5

Colt Single Action Army Cast Bullet Handloads
barrel
bullet diameter powder charge case primer velocity length
(grains) (inches) (grains) (fps) (inches)
.32-20 (.32 WCF)

100 RCBS 32-98 SWC .312 Unique 4.5 Winchester Rem 1½ 1,111 7.50 (1)
W-231 3.5 930 7.50 (1)
GOEX FFFg 18.0 Winchester CCI 550 903 7.50 (1)
.38 Long Colt
148 Speer swaged HPWC .358 Bullseye 3.0 Starline Wolf SP 724 4.75 (2)
158 Lyman 358665 RN/FP .358 GOEX FFFg 17.0 Winchester CCI 550 701 4.75 (2)
.38 S&W Special
150 Lachmiller 38-150 SWC* .358 Unique 4.5 Federal CCI 500 789 4.75 (2)
W-231 4.0 741 4.75 (2)
Trail Boss 4.0 Starline Wolf SP 748 4.75 (2)
158 Lyman 358665 RN/FP .358 GOEX FFFg 19.0 Winchester CCI 550 812 4.75 (2)
.357 Magnum
150 Lachmiller 38-150 SWC* .358 2400 14.5 Browning CCI 550 1,343 4.75 (2)
.38-40 (.38 WCF)
180 RCBS 40-180CM RN/FP .401 Trail Boss 5.5 Starline WLP 775 7.50 (3)
W-231 6.8 Starline WLP 920 7.50 (3)
Swiss FFg 30.0 Winchester CCI 350 909 5.50 (4)
.41 Long Colt
200 Lyman 386178 RN* .386 Unique 5.0 Winchester CCI 500 692 4.75 (5)
GOEX FFg 21.0 722 4.75 (5)
.44 Russian
200 Hoch Custom 44-200 RN .430 W-231 4.0 Starline WLP 745 5.50 (6)
240 Lyman 429667 RN/FP .430 Titegroup 3.5 Starline WLP 700 5.50 (6)
200 Hoch Custom 44-200 RN .430 Swiss FFFg 17.0 Starline CCI 350 738 5.50 (6)
.44 Special
200 Hoch Custom 44-200 RN .430 Trail Boss 5.5 Starline WLP 752 5.50 (6)
246 Redding/SAECO 442 RN/FP .430 Trail Boss 5.0 Starline WLP 718 5.50 (6)
245 Lyman No. 429383 RN .430 W-231 5.5 Starline WLP 744 5.50 (6)
.44-40 (.44 WCF)
200 RCBS 44-200 RN/FP .428 W-231 6.8 Starline Rem 2½ 890 7.50 (7)
Trail Boss 6.0 802 7.50 (7)
200 Lyman 427098 RN/FP .428 Swiss FFFg 33.0 Winchester CCI 350 1,001 7.50 (7)
.45 S&W Schofield
230 RCBS 45-230 CM RN/FP W-231 .452 W-231 5.0 Starline WLP 723 7.50 (7)
Bullseye 4.5 705 7.50 (7)
230 NEI 322A RNHB* .454 GOEX FFFg 27.0 Starline CCI 350 730 7.50 (7)
.45 Colt
250 NEI 324 RN* .452 Unique 8.0 Starline WLP 875 4.75 (8)
W-231 6.8 871 4.75 (8)
Red Dot 6.0 778 4.75 (8)
Trail Boss 6.2 715 7.50 (7)
* discontinued
List of Colt vintages: (1) 1900; (2) 1969; (3) 1996; (4) 1998; (5) 1900; (6) 1961; (7) 1975 (Peacemaker Centennial Commemorative); (8) 1967.
Notes: All handloads shown above were loaded with bullets cast by Mike except the 148-grain Speer swaged HPWC. If commercially cast or swaged bullets of simi-
lar weights are used the results can vary. To avoid confusion the listed weight of each bullet is its catalog weight. Those cast by Mike of 1:20 (tin-to-lead) alloy might
differ slightly in actual weight from catalog weight.
For more data on these cartridges please visit LoadData.com.
Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test firearms used. Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while
watching for pressure signs.
most always used, even after .44- best results in all three of those filling yet fast-burning smokeless
40, .38-40 and .41 Colts were added cartridges when the goal was du- propellant. In large cases, usu-
to my list. Extensive machine rest plicating factory ballistics. For the ally those originally intended for
testing over the years indicated smaller bore sizes, Bullseye, Tite- black powder – as most Colt SAA
that Red Dot often provided ex- group and W-231 all sufficed. big bores were – Trail Boss fills
ceptional accuracy in .45 Colt, but Then IMR’s Trail Boss arrived that volume well. It is virtually im-
about 6.8 grains of W-231 gave the on the scene. It is simply a volume- (Continued on page 72)

The latest Lyman
metallic cartridge
press is a turret
model with eight
holes for dies, at
least one more
than any other on
the market, and
twice as many
as some.
Lyman:
140 Years
of History
“Ideal” Handloading and Shooting Gear
John Barsness eral variations on the Lyman No. 1 and the famous
T
Model 48 receiver sight. Eventually the Lymans de-
he Lyman Products Corpo- cided to “diversify” (that twenty-first-century buzz-
word) in 1925, purchasing the Ideal Manufacturing
ration began in 1878 as the Company, a maker of handloading tools, and in 1928
Lyman Gun Sight Company, the tooling and rights to the 5x Winchester A5 scope,
when 24-year-old William Ly- rebranding it as the Lyman 5A. A number of other
successful scopes followed, including the famous
man started making his No. 1 Combi- Alaskan and Targetspot, but by the 1980s the market
nation tang sight. His first “assembly changed so much Lyman dropped the scope line – but
not its iron sights or handloading tools.
line” was an unused space in a laun- Ideal Manufacturing was formed in 1884 by John
dry-wringer factory, located on his Barlow, a former Winchester employee who had de-
father David’s farm near Middlefield, signed many of the handloading tools for the compa-
ny’s rifles. Winchester’s factory was in New Haven,
Connecticut, co-owned by David and Connecticut, 20 miles from Middlefield, and when it
the wringer’s inventor, W.M. Terrell. decided to quit selling loading tools, Barlow set up
William Lyman had apparently been inventive his own factory in New Haven.
even as a young boy, using his corner of the factory His first tool was an improved “nutcracker,” a hand
to experiment with various ideas. He enjoyed boat- tool resembling complex pliers that cast bullets, rep-
ing, spending plenty of time on nearby Besseck Lake, rimed brass and crimp-seated the bullets for a spe-
and in 1875 was issued U.S. Patent No. 169,277 for cific handgun or rifle cartridge. Naturally, Barlow
oars that allowed a boater to row in the direction he named it the Ideal No. 1 and eventually produced 10
faced instead of the conventional backward position. variations for cartridges from .22 to .50 caliber. Addi-
He also liked to hunt but was dissatisfied with avail- tional features included decapping, bullet sizing and
able sights because they made aiming difficult in dim case neck sizing.
light. The “No. 1” had a small disc and relatively large Ideal also made bullet moulds, including special or-
aperture, allowing more light to reach a hunter’s eye, ders, and in 1891 published the first American reload-
and it became so successful that William set up his ing manual, The Ideal Hand Book of Instruction on
own factory in a building in Middlefield in 1880, pat- How to Prepare Your Own Ammunition. In it were
enting a total of 17 sights before passing away from step-by-step instructions for loading techniques plus
pneumonia in 1896. a catalog of Ideal tools. Barlow apparently developed
The Lyman family continued to operate the grow- a close relationship with Marlin after leaving Win-
ing factory, and employee James Windridge designed chester; the interior of the back cover was an adver-
many more successful Lyman sights, including sev- tisement for Marlin Fire Arms Company’s Model 1889
The Lyman brand dates back to 1878.

Shown is Alva Doane filing a sight (1921)
and the Lyman Factory circa 1934.
August-September 2018 45
Lyman:
140 Years of History
rifle, and in 1910 Marlin bought opher] “All sportsmen should carry
Ideal, operating the company un- an ‘Ideal’ in their kit.” – J.H. Bar-
til the 1925 sale to the Lyman Gun low [owner of Ideal Manufacturing
Sight Company. Company].
John Barlow was an interest- Barlow was apparently always
ing writer with a sense of humor, a busy man. Born in Manchester,
and the old Ideal handbooks are England, in 1846, the family im-
a hoot compared to most modern migrated to America when he was
loading manuals. My copy of the two years old. He joined the U.S.
1891 version was one of thousands Army during the Civil War and
of shooting-related reprints from served out the rest of his enlist- Lyman continues to offer a wide variety
Cornell Publications (P.O. Box ment in Arizona Territory. (The of bullet moulds; John’s collection
214, Brighton, MI 48116, cornell- early Ideal manuals are dedicated includes those for bullets from .22 to
pubs.com) and contained a page to his commanding officer, Captain .58 caliber.
of “Poetical Sayings,” including the George Brady.) After an honorable
word “ideal,” from various sources. discharge as a first sergeant, Bar-
Here are some samples: “The ideal low worked for Parker, the famous
is the flower-garden of the mind, shotgun company in Meriden, Con-
and very apt to run to weeds, un- necticut, before joining Winchester.
less carefully attended to.” – Mar- He died suddenly at 68 in Venice,
garet Oliphant [Scottish novelist]; Italy, two years after selling Ideal
“The situation that has not its duty, to Marlin, near the beginning of an
its ideal, was never yet occupied extended trip “for the purpose of
by man.” – Carlyle [Thomas Car- taking a much-needed rest after
lyle, Scottish essayist and philos- many years of close application to
business.” The portrait in the Ideal
handbook shows him with bushy
sideburns, a clean-shaven chin and
upper lip; his obituary photo shows
him with spectacles and a handle- Lyman still offers quite a few aperture
bar mustache. sights. This Winchester Model 64 .30
The loading manual continued WCF has a Model 56 sight, probably
to appear under the Ideal name, mounted when the rifle was brand new.
though over the decades the Ly-
man name became more promi-
nent. The second loading manual I
ever purchased, using paper-route
money, was Lyman Ideal Hand-
Pistol Bullets book No. 42. I had recently pur-
and
and chased my first centerfire rifle (or
rather my father had, with my $10),
Ammunition a “war surplus” Mosin-Nagant,
and needed loading data. Unfor-
tunately, the first manual I pur-
chased didn’t include the 7.62x54R
ZERO Russian, so on a return trip to the

Powder Horn – the sporting goods
store three blocks from our house
The Ideal handbook initially appeared
in 1891, apparently the first loading
– I looked through the rest of the manual published in America. Lyman’s
handloading manuals, finding the most recent handbook is the 50th edition.
Zero Bullet Company, Inc. 7.62x54R in the Lyman/Ideal man-
P.O. Box 1188 • Cullman, AL 35056 ual. It’s still on my bookshelves, Along the way other old Ideal
Tel: 256-739-1606 • Fax: 256-739-4683 though somewhat worse for wear and Lyman manuals were added.
Toll Free: 800-545-9376 due to a chewing adventure with The oldest is Ideal Hand Book
www.zerobullets.com my first Labrador retriever in the Number 38 with “The Lyman Gun
1970s. Sight Company Corp.” printed in
small letters across the bottom of The Lyman No. 55 powder measure is a
the cover. The next issue, No. 39, long-time standard, especially with the
Homer Culver micrometer conversion.
however, has Lyman printed across
the Ideal name on the cover – but
the last 59 pages, after the Lyman not only contains data for a dozen
catalog section, are a partial re- cartridges from the .204 Ruger to
print of one of an early Ideal hand- .50 Beowulf, but has chapters on
book, with a stern warning from related subjects such as suppres-
Lyman: “Please DO NOT ORDER sors and specific techniques for
from this section, items described handloading AR rounds. Hot off
are for GENERAL INTEREST, the press in 2018 is Lyman’s Long
only.” Range Precision Rifle Reload-
The Ideal name disappeared ing Handbook containing long-
from the manuals in the 1960s as range load data for 14 popular
Lyman started splitting its reload- cartridges from the .223 Reming-
ing information into multiple vol- ton to .338 Lapua Magnum, along
umes, including its invaluable Cast with informative chapters on long-
Bullet Handbook. Today Lyman range ballistics, scopes and com-
publishes around 20 different vol- petition shooting. Two very inter-
umes, including several special- esting chapters were written by
ized load data booklets on such Dave Emary, the recently retired
subjects as “revolver calibers” and chief ballistician for Hornady, on
“old military rifle calibers.” (Shoot- reloading for long-range shoot-
ers who become irate when some- ing and the history of the 6.5mm
body calls cartridges “calibers” and 6mm Creedmoors. Dave re-
need some reality therapy. Unlike ally knows his stuff (among many
European languages regulated by other accomplishments, he devel-
strict geezers, American dictionar- oped the Creedmoors), and his
ies are based on common usage, chapters contain information help-
and many firearms companies use ful to anybody interested in long-
“caliber” for cartridges.) range shooting, from beginners on
Two of Lyman’s recent books up. handloaders consider the mould
should be particularly appealing Lyman is very well known for for the .38 Special and .357 Mag-
to many twenty-first-century han- its bullet moulds. I acquired my num, and it continues to cast
dloaders. Lyman’s AR Reloading first in the mid-1970s, a No. 358156 fine bullets today. My latest (and
Handbook appeared in 2014 and with two cavities, which many smallest) is No. 225438 used in
The precision of the turret press was checked by seating eight Lyman/Ideal has offered bench-mounted metallic presses for
bullets with the die moved to a different hole for each one. a long time. The first model appeared in a very early Ideal
Seating depth varied only .0015 inch, the same as when seat- handbook.
ing bullets in eight other rounds with the die left in one hole.

