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Philip Massaro

Montana Rifle Company Review: Judging The Junction

The author takes a look at the Montana Rifle Company and its American-made Junction rifle.

Among the numerous rifle companies that made a definite impression in the 20th century, one squeezed in just under the wire; in fact, their flagship rifle action was named for the last year of the 1900s.

Montana Rifle Company was the brainchild of gunsmith Brian Sipe. Their Model 1999 action became a favorite among hunters, and their bolt-action rifles gained equal popularity. Using a controlled-round-feed (CRF) action, with definite influences from the proven original Winchester Model 70 CRF design, those Montana Rifles equipped with the Model 1999 action were a perfect fit for the hunter on the back forty or for those pursuing big game around the globe. The original rifle series came in common calibers as small as .22-250 Remington, all the way up to the behemoth .505 Gibbs, and each made many hunters happy during its time in the spotlight.

Between business issues, production problems and availability, Montana Rifle Company as we knew it ended up closing its doors, being purchased by a private investor group and ultimately shutting down in March of 2020.

But don’t count the old brand out just yet: Grace Engineering of Memphis, Michigan, has revived the brand with a pair of new—yet familiar—bolt-action rifles: the synthetic-stocked Highline, and the walnut-stocked Junction. It was the latter that I got to spend time with.

Montana-Rifle-Company-bolt
The Montana uses a familiar controlled-round-feed bolt design—very similar to that of the Mauser 98 or early Winchester Model 70—yet the shooter can single-feed a cartridge into the chamber without fear of breaking the extractor. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

A Brand Reborn

Upon opening the box, I was expecting to see the familiar lines of the Model 1999 action … but I was surprised to see something altogether different. Instead of the ol’ ’99, Montana revised the action to create the Model 2022 action. Between this and several other obvious features, I knew this was much more than a reboot of previous designs. The stock lines were familiar—the Montana Rifles always ran a bit thin in the wrist and heavy in the forend, and the Junction is no different—but they’ve incorporated some features that immediately set it apart from its older siblings.

Montana-Model-2022-action
The Montana Model 2022 action is CRF, with a non-rotating extractor. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The first was what looked like a two-piece Picatinny rail atop the receiver, until I realized it was machined into the receiver itself. Instead of using a cast receiver, a la the Model 1999, Montana’s Model 2022 is milled from a solid billet of 416 stainless steel. The Mauser-style extractor band is still there, along with the Winchester 70-style three-position safety, as well as the hinged floorplate. Though the action is technically considered CRF, Montana has engineered the action to allow the single feeding of a cartridge without the risk of damaging the extractor, giving one additional round on top of the full magazine.

Montana-Model-2022-action-2
Unlike many of the older CRF designs, the M2022 bolt can cam over a cartridge’s rim without fear of harming the extractor, giving the shooter one additional round. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The bolt handle has a distinct gold band in the middle section, terminating in an unadorned oblong bolt handle, which is comfortable in the hand. Because all the metalwork is covered in a weatherproof finish, working the Junction’s action right out of the box may seem a little stiff, but it soon smooths out from use.

MRC-Junction-safety
A Winchester 70-style three-position safety (forward to fire and work bolt, middle blocks sear and allows bolt to open for safe unloading, and rearward locks bolt and blocks sear) is standard on the Montana rifles. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The Junction uses an adjustable trigger—again inspired by the Winchester Model 70 design—finished in the same gold color that adorns the bolt handle, which Montana Rifles says is set to 3.5 pounds but adjustable down to 2 pounds. My handy little Lyman Digital Trigger Scale showed that the trigger broke consistently at 3 pounds, 5 ounces. I found the trigger had just the slightest bit of creep and almost no overtravel.

My test rifle—and the entire initial run of Junction rifles—came chambered in the now universal 6.5 Creedmoor, and the magazine will hold five rounds. Note: 11 cartridges are in the works from Montana, including the 6.5 PRC, 7mm PRC, .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum, .375 H&H Magnum and more coming throughout this year.

Equipped with a 24-inch button-rifled, hand-lapped barrel—made in Michigan at the Montana Rifles plant—with a 1:8 twist and threaded at the muzzle, the Junction comes with a removable muzzle brake that brings the low-recoiling Creedmoor down to nearly nothing. The Junction’s barrel is clean, with no iron sights, and one look at the receiver with the integral base tells the prospective purchaser this rifle is assuredly designed to be scoped.

MRC-Junction-muzzle-brake
The Junction’s muzzle is threaded for a muzzle brake or suppressor; the author’s test rifle was shipped with a brake onboard. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Turning to the Junction’s stock, there’s a definite new look, even if the feel hasn’t changed much from the older Montana Rifles offerings. The Junction is stocked in a handsome piece of walnut in the Monte Carlo design, with a prominent cheekpiece, and is checkered at the pistol grip and forend. The length-of-pull on the test rifle measured 13½ inches, which is pretty well the same dimension as most American hunting rifles, though I personally wish that, collectively, rifle manufacturers would add a half-inch or so to that figure.

As I stated above, the Montana design has always had a thinner pistol grip and a fatter forend. But, in the new Junction rifle, Grace Engineering has provided not only the traditional sling studs fore and aft, but also a four-slot M-Lok rail along the bottom of the stock and in between the forward sling stud and the front action screw. While perhaps unconventional, at least in the visual department, it does make a whole bunch of sense. It allows the use of bipods, tripods and what-have-you, without the need for the end user to modify the rifle. Looking toward the rear of the rifle, Montana provides a ⅝-inch pliable recoil pad to absorb any recoil sting that the muzzle brake doesn’t handle. 

MRC-Junction-MLOK; Montana Rifle Company
Montana has installed a four-slot M-Lok rail on the underside of the walnut stock, between the forward sling stud and the action screw at the front of the hinged floorplate. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

In all, the Junction is a familiar-feeling rifle that’ll sit comfortably in the hands of traditionalists, yet it provides a good number of useful features that even the younger folks—who have accepted attaching all sorts of goodies to a rifle or handgun—will gravitate toward.

Testing The Montana Rifle Company Junction

My test rifle came with an optic already mounted and sighted by the folks at Montana—though the Junction isn’t sold with any sort of optic. The Vortex Viper 4-16x44mm in Vortex mounts (conveniently labeled with torque specs on the rings—nice touch) certainly will help take full advantage of the Creedmoor’s trajectory and accuracy performance, and it was more than enough to evaluate the 100-yard accuracy of this combination.

Did I mention that Montana Rifle Company gives a ½-MOA guarantee with their new rifles? Well, they do. According to the company: “All Model 2022 rifles are guaranteed to shoot a three-shot group inside ½ MOA from a cold barrel using premium ammunition.” Gauntlet dropped; let’s see if the Junction will hold up to that claim. I grabbed four different boxes of premium ammo and packed up the Junction to head to the range.

Hornady’s Match load—with the 140-grain ELD Match bullet at 2,710 fps—has certainly become the benchmark for assessing a rifle’s potential, so I included that in the mix. But as the Junction is first and foremost a hunting rifle, I grabbed three boxes of premium hunting ammunition that I thought would best serve in the test. The Federal Premium 130-grain Barnes TSX load would be a lead-free hunting choice, the Nosler Trophy Grade 129-grain AccuBond Long Range load certainly qualifies as a premium ammunition choice, and the Remington Premier Long Range 140-grain Speer Impact load would round out the group.

65-creedmoor
Love it or hate it, the 6.5 Creedmoor ranks among the most popular choices for centerfire rifles, so much so that Montana chose it for the initial release of the Junction rifle.

Firstly, I had no extraction or ejection issues with any of the ammunition. Secondly, because I had the accuracy claim from Montana Rifles in mind, and the fact that this is a hunting rifle, I limited groups to three shots, letting the barrel completely cool to ambient temperature before shooting the next group. Thirdly, I like the way the Junction shot from the bench; in spite of the fact that the stock was a bit too short for my liking, I felt like the stock design allowed me to shoot it well from the bench. And lastly, the Junction very nearly made the accuracy guarantee … but not quite.

The three hunting loads each averaged at or below 0.8 MOA, with the Hornady Match load printing the best of the lot at 0.62 inch. Perhaps I had too much coffee (or perhaps not enough) and my weebles and wobbles didn’t align by ⅜ inch, or someone somewhere played a Yoko Ono record and set the earth off its axis … I dunno. While I will confidently say that the Junction is definitely a sub-MOA rifle, at the very least my test rifle didn’t have a group at or below the ½-MOA mark. Nonetheless, this level of accuracy is absolutely sufficient for a hunting rifle, and each load shot consistently, holding the same general size over four three-shot groups.

Montana-Rifle-Company-MOA
Though Montana makes a ½-MOA guarantee for their rifles with premium ammunition, the author saw three-shot group sizes hanging around ¾ MOA, with the rifle showing a preference for the Federal 130-grain Barnes TSX load. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Usually, with accuracy comes consistent velocities, and the Junction rifle was a great example of this. My Oehler 35P showed that the “worst” load gave an extreme spread of 75 fps, with all four loads coming within 35 fps of the advertised velocities. Across the board, the Junction impressed me at the bench, and I’m certain it would do the same in the field and woods.

Patriotic Pride

All of the Montana rifles—action, stock and barrel—are made right here in the good old United States, and that means something to many hunters. In generations past, gun store shelves were stacked with rifles made in America, yet today many of our biggest names have been bought by foreign companies and moved manufacturing off American soil. Montana offers a high-quality rifle made in America by Americans.

