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

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

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

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