Hornet and .223 Remington. My Sizer, also considered standard
Lyman: largest caliber is Lyman mould
No. 575213 for casting .58-caliber
equipment by many casters.
Among the first loading tools
140 Years of Minié balls to shoot in a repro- Lyman modified after acquiring
History duction J.P. Murray 1863 Confed- Ideal was the nutcracker series,
erate carbine acquired from my renamed the Lyman 310. It’s still
“Beating the Rimfire Shortage” in late friend Terry Riebling. In be- available for the .38 Special/.357
Handloader No. 290 (June 2014). tween there have been a bunch Magnum, .44-40 WCF, .44 Rem-
I’d heard numerous tales about the of other Lyman moulds, many for ington Magnum, .45 Colt, .30-30
difficulty of getting cast .22 bul- producing milder ammunition for Winchester, .38-55 and .45-70.
lets to shoot well, but the mould’s larger-caliber rifle cartridges such The modern version includes a
43.5-grain bullets, as cast from as the 9.3x62 Mauser and .450/.400 neck resizing and decapping die,
wheelweights, grouped inside an Nitro Express. Of course, there’s primer seating chamber, neck ex-
inch at 50 yards from both a .22 also the Lyman Lubricator and panding die, bullet seating die and
case head adapter – but no bullet
mould.
Hayley’s RGB BULLET CO. Lyman/Ideal has been offer-
Custom Ammunition Quality Hard-Cast Bullets ing bench-mounted presses and
• BHN 5-22 dies for a long time as well, as ev-
Specializing in the: • Large Selection idenced by the reprint of an old
• Weird • Wacky & of Pistol & Rifle
Bullets
Ideal handbook in the back of
• Wonderful Lyman Ideal Handbook No. 39.
• Custom Sizing
on Request Among the most popular when I
P.O. Box 889 started handloading was the Spar-
• Next-Day Shipping on Most Orders
211 North River tan C-press, but the company also
PO Box 130 - Littlerock, CA 93543
Seymour, TX 76380 Tel: 661-998-3164 offered a variety of other presses,
Tel: 940-888-3352 www.rgbbullets.com including shotshell loaders and
a four-hole turret press, the Tru-
Line Jr.
BRASS MASTER The most recent metallic press
ER S
BL R’
is another turret model, the Brass

M LE
ULTRA VIBE CASE CLEANERS

TU UM
Smith All-American, with eight die

TH
holes, at least one more than any

Made of durable steel construction - heavy polyethylene other available turret press. As
bowl - heavyduty, sealed ballbearing motors - thermally
anybody who uses turret presses
protected - fast, quiet operation - 3⁄4 to 43⁄4 gallon
capacity - industrial and rotary models available. knows, there’s a tendency to fill all
Send for our free brochure! the holes, then wish for just one
more. The Lyman eight-hole press
TRU-SQUARE METAL PRODUCTS, INC. won’t cure the typical American
P.O. Box 585, Auburn, Washington 98071
wish for extra everything, but any-
TEL (253) 833-2310 or Toll Free 1-(800) 225-1017
FAX (253) 833-2349 thing helps.
“Manufacturers of quality case cleaners, email:t-tumbler@thumlerstumbler.com Unlike single-hole presses, tur-
deburring and tumbling equipment since 1959” www.thumlerstumbler.com ret presses present the possibility
of the holes not being precisely
like the others. Handloaders want
a seating or sizing die to work
the same way when screwed into
any hole. I tested the Brass Smith
All-American by loading ammu-
nition for a Ruger American Rifle
.22-250 Remington, a limited-run
version with a 1:8 rifling twist
offered by Whittaker Guns (6976
West Louisville Ln, Owensboro,
KY 42301; whittakerguns.com). I
filled my 2017 Montana pronghorn
tag with the Ruger using a Hor-
nady 70-grain GMX monolithic
bullet and a maximum load of
Hodgdon SUPERFORMANCE for
around 3,400 fps. It worked fine ing a case trimmer and case prep priced kits are also available with
at 350 yards on the biggest buck center, a case-cleaning tumbler the Victory O-press or eight-hole
in the neighborhood, so I decided and several ultrasonic brass clean- All-American, plus a larger selec-
to load some more ammunition ers. Ten different powder scales tion of tools.)
with the Lyman press because the and measures are available, both Of course, Lyman isn’t just about
70-grain GMX is very uniform in electronic and manual, including handloading. The manufacturer
length and ogive shape, so it would the classic No. 55 powder mea- also offers traditional muzzleload-
provide a good check of seating sure. One of my measures is a ing and black-powder cartridge
depth. No. 55 with the Homer Culver rifles, grips and other accessories
First, eight rounds were loaded micrometer adjustment favored for handguns and rifles, gun care
with the seating die screwed into by benchrest shooters for de- products and yes, “iron” sights,
a different hole for each round. cades, and it is often semi-copied including several tang-mounted
Their overall length varied .0015 by other manufacturers. Mine was models resembling the No. 1 that
inch, the same variation as the a generous gift from Dr. Ken Oe- started the company 140 years
length of the bullets, and also var- hler and is used often when mak- ago.
ied .0015 inch when measured to a ing 6mm PPC ammunition for my Lyman long ago outgrew the or-
datum line scribed in the middle benchrest rifle, or a bunch of pre- iginal building and is now located
of the ogive. cise prairie dog rounds. a few miles away in Middletown.
Eight more rounds were then Perhaps the best deal, how- The original factory still stands,
loaded, this time with the seat- ever, is the Ideal (there’s that and in fact is registered with the
ing die left in the same hole. Their word again) Reloading Kit, in- Connecticut Trust for Historic
variation was basically the same, cluding an Ideal C-press, pow- Preservation. It looks very much
so yes, Lyman’s new turret press der measure and stand, Pocket like it did when the long sign across
is very well made. It’s also pretty Touch 1500 electronic scale, load- the front read “The Lyman Gun
stout; in fact, our FedEx guy ing block, Care Prep Multi-Tool, Sight Corp. Middlefield, Conn.” If
warned me the package was heavy E-ZEE Prime hand-priming tool, you’re ever in the neighborhood,
when he handed it over. Quick Slick case lube and the you might want to drive by 147
Lyman also offers a complete Lyman Reloading Handbook, 50th West Street and take a look at a
line of other loading tools, includ- Edition – all for $249.95. (Higher- piece of shooting history. •

Brian Pearce When the .204 first appeared I had the opportu-
nity to use several different rifles and multiple factory
he .204 Ruger was formally an- loads on varmint shoots. I was especially pleased with
its terminal performance, but there were a couple of
nounced in 2004, was quickly virtues that really stood out. For example, its low
accepted by many varmint recoil allowed bullet strike to be observed through
shooters and hunters and the riflescope. This is mentioned because when wind
drift moved the bullet off target, another round could
has become one of the most reloaded instantly be chambered, the “hold” corrected and a
rifle cartridges. Its virtues include hit made without a spotter – before wind conditions
an unusually flat trajectory, mild re- changed. On these particular varmint shoots in Wy-
oming, Colorado, Montana and Nebraska, 500 to 700
coil, outstanding accuracy, modest rounds of ammunition were often fired daily while
muzzle report and velocities of 4,225 other calibers were used intermittently. At the end
fps with 32-grain bullets or 3,900 fps of a day of high-volume shooting, the comparatively
low muzzle report, flat trajectory and low recoil of
with 40-grain versions. Originally de- the .204 was especially appreciated. Furthermore, the
veloped as a joint effort between Hor- ammunition containing heavier bullet weights, typi-
cally weighing 39 and 40 grains, bucked wind notably
nady and Ruger, the cartridge was better than lighter bullets. The .204 Ruger has proven
quickly offered by all major rifle and to be an honest 500-yard varmint cartridge with cor-
ammunition manufacturers. Fourteen rect loads.
One innovative feature found in Hornady .204 fac-
years later, it remains popular and has tory loads includes powder containing a decopper-
rightfully earned its position among ing agent that effectively inhibits bullet jacket fouling.
great varmint cartridges. The powder is known by OEM producers as SMP746,
The .204 is based on the .222 Remington Magnum which is formulated by Primex. This technology was
case necked to accept .204-inch bullets, the shoulder “borrowed” from the U.S. military but has now found
was moved forward for increased capacity, and the its way into canister-grade powders that are available
shoulder angle was changed from 23 to 30 degrees. to handloaders, such as Hodgdon CFE 223 and very
The .204 fills the gap between the tiny centerfire recently Ramshot X-Terminator and others. CFE 223
.17-caliber cartridges and various .22-caliber varmint is the same powder as SMP746; however, the latter is
rounds. for OEM purposes and is manufactured with much

larger lot-to-lot variances, and manufacturers de- referenced for accuracy using a Remington Model 700
velop new loads with each powder lot with the aid of fitted with a more common 24-inch barrel. I wish that
a pressure barrel that most handloaders do not have I could assign an accurate figure of approximate ve-
access to. locity increases with a 2-inch longer barrel, but there
While the above technology is especially useful are so many variables it really depends on the indi-
for a variety of cartridges that are fired in high vol- vidual load, bullet weight, powder and the quality and
ume, including handgun rounds, and with the .204’s dimensions of a given rifle barrel. With that said, ve-
small caliber, it was a perfect candidate for this fea- locity variance will probably be between 50 and 150
ture. Specifically, smaller calibers are often more fps. When using the 527 for previous load development
sensitive to barrel (and powder) fouling, which can and hunting, it has proven accurate and the rifle bore
degrade accuracy until the barrel is cleaned. I have is shiny like a mirror, which has resulted in minimal
fired in excess of 1,000 rounds of Hornady .204 Ru- fouling.
ger loads in the field without cleaning the barrel, and As reference ammunition, a variety of factory loads
accuracy remained good – certainly good enough to from Federal, Hornady, Nosler, Remington and Win-
regularly connect on prairie dogs at 500 yards. While chester were checked for accuracy and velocity, with
this observation is not scientific, the load was clearly the results shown in an accompanying table. Most
working well enough to keep the varmint shooting loads delivered respectable accuracy; however, some
interesting until the sun went down. produced higher extreme velocity spreads than I would
A CZ 527 American rifle was selected to develop the be happy with as a precision-oriented handloader and
accompanying loads. These rifles feature high-quality, varmint shooter. These loads are likely to produce ver-
cold hammer-forged barrels that are stress relieved tical stringing at long range. It is unknown if these
and known for their accuracy. The 527 features a 22- results were from poor-quality cases, perhaps a poor
inch barrel, which is shorter than those found on most case neck relationship with the bullet, including ten-
varmint rifles, but it has always given respectable ve- sion and alignment, or perhaps a poor powder choice.
locities. A few factory loads and handloads were cross Regardless, these results were mostly observed with
Handloads for a Speedy Varmint Cartridge