Though currently available only in right-handed configuration, Montana indicates that left-handed models will be available in the near future. The Junction measured 45½ inches with the muzzle brake attached and weighed in at just over 7½ pounds, unscoped. The Montana Rifle Company Junction has an MSRP of $2,495 and you can find it at MontanaRifleCo.com.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the April 2024 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


More On Hunting Rifles:

The Barrel: An Excerpt From The Ballistics Handbook

This excerpt from The Ballistics Handbook discusses barrels, twist rates and how they influence bullet flight from muzzle to target.

The barrel is the rifle’s delivery system, the steel guidance mechanism that sends the projectile spinning toward the target. Barrel technology has come leaps and bounds in the last century, to the point where the accuracy has become both highly predictable, as well as repeatable. It’s important to know how barrels work in order to better understand how a bullet will perform within its confines.

the-ballistics-handbook-cover
This article is an excerpt from The Ballistics Handbook, an invaluable guide to understanding the various factors that affect bullet flight, from the muzzle to the target.

The Throat

Starting at the breech end, your barrel has three or four main parts, depending on the type of firearm. For rifles, as well as semi-automatic pistols, there is a chamber, throat or leade, and the rifling itself, all terminating at the crown. The chamber is a mirror image of the cartridge to be fired and is sealed by the breech bolt or block to ensure all the burning gas pushes things toward the muzzle end of the barrel. The throat, or leade, is the area between the chamber of the barrel and the point where the rifling begins. The length of the throat can vary greatly, from less than 1/16 inch, to as much as ½ inch, depending on the cartridge and manufacturer. The throat is exposed to burning powder and hot gas, and when shooting a high-velocity cartridge is often the first part of the firearm to show wear and erosion. Some of the fastest cartridges, like the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum and .264 Winchester Magnum, can show throat wear in as little as 1,500 rounds. I make a conscious effort not to heat my barrels excessively, to help keep wear and tear to a minimum. Some companies (Weatherby for example) purposely extend the throat of their barrels to give room for the bullet to jump. This is known as free-bore, and can help increase accuracy. You never want a modern cartridge to have the projectile touching the rifling; dangerous pressures can easily develop. At the end of the throat, the rifling begins.

Rifling

Rifling is the set of twisted ridges you’ll see when you look down the bore of the firearm. It imparts a spin on the bullet, keeping it stable in flight. Those ridges, properly called lands, engrave their imprint into your bullet, and are machined at a smaller diameter than the bullet itself. The corresponding valleys, or grooves, are designed to be at caliber dimension to properly seal the gas and build pressure. The number of lands and grooves can vary, from the two-groove U.S. Army Springfield rifles of the early 20th century, to the Marlin MicroGroove barrel that used 16 or more, and all sorts in between. (Note: some handgun companies today employ polygonal rifling, which is a bit of a different geometry, yet works fine for their purposes.)

Almost all common barrels use a static twist rate, meaning that the grooves are cut in a specific manner to maintain a consistent spin on the bullet. When researching rifles, note the barrel specs listed as 1:10 or 1:7 twist rate. This is simply a means of telling you how fast or slow the barrel will cause the bullet to spin. The example twist rates given above work like this: a barrel with a 1:10 twist rate will have a bore in which the lands make a complete revolution in 10 inches of barrel (“1 in 10”), while the 1:7 barrel will make that same complete revolution in just 7 inches of barrel, therefore imparting more spin on the bullet. The higher the sectional density figure of a particular bullet (read that as a longer bullet), the faster it must be spun in order to maintain gyroscopic stability throughout its flight. While the numbers may be deceiving, a 1:10 barrel is called a slower twist than is 1:7, and with many of today’s bullets becoming longer and heavier for caliber, the fast twist rate barrels are becoming more desirable to take advantage of these bullets.

barrel-rifling-45-colt
Rifling in a .45 Colt barrel.

One of my favorite varmint rifles is a Ruger Model 77 MkII, chambered in .22-250 Remington. This big case is the old .250-3000 Savage necked down to hold .224-inch diameter bullets, and there is plenty of powder capacity to push the bullets to high velocity. However, because the .22-250 uses a relatively slow twist rate—either 1:12 or 1:14—the heaviest bullet I can use in this rifle is a 55-grain slug. While there are plenty of good, heavy bullets for hunting and/or target work available in this caliber right up to 80 grains and more, my rifle can’t stabilize them with that slower twist rate. My dad’s .223 Remington, with its 1:8 twist rate, can shoot most of the heavier designs without issue, even though it has much less case capacity. My .22-250 serves me well, and can really reach out and touch the coyotes and woodchucks, but I’d love to be able to utilize the longer bullets.

For years, I used a .308 Winchester exclusively as my big game rifle here in Upstate New York. I shot a .308 because Dad shot a .308, and we always discussed the reasons that we couldn’t use the heavy, 220-grain round-nosed slugs common in the .30-06 Springfield. He insisted it was a case capacity issue, but I found out that the .308 Winchester was originally released with a 1:12 twist, as opposed to the Springfield’s 1:10, so it couldn’t stabilize bullets heavier than 200 grains. (The .30-06 Springfield, normally supplying a 1:10 twist, can stabilize the heavy 220-grain bullets, but the .308 Winchester with a 1:12 cannot.) To prove my point, I borrowed a .308 Winchester with the faster twist rate, and loaded up some 220-grain pills. Much to my father’s chagrin, they worked just fine.

Here’s a chart of many common twist rates, from popular manufacturers. Of course, there may be some variations, but this should give you a good starting point.

Common Twist Rates for Rifle Calibers:

  • .17 Mach II……………………………… 1:9
  • .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire…… 1:9
  • .17 Winchester Super Magnum…. 1:9
  • .17 Hornet ………………………………. 1:9
  • .17 Remington…………………………. 1.9
  • .204 Ruger …………………………….. 1:12
  • .22 Long Rifle………………………… 1:16
  • .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire 1:16
  • .22 Hornet …………………………….. 1:14
  • .222 Remington…………………….. 1:14
  • .223 Remington…… 1:7, 1:8, 1:9, 1:12
  • .223 WSSM……………………………. 1:10
  • .22 ARC…………………………………… 1:7
  • .224 Valkyrie……………………………. 1:7
  • .22-250 Remington…………. 1:12, 1:14
  • .220 Swift……………………… 1:12, 1:14
  • 6mm Remington/.244 Rem. 1:9, 1:12
  • .243 Winchester…………………….. 1:10
  • .243 WSSM……………………………. 1:10
  • .240 Weatherby Magnum ………. 1:9.5
  • 6 Norma BR …………………………….. 1:8
  • 6mm ARC………………………………… 1:7
  • 6mm Creedmoor…………….. 1:7.7, 1:8
  • .25-’06 Remington………………….. 1:10
  • .257 Roberts…………………. 1:9.5, 1:10
  • .250/3000 Savage…………… 1:10, 1:14
  • .25 WSSM……………………………… 1:10
  • .257 Weatherby Magnum………. 1:9.5
  • .260 Remington…………………. 1:8, 1:9
  • 6.5 Grendel……………………………… 1:8
  • 6.5 Creedmoor…………………………. 1:8
  • 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser………….. 1:7.5
  • 6.5-284 Norma…………………… 1:8, 1:9
  • 6.5 PRC……………………………………. 1:8
  • .264 Winchester Magnum…… 1:8, 1:9
  • .26 Nosler……………………………….. 1:8
  • 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum…….. 1:8
  • .270 Winchester…………………….. 1:10
  • .270 Winchester Short Magnum. 1:10
  • .270 Weatherby Magnum……….. 1:10
  • 6.8 SPC…………………. 1:9.5, 1:11, 1:12
  • 6.8 Western……………………. 1:7.5, 1:8
  • .27 Nosler…………………………….. 1:8.5
  • 7×57 Mauser……………… 1:8, 1:9, 1:10
  • 7-30 Waters…………………………….. 1:9
  • 7mm-08 Remington……………… 1:9.25
  • .280 Remington…………………… 1:9.25
  • 7×64 Brenneke…………………………. 1:9
  • .284 Winchester………………………. 1:9
  • 7mm Winchester Short Magnum 1:9.5
  • 7mm Weatherby Magnum 1:9.25, 1:10
  • .28 Nosler……………………………….. 1:9
  • 7mm PRC………………………………… 1:8
  • 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum 1:9.25
  • 7mm STW…………………… 1:9.25, 1:10
  • .30 Carbine……………………………. 1:16
  • .30-30 WCF……………………………. 1:12
  • .30 T/C………………………………….. 1:10
  • .30/40 Krag……………………………. 1:10
  • .308 Winchester…………….. 1:10, 1:12
  • .300 Savage……………………………. 1:10
  • .30-’06 Springfield…………………… 1:10
  • .30 Nosler……………………………… 1:10
  • .300 Winchester Magnum……….. 1:10
  • .300 Winchester Short Magnum. 1:10
  • .300 Remington Ultra Magnum… 1:10
  • .300 Weatherby Magnum……….. 1:10
  • .30-378 Weatherby Magnum…… 1:10
  • .300 Holland & Holland Magnum 1:10
  • .308 Norma Magnum……………… 1:10
  • .300 Remington SAUM……………. 1:10
  • .300 PRC………………………………….. 1:8
  • .300 Norma……………………………… 1:8
  • .303 British…………………………….. 1:10
  • 7.62x39mm……………………………. 1:10
  • .32 Winchester Special……………. 1:16
  • .325 Winchester Short Magnum. 1:10
  • 8x57mm Mauser………………….. 1:9.25
  • 8mm Remington Magnum……….. 1:10
  • 8x68S……………………………………. 1:11
  • .338-06 A-Square……………………. 1:10
  • .338 Federal…………………………… 1:10
  • .338 Winchester Magnum……….. 1:10
  • .338 Remington Ultra Magnum… 1:10
  • .338/378 Weatherby Magnum…. 1:10
  • .340 Weatherby Magnum……….. 1:10
  • .33 Winchester ………………………. 1:12
  • .338 Lapua………………………………. 1:9
  • .35 Remington……………………….. 1:16
  • .358 Winchester…………….. 1:14, 1:16
  • .35 Whelen……………………. 1:14, 1:16
  • .358 Norma Magnum……………… 1:12
  • .350 Remington Magnum………… 1:16
  • .357 Magnum (rifle) ……………….  1:16
  • 9.3x62mm……………………… 1:10, 1:14
  • 9.3x64mm……………………………… 1:14
  • 9.3x74mmR……………………. 1:10, 1:14
  • .375 Holland & Holland Mag 1:12, 1:14
  • .375 Ruger…………………………….. 1:12
  • .375 Remington Ultra Magnum… 1:12
  • .375 Weatherby Magnum……….. 1:12
  • .378 Weatherby Magnum.. 1:12, 1:14
  • .375 Dakota…………………………… 1:12
  • .375 Winchester…………………….. 1:12
  • .405 Winchester…………………….. 1:14
  • .450/400 3” NE………………………. 1:15
  • .404 Jeffery…………………. 1:14, 1:16.5
  • .416 Rigby……………………………… 1:14
  • .416 Ruger…………………………….. 1:14
  • .416 Weatherby Magnum……….. 1:14
  • .416 Remington Magnum 1:14, 1:16.5
  • .416 Barrett…………………………… 1:11
  • .500/416 NE…………………………… 1:14
  • .44 Magnum (rifle)………….. 1:20, 1:38
  • .444 Marlin……………………………. 1:20
  • .45-70 Gov’t…………………………… 1:20
  • .458 Winchester Magnum……….. 1:14
  • .458 Lott………………………… 1:14, 1:16
  • .450 3 ¼” NE………………………….. 1:16
  • .450 Rigby……………………………… 1:10
  • .458 SOCOM………………….. 1:14, 1:18
  • .450 Marlin……………………………. 1:20
  • .460 Weatherby Magnum……….. 1:16
  • .470 NE…………………………………. 1:21
  • .50 BMG………………………………… 1:15
  • .500 NE…………………………………. 1:15
  • .500 Jeffery……………………………. 1:17
  • .505 Gibbs……………………………….. 1:1

