Handloader February/March 2021

Handloaders are by and large creatures of habit, following a fairly strict routine with each cartridge, bullet or powder. The “process” helps to avoid unforeseen problems that might result in excess pressure with self-ejecting primers or little or no powder in the case, which usually means the end of the day at the range to go home and prod the stuck bullet out of the bore. I’ve managed to accomplish both in the same rifle, the same powder, primer and brass in the same week . . . way back in the early 1970s. ...Read More >

The usual focus in handloading for a rifle is to get good accuracy at high velocity for the advantages the two provide at distance. However, not all shooting is at long distance, and you may have good reason to reduce a bullet’s velocity. Lower velocity is accomplished with a faster burning powder, and less of it. Less velocity and powder make for less recoil and less flinch-inducing blast. Less recoil and blast make for more pleasant shooting. More pleasant shooting results in more shooting, and more shooting improves marksmanship. ...Read More >

Q: A friend recommended that I try cast bullets from RCBS mould No. 45-250-FN to obtain better accuracy in my USFA Pre-War model .45 Colt. He gave me a few handfuls of unsized bullets to try. However, when I went to load them, I noticed that their weight was actually 264 grains instead of the indicated 250 grains. Should I reduce my normal 6.0-grain charge of Alliant Red Dot powder? If so, by how much? ...Read More >

Shooters World, the relatively “new kid on block” in the canister propellant marketplace, continues to expand its propellant line with a clear focus on optimizing propellants for specific cartridge applications. This is not meant to imply the application of a given propellant is limited to a few specific cartridges. Rather, the propellants are suitable for a broad range of cartridges but offer enhanced performance for a number of specific cartridges. ...Read More >

Humankind has battled rats and mice since before recorded history. Not only are they repulsive little varmints, but they apparently dislike us as well because they have killed us by the millions! ...Read More >

It has been said that copying is the greatest form of flattery. Italian-based A. Uberti has been producing replica firearms since 1959 and building copies of the world renowned Colt Single Action Army revolver for around 50 years, which is certainly flattering but also wise, as the demand for quality single-action revolvers remains high. ...Read More >

Many years ago, two shots fired from my Smith & Wesson Model 27 .357 Magnum taught me a cast bullet lesson. I had just purchased my first hollowpoint bullet mould. It was Lyman’s No. 358156HP for a gas check SWC-HP, which Skeeter Skelton had touted in many of his articles. That bullet, as a solid, is listed by Lyman as 155 grains with the company’s moderately hard No. 2 alloy. The alloy I poured my first hollowpoints (HP) with is unremembered, except that it was soft. I do remember those first HPs weighed 148 grains. ...Read More >

Wildcat cartridges have been developed for many different reasons. Some produced velocities higher than was possible with factory-loaded cartridges. Some were more accurate. Others were developed for use in certain firearms. The 6mm GT may be the only wildcat cartridge developed for the use of a specific combination of powder type and bullet weight range. ...Read More >

Funny how old friends remember you, out of the distant blue, after a year or more of silence, and want to see how you’re holding up during the crisis and, “Oh, by the way, do you know where I can get my hands on some primers…?” ...Read More >

If you make a habit of perusing gun magazines, for the past several years you could be excused for believing the 6.5 Creedmoor was the only centerfire cartridge of significance. Though gun writers can’t seem to discuss anything else today, the round never really grabbed me. My obsessions lean heavily to burrowing rodents or predators willing to investigate the morbid cries of dying bunnies. So, it wasn’t until the 6mm incarnation appeared that the Creedmoor name entered my orbit. ...Read More >

I had been hunting elk for more than a week and just could not get a reasonable shot with my single-action revolver. I was tired, but would have to keep a robust pace in order to reach camp before the sun dropped out of sight. Moving along the steep mountainside, out of experience and habit, my eyes were constantly searching for game. Virtually from nowhere, a cow and calf appeared at the top of the ridge to my left. I pulled the big single-action revolver from its holster and froze. ...Read More >

Lead has been traditionally used for making shot for centuries. While not nearly as abundant as many other metals, lead is easily mined and refined, and also relatively heavy, malleable and corrosion resistant. Unfortunately, ingesting lead can be harmful to various organisms, including ducks and geese feeding in commonly hunted areas, the reason the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) banned lead shot for waterfowl hunting in some areas in 1987, and made the ban nationwide in 1991. ...Read More >

The .32 ACP has the distinction of being one of the most popular and widespread handgun cartridges ever designed and, at the same time, one of the most maligned. Probably 10 million or more have been produced in a dozen different countries by a hundred different companies, and it has been standard issue for both police forces and the military around the world. For more than a century, it has been a favorite pocket pistol on both sides of the Atlantic. ...Read More >

Denigrated by many, the .30 Carbine can actually become very versatile if handloaded with some imagination. By that, I mean stray away from the basic 110-grain FMJ bullet loaded to about 1,800/1,950 fps. It might also help to add some cast bullet handloads to the mix. ...Read More >