loads containing lighter bullets,
which are oddly popular among
individuals who only purchase Maximum overall cartridge length
factory ammunition. Select hand- is limited to 2.260 inches; however,
loads showed significantly lower most handload data was developed
extreme spreads and accuracy im- with overall loaded lengths from
provements using 32-grain bullets 2.245 to 2.250 inches.
from Nosler, Sierra and Hornady.
As established by the Sporting standard RCBS full-length sizing
Arms and Ammunition Manufac- die was used here, the RCBS X-Die
turers’ Institute (SAAMI), the .204 would probably prove beneficial to
has a maximum average pressure help prevent constant stretching
of 57,500 psi (not to be confused of cases that are reloaded multi-
with CUP, which has understand- ple times. Incidentally, case life
ably not been established). Due has been long with loads that are
to the small caliber and pressure within pressure limits.
levels, cases tend to stretch rather When measuring case water
quickly and will require regular capacity, there were variances
trimming to keep them within from brand to brand; however, all
maximum length specification of weighed between 32.5 (Reming-
1.850 inches. Failure to do so can ton) and 33.0 grains (Hornady). My When handloading the .204 Ruger,
result in pressure spikes. While a methodology was to trim cases all using spherical powders or super short
to the same length, full-length size cut extruded powders will help prevent
them, install new primers, weigh bridging in the case.
empty cases, fill them with water
until level with the case mouth, spreads. Most ammunition compa-
then weigh again and deduct their nies use magnum primers in their
“dry” weights. Winchester cases factory loads, but not all. Prelimi-
were used to develop the accom- nary experiments have shown that
panying load data and had a ca- select standard primers, such as
pacity of 32.7 grains. CCI’s BR-4, can exhibit a slight
As suggested, case preparation accuracy edge with select loads
is an important aspect to assem- containing comparatively easy-to-
ble accurate and consistent hand- ignite powders. To accurately de-
loads. It is especially critical with tail those results would go beyond
the .204 due to its small caliber the scope of this article. Suffice to
and sensitivity to variances in
neck tension, bullet alignment Select handloads easily exceeded 4,000
and flash hole variances. Inciden- fps, duplicating and even exceeding
tally, Hornady and Nosler offer factory load performance.
match-grade cases as a compo-
nent. Precision dies, especially
benchrest-style bullet seating dies,
will help in obtaining top-notch
accuracy, with a Redding seating
die being used herein.
Federal Gold Medal 205 Match
primers were used to develop the
accompanying loads. Across the
board they worked very well, were
consistent, provided adequate ig-
nition with all powders, including
extruded and spherical, and gener-
ally gave acceptable low extreme
The Speer 39-grain TNT is an accurate All major bullet companies offer component bullets for the .204 Ruger.
bullet and delivers outstanding terminal
performance on varmints. King varmint bullets in 32- and was the most accurate powder
39-grain weights. Both feature a with this bullet. Switching to the
say, savvy experimenters may ben- green plastic tip for high BCs, but 39-grain bullet, 25.0 grains of Alli-
efit by trying additional powder, it also serves to facilitate rapid ex- ant Reloder 10X gave outstanding
primer and bullet combinations. pansion on varmints. In Sierra’s accuracy.
All major U.S. bullet compa- tradition, they also proved very Nosler offers six .204 bullets
nies currently offer designs spe- accurate throughout load devel- that include a 32-grain Ballistic
cifically for handloading the .204 opment. Using the 32-grain Blitz- Tip Lead Free, a 34-grain flatbase
Ruger, with most oriented for var- King, 30.7 grains of Accurate 2520 hollowpoint, a 32-grain Varma-
mint shooting. The lightest (at powder almost duplicated factory geddon hollowpoint and tipped
least that I am aware of) is the load performance; however, 28.0 versions and 32- and 40-grain
Hornady 24-grain Non-Traditional grains of Hodgdon Benchmark Ballistic Tip Varmint bullets. The
eXpanding (NTX) that is legal for reached just under 4,000 fps and 32-grain tipped Varmageddon and
use in all areas that are zoned ac-
cordingly, such as California. In
addition to being a component for
Rim Rock Bullets .net

handloaders, Hornady offers the www.
NTX in factory loads advertised
with a muzzle velocity of 4,400 fps. Top Shelf Cast Lead Bullets
With just a few factory rounds left
over from a varmint shoot, they
were checked for velocity from
the CZ 527 rifle and averaged 4,316 Cowboy Standard Gas-Check
fps. Using 29.5 grains of Accurate .25 85 GR. RNFP/500 $28.00 .32 Keith 125 GR. SWC /500 $46.00 .38 158 GR. SWC-HP/100 $25.00
.380 95 GR. RN /500 $31.00
2230 powder duplicated, and even .32 78 GR. RNFP/500 $25.00
9mm 115 GR. RN /500 $31.50
.38 180 GR. LBT-WFN/100 $28.00
.38 120 GR. TC /500 $32.00 .41 230 GR. SWC /100 $32.00
slightly exceeded, factory load ve- .38 125 GR. RNFP/500 $33.00 9mm 125 GR. RN /500 $33.00 .44 240 GR. SWC-HP /100 $38.00
.38 148 GR. DEWC/600 $41.50
locities. .38 130 GR. RNFP/500 $34.00
.38 158 GR. SWC /600 $44.00
.44 240 GR. SWC /100 $38.00
.38-40 180 GR. RNFP/500 $42.00 .44 305 GR. LBT-WFN/100 $47.00
Hornady offers its excellent .44-40 180 GR. RNFP/500 $42.00
.40 180 GR. RNFP /500 $41.00
.45LC 260 GR. SWC-HP/100 $41.00
.45ACP 200 GR. SWC /500 $44.50
32- and 40-grain V-MAX bullets .45LC 160 GR. RNFP/900 $79.00 .45ACP 230 GR. RN /500 $47.00 .45LC 325 GR. LBT-LWN/100 $47.00
as well as a 45-grain Spire Point .45LC 200 GR. RNFP/500 $44.50 .45LC 255 GR. SWC /500 $55.00 .45-70 430 GR. LBT-LWN /40 $24.00
.458 350 GR. RNFP/100 $26.00 .38 148 GR. WC /500 $40.00 .500 440 GR. LBT-WFN/100 $61.00
designed for larger varmints such
as coyotes. However, the 40-grain Prices subject to change without notice.
This is a good cross reference of the bullets we offer. We have about 144 sets of molds with new molds coming.
V-MAX offers a higher ballistic co- Sixteen employees working 10 hr. a day shifts 4 days a week with 12 casters, 7 auto lubers and 12 star lubers
efficient (BC) and a flatter trajec- gas checking every day.
We have bullets made with five different alloys that we order 40,000 - 60,000 lbs at a time a mixed per our
tory. Hornady’s 40-grain V-MAX set alloys.
factory load chronographed 3,851 Now in our new state-of-the-art 12,000 square foot facility!
fps, which I was able to more or Our Online Catalog Has Over 100 Different Bullets!
less duplicate or exceed by using Everything is in stock
29.5 grains of Accurate 2520 or 29.8 Specialty Sizing Available
Brinell Hardness from 4-22
grains of Hodgdon CFE 223 pow-
der. For those wanting to duplicate Rim Rock Bullets
velocities of the 32-grain V-MAX 35675 Minesinger Trail • Polson, MT 59860
factory load, try 30.5 grains of (406) 883-1899 • Mon-Thurs, 8:00-5:00 p.m. MST
Accurate 2520. sales@rimrockbullets.net
Sierra offers two excellent Blitz-
Rifledjag.com
“The best barrel grooves
cleaning tool”
“It gets the corners”
Check out our website!
High Plains
Reboring & Barrels, L.L.C.
Offering Button and
Cut-Rifled Barrels.
• Most calibers and twist rates
• Some AR-15 barrels available
Contact: Norman Johnson
nrjonsn@westriv.com
Phone: 701-448-9188
243 14th Avenue NW Factory loads and handloads were checked for velocity and accuracy with a CZ 527
Turtle Lake, ND 58575 American with a 22-inch barrel and a Redfield Revolution 4-12x scope.
40-grain Ballistic Tip used in the

Hand-Held accompanying data gave outstand-
Depriming Tool ing accuracy and are known for
Deprime • Clean • Reload dramatic terminal performance in
• Fits cases with normal flash holes the field. Using the Nosler 32-grain
from .20 caliber to .460 Weatherby Varmageddon, 27.3 grains of Ac-
The .204
Magnum and .45-100 curate 2015 powder yielded 4,069 Ruger (left)
• No dies or shell holders needed fps and groups smaller than a half is based on
• Machined from aluminum inch. Moving up to the 40-grain the .222
• Black anodized finish Ballistic Tip, 27.8 grains of IMR- Remington
Now Selling 8208 XBR reached over 3,800 fps Magnum
Internationally! case (right)
and provided top accuracy.
Harvey Deprimer Speer has earned a loyal follow- necked
115 Airport Road down and
Lebanon, OR 97355 ing with the explosive-like per- with the
www.harveydeprimer.com formance of its TNT hollowpoint shoulder
varmint bullets, with the 39-grain moved
version being used here. With 29.5 forward.
grains of Accurate 2520 powder,
velocity reached over 3,950 fps;
however, the most accurate pow-
der with this bullet was IMR-8208
XBR, with 27.4 grains producing
WWW.KINGSHOOTERS.COM
3,748 fps.
Berger offers several .20-cali-
ber bullets with 30-, 35-, 40- and
50-grain versions being repre-
sented in the accompanying data
because they have become popu-
lar due to their extreme accuracy
potential. The most accurate ver-
sions included the 35-grain FB
Varmint over 28.0 grains of IMR-
8208 XBR for 3,886 fps, and the
40-grain LTB loaded over 29.0
grains of Accurate 2520 powder
for 3,871 fps.
In spite of previous positive
comments regarding powders
containing a decoppering agent, A wide variety of powders were used
propellants without this feature, to develop the accompanying .204
including spherical and extruded Ruger data.

(Continued)
Table I .204 Ruger Handloads .204 Ruger Handloads
overall overall
loaded loaded
bullet powder charge length velocity bullet powder charge length velocity
(grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) (grains) (grains) (inches) (fps)
24 Hornady NTX Benchmark 25.0 2.245 3,429 30 Berger Varmint FB A-2520 27.5 2.250 3,759
26.0 3,602 28.0 3,822
27.0 3,810 28.5 3,884
28.0 4,008 29.0 3,950
28.5 4,188* 29.5 3,996
X-Terminator 25.0 3,766 30.0 4,055
26.0 3,913 30.5 4,126
27.0 4,074 31.0 4,177
28.0 4,248 32 Nosler Varmageddon Tipped RL-10X 23.0 2.250 3,635
29.0 4,400 24.0 3,747
29.5 4,466 25.0 3,870
RL-10X 24.0 3,935 26.0 3,990
24.5 3,979 26.5 4,054
25.0 4,040 A-2015 25.0 3,651
25.5 4,117 26.0 3,833
26.0 4,155 27.0 4,001
W-760 26.0 3,192 27.3 4,069*
27.0 3,303 TAC 25.0 3,655
28.0 3,439 26.0 3,762
29.0 3,549 27.0 3,887
VV-N133 24.0 3,551 28.0 4,009
25.0 3,777 28.5 4,076
26.0 4,011 IMR-4198 22.0 3,710
26.5 4,102 22.5 3,782
A-2230 24.0 3,672 23.0 3,880
25.0 3,775 23.5 3,953
26.0 3,900 23.7 3,996
27.0 4,020 CFE 223 29.0 3,751
28.0 4,148 29.5 3,839
29.0 4,268 30.0 3,954
29.5 4,379 30.5 4,062
W-748 26.0 3,403 31.0 4,146
27.0 3,541 32 Sierra BlitzKing W-748 27.0 2.250 3,561
28.0 3,699 28.0 3,704
29.0 3,844 29.0 3,862
30.0 4,005 29.5 3,955
A-2015 24.0 3,536 30.0 4,022
25.0 3,695 A-2520 27.0 3,710
26.0 3,894 28.0 3,818
27.0 4,070 29.0 3,966
28.0 4,243 30.0 4,070
N-200 24.0 3,860 30.7 4,140
25.0 4,011 RL-15 26.0 3,349
25.5 4,066 27.0 3,492
26.0 4,132 28.0 3,666
30 Berger Varmint FB VV-N140 27.0 2.250 3,630 29.0 3,811
27.5 3,691 29.5 3,908
28.0 3,777 Benchmark 25.0 3,644
28.5 3,850 26.0 3,739
29.0 3,944 27.0 3,870
29.5 4,009* 27.5 3,924
W-748 27.0 3,570 28.0 3,974*
27.5 3,630 32 Hornady V-MAX A-2520 27.0 2.250 3,710
28.0 3,703 28.0 3,818
28.5 3,779 29.0 3,955
29.0 3,860 30.0 4,066
29.5 3,930 30.5 4,125
30.0 4,001 Varget 27.0 3,433
A-2520 27.0 3,720 28.0 3,622
(Continued) (Continued on page 56)