So, it’s important to know what the twist rate of your barrel so you can choose the proper ammunition for your gun. There’s an easy way to observe or verify the twist rate of your barrel. Using a cleaning rod, affix a tight patch and get it started down the bore. With a magic marker make a small mark at the base of the rod at the top, and another one where it meets the breech (or the muzzle in the case of a lever gun, slide, etc.). Push the rod down the bore until the mark makes one complete revolution, and make another mark at the same reference point (breech or muzzle). Measure the distance between the marks to determine how many inches it took to make one revolution, and voilà! you’ve got the twist rate.

If you look at some of the long-range bullets, like the Nosler AccuBond Long Range, or some of the Berger offerings, they will indicate the required twist rate needed to stabilize their particular bullet. If you want a bit more information, or should the bullet be marginal for your twist rate, you can consult the Berger website (BergerBullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/) and plug in all of your information. Based upon the Miller Twist Rule (more about that in the exterior ballistics section), the Berger calculator will provide you with the level of stability (or instability) of your particular barrel/cartridge/bullet combination. It’s a very useful tool, which can help you optimize your setup.

The Crown

The final point of the barrel, where the bullet exits, is referred to as the crown. A uniform, even crown is invaluable for good accuracy, as it is the very last thing that your bullet will touch before embarking on its journey through the atmosphere. You’ll need to know about the varying types of crowns and how they affect the flight of the bullet. Looking at the end of your barrel, you may see a simple, rounded end and be able to feel the lands and grooves with the pad of your finger. Or you may see a square-cut, recessed affair, known as a target crown. In any instance, you’ll definitely want to be careful with the crown of your firearm; it plays a very important role in its accuracy. I’ve seen my fair share of well-worn lever-action rifles, which need to be cleaned from the muzzle end, sporting worn or nearly eroded crowns from years of swabbing with a filthy aluminum rod. I’m sure if their owners, who were tough as nails and certainly knew how to shoot those guns, saw us today with our polymer bore guides and ball-bearing-handled, nylon-coated cleaning rods, they’d certainly have a chuckle. However, if they could see the difference in accuracy between a healthy crown and a worn one, they’d have no choice but to admit that our methods preserve rifle accuracy better.

ballistics-handbook-target-crown
The target crown of the author’s Savage Model 116.

An imperfect crown can be the demise of accuracy. I went mildly insane trying to figure out what was wrong with that .22-250 Remington of mine, as I simply couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t shoot boat-tail bullets. I mean, I tried factory ammunition, handloads, you name it. Because it is a flat-shooting cartridge, I wanted the 53- and 55-grain boat-tail match bullets to work. My pal Donnie Thorne, better known as Col. Le Frogg, weighed in on the matter, and found the cure in one simple sentence: “Try some flat-base match bullets.”

Long story short, once I switched to flat-base bullets, the rifle was printing 1/3 MOA groups out to 200 yards, which makes up a huge portion of my shots with this rifle, unless the coyotes are posing across the hay lots. The crown of this Ruger rifle is less than perfect, and the escaping gas was being pushed on one side or the other of the exiting boat-tail. Switching to a flat-base bullet improved the accuracy immensely and was not a handicap as far as wind deflection and trajectory were concerned. To be honest, the combination of the imperfect crown and slow twist rate should warrant re-barreling the rifle. But I love the way it handles, so I’ll wait a while until I feel it’s time to do so.

Twist Direction

Most of today’s barrels use a right-hand twist; that is, the bullet is spun in a clockwise motion. However, you can come across a left-hand twist barrel, spinning bullets in a counterclockwise motion, and when the distances get out beyond 500 yards or so, the spin direction of the barrel comes into play. A right-hand twist barrel will cause the bullet to drift a measurable degree to the right when the time of flight increases. Conversely, the opposite is true for a left-hand twist barrel, and these considerations must be accounted for when trying to accurately place your bullets on a distant target. Many of the ballistic calculators incorporate twist direction as one of the parameters for long range dope, so it’s important to know. One glance down your barrel and you can easily verify the direction of twist.

Barrel Construction

Steel has long been the chosen material for barrels. It is rigid enough to withstand the intense pressures generated by modern cartridges, yet flexible enough to allow the bullet down the barrel without cracking or shattering. The two most popular types of steel barrels produced are chrome-moly (a chrome-molybdenum alloy steel) and stainless steel. I’ve had excellent results with both, and I honestly feel that either will make a suitable choice for a barrel. Both give long life and are equally accurate, at least in my experiences. Stainless is a bit less susceptible to rust (though not impervious), and chrome-moly can be a bit lighter, but I own and like both types. More important to me is the construction method used to create the barrel.

Cut Vs. Hammer-Forged Vs. Button-Rifled

Most factory barrels in production today are hammer-forged, cut or button-rifled. All three methods have positive and negative attributes. Personally, I’ve found good and bad in all three types along the way, and as long as a barrel does its job, I’m good with it. The cut barrels are probably the most labor intensive, as the rifling is cut one groove at a time in a reamed bore. Krieger, who made the barrel for my .318 Westley-Richards, makes cut barrels. The button-rifled barrels are made in a similar fashion, in that a drilled bore at less than caliber size is utilized to guide the cutting button down the bore. Button rifling is popular with many custom rifle companies like Shilen, as well as Savage rifles—both of which have an impeccable reputation for accuracy. So, with both cut and button rifling, a smaller-than-caliber hole is drilled through the centerline of the bore, and a tool is used to put the finishing touches on the barrel.

Hammer-forged barrels work in the opposite manner. They start with a barrel blank that gets reamed to a dimension larger than the desired caliber, and then a mandrel that is a perfect mirror of the desired bore dimension is inserted into the reamed hole. At that stage, a series of hammers are used to forcefully mold the steel around the mandrel, so that the resulting bore comes out perfect. Undoubtedly, hammer-forged barrels are both cost-effective and accurate, yet some folks feel that they are the least accurate type of barrel. I’ve had some of the best—and worst—accuracy with a hammer-forged barrel, yet I feel it’s due to the fact that they represent such a large portion of the barrels produced each year.

My Heym Express .404 Jeffery uses a hammer-forged Krupp barrel, and yet it gives sub-MOA accuracy consistently. Likewise, I’ve got a trio of Winchester Model 70s (.300 Win. Mag., .375 H&H and a .416 Remington Magnum) and all have exhibited excellent accuracy, accompanying me on hunts all over the world. Likewise, my favorite revolver, a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt, uses a 7.5-inch hammer-forged barrel that allows me to hit targets as far as I can hold accurately. The hammer-forged method occasionally gets a bad rap because it is associated with mass production, but that’s not fair. Heym rifles, makers of some of the finest safari guns available, make approximately 6,000 hammer-forged barrels annually, but only consume about 2,000 for their own in-house use. The remainder are sold to other fine rifle companies, and I’ve yet to meet a Krupp barrel from Heym that didn’t perform very well.

