Handloader August - September 2025

Handloading and hunting have always gone hand in hand for me, it was the original purpose behind my reason for handloading. About three years ago, I wrote my first Reloader’s Press column, talking about a 10-year-old me, handloading for my first elk hunt and my first centerfire rifle, a Remington Model Seven chambered in 260 Remington. Much of the column was about the experience earned with that rifle and continuing my education and knowledge of handloading. ...Read More >

The story of black powder and its use as a propellant originates with the discovery of a simple chemical molecule known in the West as saltpeter. It seems to have originated in China, where healers were making use of a medicine called Xiaoshi in the early third century A.D. This drug, used as a cure-all to promote general health, has been identified by historians as the earliest example of saltpeter – potassium nitrate, the core ingredient of black powder. ...Read More >

My question has to do with shooting 38 Special cartridges in 357 Magnum revolvers, 44 Specials in 44 Magnums and 45 Colts in 454 Casull revolvers. I have used them without any real problems; however, as you have previously said in these pages, the crud buildup in front of the shorter cases must be removed prior to firing the magnum cartridges. ...Read More >

Some folks may think it a bit odd to find the history of a rimfire cartridge in this column. Instead, they would prefer to learn about centerfire cartridges. These are the types that have a recess in their base to house little, largely unobtainable items called primers – one hundred of which now cost almost as much as the same number of cheap imported 22 Long Rifle (22 LR) cartridges. ...Read More >

For the first time, Lipsey’s teamed with Ruger to offer a New Model Blackhawk Bisley chambered in 41 Magnum. It is built on the medium or 357 flattop style frame, whereas all previous Blackhawks have been built on the large 44 frame. The sample six-gun is accurate, reliable and will make a worthy field companion. ...Read More >

Colt has reintroduced the Grizzly 357 Magnum revolver after a hiatus of 30 years. The Grizzly’s first incarnation was a Colt Custom Shop 357 Magnum, mating a Python barrel to a King Cobra frame. Colt produced only 999 of these revolvers during 1994-1995. These Grizzly revolvers featured a Magna-ported six-inch barrel, a non-fluted cylinder, Pachmyr grips and a matte stainless finish. Today, minty original Grizzlies can fetch $4,000 and more. ...Read More >

It is a well-known fact that Parker Otto Ackley created many wildcat rifle cartridges, with several still quite popular today. Lesser known is the fact that when all the wildcat rifle and handgun cartridges created by J.D. Jones are added up, they would likely exceed in number those produced by P.O. Ackley. Jones’ best-known cartridge, the 300 Whisper, was, and still can be, formed by necking up the Remington 221 Fireball case for heavy .308-inch bullets weighing as much as 240 grains and pushing them to subsonic velocities. ...Read More >

An outside observer, surveying the array of gunpowders available today, could be forgiven for concluding that (a) they have no rhyme or reason, and no one on earth could figure them out, (b), that the names are, possibly, deliberately confusing or (c) handloaders who genuinely know about this stuff are genii on a level with Einstein. ...Read More >

It’s now five years since Bob Hayley died, and several more since his debilitating cancer effectively ended production of the “weird, wacky, and wonderful” rifle and handgun cartridges that were his mission in life. ...Read More >

The 7x57 Mauser started life as a smokeless military cartridge in 1892 and offered cutting-edge technology at that time. European companies soon offered elegant sporting bolt-action rifles that helped it become widely popular with sportsmen, hunters and target shooters. ...Read More >

This tale of two cartridges begins in 1973, when the first range for metallic silhouette rifle competition was built near Nogales, Arizona. Made of hardened steel, the four life-size targets range in size from 11x13 inches for the chicken to 19x23 inches for the ram. Target distances in meters are 200 (chicken), 300 (pig), 385 (turkey) and 500 for the ram, which weighs upward of 60 pounds. The shooting is from the unsupported, offhand position, and all targets must be knocked completely off their stands. ...Read More >

You don’t hear as much about the 38 Super Automatic today as you once did, with only a handful of manufacturers offering pistols chambered for this excellent pistol round. This is a shame, as the 38 Super really has a lot to offer. Providing a clear ballistic advantage over the more popular 9mm Luger and even venerable rounds such as the 45 ACP. The 38 Super is nothing new, it was developed in 1929 by John Browning for the Colt Model 1911. ...Read More >