(Continued from page 55) (Continued)
.204 Ruger Handloads .204 Ruger Handloads

overall overall
loaded loaded
bullet powder charge length velocity bullet powder charge length velocity
(grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) (grains) (grains) (inches) (fps)
32 Hornady V-MAX Varget 29.0 2.250 3,788 39 Sierra BlitzKing A-2015 24.0 2.250 3,455
29.3 3,829* 24.5 3,532
CFE 223 29.0 3,739 25.0 3,651
29.5 3,822 25.5 3,722
30.0 3,935 25.7 3,758
30.5 4,040 RL-10X 23.0 3,418
31.0 4,122 23.5 3,481
31.3 4,168 24.0 3,559
H-4895 26.0 3,359 24.5 3,658
27.0 3,600 25.0 3,724*
28.0 3,833 25.4 3,784
28.5 3,921 H-322 23.0 3,380
VV-N540 28.0 3,589 23.5 3,436
28.5 3,708 24.0 3,503
29.0 3,859 24.5 3,585
29.5 3,994 RL-15 26.0 3,304
IMR-4198 22.0 3,695 26.5 3,378
22.5 3,767 27.0 3,484
23.0 3,871 27.5 3,570
23.5 3,940 28.0 3,642
23.7 3,988 28.3 3,688
35 Berger FB Varmint CFE 223 28.5 2.245 3,748 40 Hornady V-MAX X-Terminator 24.0 2.250 3,341
29.0 3,803 24.5 3,400
29.5 3,890 25.0 3,477
30.0 3,977 25.5 3,556
30.5 4,043 26.0 3,620
BL-C(2) 28.5 3,634 26.5 3,679
29.0 3,709 27.0 3,748
29.5 3,798 Benchmark 24.0 3,266
30.0 3,899 24.5 3,327
30.5 3,988 25.0 3,393
31.0 4,062 25.5 3,475
8208 XBR 27.0 3,745 26.0 3,538*
27.5 3,801 26.4 3,611
28.0 3,886* A-2520 25.0 3,422
28.3 3,950 26.0 3,522
39 Speer TNT HP Power Pro 2000-MR 27.0 2.250 3,217 27.0 3,647
28.0 3,360 28.0 3,768
29.0 3,535 29.0 3,855
30.0 3,676 29.5 3,922
30.5 3,754 CFE 223 27.0 3,500
31.0 3,810 27.5 3,551
8208 XBR 24.0 3,392 28.0 3,608
25.0 3,461 28.5 3,688
26.0 3,576 29.0 3,757
27.0 3,666 29.5 3,811
27.4 3,748* 40 Berger LTB W-748 26.0 2.255 3,470
AR-Comp 24.0 3,290 26.5 3,522
25.0 3,385 27.0 3,585
26.0 3,511 27.5 3,650
26.5 3,608 28.0 3,728
27.0 3,664 28.5 3,783
27.5 3,714 A-2520 25.0 3,440
A-2520 25.0 3,444 26.0 3,535
26.0 3,548 27.0 3,671
27.0 3,670 28.0 3,788
28.0 3,793 29.0 3,871*
29.0 3,891 29.5 3,939
29.5 3,952 CFE 223 28.0 3,624
(Continued) (Continued on page 57)

(Continued from page 56)
.204 Ruger Handloads Table II .204 Ruger

overall Factory Load Performance
loaded
bullet powder charge length velocity stated actual
(grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) load velocity velocity
(grains) (fps) (fps)
40 Berger LTB CFE 223 28.5 2.255 3,697
29.0 3,769 24 Hornady NTX 4,400 4,316
29.5 3,832 32 Federal V-Shok Nosler Ballistic Tip 4,030 3,888
29.8 3,870 32 Hornady Varmint Express V-MAX 4,225 4,104
40 Nosler Ballistic Tip Power Pro 2000-MR 29.0 2.250 3,561 32 Nosler Custom FB Tipped 4,000 3,866
30.0 3,690 32 Remington Premier AccuTip-V 4,225 4,081
31.0 3,822
32 Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertip 4,050 3,944
8208 XBR 26.0 3,581
27.0 3,679 34 Winchester Super-X HP 4,025 3,923
27.8 3,801* 40 Hornady V-MAX 3,900 3,851
X-Terminator 26.0 3,631 40 Nosler Custom Ballistic Tip 3,625 3,578
26.5 3,685 40 Remington Premier AccuTip-V BT 3,900 3,841
27.0 3,759
Notes: A CZ Model 527 with a 22-inch barrel and a Redfield Revolution 4-12x
27.3 3,805 scope was used to test all loads.
45 Hornady SP W-748 25.0 2.250 3,133 For more data on this cartridge please visit LoadData.com.
25.5 3,200
26.0 3,271
26.5 3,353 versions, can give excellent results. When the .204 is
27.0 3,440 chambered in a rifle with a nicely finished bore, foul-
27.5 3,507 ing with powders that are void of decoppering agents
TAC 23.0 3,018 can be minimal. On the other hand, I once owned a
23.5 3,077 heavy barreled .204 varmint rifle that shot very well,
24.0 3,155 but its barrel was rather rough, and it fouled with any
24.5 3,234 powder and load. As a result, it had to be cleaned on a
25.0 3,304*
regular basis to maintain accuracy so was ultimately
A-2520 24.0 3,225
disposed of.
25.0 3,342
26.0 3,440 There are many powder choices that offer the cor-
27.0 3,526 rect burn rate for the .204 but generally include those
50 Berger LTB Varget 24.0 2.250 3,087 that fall between IMR-4198 and Winchester 760, with
24.5 3,143 the faster versions being most suitable for lighter bul-
25.0 3,203 lets, and slower-burning powders performing better
25.5 3,291 with heavier bullet weights. It is suggested to avoid
26.0 3,347* extruded versions that have longer cuts (or “logs”), as
IMR-4166 23.0 3,041 they will bridge in the small cartridge. For example,
23.5 3,091 when developing other data not included here, IMR-
24.0 3,153 4064 powder was used, and it performed fine. How-
24.5 3,226
ever, throwing charges was out of the question; rather,
25.0 3,284
each charge had to be very slowly trickled into cases
H-4895 24.0 3,283
24.5 3,316 to prevent bridging. To me this is impractical for a
25.0 3,370 cartridge that was designed for high-volume shoot-
25.5 3,406 ing. When assembling a large quantity of ammunition
26.0 3,448 for an upcoming varmint shoot, I always choose a
* Potentially most accurate with that particular bullet. spherical powder that meters accurately and does not
Notes: A CZ Model 527 with a 22-inch barrel and a Redfield Revolution 4-12x bridge, or I use a fine-cut, extruded powder that can
scope was used to test all loads. Winchester cases and Federal GM205M prim- likewise be thrown. A few examples include Accurate
ers were used throughout. Bullet diameter: .204 inch; maximum overall loaded
length: 2.260 inches; maximum case length: 1.850 inches; trim-to length: 1.840 2015, 2230 and 2520, Hodgdon CFE 223, Benchmark,
inches. BL-C(2), Norma 200, Winchester 748, IMR-8208 XBR,
For more data on this cartridge please visit LoadData.com. Alliant Reloder 10X, AR-Comp, Vihtavuori N133 or
Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads
are only valid in the test firearms used. Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up Ramshot X-Terminator and TAC. Regardless of the
while watching for pressure signs. powder selected, a high-quality powder measure is
especially valuable, with a Redding Comp BR-30 used
to help develop the accompanying data.
Other than the outlined nuances associated with
handloading a small caliber, high-velocity varmint
cartridge, it is relatively easy to develop handloads
for the .204 Ruger that duplicate or exceed factory
load performance. •
Lightweight Bullets for
Big-Game Cartridges
Turn your deer rig into an off-season varmint zapper.
John Haviland Back in the days when my pockets were thin, a
I
Winchester .30-06 was my only centerfire rifle. My
n this age of specialization, hunt- brothers and friends and I hunted black bears during
the spring, and for that I loaded the ’06 with 180-grain
ers feel obligated to shoot a rifle bullets. During the heat of midday we lolled about in
chambered for a cartridge deemed the shade and shot at ground squirrels perched on
appropriate for small game and their burrows in fields. I shot at the gophers with my
’06 loaded with Speer 110-grain hollowpoint bullets
another rifle and cartridge proper for and IMR-4320 powder. Success with the bullets was
big game. That sounds like good ad- less than notable. A few bullets hit right where I aimed
vice, because the more rifles the mer- and launched gophers into orbit. Just as often, though,
bullets hit high or low of aim. That erratic accuracy
rier. But no law states that a big-game was most likely caused by the bullets’ short bear-
rifle cannot pull double duty by being ing surface and the fact, I know now, that their thin
used for hunting small game. One ben- jackets could not withstand the high velocities at
which they were shot.
efit of shooting a hunting rifle during In the years since, I’ve handloaded a lot more car-
spring and summer is finding out what tridges, from the .243 Winchester to various .300 mag-
works, and what needs refining, be- nums, to hunt varmints and predators. Correct bullet
and powder selection is essential to handloading each
fore that big buck appears when big- of those cartridges to provide the best accuracy, and
game season opens. loads are tailored to suit each rifle’s use.

A .30-06, like this Ruger American rifle,
pulls double duty in the spring when using
light-for-caliber bullets to hunt marmots.
Bullets with a tapered ogive provide a much higher ballistic

coefficient than roundnose bullets. These .30-caliber bullets
include (left to right): Sierra 110-grain FMJ and Berger 110-,
115- and 135-grain flatbase Varmint bullets.

Lightweight Bullets for
Big-Game Cartridges
We tend to think lighter-weight was old enough to hunt, “but only
bullets are right for shooting var- to make sure it functioned prop-
mints with big-game rifles. We’re erly and shot well.”
unconcerned whether bullets re- Before Paul’s first few big-game
tain any portion of their weight seasons, a batch of .270 cartridges
when they strike, but rather con- was loaded with Speer 100-grain
cerned with their rapid expan- spitzer bullets at a muzzle velocity
sion. Lighter bullets also have close to 3,000 fps. That load cre-
flatter trajectories because their ated fairly mild recoil, and he fired
much faster velocities trump the 10 or 15 shots at ground squirrels
higher ballistic coefficients (BCs) each time we went out during the
of heavier bullets. For instance, spring and summer. As hunting Hornady 75-grain V-MAX bullets from
the .308 Winchester shooting 125- seasons approached, I stepped up a Cooper Model 22 .243 Winchester
grain spitzer bullets at 3,100 fps the velocity of the Speer bullets to provided these groups at 100, 200 and
drops 3 inches less at 300 yards 3,136 fps by using 57.0 grains of 300 yards.
and 5 inches less at 400 yards than W-760. The 100-grain bullets had
165-grain spitzer bullets fired at close to the same trajectory out to
2,700 fps. The lighter bullet burns 300 yards as the 130-grain bullets
a few more grains of powder to he would shoot when hunting big-
reach that high velocity than the game. Recoil was noticeable with
heavier bullet. So recoil generated his skinny shoulder against the
from both loads is about the same. rifle’s hard recoil pad, and he only
Comparing the shape of these fired a few shots each time out.
lighter bullets can result in a flat- Come hunting season, Paul had no
ter trajectory. For instance, Sierra problem shooting his pronghorn,
makes two 70-grain .24-caliber deer and elk. A Remington Model 700 .257 Weatherby
Magnum shot this group at 100 yards
bullets. The 70-grain MatchKing Recently I was developing some with Sierra 70-grain BlitzKing bullets.
features a boat-tail and a hollow- handloads for a new Mossberg
point with a BC of .259. In con- Patriot Revere .270 Winchester
trast, BlitzKing bullets of the same with a 24-inch barrel. The rifle
weight are also made with a boat- was sighted in for hunting to place
tail and a pointed plastic tip with full-power loads with 150-grain
a BC of .299. However, the Blitz- bullets for hunting big game 2
King’s slightly higher BC results in inches above aim at 100 yards. A
about half an inch less drop at 300 mild-recoiling load of 45.0 grains
yards compared to the MatchKing. of H-4895 shot Speer 100-grain HP
Larger caliber bullets are usu- bullets at 2,912 fps, and the bullets
ally made with a flat base. All of hit right on aim at 100 yards. So A 6.5x55 Mauser produced this group
Berger’s .30-caliber 110-, 115-, 125-, without touching the rifle’s scope at 100 yards with Sierra 85-grain bullets
135- and 150-grain bullets have a adjustments, this spring I will have and IMR-3031 powder.
flat base. The taper of these light
bullets is best placed toward the
front to form an elongated tip
to increase their BC. Sierra’s .30-
caliber 125-grain Pro-Hunter bul-
let has a spitzer point and lead
tip with a BC of .279. In contrast,
Sierra’s 125-grain MatchKing HP Lightweight
has a tapered ogive that ends in a .25-caliber
narrow hollowpoint. Its BC is .349, bullets include
but enough about numbers. (left to right):
When my oldest son was born, a Sierra 75-grain
Varminter, a
I bought him a Ruger M77 bolt- Hornady 75 V-MAX,
action .270 Winchester. I may have a Sierra 100 SBT
hunted with the rifle and shot it GameKing and a
some during the years before Paul Sierra 120 BTHP.