Down The Rabbit Hole

When the cartridge is fired, the primer sends a shower of sparks into the powder charge, which is burned. The resulting expanding gas creates lots of pressure. This sends the bullet in the path of least resistance: down the barrel. It’s also when things get interesting, as the entire situation changes in an instant. Once the bullet passes the throat and engages the rifling, the torque creates a wave of distortion that causes the barrel to swell just in front of the bullet. The barrel will—although minutely—swell and return to original shape as the bullet passes down the bore. In addition, the barrel will “whip,” as if you were holding a fishing pole in your hand and quickly shook your wrist. Barrel flexure is minimized with a larger diameter barrel of shorter length, but those shapes come at the cost of velocity loss and increased weight. In addition, if your barrel is not free floating, meaning that it is touching the stock at some point, accuracy can be affected.

Like all things in life, there are no absolutes, and I’ve seen rifles with Mannlicher stocks where the stock extended to the muzzle and touched almost all the way exhibit excellent accuracy. Many military rifles such as the M1 Garand or M98 Mauser have stocks that extend much farther than do our common hunting and target rifles. Yet, these have shown some amazing capabilities in competition shooting … in no small part to the men behind the trigger. That aside, I prefer my rifles to have barrels free floated so they can swell and torque and whip without interference. That keeps things as accurate as possible. You can test your rifle’s barrel channel by placing a dollar bill under the barrel, and run it up along the stock toward the receiver as a feeler gauge to see if the stock is touching the barrel at any point. If it is, remove a small amount of material from the barrel channel in order to let the barrel move freely during the shot.

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The “standard” crown of a Winchester Model 70.

The idea of reducing barrel whip by using a stiffer (larger diameter) barrel isn’t a new one, but it definitely works. It not only dissipates heat better, but reduces the amount of flexure to give a more repeatable result, promoting accuracy. The bull barrel is a staple of the target community, as well as being a popular choice among varmint hunters who must hit distant, tiny targets. However, they are heavy to carry, and can be very unwieldy to shoot offhand. Now, I don’t mind a barrel on the heavier side of things, particularly the semi-bull barrels that make a good blend of portability and stability, but I don’t want a bull barrel on the mountain hunts of the Adirondacks and Catskills, nor do I want one when in the African game fields, where the daily walks are measured in miles. There is a way to get the best of both worlds using a light, rigid, carbon fiber. Starting out with a featherweight steel barrel, carbon fiber is wrapped around it, until it achieves the diameter of a bull barrel approaching one inch or more in diameter. This combination is lightweight like a slim steel barrel, but has the rigidity of a bull barrel. The carbon also dissipates heat very well, and it keeps your barrel cooler, longer.

When a barrel gets too hot, it’ll tend to print a bit higher on the target. This occurs because the steel expands and the bore diameter is slightly reduced, creating a higher pressure and thereby more velocity. Heating your barrel to the point that it is impossible to touch without pulling your hand away is never a good idea, as it will lead to premature barrel wear and throat erosion. Allow things to cool, and a barrel should give nearly a lifetime worth of service.

Harmonics

The manner in which a barrel whips, torques and contorts is referred to as barrel harmonics. The idea of accuracy is simply a set of repeatable barrel harmonics. If you use the centerline of the bore as the baseline for your observations, you would see a wave in which the barrel would rise and fall, equally above and beyond the baseline. The thinner and longer a barrel is, the further from the baseline the barrel will whip. Again, a short, thick barrel will have a much smaller deviation from the baseline. Accuracy is optimized when harmonics are repeatable, and when the various pressure waves align in such a fashion that the muzzle diameter is kept at a uniform dimension. Um, what? How can the muzzle diameter change? Allow me to explain a complicated theory in simple terms.

I ran across a theory, presented by radio communications engineer Chris Long, which makes a whole lot of sense and explains some ideas I knew to be true, but had no idea how to nail down scientifically. It also changed the way I look at my own handloaded ammunition. Long purports that a series of crossing waves can, will and do have a great effect on the barrel and its ability to produce a repeatable point of impact (known to us as a tight group). While I am not a scientist (cue Star Trek music: “Dammit Jim, I’m a surveyor not an engineer!”), Long’s theory boils down to this: the ignition of the powder charge creates pressure that sends a shockwave down the barrel, to the muzzle and back again, in a repeating fashion much like the plucking of a guitar string. This ignition stress shockwave can and will move the steel enough to cause a distortion in the bore diameter.

Subsequently, when the bullet engages the rifling, a second force—the swelling of the barrel ahead of the bullet—starts to travel toward the muzzle. According to Long’s sound theory, if those two waves collide when the first wave is affecting the muzzle, the groups will open up as if the crown were out of round, much like my .22-250 Remington was behaving. If you can find the load with which the two waves are separated, the group size will indeed shrink.

Now, there are many variables in Long’s equation, including the amount of powder and the load density, as well as the seating depth of the bullet, and while this isn’t a book on reloading ammunition, this theory makes perfect sense to me as a handloader. It can easily explain how changing the powder charge a mere 0.1 or 0.2 grains would so dramatically affect group size, as I’ve seen for decades in my own handloaded ammo. In addition, the Chris Long theory also explains why some barrels like a particular brand of ammunition, yet others can’t get it to work at all. I think it also explains the drastic changes in group size that can occur when changing seating depth and cartridge overall length. (Which incidentally has been a little trick of mine for years, though I didn’t understand exactly why it worked, I just knew that it did.) The variations in seating depth will definitely affect the barrel harmonics and their timing.

Barrel Length And Its Effects

For years, it was a common assumption that longer barrels were more accurate than shorter ones. It’s an arguable point, but I’ve seen evidence that points to the fact that both can be equally accurate. I do believe that when discussing iron-sighted guns, a longer sighting radius will usually result in an ability to place the shot better, but in a scientific world—say using a machine rest—I’m not certain that the longer barrel will always come out on top.

There is a definite increase in velocity when using a longer barrel, as the longer pipe will build more pressure. The generally accepted velocity loss/gain when comparing barrel lengths is 25 fps per 1 inch of barrel length. While I’ve never had the opportunity to actually measure the velocity loss of one particular barrel by cutting off an inch at a time, I’ve seen studies where this test was performed and that rule was more or less proven. For example, my 6.5-284 Norma is a popular choice among F-Class shooters, and many of those rifles take advantage of the case capacity by using a barrel length of 28 or even 30 inches. My own Savage Model 116 with a 25-inch barrel doesn’t quite match some of the advertised velocities because of the shorter tube, and I’m OK with that. It’s a hunting rifle, and while I normally don’t mind longer barrels, toting a 28-inch barrel through the woods and fields seems a bit excessive to me. So, when I ordered the rifle, I figured the 25-inch length would make a good balance of velocity and portability. The choice is ultimately up to you, whether you want a compact rifle for ease of carry, or the long barrel for additional velocity, but it’s important to know that the measured velocity of Brand X ammunition in your gun may not equal advertised velocities due to the difference in the test gun’s barrel length and the length of your barrel.

When I first started to handload ammunition, I didn’t understand why a particular load prescribed by the reloading manual didn’t obtain the velocity shown in the data. I followed the recipe exactly. Used the test data’s primer, powder charge, case, and bullet and seating depth. But I was still 125 fps below the manual. Then I glanced at the test rifle information. This company had used a universal receiver and a 26-inch barrel to arrive at their data, and my rifle sported a 22-inch barrel. Barrel length was the factor.

Pistol barrels can and will have a similar effect on the performance of ammunition. Many of the micro-carry, or pocket pistols, give lower velocities than their full-sized counterparts due to the decreased barrel length. Ammunition companies have made an effort to optimize the cartridges for best performance in the shorter barrels. Federal Premium HST ammo has a “Micro” line that is designed to function properly in the shorter barrels of concealed carry pistols, and it works very well. My own carry gun—a Smith & Wesson Model 36 in .38 Special—has the 17/8-inch snubnose barrel and, while the velocities certainly aren’t what you’d get from a 4- or 6-inch target gun, I knew that when I purchased it.

These are things to keep in mind when purchasing a rifle or pistol. Does a .308 Winchester need a 26-inch barrel? Probably not, because the case capacity can be utilized in a 20- or 22-inch barrel, and if it’s made properly, should offer fine accuracy. Can you get the most from a 7mm Remington Magnum with a 22-inch pipe? Not likely. This is an example of a cartridge needing a bit more barrel length to achieve optimum results, due to the increased case capacity. Will a short-barreled handgun be as accurate as a longer barreled one? Maybe, but it has more to do with balance and the ability to aim the firearm than actual function of the barrel and its length. Will a 20-inch barreled Winchester 94 carbine, in .30-30 WCF, perform as well as the 26-inch octagon-barreled rifle of your grandfather’s era? For the distances at which a .30-30 is most commonly shot, I’d vote yes, but again, that longer sighting radius of the bigger rifle may cause it to appear more accurate than the carbine, so it would take a machine rest to verify the results. For a hunting application, either is more than acceptable if you practice diligently with an iron-sighted gun (which seems to be a lost art these days), so if you appreciate the compact design of the carbine, have at it.

Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt of Gun Digest's The Ballistics Handbook.


Raise Your Firearms IQ:

The Importance Of Recording Your Reloading Data

Whether in an Excel spreadsheet or in a notebook, recording your reloading data is invaluable.

A friend recently purchased a used rifle—a cool, old Remington 700 in the classic .280 Remington—which proved to be particularly finicky. He got his hands on what factory ammunition he could find, and the gun just didn’t seem happy. It was struggling to print 1½ MOA, though the previous owner had insisted it was a “tack driver.” Scratching his head, my pal asked the previous owner exactly what ammunition it shot so well, and the older gentleman proudly told him, “My handloads.”

“Um, sir, do you by any chance have that data for the rifle you sold me?” The gentleman proudly nodded in the affirmative and ambled off to find “the book.” Thumbing through the pages, he stopped on a page that contained a rather detailed record of the old timer’s load development, culminating in the final choice: a 160-grain Nosler Partition over a load of IMR-4350, all sparked by a CCI-200 large rifle primer. Cartridge overall length was also noted, along with a velocity as suggested by whatever reloading manual the gent had used.

My friend brought that data to my shop. With all those components on-hand, in a matter of a half-hour we had some test loads cobbled together, and I sent him on his way to the range. When my phone rang about 90 minutes later, my friend’s elated voice told me all I needed to know—the rifle was shooting as he wanted it to. Three of those classic Noslers were printing groups measuring less than ⅝-inch at the 100-yard target board, and we had a happy camper on the butt end of the rifle … all because a reloader had the wisdom to keep diligent records.

reloading-data-cartridges
When loading different projectiles for the same cartridge—such as the 180-grain Scirocco and 220-grain Hornady shown here in the .300 Winchester Magnum—it’s good to keep very specific notes regarding all aspects of each load. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Be Diligent

Fast-forward to the digital age, where smartphones, voice notes and the evil Excel spreadsheet have all helped to displace handwritten notes, the keeping of records has been both enhanced and diminished equally.

I was raised working as a land surveyor. In that aspect, I have a deep and unwavering respect for keeping detailed and diligent notes, and that undoubtedly carried over to my time as a reloader. Now, with the technological era having firmly taken root—even in the reloading world—there are some wonderful benefits to having these digital tools and the ability to store our data within the machines. However, there are very strong points to be made for keeping a good, old-fashioned notebook for all of your reloading experiences and adventures.

I’ve often referred to reloading manuals as a simple snapshot in time, or a laboratory report of one particular rifle’s interactions with varying combinations of bullet, primer, case brand, and powder type and charge weight. As serious reloaders know, few—if any—loads are universal, as the subtleties involved with the components of the load and the construction of the rifle or handgun can play a huge role in the variations from the listed data in any manual.

So, it’s essentially up to the individual reloader to create their own manual for the firearms they own and load for. Keeping detailed records of both successes and failures will not only shed light on the trials and tribulations of load development, but it will save time in future endeavors.

What data should we be keeping records of? I’m glad you’ve asked.

Redding-Micrometer-Adjustable-Crimp-die
With precision tools like the Redding Micrometer Adjustable Crimp die, even more parameters of your handloaded ammo can be recorded. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Reloading Data: Which Numbers Matter?

Quite obviously, for each cartridge loaded for, you’d want to know the case brand; primer brand and type; powder brand and charge weight; bullet brand, make and weight; and seating depth. I also want to see the number of times these cases have been fired and/or trimmed (if at all), and the depth to which they were trimmed. I want to know whether the bullet has been crimped, whether it was a roll crimp or taper crimp.

For the long-range crowd, the double-rifle shooters or even for the more picayune reloaders, group size and velocity measurements taken at each range session could be recorded, along with the correlative weather conditions, including temperature and humidity, to derive the effects of environmental factors.

For those who make every effort to keep things as consistent as possible, the lot number of the powder used might even be recorded.

Those disciples of the long-range arts are heavily dependent on uniform velocity figures, much more than hunters who spend the vast majority of our time inside of 300 yards. To those “reach-out-and-touch-’em” folks, variations of 25 to 50 fps will make a definite difference out past 1,000 yards.

reloading-roll-crimp
A proper roll crimp—as shown here on the hard-kicking .500 Jeffery—requires a balance of case length, bullet seating depth and seating die setup; detailed loading notes can help save time in setting up the needed components. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

For the double rifle crowd—who are aiming for a specific velocity to match the ammunition with which the rifle was regulated—you’ll often see a summer load and a winter load developed. The temperature difference can have a measurable effect on accuracy and how well the two barrels throw their shots.

All this information can be entered into a computer program—I do like Excel for its ease of layout—but I only use the electronic means of storing data as a backup. I still prefer to handwrite my notes, as it allows me to record my thoughts and observations without the confines of a box on a spreadsheet.

And, to me, that notebook is sacred: the one that has all the reports of finally finding the perfect combination, or has the red letters, “DON’T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the March 2024 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


More On Reloading:

Handgun Ammo You Can Bet Your Life On

A discussion on the finer points of defensive handgun ammo and how to choose the right load for your needs.

If you carry a firearm on a daily basis, odds are good that you load and unload your weapon frequently and have already given serious thought to your choice of ammunition. Bullet weight, construction and conformation all play a role in terminal performance, and while very few will have an opportunity to test their ammunition in a controlled environment, there’s plenty of data available to help make a proper decision.

I’m an unabashed bullet hound. I love the old styles, from cast lead to the early jacketed bullets—all the way through the latest and greatest modern developments. And while there are myriad choices available to the handgunner, I have a few favorites that have checked all the boxes for me.

Bullets that’ll feed reliably in an autoloader, print consistent groups, hang together when needed and yet expand reliably to rapidly neutralize a threat, all in a wide variety of circumstances, have become revered by defensive handgunners. And, it’s what you should be looking for, too.

Let’s look at the various styles of bullets and ammunition that just might save your bacon one day, be it from a two- or four-legged threat. 

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Long Live Lead?

Despite my penchant for modern bullet designs, my father—dear Ol’ Grumpy Pants—is always quick to point out how many species were nearly pressed to extinction, and how many graves, both civilian and military, were dug as the result of lead projectiles.

Lead projectiles—where they’re still legal—make a sound and affordable choice, especially for the slower cartridges. Both the .38 Special and .45 ACP have had great success with traditional lead bullets, and there are many economical means to feed those styles of cartridges. From formed projectiles offered in bulk, to purchasing a bullet mold and casting your own projectiles, a lead bullet is as effective here in the 2020s as it was in the 1870s.

While lead projectiles will foul a pistol’s bore, there are coated choices, like the Federal Syntech or Solid Core, that’ll minimize that fouling, yet still offer the performance of a lead bullet. Softer lead projectiles (we’ll get to the hard stuff in a second or two) tend to expand rapidly, quickly transferring their energy. This can be a good thing, with the exception of the fact that the rapid expansion will compromise penetration. When I use lead projectiles, I like them to be heavy-for-caliber, such as a 158-grain lead bullet in the .38 Special or 230-grain slugs in the .45 ACP.

federal-syntech
Federal’s Syntech is a coated lead bullet that gives the benefits of reducing lead fouling as well as lead vapors. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Add a bit of antimony to a lead bullet, or use good old linotype, and you’ve got a much tougher projectile, capable of truly impressive penetration, with much less fouling in the bore. For the speedier handgun cartridges, like the .44 Remington Magnum, modern .45 Colt loads and the .357 Remington Magnum, a “hard cast” bullet can give extremely impressive results.

In fact, when testing differing handgun projectiles through different construction materials representing interior and exterior walls, a 325-grain hard cast bullet from Choice Ammunition—designed for defense against bears—was virtually unstoppable. It’d make a serious defensive bullet, but with the caveat that over-penetration is a reality. 

The Copper And Lead Marriage

It was in the 1880s that the copper jacket was first added to the lead bullet to help take advantage of the higher velocities achieved by the first iterations of smokeless powders. You see, lead projectiles can only be pushed so fast … and then the lead begins to smear within the bore. While this phenomenon is much more common with rifle cartridges, the handgun cartridges saw the addition of a copper jacket add to the structural integrity and improve the terminal performance.

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Photo: Massaro Media Group.

A cup-and-core jacketed hollow-point is one of the most popular choices, as it’s a great blend of affordability and acceptable performance. Federal Premium’s Punch is a great modern example of this style of defensive handgun ammo, as is the Winchester Big Bore and the Hornady Custom line.

The latter uses the Hornady XTP (eXtreme Terminal Performance) bullet, with its skived jacket to initiate even expansion, and which wraps around the lip of the hollow-point to eliminate exposed lead. Federal’s Punch is similar in design to the XTP and makes a great choice for those on a budget, while the Big Bore line shows a considerable amount of lead at the nose to give a bit more expansion upon contact.

Hornady-XTP-45
Hornady’s excellent XTP is a great example of a modern jacketed hollow-point. Photo credit: Hornady

And while a cup-and-core bullet still gets the job done, there are means of building a better mouse trap. Federal’s Hydra-Shok and HST are both jacketed hollow-points, but each with a unique twist that drastically enhances terminal performance. Long relied upon by law enforcement, both bullets have been subjected to rigorous testing according to FBI protocols and have come up aces. Shooting into bare ballistic gelatin, into gel through layers of common clothing, through drywall and into gel, and lastly through windshield glass—all of these will test the mettle of a handgun bullet.

The Hydra-Shok is the older of the two, being designed by Tom Burczynski and released in 1989, and uses a notched copper jacket in conjunction with a center post to deliver the goods in a wide variety of shooting situations. The need to have a hollow-point design, which would open reliably in any circumstance and not plug with material, was imperative in the post-1986 Miami shootout world, and the Hydra-Shok checked all the boxes. Expanding to twice caliber, with a retained weight approaching 100 percent, the Hydra-Shok remains a solid choice to this day to save your life. Despite the features of the Hydra-Shok, Burczynski revised the design to better penetrate various barriers, resulting in the Hydra-Shok Deep.

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The legendary Federal Hydra-Shok makes the smaller handgun cartridges more effective, by offering deep penetration in a good number of situations.

Next came the Federal HST—again a Burczynski design—with a revised meplat in order to provide the most reliable feeding possible, with a hollow cavity designed for the best performance yet in the highly specified FBI protocols. The skived jacket was retained, though when you dig a Federal HST out of ballistic gelatin, it looks like a flower in full bloom, wrought of a nasty blend of razor-sharp metals. Weight retention is as high or higher than the Hydra-Shok, with deep penetration through all sorts of media. Based on all the defensive handgun bullets I’ve had the pleasure of testing, the Federal Premium HST is my favorite, and the bullet I carry on a daily basis.

Strengthening The Bond

Chemically bonding the jacket and core is a means of preventing premature bullet expansion, and in faster handgun cartridges it makes all sorts of sense. The higher impact velocities that can strain the softer lead bullets and the jacketed projectiles of lower sectional density won’t pose an issue to a bonded-core bullet. Examples of this design are the Swift A-Frame, Federal Fusion and the Speer Gold Dot, all of which are available in both component form as well as loaded ammunition.

The Swift A-Frame revolver bullets possess the same partitioned design as their larger siblings used in the centerfire rifles, with the front core chemically bonded to the thick jacket and have proven themselves against all sorts of dangerous game, from bears to bison and more. Speer’s Gold Dot is another of the top-tier projectiles favored by law enforcement, and with good reason: it has a reputation for impeccable feeding in the vast majority of handgun designs, and its recovered conformation resembles the HST’s metallic flower.

speer-gold-dot-9mm
Speer’s GoldDot G2 is a tough, bonded core bullet, favored by law enforcement with good reason: It works every time.

Federal’s Fusion is—much like the rifle variant of this projectile—vastly overlooked. An excellent bonded-core bullet, the Fusion handgun bullets are tough, and if you want a readily available choice for handling hunting and defensive needs, well, you could make much worse decisions. With a skived jacket and shallow dish in the lead nose, the Fusion will perform well at shoe-string distances in a magnum cartridge … as well as at hunting distances where velocities might drop off.

Federal-fusion-10mm
Federal’s Fusion features a bonded core to keep things together during the bullet’s terminal phase. This makes a good choice for a handgun in bear country.

Where Lead Is Not Welcome

Moving to the lead-free copper alloy bullets, choices like the Barnes XPB, Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrator and Cutting Edge Bullets’ HG Raptor are all suitable choices for a defensive situation. The Barnes has a skived nose with a deep hollow-point. The Lehigh bullet has a nose profile that looks much like a Phillips-head screwdriver bit. The HG Raptor is designed to have the section of the nose along the hollow cavity break off into small blades after initial impact to cause considerable trauma, while the base penetrates deeply, maintaining caliber diameter.

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A simple cast lead bullet will still get it done, especially in a low-recoiling .38 Special. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Like their rifle bullet counterparts, copper alloy bullets tend to run on the lighter side, as copper takes up more space for the same weight when compared to lead or lead-core bullets. But because the material is harder than lead, these bullets tend to hold together nicely. The exception to that rule is the Cutting Edge projectiles, which are purposely engineered to break apart, with the bullet’s base designed to remain intact.

Surprising Brass Considerations

While plain brass cases are affordable, available and reloadable, I prefer nickel-plated brass cases for my defensive handgun ammo, especially in an autoloader. My hands are rather acidic, and repeatedly handling brass-cased ammunition (as in an EDC situation) tarnishes them quickly, to the point where they get almost sticky to the touch—and I don’t like that all. It’s not as critical in a revolver, but in an autoloader, it can pose an issue. Nickel-plated cases can keep things much neater.

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The author much prefers nickel-plate cases in his EDC ammo to keep things cleaner, as it won’t tarnish like brass cases. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Feed Me

No matter how great a bullet may be, if it doesn’t feed in your autoloader, it’s useless. There are few brands/configurations that’ll feed in every type of handgun, and I highly recommend investing the money in thoroughly testing a number of varying ammunition types in your chosen handgun. Standing with a handgun that hasn’t fed another round into the chamber can be a terrible feeling if the proverbial excrement has hit the oscillator. I’d much rather a traditional bullet that feeds reliably than the best premium design that sits cocked in the lips of a magazine or is wedged due to an improper feed ramp angle.

Extraction is another issue that can contribute to a malfunction. If the firearm is screaming to you that it just doesn’t like Brand X ammo, listen to it. Bottom line: It’s got to feed and extract, or it shouldn’t be relied upon for defensive situations.

hornady-30-super-carry
The Hornady Critical Defense ammo line features the FTX bullet, with a polymer insert to prevent the hollow-point from clogging up.

Under Pressure

We Americans have an undeniable love of speed, and the modern efforts to bring an older cartridge to a different level of performance through the +P (read: higher pressure) designation. Some guns can handle the higher pressure levels. Others—especially the older ones—don’t fare so well.

For example, I got my hands on some +P ammo for my S&W Model 36 .38 Special, and while it might not have been the wisest choice in that gun, the absolute ear-shattering report from the snubnose was enough to have me set the ammo back on the shelf. That little gun is much better served (in my opinion) by standard-grade ammo. If you feel the additional velocity and energy values of the +P ammo engenders more confidence, so be it. Just make sure you can shoot it as well as the standard ammunition, in a real-world situation.

federal-punch-40-SW
With excellent terminal capabilities, Federal’s HST bullet is loaded in nickel cases and is the author’s go-to ammo choice for everyday carry. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

In Conclusion

My late mother used to advise: “It’s all about balance.” While I didn’t understand the wisdom of that statement as a younger man, it rings in my ears more often as get on in years, and it surely applies to the handgun world. I want the best blend of terminal performance, reliable feeding and acceptable recoil/muzzle jump possible, so that if I have to use my handgun to save a life, there are no questions about the chosen ammunition.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2023 EDC special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


More On Defensive Handgun Ammo:

Little Fellas: Picking The Best Small-Bore Cartridge

A discussion on the pleasures and pitfalls of small-bore centerfire cartridges.

When a rifleman decides to make the move to a small-bore rifle—whether for hunting, target shooting or for defensive measures—their choice of cartridge usually ends being highly debated. I’ve seen guys who were friends for decades get extremely hot under the collar when arguing the .22-250 Remington versus the .220 Swift, to the point where I thought it might come to blows.

Bring up the .204 Ruger and you might find a shooter who feels that all other bore diameters are an absolute waste of time, and the shooting world was just waiting for a .20-caliber cartridge. And then there’s the huge crowd of folks who feel that small-bore cartridges begin and end with the 5.56mm/.223 Remington, and that’s that.

For the hunter/shooter looking for a small-bore cartridge to best fit his or her needs, there are some considerations to keep in mind with any of the small-bore choices, and the more you know, the easier the choice will be. Let’s look at some of the more common choices between .17 and .22 caliber, and what each has to offer.

The Teenagers

This .17 caliber is the smallest bore diameter of the commercially loaded cartridges and offers some serious heat. This bore diameter can be traced back to the Flobert rifles—using no powder, only a primer as propellant—and was championed by P.O. Ackley. Remington was the first to legitimize the 0.172-inch-caliber cartridges, with the 1971 release of the .17 Remington.

Based on a slightly modified .223 Remington case, the .17 Remington will propel 20- and 25-grain bullets to a muzzle velocity of 4,250 fps and 4,040 fps, respectively. This velocity level will test the mettle of any bullet, let alone frangible varmint bullets of 20 to 25 grains, and the .17 Remington can be nearly explosive upon impact. The hydraulic shock generated will certainly create “red mist” when used on woodchucks and prairie dogs, and if placed correctly, it will hold even the bigger Eastern coyotes.

The .17 Remington can be hell on barrels, especially if you overheat them, and fouling can be a real issue if you don’t stay on top of it. Accuracy will degrade, and cleaning any of the .17 bores can be a challenge, as it requires a cleaning rod of special diameter, as well as tiny little patches.

Remington also had the distinction of producing the second commercial .17-caliber cartridge, when interest in the .17 Mach IV wildcat warranted the development of the .17 Remington Fireball in 2007. Necking down the .221 Fireball resulted in a cartridge that offers a muzzle velocity rather close to the .17 Remington—driving a 20-grain bullet to just over 4,000 fps and a 25-grain bullet at more than 3,700 fps—in a smaller case. I find the .17 Remington Fireball to be a bit more barrel friendly than the larger .17 Remington, but despite a bit of fanfare upon release, factory ammunition is becoming increasing rare … if you can find it at all.