Varmint Handloads for Big-Game Rifles
overall 3-shot
loaded 100-yard
bullet powder charge primer case length velocity group
(grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) (inches)
.243 Winchester, Cooper Model 22, 24-inch barrel

55 Nosler Ballistic Tip A-2520 43.5 WLR Winchester 2.690 3,382 1.31
Benchmark 41.0 3,642 .72
Varget 45.0 3,787 .72
VV-N150 44.5 3,629 1.31
75 Hornady V-MAX A-4064 38.0 Remington 2.690 3,067 .29
Benchmark 36.5 3,148 .64
VV-N140 38.0 3,104 .48
VV-N160 45.0 3,176 .64
Power Pro 2000-MR 41.0 3,169 .54
SUPERFORMANCE 48.5 2.640 3,251 .49
Varget 38.0 3,152 .53
.250 Savage, Remington Model 700, 24-inch barrel
85 Nosler Ballistic Tip RL-15 38.0 WLR Winchester 2.650 3,195 1.07
W-760 42.0 3,113 .67
Varget 37.0 3,110 1.72
.257 Roberts, Sisk Rifles, 21-inch barrel
75 Hornady V-MAX Benchmark 41.5 WLR Remington 2.780 3,277 1.50
Big Game 48.0 3,271 1.02
Hybrid 100V 49.0 3,252 1.27
RL-15 43.0 3,197 1.09
85 Nosler Ballistic Tip Big Game 45.0 2.775 3,059 1.05
IMR-4895 42.0 2,987 .88
RL-15 43.0 3,141 1.29
Varget 41.0 3,027 1.31
87 Sierra Spitzer H-4350 47.0 2.775 2,930 1.17
Hybrid 100V 49.0 3,153 .66
IMR-3031 40.0 3,017 1.72
.25-06 Remington, Ruger M77, 24-inch barrel
75 Hornady V-MAX IMR-4350 56.5 WLR Winchester 3.190 3,508 1.54
87 Sierra SPT Varminter IMR-4166 47.0 3.150 3,333 .87
.257 Weatherby Magnum, Remington Model 700 SF, 26-inch barrel
70 Sierra BlitzKing H-4350 70.0 Fed 215 Norma 3.200 3,781 .88
H-4831 76.0 4,036 1.42
RL-22 72.0 3,514 .83
75 Hornady V-MAX A-4350 67.5 3.260 3,473 1.31
IMR-4831 67.5 3,400 1.05
RL-19 72.5 3,632 .62
85 Nosler Ballistic Tip Magnum 77.0 3.250 3,637 .77
RL-19 72.5 3,705 .98
Retumbo 77.0 3,635 .62
100 Speer Hollowpoint IMR-7828 69.0 3.200 3,414 1.20
RL-22 68.0 3,342 1.40
RL-25 73.0 3,492 .86
6.5x55mm Swedish Mauser, Mauser Model 95, 22-inch barrel
85 Sierra HP Varminter H-4895 44.0 WLR Norma 2.820 3,346 1.47
IMR-4320 44.5 3,204 .85
VV-N150 45.5 3,313 .90
Varget 44.0 3,283 1.15
.260 Remington, Kimber Model 84, 22-inch barrel
85 Sierra HP Varminter A-2495 43.0 WLR Federal 2.710 3,139 .94
A-4064 44.0 3,166 1.10
8208 XBR 40.0 3,074 1.25
VV-N150 46.0 3,335 .41
.270 Winchester, Mossberg Patriot Revere, 24-inch barrel
90 Speer TNT Varget 54.5 Rem 91⁄2 Federal 3.200 3,464 1.18
IMR-4166 49.5 3,196 .52
100 Speer HP Power Pro 2000-MR 51.5 3.145 3,117 .65
RL-17 57.0 3,320 1.27
H-4895 45.0 2,912 1.67
(Continued on page 63)

Lightweight
Bullets for
Big-Game
Cartridges
a good short-range gopher load for
the Patriot rifle.
Smaller big-game cartridges,
like the .250 Savage, .257 Roberts
and .308 Winchester, shoot lighter
bullets at upward of maximum ve-
locity to produce even velocities.
Extreme velocity spreads are some- A high-magnification scope provides the ability to precisely place the crosshairs on
what higher when shooting rela- varmints out beyond 300 yards. Loading a 135-grain bullet at top velocity in the
tively lightweight bullets in larger .308 Winchester helps connect on those long shots.
cartridges like the 7mm Reming-
ton Magnum. For instance, Horn- the tiny targets of ground squirrels these powders deliver the best bal-
ady 75-grain V-MAX bullets fired about as far away as I can clearly listic performance within a cer-
with nearly maximum amounts of see the little varmints with the tain pressure range. The faster a
Hodgdon Benchmark, Ramshot Big scope turned all the way up. powder’s burning rate, the lower
Game, Hybrid 100V and Reloder 15 Generally speaking, if a slower the pressure range at which it
powders in a .257 Roberts rifle pro- velocity is desired, a faster-burning works best.
duced extreme velocity spreads of powder should be selected to main- This past winter I spent quite a
24 to 37 fps. Conversely, the 7mm tain even velocities. From the .308 bit of time and toil sifting through
Remington Magnum shooting Winchester, for example, Berger various reloading manuals for
Speer 115-grain bullets at 3,337 135-grain FB Target bullets at 2,800 90- and 100-grain bullet loads for
fps with 66.0 grains of Hybrid 100V to 2,900 fps had extreme veloc- the .270 Winchester, and at the
turned in extreme velocity spreads ity spreads of 20 and 32 fps when handloading bench assembling a
of 76 fps. loaded over minimum amounts of select few loads for a Mossberg
All that velocity, though, is IMR-3031 and IMR-4895. Patriot Revere .270. Come spring,
wasted in a hunting rifle mounted For varmint shooting with the the rifle and I will be out shooting
with a low-power variable scope. .25-06 Remington out to 250 yards, ground squirrels and marmots and
My Mossberg MVP .308 Winchester Nosler 85-grain Ballistic Tip bul- maybe even a coyote at the end of
is topped off with a Redfield 3-9x lets and H-4895 shoot accurately its luck.
40mm scope. Bullets that weigh at a reduced velocity of 2,900 fps. All that shooting will show
110 to 135 grains with a muzzle Even faster-burning H-4198 shoots what works and what needs im-
velocity of around 3,000 fps pro- the Speer 87-grain bullet well at proving with the rifle and shooter
vide a flat enough trajectory to hit 2,600 fps. This is because each of before big-game season opens. •
Shooting a .243 Winchester nonstop with maximum loads Relatively slow-burning powders like Reloder 22 work
will quickly wear out the barrel and shooter. A slower pace best when handloaded in the .270 Winchester with heavy
extends the day’s shooting. 150-grain bullets. Faster-burning powders such as H-4895 or
IMR-4064 work well with lighter, 100-grain bullets.

Varmint Handloads for Big-Game Rifles

overall 3-shot
loaded 100-yard
bullet powder charge primer case length velocity group
(grains) (grains) (inches) (fps) (inches)
.270 Winchester, Ruger M77, 22-inch barrel

100 Speer SP Varget 48.0 WLR Winchester 3.200 2,998 .65
54.5 3,478 1.14
W-760 57.0 3,136 .79
VV-N140 51.0 3,232 .85
RL-15 54.0 3,452 1.52
7mm-08, Remington Model Seven, 18.5-inch barrel
115 Speer HP H-335 43.0 WLR Remington 2.700 2,888 1.25
7mm-08, Winchester Model 70 Featherweight, 22-inch barrel
120 Sierra Spitzer Pro-Hunter AR-Comp 42.0 WLR Remington 2.780 2,958 .95
CFE 223 48.5 3,212 1.14
RL-17 48.0 2,952 1.88
Varget 44.0 2,911 1.32
7x57 Mauser, Sisk Rifles, 21-inch barrel
115 Speer HP IMR-4064 47.0 WLR Winchester 2.890 2,983 1.14
RL-15 47.0 2,980 .56
W-760 53.0 3,015 .33
.280 Remington, Winchester Model 70, 21-inch barrel
115 Speer HP H-4350 59.0 WLR Federal 3.150 3,118 1.86
IMR-4064 51.0 3,092 .72
RL-19 63.0 3,145 1.06
Varget 49.0 2,969 .98
7mm Remington Magnum, Remington Model 700, 24-inch barrel
115 Speer HP IMR-4064 55.5 WLR Remington 3.200 2,954 1.04
IMR-4895 54.0 2,953 1.95
Hybrid 100V 66.0 3,337 1.35
RL-15 53.0 2,960 1.66
RL-17 67.0 3,396 1.06
.30-30 Winchester, Winchester Model 94, 20-inch barrel
125 Sierra HP/FN H-322 32.0 WLR Winchester 2.465 2,457 1.09*
.308 Winchester, Colt/Cooper Model 2012, 22-inch barrel
110 Berger FB Target A-2460 48.4 WLR Lake City 2.700 3,167 1.38
LT-32 42.2 2,971 1.15
X-Terminator 46.5 3,115 2.84
115 Berger FB Target A-2520 50.8 2.730 3,044 .87
H-322 43.3 3,003 .64
H-335 45.6 2,996 1.73
125 Nosler Ballistic Tip A-2460 46.5 2.800 2,973 2.00
TAC 47.5 3,016 1.18
125 Sierra Pro-Hunter A-2520 49.0 2.700 2,912 1.13
X-Terminator 43.3 2,838 1.81
125 Sierra HP MatchKing W-760 47.5 2.730 2,759 2.42
H-335 44.7 3,016 1.05
135 Berger FB Target A-2520 46.5 2.750 2,793 .66
IMR-3031 43.2 2,938 .77
H-4198 28.0 2,018 .70
IMR-4895 45.0 2,820 .83
.30-06, Mark X Mauser, 24-inch barrel
125 Sierra Pro-Hunter W-760 57.0 WLR Winchester 3.170 2,863 .98
.300 Winchester Short Magnum, Winchester Model 70 Featherweight, 24-inch barrel
125 Nosler Ballistic Tip H-4895 47.0 WLRM Winchester 2.835 2,531 1.38
125 Sierra Pro-Hunter H-4198 38.0 2.760 2,505 1.40
H-4895 46.0 2,512 .94
Varget 53.0 2,793 .87
W-760 58.0 2,703 1.66
* group shot at 50 yards
For more data on these cartridges visit LoadData.com.
Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data. Listed loads are only valid in the test firearms used. Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while
watching for pressure signs.