Remington-17-Fireball
Remington’s .17 Fireball is nothing more and nothing less than the .221 Fireball necked down to hold 0.172-inch-diameter bullets … and it will certainly ruin a varmint’s day.

The youngest of the bunch—Hornady’s .17 Hornet—is based on a P.O. Ackley wildcat, which necked down the highly popular .22 Hornet to hold .172-caliber bullets. While the Ackley variant used a 30-degree shoulder to help increase case capacity, the Hornady version uses a 25-degree shoulder, albeit with less body taper.

Despite the rimmed case, the .17 Hornet feeds well in bolt-action rifles, including the Ruger rotary magazine. With a 20-grain bullet leaving the muzzle at 3,650 fps, the .17 Hornet is the best balanced of the .17-caliber cartridges. Despite the fact that it gives up 600 fps to the .17 Remington, the lack of ear-splitting report, while still delivering a respectable trajectory, makes a huge difference.

Looking at downrange trajectory, you’ll see an arc very similar to that of the .30-06 Springfield. That 20-grain V-Max—when zeroed at 200 yards—will strike 6½ inches low at 300 yards and 20½ inches low at 400 yards, though the wind deflection of the diminutive cartridge is twice that of the ought-six. But once you become accustomed to the .17 Hornet in the wind, you’ve got a rather potent little package. A 20-grain bullet will work on bigger coyotes up close, but outside of 150 yards or so it might struggle to hold them. Nonetheless, I like having a .17 Hornet in my lineup.

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The .22 Hornet is a classic, but the author finds the .17 Hornet to be a better and more useful cartridge. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Anyone For A 20?

In 2004, Hornady worked with Ruger to create what would become the second-fastest small-bore: the .204 Ruger. Based on the .222 Remington Magnum and using a bullet of nominal diameter, the factory loads would use a 32-grain bullet to break the 4,200-fps barrier. A 30-degree shoulder handles the headspacing duty.

Although the 32-grain bullet generates some impressive velocity figures, there are bullets available weighing up to 55 grains, including Hornady’s 40-grain V-Max at 3,900 fps, making a good load for longer range hunting and shooting. The heavier bullet weights require a 1:10 twist rate for proper stabilization, rather than the standard 1:12 supplied in most factory barrels. I like the .204 Ruger as a happy medium between the .17s, which use considerably lighter bullets, and the .22-caliber centerfires, which have the bullet weight but can sometimes be too much of a good thing when it comes to small-bores.

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The .204 Ruger is a collaborative effort between Ruger and Hornady, and makes a great cartridge for small game and target shooting alike. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Hornady is a prime source of ammunition, but there have been factory loads from Federal, Winchester, Remington, Nosler, Sierra and more. Many of the loads seem to be produced as seasonal runs. There are plenty of good component projectiles out there, and the .204 Ruger isn’t a particularly finicky cartridge to load for. If you enjoy cartridges a bit out of the norm, the .204 Ruger is a neat choice, which will be effective in the field or at the target range.

Catch 22

When I think of centerfire small-bore cartridges, my mind goes immediately to .22 caliber; perhaps it’s because that was as small as things went when I was a young. From the classic .22 Hornet of the 1930s, to the undeniable popularity of the .223 and Triple Deuce, and the faster .22-250 Remington and .220 Swift, it seemed that these cartridges were resigned to killing woodchucks and foxes. There were, however, some adventurous deer hunters who would employ a .222 Remington or .22-250 Remington to fill the freezer, with mixed results.

There are plenty to choose from, with some fading into obscurity and some older ones still hanging on. Yes, I think the .219 Zipper, .224 Weatherby, .225 Winchester and .22 Savage HiPower are cool, but they aren’t popular at all any longer. So, I’ll compare and contrast the more popular—and attainable—.22-caliber centerfires.

The .22 Hornet has its roots back in the late 19th century, but the cartridge we all know and love came onto the scene in 1930, having been molded by the likes of Grosvenor Wotkyns and Townsend Whelen at the Springfield Armory, bearing a serious resemblance to the blackpowder .22 WCF. Though it’s rimmed, the Hornet has been adapted to a wide number of rifle actions, from bolt-action to falling-block single-shots, to double rifles and drillings. With a slight shoulder measuring just over 5½ degrees, the Hornet feeds nicely from a box magazine and will push a 45-grain bullet to nearly 2,700 fps.

While this might not be setting any velocity records, it’s good enough for varmints and furbearing predators up to and including coyotes. It has very little recoil, and the report won’t flatten eardrums. Ammunition is still available from a number of manufacturers—though it seems to be produced in limited runs—and offers projectiles weighing between 30 and 46 grains. If you want a low-recoiling choice for taking varmints and furbearers inside of 200 to 250 yards, the .22 Hornet surely deserves consideration.

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Housed in a light rifle, the .22 Hornet can be a wonderful training tool for a youngster, yet it will handle bobcats, foxes and coyotes at “woods” ranges. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The .222 Remington was a gamechanger when it burst onto the scene in 1950 in the Remington Model 722 bolt rifle. Developed by Mike Walker, the Triple Deuce was the first commercially loaded rimless .22-caliber centerfire cartridge, and it smashed all sorts of accuracy records. Compared to the larger, speedier cases, it has very tolerable recoil, and a 50-grain bullet traveling at right around 3,200 to 3,350 fps doesn’t exactly disappoint at moderate ranges. The 23-degree shoulder handles the headspacing duties, and the neck measures 0.313 inch, giving plenty of neck tension.

The .222 Remington had its heyday here in the United States, but it long ago lost the popularity contest to the .223 Remington and .22-250 Remington. However, it remains popular in those European countries where military ammunition is prohibited for hunting. Inside of 400 yards, hits were rather consistent, but past that distance it became increasingly difficult, especially in comparison to the .223 Remington. But for the eastern woodchuck hunter who wants a target cartridge for shorter ranges, the Triple Deuce might be a great solution. Should you find a rifle so chambered, don’t count it out.

The Standard

There really isn’t too much I can add to the .223 Remington that hasn’t been said a million times, but it does possess some qualities that set it apart from other .22-caliber cartridges. It’s slightly longer than the .222 Remington, with the same 23-degree shoulder and 0.378-inch case diameter, yet has a shorter neck. This yields a greater case capacity and a correlatively faster velocity.

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The .223 Remington has the advantage of being highly popular and has been loaded with a wide array of projectiles. These 62-grain Federal Fusion bonded core bullets will handle deer-sized game, if properly placed. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

And, to change the game even further, many modern rifles chambered in .223 Remington offer a tight twist rate—sometimes as tight as 1:7—which allows the use of heavy-for-caliber bullets that best retain energy and resist wind deflection. A 77-grain bullet at 2,700 fps will perform much better at longer ranges than any lighter bullet when the targets are out past 500 or 600 yards, and the winds begin to wreak havoc with your bullet. If you want a flexible package, which is affordable to shoot, with a multitude of ammunition choices, look no further than the .223 Remington; it can be handloaded easily, it’s easy on the shoulder, and though it may lack the sparkle of newer cartridges, it just plain works.

The Newbies

The .22 Nosler reared its head in early 2017, and was designed to mate up perfectly with the AR platform, giving superior ballistics to the .223 Remington/5.56 NATO, and approaching those of the .22-250 Remington. With a 1:8 twist rate, the .22 Nosler offers heavier bullets in the loaded ammunition, including 70-, 85- and 90-grain choices. It has a rebated rim and a 30-degree shoulder for headspacing, but it makes the most sense in an AR rifle.

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The .22 Nosler has a tight twist rate, and a rebated rim for use in a AR-15 platform. It can use the heavy-for-caliber 0.224-inch-caliber bullets.

The main issue with the cartridge is that Nosler is the only source of ammunition, and the cartridge seems to be fading fast. Nonetheless, the formula makes sense and if speed is your thing, the .22 Nosler has no flies on it.

Federal’s .224 Valkyrie is a long-range cartridge, for sure, with a twist rate of 1:7 to handle the heaviest .22-caliber bullets. Based on the 6.8 SPC, the .224 Valkyrie was released at 2018’s SHOT Show. The rimless case uses a 30-degree shoulder like the .22 Nosler but is more adaptable to a bolt-action rifle. Factory ammunition will offer bullet weights between 60 and 90 grains and is available not only from Federal, but from Hornady and Sierra, in both hunting and match-grade target loads.

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Federal’s .224 Valkyrie is equally at home in an autoloader as it is in a bolt gun, and as it can handle the heaviest bullet in .22-caliber, it’s well suited for deer, antelope and similar game species. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

It’s probably the best choice for those who want a .22-caliber centerfire that can readily handle deer and similar-sized game, as well as the varmints and furbearers, yet readily handle a 1,000-yard target range. Of the new releases, I like the .224 Valkyrie a whole lot.

The Speedster

Remington’s .22-250 spent more than a quarter-century as a wildcat cartridge, being nothing more and nothing less than the .250-3000 Savage necked down to hold .224-diameter bullets. One of the most popular variants was developed by Grosvenor Wotkyns, J.E. Gebby and J.B. Smith, rivaling the .220 Swift’s velocity levels. Ironically, the .22-250 was one of the only cartridges to have a commercial rifle chambered for it before any commercial ammunition was available. Browning made a rifle chambered in 1963, while the Remington ammunition wouldn’t be offered until 1965. Our own John T. Amber commented on the situation in the 1964 Gun Digest Annual, reporting, “As far as I know, this is the first time a first-line arms-maker has offered a rifle chambered for a cartridge that it—or some other production ammunition maker—cannot supply.” 