Terry Wieland
T
less powder and jacketed bullets and became a deer
rifle. Although it is rarely billed as such, the .32-40 is
he venerable .32-40 is one of the parent case for both the .30-30 and the later .32
Special. As hunting cartridges, both of those (as well
the oldest cartridges still in as the comparable .303 Savage) shaded the .32-40 by
regular use and in a variety a great deal. As the popularity of Schützen matches
faded, so did the .32-40.
of ways. New brass is gen- Unlike most other old black-powder cartridges,
erally available, and while no one is however, it managed to hang on in a variety of ways.
falling over themselves to chamber it After 1945 there was an influx of Martini-actioned
cadet rifles from Australia, originally chambered
in new rifles, there are so many old for the .310 Cadet. For convenience, many of these
cases around that it’s likely to remain were rechambered to .32-40, which has essentially
in active use as long as there are hand- the same bore diameter. It is common to find these
still marked as .310 Cadet, so one needs to be cau-
loaders. tious. Then, in the 1990s Winchester chambered a
The .32-40 was introduced in 1884 for the Ballard Model 94 commemorative rifle in .32-40 and produced
single-shot rifle, intended primarily as a target car- a run of ammunition and brass. Later the cartridge
tridge. At the time, Ballard rifles were being manu- became popular for cowboy-action shooting and for
factured by Marlin, so the cartridge was chambered black-powder competition.
not only in single shots but also in both Marlin and, If new brass proves impossible to find (small mak-
later, Winchester lever actions. As a result, the names ers usually produce limited runs, and shelves may be
Ballard, Marlin and Winchester are often tacked on temporarily bare) it is possible to size down .38-55
the end. Today it is mostly referred to as the .32-40 brass to fit. Although the heads are the same on the
Winchester, but the three are one and the same. .30-30 and .32 Special, those cases are shorter (2.03
As the name suggests, it was originally charged compared to 2.13 inches) than the .32-40. One could
with 40 grains of Fg black powder and loaded with a slim down .32 Special brass, but the case would have
165-grain cast bullet. It eventually displaced the .38- less capacity, and particular attention would need
55 as the favorite cartridge of Schützen competitors, to be paid to overall length if it’s worked through a
combining excellent long-range accuracy with mild lever action.
recoil. It was the favorite cartridge of barrel maker The bore diameter of the .32-40 is most com-
Harry Pope, who originated a variant called the monly listed as .319 inch compared to later .32s that
.33-40, and the .32-40 was chambered in all the best measure .321. Bullets listed as “8mm” also offer po-
single-shot rifles of the era. tential for the .32-40 since they are found in every
With the coming of smokeless powder the .32-40 diameter from .316 to .328. Many are in spitzer form,
underwent something of a metamorphosis. Cham- but there are also a few roundnose bullets. In a way,
bered in the Winchester 94, various Marlins and there is an embarassment of riches when it comes
later the Savage 1899, it was loaded with smoke- to projectiles, but a handloader needs to be cautious
Old Bottle,
New Wine
The .32-40 in the Modern World
This Savage Model 1899 was custom built
as an offhand target rifle in .32-40 around
1916. The .32-40 was still the premier
offhand target cartridge, even after the
advent of smokeless powder in the 1890s.

Old Bottle, New Wine
This Savage 1899 .32-40 has a 26-inch octagonal barrel.
Restored by gunmaker Edwin von Atzigen in 2004, it is now
fitted with a Lyman globe front sight and Lyman Model 56S
receiver sight with a Merit adjustable aperture sight disc.
because of diameter and canne- No. 1 and Kings Smokeless Rifle Hodgdon’s; the reverse is true for
lure position. Powder No. 4. Philip B. Sharpe, in 4198.
Reloading the .32-40 presents a Complete Guide to Handloading, The Lyman Cast Bullet Hand-
few peculiar problems, but it also gave formulae for many powders, book adds such shotgun powders
offers the opportunity to do some including the two above as well as as Red Dot, 700X, Green Dot and
interesting old-time things that 3031, DuPont No. 17½, 4198, 2400, PB, but these are all mild loads for
are rarely seen today. Of course, Unique, SR 80, Lightning, Sharp- cast bullets in the two standard
if you have a Winchester ’94 .32-40 shooter, 1204, DuPont 16, 18 and .32-40 weights of approximately
and want to hunt deer, it can be re- 21, HiVel No. 2 and No. 3, Hercu- 165 and 185 grains. The Lyman
loaded like any other rimmed car- les 300 and GR 75. Lyman’s man- Reloading Handbook, 46th Edi-
tridge, although suitable bullets ual No. 34 (1940) suggests most of tion (1982) ignores cast bullets
and powder may not come easily the above while No. 45 (1970) adds and gives data only for 170-grain
to hand. If a rifle is intended for IMR-4227, IMR-4895, IMR-4064, jacketed bullets while subsequent
offhand target shooting, however, and Reloder 7 for jacketed bullets. editions ignore the .32-40 com-
and you want to load just for that, In a 1972 “Pet Loads” article, Ken pletely.
you will need different bullets, Waters included data for Reloder Finally, Hodgdon’s rifle data
probably a different powder and a 11, N-200 and N-201. website today gives loads for
completely different approach. Early data does not differenti- bullets weighing from 196 to 204
Just for fun, I cast back through ate among different makes of such grains, and suggests H-110, H-4227,
loading manuals dating to the early powders as 4198 and 4895, so it is Lil’Gun and Trail Boss. Of these,
1900s to see what powders were wise to check the publishing dates H-4227 is no longer available. I
recommended during its lifetime. to determine which one they are substituted IMR-4227, which is
The earliest was the 1899 Mar- referring to. Hodgdon-4895 pre- so close to H-4227 as to be inter-
lin catalog, which recommended dates the IMR product, so if you changeable, although Hodgdon
DuPont Smokeless Rifle Powder just see “4895,” you can assume it’s does not come out and say so.
The .32-40 was originally 1 2 3 4 5

loaded with 165-grain
cast bullets, but shooters
later favored heavier
bullets. These bullets
include (left) an Ideal
164- grain 319247 and
(right) an Ideal 186-grain
319201 designed by Guy
Loverin. The latter is The .32-40
one of the finest match family includes the
bullets ever designed (1) .30-30, (2) .303
for the .32-40. Savage, (3) .32
Winchester Special,
(4) .32-40, and the
(5) .38-55. All
arrived within
about a 20-year
period, and all but
the .303 Savage are
derived from the
same case. As
deer rifles, all are
in the same class.

.32-40 Cast Bullet Handloads
extreme
velocity
bullet powder charge velocity spread
(grains) (grains) (fps) (fps) to be two or three thousandths
186 Ideal 319201 Loverin H-110 12.0 1,391 18 larger than groove diameter. This
Lil’Gun 9.3 1,222 49 is a matter of trial and error for in-
IMR-4227 13.0 1,435 35 dividual rifles, to see what works
164 Ideal 319247 A-5744 16.0 1,531 37 and what doesn’t. Another point
Lil’Gun 9.3 1,290 25 raised by Ken Waters is the rela-
Notes: A Savage Model 1899 .32-40 with a 26-inch barrel was used to test all loads. Winchester cases and tive strength of various actions;
Federal GM210M primers were used throughout. the Winchester 94 is strong, the
For more data on this cartridge please visit LoadData.com. Ballard is not. Before loading any-
Reduce initial powder charge by 10 percent and work up while watching for pressure signs. thing, it is essential to determine
whether you have a rifle with a
Most burn rate charts indicated bookstores looking for old loading strong action or a weak one, and
that H-4227 is ever so slightly manuals, and then following that proceed accordingly.
slower, but Speer’s Manual for up with a search for discontinued I have two .32-40s, but they
Reloading Ammunition Number powders. are so different their ammuni-
6 (1964) gives loads for both pow- The bullet situation is not much tion needs to be treated as sepa-
ders with the .22 Hornet, and they different. At various times, accord- rate cartridges. One is a Martini
are identical from starting loads to ing to Lyman’s Cast Bullet Hand- cadet rifle rechambered to .32-40;
maximum, with virtually identical book, 21 different moulds were the other is a Savage 1899 built
velocities. Since IMR-4227 was one available in 319xxx or 321xxx, around 1916 as an offhand target
of two powders (the other being any of which could be used in the rifle with a 26-inch octagonal bar-
Hercules, now Alliant 2400) devel- .32-40 if correctly sized. rel. My original intention with this
oped specifically for the Hornet, Anyone with a .32-40 of any de- article was to include both, but
that’s good enough for me – espe- scription would be well-advised it became a logistical labyrinth,
cially since, with the .32-40, we are to slug the barrel before doing with segregated brass and com-
dealing with mild loads anyway. anything. Different manuals ad- pletely different bullets. Finally, I
As can be seen, while there is vise sizing bullets to either .319
certainly no shortage of data, find- or .321, and while opinions differ, To shoot in the old target fashion,
ing it can involve wandering used most shooters size their bullets bullets are loaded well out of the case.
As the action closes, the bullet comes
Modern powders suited to the .32-40 include Accurate 5744, Hodgdon Lil’Gun, in contact with the rifling, seating it
H-110 and IMR-4227. more deeply. Cases should be very
slightly belled (left) then the case
gently straightened but not crimped.
This allows the case to chamber
properly and the bullet to seat more
deeply without scraping the lead off.

Old Bottle, lower it into shooting position.
New Wine
This gave consistent ignition.
With cast bullets, the case
NewfouNdlaNd, CaNada mouth must be belled slightly be-
Moose, Woodland Caribou & Black Bear Hunts
Book now for 2018 & 2019 • Tel/Fax: (877) 751-1681 settled on the Savage with two bul- fore seating the bullet. To use the
dean.wheeler@nf.sympatico.ca • www.biggamecanada.com
P.O. Box 159, York Harbour, NL, Canada A0L 1L0 let weights and using only modern method described above, seat the
powders, but loading the rifle as bullet just far enough in that it is
 Custom, odd, and an offhand competitor might have held solidly. Then, in the crimp-
Custom, odd, and

obsolete cartridge done in 1916. ing die, straighten the bell very
obsolete cartridge
cases This requires some explana- carefully so the case will fit into
cases
 Wildcat cartridge tion. As muzzleloaders gave way the chamber but with the mouth
 Wildcat cartridge
development to breechloaders, and black pow- not closed tightly around the bul-
development
 Manufacturing OVER 400 der to smokeless, serious target let. This allows the bullet to slide
 Manufacturing OVER 400
calibers shooters retained their muzzle- in farther as the action is closed
calibers loaders because accuracy was but without gouging. As the round
 Correctly headstamped
 Correctly headstamped vastly superior. It took some years is chambered, you feel the bullet
wildcat cases
wildcat cases for smokeless cartridges to catch come in contact with the rifling
www.qual-cart.com
www.qual-cart.com up. Meanwhile, target shooters then seat more deeply as the action
Box 445, Hollywood, MD 20636 (301) 373-3719
Box 445, Hollywood, MD 20636 (301) 373-3719 combined muzzleloading tech- locks closed. Obviously, the rifle
niques with the convenience of cannot be unloaded without run-
A must for every reloader centerfire cartridge cases. It was ning the risk of the bullet sticking
– new and old!
well known that accuracy de- in the rifling and scattering powder
Written by certified reloading
instructor, Joel F. Guerin. pended largely on consistency through the action – one more little
and the quality of the bullet’s base. wrinkle to shooting the .32-40.
“...the easiest to understand and These could only be guaranteed by This may sound like a lot of
most detailed book I have read
careful loading of the bullet, and trouble, but old-time target shoot-
on the subject of reloading.”
– Louis S. this did not include having a bul- ers were in no hurry. A day’s
“Outstanding collection of let firmly crimped in the cartridge shooting might consist of 10 or 20
valuable information!” case and left to make the jump to offhand shots at a target 200 yards
– Charles P. – Jason R. the rifling as best it could. away, and each shot was a quest
Shop.ReloadingBasics.com One method was to seat the bul- for perfection.
let from the muzzle, ensuring exact With properly lubricated cast
alignment and a perfect base, with bullets, the ideal velocity is usu-
Your Black no fins thrown up by the rifling. A ally from 1,200 to 1,500 fps. Even
primed case charged with powder with a 196-grain cast bullet, there
Powder was then inserted from the breech is little recoil and remarkably little
noise, which makes the .32-40 very
Cartridge to provide the power. Another ap-
proach was to seat the bullet in the pleasant to shoot.
Reloading Authority rifling from the rear with a special
seating tool and then chamber the
Reloading the .32-40 is never
a search for maximum power or
Outfitters to the Old West! case after it. Finally, the shooter high velocity; it just doesn’t lend
208-263-6953 could seat the bullet partially into itself to that. Turning a .32-40 into
the case, uncrimped and well out a deer rifle can be done, but it will
www.Buffaloarms.com from maximum seating depth. never match the power of a .30-30,
Then, as the cartridge was cham- much less anything more modern.
bered, the closing bolt would push To handloaders accustomed to
the bullet up into the rifling, which buying off-the-shelf components
in turn would seat the bullet far- and getting “precision everything”
ther into the case. This provided that goes together almost without
perfect, consistent alignment with thought, the .32-40 is undoubtedly
bore, bullet, case and breech face a challenge. What makes it worth-
all in firm contact. Some barrels while is the opportunity to shoot
were specially rifled with closely some of the most interesting rifles
Ultimate Online fitted leades to accommodate the ever made, and matching the load
RelOading manUal second and third techniques.
Also, because smokeless pow-
to the rifle is undoubtedly educa-
tional. If nothing else, it makes a
Over 312,000 Loads! der did not completely fill the case,
it was common to elevate the muz-
handloader appreciate just how
good we have it today, thanks
zle to ensure the powder was up largely to all those shooting pio-
against the primer, then gently neers of a century ago. •
Reloader’s Press Rifle Tang Peep Sight PURE LEAD
(Continued from page 9) With 1% Tin, 40 lbs., $68.00 Delivered
• Adjustable for Windage and Elevation Linotype, Pure Lead, WW alloy, Lyman #2,
trued the inside measurement to • Fits Most Lever-Action Rifles Tin 16/1-20/1-30/1, other alloys available.
.425 inch after full-length sizing • Blued Steel Finish Cowboy Action Shooting bullets.
in a Lyman carbide die. The bullet • Made in the U.S.A. ACTION
P.O. Box 189 - Quinter, KS 67752
Tel: 785-754-3609
was pulled and found to measure WWW.THEHAWKENSHOP.COM Bullets & Alloy, Inc E-Mail: bullets@ruraltel.net
.428 inch. Seating a Rim Rock .431-

inch, BHN 8 cast SWC with a gas
check in a .425-inch case neck, the
On
ly Introducing the
.95
pulled bullet measured .431 inch.
From that, it is apparent that the
gas check acts as a pilot in seat- $3
9 GRX Recoil Lug for
ing, minimizing or eliminating the
sizing effect by tight case necks.
the Ruger 10/22™!
(Note: the new Redding dual car-
bide die sizes the neck and case
The GRX solves the chronic accuracy problem
body separately.) with the 10/22 platform by focusing the recoil
In reviewing all the above, the area to a lug similar to a centerfire rifle.
reader might be tempted to use a
harder cast bullet alloy in the in- • Eliminates fliers and improves accuracy 15% to 20%
terest of reducing or eliminating • Simply installed by replacing the barrel retainer,
the amount of bullet sizing that
occurs during seating. That, of fitting and bedding the lug into the stock (instructions included)
course, sort of flies in the face of
Elmer Keith’s success, especially Little Crow Gunworks, LLC
since his BHN 8, 429421 cast bul- 6593 113th Ave. NE, Suite C • Spicer, MN 56288
lets were loaded without alter-
ation over maximum loads in the
Tel: (320) 796-0530 • www.littlecrowgunworks.com
.44 Special and .44 Magnum from
20,000 to 32,000 psi, respectively.
To effectively duplicate or
slightly exceed the velocity of the
Remington and/or Winchester fac-
tory loads with 250- or 255-grain
swaged-lead bullets, respectively,
order a .45-70 (.456-inch) neck ex-
pander die. The Remington RNFP
bullet is available from Huntington
Die Specialties and MidwayUSA in
1,000-count boxes. Powders in the
burning range from Bullseye to
Unique are fine, including 9.1 grains
of Power Pistol, 8.0 grains of 800-
X, 6.0 to 7.0 grains of Titegroup, 8.3
grains of SR-7625, 10.4 to 11.0 grains
of A-5 and 7.1 to 7.5 grains of W-231
with the bullet seated to an over-
all loaded length of 1.65 inches. Ve-
locities range from 825 to 910 fps,
depending on barrel length. A mod-
erate crimp is applied with stan-
dard dies, albeit the Lee Factory
Crimp die or Lyman 310 seating/
crimping die do the best job. Seat-
ing and crimping should be done in
separate steps. Five-shot groups
ranged from .75 to 1.25 inch at 25
yards when fired from a Colt New
Frontier with .456-inch chamber
throats and a 7.5-inch barrel. •
Western PoWders
Handloading guide
edition 1
BOOK REVIEWS by R.H. VanDenburg, Jr.
T hose of us who dote on re-
loading manuals have been
waiting patiently for Western Pow-
moved it to Miles City. Accurate
Arms produced its first reload-
ing manual in 1994, a second in
ders to introduce its promised “big 2000 and a 2nd edition (revised)
book” on reloading. Originally not long afterward. The Accurate
known as Roundup Powders, in books were well received, and
1992 the company moved to Miles Western was encouraged to pro-
City, Montana, and became West- duce its own, incorporating both
ern Powders. In 1996 Western the Ramshot and Accurate lines.
began offering its own line of Western continued to expand,
Ramshot canister smokeless pow- adding Blackhorn 209, a black
ders. Most were purchased from powder substitute that looks like
Europe or produced domestically an extruded smokeless powder but
by Primex Technologies, an Olin designed for in-line muzzleloaders
Corporation spinoff, now a part of and is popular in many metallic
General Dynamics and known as cartridges. In about 2013, West-
St. Marks Powders. ern became the U.S. distributor
In 2005 Western purchased for Norma powders. Throughout,
the smokeless powder division of Western has produced load data
the Accurate Arms Company and guides for its Ramshot and Ac- edges are color coded: white for
curate lines. The most recent of text, blue for handgun, orange for
these, the Western Powders Re- rifle and green for shotgun data.
loading & Load Data Guide, Edi- I always recommend reading
tion 6.0, was published in 2015. the text in new manuals. It serves
The long-awaited “big book” as a refresher course and often
was published in 2017, but deliver- sheds new light on a particular
ies began in early 2018. It is very phase of handloading that may be
well done and well worth the wait. of concern. This book is no differ-
It is 8½ by 11 inches and almost ent. Read it and enjoy.
500 pages in length. It is the Next is the load data for hand-
work of Rob Behr of Western and gun, then rifle cartridges. Much of
printed by Wolfe Publishing Com- the data appears in the 6.0 edition,
pany. The book has soft covers, but there is new data, of course,
and every page is of a slick, glossy as this book greatly expands on
makeup capable of withstanding the earlier publication. Western
most spills. The first 50 pages are presents its data in a different
devoted to text. A “Table of Con- form than other manuals. Others
tents” and a “Preface” are followed present data by cartridge, then by
by “Getting Started,” “Reloading bullet weight or ranges of bullet
Basics” and “Tips, Tricks and weights, and within them, data for
Signs of Trouble.” These three sec- each powder considered. Western
tions were taken directly from the presents data by cartridge, then
Reloading & Load Data Guide, by applicable powders, fastest to
Edition 6.0. Following these are slowest, and within each powder,
sections on “A Beginner’s Guide by bullet from lightest to heaviest.
to Advanced Handloading Tech- In other manuals I’ve seen sev-
niques,” “Powder Position and eral bullets of the same weight,
Pressure,” “Give Carbines the Gas,” but of different designs, lumped
“Shotshells for Handguns” and together. I tend to cringe although
2020 W. Quail Avenue - Dept. HL “Beware Berdan,” all of which are I accept the data as safe. In the
Phoenix, AZ 85027 new. A nice touch is that the page Western data within each powder
category, each bullet is specifically tory and wildcat. Following the In the earlier 6.0 edition the
identified and has its own range Rifle section is more text includ- right-most column in the load
of powder charges, velocities and ing pieces on “Removing Stuck data was for a “comp load,” mean-
maximum pressure. Comparing Cases,” ”Finding Twist Rate” and ing the maximum powder charge
data in the Western method does “Barrel Slugging.” was compressed. A “C” appeared
take longer but seems to be more Surprising to those not famil- in the column opposite any com-
exact. iar with Western’s publications pressed charge. In the new book
For each cartridge there in- is a Shotgun Load Data section. no such column exists, but in the
cludes text and a cartridge draw- Data is limited to the 2¾-inch, 12 page titled “Understanding the
ing, neither of which appear in gauge in Winchester, Remington, Data” that preceeds the Handgun
earlier Western publications. Also Federal and Fiocchi target hulls, section, it is noted that an aster-
included are specifications of bar- and to Ramshot Competition, Ac- isk will appear in the Rifle data to
rel length, bullet diameter, twist curate Nitro 100 NF and Solo 1000 identify compressed loads. As far
rate, case, primer, maximum case powders. The data is presented as I can tell, few asterisks appear
length and trim length. In some by powder, then by hull across in this new book, omitting data
cases data is presented for more the page with columns for shot so designated in previous publi-
than one pressure level, and the weight, wad, primer and powder cations. That’s a shame; I like to
specifications are given for each charge (grains) and pressure (psi), know beforehand if a charge is
level. Each data line includes bul- in usually 25-fps increments from compressed.
let weight (grains), bullet man- 1,050, or 1,075, fps to 1,425 or 1,450 There is no list of cartridges
ufacturer, bullet type, start load fps. Each combination is shown with page numbers in the Table of
(grains), start velocity (fps), max- in only those columns where ap- Contents. Since the sequence of
imum load (grains), maximum propriate. cartridges frequently differs from
velocity (fps), maximum pressure Information follows on Mon- that presented in previous publica-
(psi) and cartridge overall length. tana X-Treme cleaning products tions, it’s sometimes hard to find a
The Handgun section contains and Blackhorn 209 as well, then a specific cartridge or know if it is
data for 61 cartridges from the Glossary and a Burn Rate Chart included at all. The MSRP is $40
5.7x28mm to the .500 Magnum. for most popular powder lines. at westernpowders.com. •
Where applicable, standard and
+P pressure levels are presented
as one cartridge. Most are tradi-
tional revolver or pistol cartridges
offered by major manufacturers.
Others may be proprietary, such
as the JDJ series or Super Mag
cartridges or the 7mm IHMSA or
7mm Merrill. The data for many
of these were not developed by
Western but obtained from the
cartridge designer. Still, there is
quite a mix of old and new, includ-
ing several cartridges resurrected
by the Cowboy Action gang. Some
of the cartridges include load data
for Blackhorn 209, along with
cleaning instructions.
Following the Handgun section
are chapters on “Handloading
with a Chronograph,” “A Look at
AR-15 Pistol Performance” and
“A Dangerous Mismatch,” which
calls attention to the possibility
of chambering cartridges not in-
tended to be fired in a particular
arm.
The Rifle section includes 139
cartridges from the .17 CCM to
the .550 Magnum. There is a broad
mix of cartridges from the famil-
iar to the relatively unknown – fac-
Colt’s Single Action Army
possible to double charge a case

InlIne WIndoW with it, because it will overflow. I
SeatIng dIe switched to it (nearly exclusively)
for Colt SAA cartridges down to
• For Extremely Accurate Seating
• 100%
the size of .38 Special. (I’ve never
Guarantee
tried it in the .41 Colt.) It gives per-
Dayton Machine Shop, LLC
P.O. Box 25 • Dayton, WA 99328 fectly adequate accuracy and ve-
locity for casual shooting, and if
509-382-4159 my ears are to be trusted, its muz-
www.VickermanDie.com zle blast seems milder.
On the other end of the spec-
trum, if a handloader really wants
Colt SAAs to buck and roar, use
black powder. It will cause a .45
Colt’s muzzle to point skyward
with every trigger pull and pro-
vide as much velocity as can safely
be achieved in big bore, SAA-size
cylinders. Until fouling gets heavy,
black powder can also deliver de-
cent groups.
My book Shooting Sixguns of
the Old West is available from
Wolfe Publishing: (800) 899-7810,
wolfeoutdoorsports.com, and it
covers black-powder handloading
in detail.
There is no secret that straight
cases are far easier to handload
than the slightly bottlenecked .44-
40, .38-40 and .32-20. Those three
cartridges perhaps require a bit
more dedicated to the process
than others. My most important
advice regarding the mechanics
of Colt SAA reloading is to obtain
die sets specifically dimensioned
for cast bullets.
Please note that in the accom-
panying extensive load table I’ve
only included bullet designs cast
by myself. These are bullets over
which I had complete control in
preparation, diameter sizing and
lubricating. Results with commer-
cially cast bullets can vary greatly
from my findings. •

In Range came obsolete with the arrival of measure, but based on the above I
(Continued from page 74) the digital computer. Now, pro- would not put much faith in either.
have anything like a large enough grams are readily available on What does all this have to do
sample to draw any conclusions, the Internet that will do everything with standard deviation? Just this:
but for my purposes, it’s enough. Powley aspired to, and more. One With modern chronographs, we
I’d be willing to bet that most of such website, kwk.us, allows you now have the ability to measure
the time SD works out to 40 per- to input data and arrive at the in- standard deviations in velocity with
cent of ES, or a little less. formation you need, but also pro- a given load, but like many readings
In my opinion, standard devia- vides notes explaining pitfalls to of load data, SD is less a measure
tion is a better measure of unifor- avoid, as well as correcting some of of something tangible than it is an
mity than extreme spread because Powley’s original assumptions that indication of what might or might
it is less dependent on the number proved less than gilt-edged. not happen.
of rounds fired to be something ap- Just for fun, I took some cal- To get back to the four .32-40
proaching accurate. In other words, culations I worked out with the loads mentioned above, on the tar-
the fewer rounds you include in Powley Computer four years ago get board the load with the worst
your test, the better it is to use SD in Handloader No. 290 (June/July performance in terms of ES and
than ES. Even allowing for that, Oe- 2014) and tried them again on the SD delivered the best group, while
hler said three-round tests of uni- Internet computer program. My the lowest extreme spread and
formity are useless, and five rounds intention was to report any dis- standard deviation delivered only
are marginal. agreements between the two. In the second-best accuracy. That is
The question then becomes, how fact, the disagreements and com- pretty much in line with notes I
useful is it to know this anyway? In plications were such that it proved have in my loading log regarding
theory, the more uniform a load’s impossible to do in the space different loads, their performance
performance, the more accuracy available. and their extreme spreads.
you can expect. That’s the theory, Speaking very generally, I found If I had to make a blanket judge-
and is probably true most of the that the original Powley Computer, ment, I would say that extreme
time, but not always. I have had the Internet program and my own spread and/or standard deviation
beautifully uniform loads that, on chronograph all disagreed on the do not matter one whit unless your
the target, behaved like a handful velocity from a given load – one goal in life is to record the techni-
of rocks, and loads with wild varia- load, two different computed veloc- cally most-uniform load in reload-
tions that grouped very well. In the ities, with neither very close to the ing history. In terms of practical
end, the only way to measure accu- actual measured result. They dis- accuracy and game-getting ability,
racy is with holes in paper. agreed on chamber pressures, too, they amount to little more than a
The same is true of velocity. How which I do not have the ability to distraction. •
many times have you encountered a
•
guy claiming 3,200 fps for his favor- • Gas Checked & Plain Base Match Grade Cast Bullets We supply all of CorBon’s
ite handload only to discover that, • Everything from 7mm to .500 S&W, 20-22 BHN cast bullets!
• Real Keith Bullets - .357, .41, .44 & .45
when it is fired over a chronograph, 440, 465 & 500 Gr. in .500 S&W, .460 S&W - 395 Gr.
it is 200 or 300 fps slower?
349 NW 100 St. • St. John, KS 67576
In the early 1960s, when the team Tel: 620-549-6475
of Homer Powley, Bob Forker and Website: www.proshootpro.com
Bob Hutton brought to life the Pow-

4D Reamer Rentals, Ltd. ................................................12 Nosler.............................................................................. 5
ley Computer for calculating loads, Action Bullets, Inc. ........................................................ 69 Oehler Research, Inc. .................................................... 37
Anneal-Rite ................................................................... 28 Pacific Tool & Gauge, Inc............................................... 71
they included projected velocities Berry’s Mfg. .................................................................... 2 Patmarlins ....................................................................... 8
with a given load. At best, those Brownells, Inc. .............................................................. 49
Buffalo Arms Company ................................................. 68
Peterson Cartridge ........................................................ 20
PMA Tool ........................................................................74
can only be an educated guess Corbin Mfg. & Supply .................................................... 28 Precision Delta .............................................................. 33
CZ-USA ......................................................................... 41 Quality Cartridge ........................................................... 68
and, in actual tests, velocities were Dale Fricke Holsters ...................................................... 72 Quinetics Corporation ................................................... 72
Dillon Precision Products, Inc........................................ 32 Redding Reloading Equipment....................................... 24
sometimes several hundred feet Gemmell’s Machine Works ............................................ 72 Reloading Basics ........................................................... 68
AD INDEX
per second lower. The later Powley Gentry Custom ...............................................................12 RGB Bullet Company ..................................................... 48
Gradient Lens Corporation .....................................7, 9, 11 Rifledjag.com ................................................................ 54
psi calculator proved to have sim- Graf & Sons, Inc. ........................................................... 52
Harris Engineering, Inc. ................................................. 72
Rigel Products ............................................................... 72
Rim Rock Bullets ........................................................... 53
ilar quirks, and it predicted pres- Harvey Deprimer ........................................................... 54 Roberson Cartridge Company ........................................14
Hayley’s Custom Ammunition........................................ 48 Sharp Shoot R Precision, Inc. ........................................ 30
sures that often proved lower than High Plains Reboring & Barrels, LLC ............................. 54 Sheep River Hunting Camps ............................................ 8
Hodgdon Powder Company ............................................. 3 ShootersProShop.com .................................................. 48
actual. Hornady Manfuacturing Co. .......................................... 23 Shotgun Sports ............................................................. 69
Today, anyone who can afford a Huntington Die Specialties ............................................ 24
IMR Powder Company ................................................... 21
Sierra Bullets...................................................... 15, 17, 19
Sou’Wester Outfitting.................................................... 68
loading press can afford a chrono- John Henrich Company, Inc........................................... 28 Starline.......................................................................... 25
King Shooters Supply, Inc. ............................................ 54 Stocky’s, LLC ................................................................ 28
graph, but very few of us own pres- Leadheads Bullets ......................................................... 73 The Hawken Shop ......................................................... 69
Little Crow Gunworks, LLC...................................... 12, 69 Timney Triggers, LLC .................................................... 70
sure barrels with all the related Lyman Products Corporation ......................................... 31 Tru-Square Metal Products ........................................... 48
paraphernalia – and nor would Midsouth Shooters Supply Co. .......................................12
Missouri Bullet Company................................................16
UniqueTek, Inc. .............................................................. 22
Vista Outdoor Sales, LLC......................................... 13, 76
most of us really want to. Montana Bullet Works ..................................................... 8 Western Powders .......................................................... 36
MTM Molded Products Company .................................. 27 Winchester Powder Company ....................................... 29
Useful as it was at the time, the NOE Bullet Moulds, LLC .................................................. 8 Wolfe Publishing Company ...................................... 68, 75
Norma c/o RUAG-USA ................................................... 35 Zero Bullet Company, Inc. ............................................. 46
Powley slide-rule computers be-
deviant standaRds
IN RANGE by Terry Wieland
H andloaders are all amateur
ballisticians and, by default,
amateur statisticians. Profession-
wrote a short piece on velocity, in
which he discussed the difficul-
ties of arriving at even a statisti-
als of either ilk would laugh at the cally valid estimation of average
very idea that any of us is really velocity in a batch of handloads.
a ballistician or statistician, and To get the exact, precise average,
when you read some papers writ- he wrote, you would have to shoot
ten by these people, you begin to every round in the batch – at
see the difference. which point you would have no
From time to time, publishers ammunition left to use for its orig-
of handloading manuals have inal purpose.
retained professionals to write Ken Oehler was one of the men
Ken Oehler’s formula for standard
chapters on various topics such who made the portable chrono- deviation (SD) was published in the
as velocity measurement, gauging graph affordable, and thereby 1987 Speer Reloading Manual No. 11.
accuracy or measuring load con- changed the entire nature of hand-
sistency. Almost without excep- loading. By eliminating much of the less than the number of rounds,
tion, they are impenetrable except guess work involved in load devel- and then take the square root.”
to other professionals. opment, he simplified it immensely Compare that with the method
From time to time, I get letters by providing real numbers. At the of arriving at ES, in which you
from readers asking why we in- same time he complicated it by pro- simply subtract the lowest veloc-
clude extreme spread (ES) mea- viding such arcane information as ity from the highest.
surements in our loading tables figures for ES and SD. An immediate problem with
instead of standard deviation In Speer No. 11, Oehler provided calculating SD is having a valid
(SD), which is considered by pro- a formula for arriving at standard average to start with. Oehler dis-
fessionals a much more accurate deviation, and I could not tell you misses a three-shot average as al-
measurement of load consistency. what most of the symbols involved most useless in statistical terms.
This is a tough question to answer, even mean, much less how to use Five shots is better, and 10 is better
since I could not explain the actual them to calculate anything. How- still. I long ago settled on five shots
difference between the two except ever, he was kind enough to add a as more than adequate for my pur-
to mutter “It’s a statistical thing.” one-paragraph explanation: “You poses. Even at my grade-school
That lack of knowledge both- first find the average velocity, then level as a statistician, it quickly
ered me, so I went looking for the find the difference between each became obvious that measuring
answer. In the Speer Reloading velocity and the average, square three shots, like firing a three-
Manual No. 11, published in 1987, each difference, add all the squares shot group for accuracy, leaves a
Ken Oehler, of chronograph fame, together, divide the sum by one handloader at the mercy of quirks,
anomalies and pure chance, and
can be very misleading.
PMA Micro Die Adjuster Let’s assume, however, that you
have a usable average, and you can
then calculate SD. Is it worth it?
At the range the other day, I
We won’t say it’s the happened to chronograph four
best thing to happen different loads for the .32-40 and
to reloading . . . but fired five shots with each. The ES/
you might! SD relationships were as follows:
18-7, 49-19, 35-14, 37-14. In percent-
age terms, standard deviations
PMA Tool Innovative Reloading were (in round numbers) 39, 39,
Equipment for the 40, and 38 percent of extreme ve-
260.246.5860 locity spread. Statistically, I did not
www.pmatool.com Accurate Rifleman
(Continued on page 73)

SHOOTING
WORLD WAR II
SMALL ARMS
This extensively
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contains over 400 full-color
and archival black-and-white photos
and covers the small arms used by the
major combatants in World War II,
including rifles, carbines, handguns,
submachine guns and their modern
reproductions and replicas. The focus
of this publication is shooting these
important and historical firearms.
Mike’s detailed information on
available factory ammunition and
handloading data enables owners
and potential owners to truly enjoy
these collectible guns. The perfect
Catalog #554.7
addition to the enthusiast’s library.
ORDER TODAY!
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A Half Century with Colt’s Single Action Army

Ammunition Reloading Journal

• Glock 27 Gen 4 .40 S&W

Phone 913-362-9455 • www.hodgdon.com

10 Cutting Case Necks

14 Ruger New Model

4 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

Utility loads Ammunition Reloading Journal

R eviewing years of correspon-

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 7

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 9

10 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

The fine-tooth saw leaves a smooth surface with almost no

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 11

The .22-250 Remington case in the

is removed. The blade’s teeth are

LEARN MORE AT RCBS.COM

Hodgdon H-4198 powder will duplicate

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 15

CAST LEAD BULLETS

Handgun Bullets Rifle Bullets

Quality Products! Priority Flat Rate Shipping

Alliant Unique is an excellent choice for

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 17

were not asking for a larger or soon allowed, but not in

The 7.9x57 military

18 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

170 Speer semi-spitzer IMR-4895 48.0 CCI 200 3.150 2,547

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 19

Gil’s 6.5-pound 8x60S is probably a rechambered 7.9x57.

20 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

Vihtavuori N133. .222 Remington 50 24.3* 3,171

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August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 27

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 29

For instance, for more than 50 maximum charge weights. Using

32 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

Case forming includes starting with a

34 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

head to the shoulder/neck junc-

Fifty Years of Shooting Iconic Revolvers

that first .45. Today I have a pleth-

www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 41

During 2nd Generation SAA production (1956 2

42 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

.32-20 (.32 WCF)

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 43

The Lyman brand dates back to 1878.

ZERO Russian, so on a return trip to the

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 47

is another turret model, the Brass

ULTRA VIBE CASE CLEANERS

Smith All-American, with eight die

holes, at least one more than any

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 49

50 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315

Handloads for a Speedy Varmint Cartridge

August-September 2018 www.handloadermagazine.com 51

Rim Rock Bullets .net

40-grain Ballistic Tip used in the

54 www.handloadermagazine.com Handloader 315