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The .22-250 Remington—being a necked down .250 Savage—was a wildcat for many years before Remington legitimized it. It remains one of the author’s favorite small-bore cartridges. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The .22-250 is still a highly popular cartridge among the small-bore crowd, as it offers impressive velocities and can deliver hair-splitting accuracy. But, the cartridge has both pleasures and pitfalls: The case capacity is almost wasted because the twist rate prevents bullets heavier than 55 grains, or maybe 60 grains if the conformation is correct. A 55-grain slug can be driven to 3,800 fps, and while that’s impressive, I contemplate re-barreling my rifle from the standard 1:12 twist down to a 1:8 or 1:7 twist to accommodate the 85- and 90-grain bullets, which would take full advantage of the case capacity.

Factory loads are available from nearly any company that loads ammunition, and the handloaders have long embraced the case. In fact, Hodgdon’s H380 spherical powder is named for the 38.0-grain load of surplus military powder that Bruce Hodgdon used under a 55-grain bullet in the (then wildcat) .22-250 case.

With a 0.473-inch rim, and a neck measuring 0.248-inch long, the case has all sorts of capacity, but unlike the modern cartridges, is handicapped by the twist rate common to yesteryear. Or is it?

If you want your small-bore rifle to simply handle the smaller species and some target duties at moderate ranges, the .22-250 Remington has no drawbacks whatsoever. But if you want to stretch the capabilities, extending the .22-250 into the regions of a deer rifle, the standard design with the slower twist rate will not stabilize the heavier projectiles, and even the .223 Remington can be a better choice.

The Swift

The .220 Swift has been a topic of debate since its release in 1935. Again, Grosvenor Wotkyns had a hand in the development (seeing a trend here?) of the world’s fastest cartridge, and in the midst of the Great Depression it broke all sorts of barriers. It’s fast—well over 4,000 fps—and that came at a price, namely eroded throats and worn barrels.

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Wanna turn a woodchuck inside out? The .220 Swift is a perfect candidate, as it has the case capacity to generate serious velocities. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Much like the .22-250 Remington, using the .220 Swift in a high-volume shooting situation isn’t the best for the throat or rifling, as things heat up pretty quickly. And again, like the .22-250, the majority of rifles chambered for the .220 Swift use a barrel with a relatively slow twist rate—either 1:14 or sometimes 1:12. This twist rate was common for .22-caliber barrels of the era and will preclude the use of bullets much heavier than 55 grains, as they won’t be properly stabilized, and you’ll see those nasty keyhole marks on your targets.

And The Winner Is?

So, which cartridge do you choose?

Like so many things in life, the answer is highly subjective and truly depends on your hunting/target needs. If you’re looking at things from a purely practical viewpoint, the .223 Remington offers the greatest amount of flexibility and literal bang for the buck. It’ll check all the boxes and do so affordably.

But practicality isn’t always applicable, and some folks enjoy shooting a cartridge that’s either a nostalgic classic—in the case of the .22-250 Remington or .220 Swift—or one of the technological wonders designed to be cutting edge, like the .224 Valkyrie or the .204 Ruger.

I’ve settled on two: the .17 Hornet and the .22-250 Remington. The former chose me, after spending a week killing prairie dogs with a plethora of different cartridges, and the latter I chose as a much younger man, who believed he needed the velocity. I’ve had many opportunities to revise both choices—yet I have not—as I know both the rifles and cartridges very well, and they cover all the bases I need a small-bore cartridge to cover.

Be honest with yourself regarding hunting distances and game pursued, or if you’re looking for a target cartridge, assess your goals and needs and pick a cartridge that’s both available and accessible. You’ll probably make a friend for life.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2024 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


Raise Your Ammo IQ:

Small Projectiles, Small Details

Some tips on how to find big success when reloading cartridges with small projectiles.

The processes involved in reloading a centerfire rifle cartridge don’t vary drastically when comparing case and bore size, but there definitely seem to be some idiosyncrasies involved with the smaller cartridges. Perhaps it’s the accuracy expectations of a small-bore cartridge, or the game species that are hunted with those smaller cartridges, which have us looking for one-hole groups … or at least tiny little clover leaf groups.

In my experience, the moderate velocity big-bore cartridges can often be more forgiving than the speedier small-bores, or perhaps I should say I’ve often been able to reach the goal line faster with a big-bore cartridge. Along the line, I’ve had some trials and tribulations with the smaller cartridges, and depending on the application for your reloading needs, there are some ideas and techniques that might save you some time.

Learning The Hard Way

I started the small-bore journey by loading for the .223 Remington and .22-250 Remington, in a couple of rifles that gave me fits. My dad had purchased a Ruger Mini-14, which, no matter what we fed it, was a 2-inch rifle. We tried multiple factory loads and then began to handload for the clunker. I thought I didn’t know what I was doing, until we tried the handloads in a buddy’s bolt rifle and saw ½-MOA groups; the strict regimen was working, but the rifle didn’t read the script.

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The Sierra 53-grain flat base MatchKing that saved the author’s Ruger .22-250 Remington; it remains his go-to bullet for that rifle. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

My next experience was with a Ruger Model 77 MKII in .22-250, with a sporter-weight barrel, that I purchased for hunting coyotes, fox and woodchucks. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t get the gun below an inch, often with a flier. Some shooting buddies who had heavy-barreled Remington 700s with finely tuned triggers were routinely printing ¼-MOA groups, and they were kind enough to share their load data.

No dice in my rifle.

What it took was a change of projectile and a new trigger—those mid-1990s Rugers had a non-adjustable trigger that broke at about 6 pounds, and my rifle has a crown that much prefers the flat-base Sierra MatchKing bullet. A Timney trigger and a 53-grain MatchKing, plus an appropriate charge of Hodgdon’s H380, saw the rifle finally print ½-MOA groups.

Both those rifles had issues, but they taught me some lessons that came in handy later in life. Because I couldn’t get them to print, I started to examine each and every detail of the equation, from the components and their consistencies to the fine-tuning of the cases and the methods of assembly. Small-bore cartridges—especially those which generate higher velocities—can magnify any errors or deviations, and the target board can reflect that. So, I learned some tricks and tips to obtain the best results with these little guys.

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The .223 Remington can be a very forgiving cartridge to load, able to use a wide array of powders. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Small Projectiles, Small Details

Velocity comes at the price of pressure, and consistent pressures can equate to consistent velocities, and correlative precision. If your cases are of differing volumes, the same powder charge will generate a slightly different pressure level, so trying to keep things as uniform as possible will best keep velocities even.

If you’re after the finest precision, weighing your cases after trimming and resizing can indicate which cases have slightly thicker walls; the outside dimensions being the same, a case with thicker walls will be heavier and have a smaller combustion chamber. For best precision and consistency, sort your cases into lots, using the most uniform for the best match-grade accuracy.

Primer choice can make a big difference in small-bore loads, and I’ve long felt this class of cartridge is more susceptible to differences in primer heat. If you like the .220 Swift or .22-250 Remington, any large rifle primer will get things to go bang, but I like a match-grade primer like the Federal Gold Medal Match GM210M. That primer has given such excellent performance across the board that I generally reach for that first to save me time and effort.

The same can be said for the small rifle primers, where the Federal GM205M Gold Medal Match offers the same consistency for the smaller cases, though I’ve had good results with the CCI 400 or the CCI BR-4 Bench Rest primers. In the end, whichever primer gives the lowest velocity spread is usually the one that gets the nod from me. The point: Simply switching a brand or type of primer has made all the difference in some rifles.

Powder choice is also highly important, as it has made an absolute world of difference in some cartridges. Where I can feed my .375 H&H Magnum just about any powder, from IMR 3031 to H4350, some of these little cases are very particular about the powders they like. My .22-250 shows a marked preference for Hodgdon’s H380, and the 17 Hornet likes Hodgdon’s CFE BLK and Accurate LT-30.

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The diminutive .17 Hornet has very little case capacity; powder charges should be weighed in order to achieve safe, accurate handloads. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

On the other side of the spectrum, the .223 Remington is one of those cases that seems to be more forgiving. I’ve used H335 and BL-C(2) with great effect, and a couple of Shooters World powders—the AR Plus and Tactical Rifle—have been excellent performers, with the latter giving very tight and consistent groups.

Case preparation can also help tighten up groups; I like to full-length resize in most instances, and I also feel that a uniform flash hole can make a real difference. When it comes to the highly frangible varmint bullets, or those match bullets that stake their reputations on highly concentric jackets, a poor chamfer on a case mouth can scratch and sometimes deform a bullet to the point where the ballistic coefficient will change, and long-range accuracy will degrade.

A good VLD chamfer tool, like Redding’s piloted P15 chamfer tool—which uses the cartridge’s flash hole to keep the chamfer as concentric as possible—will allow for easier seating of your projectile and minimize any damage to the jackets.

Lastly, I feel small-bore cartridges warrant the weighing of every powder charge, especially when it comes to the smaller cases like the .17 Hornet and .22 Hornet. With minimal case capacity, an overcharge of 0.2 or 0.3 grain can push pressures into the red, so err on the side of caution and weigh each charge—it’ll also give the best accuracy and consistency in your handloads.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2024 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


More On Reloading:

Replacing Old Reliable: Classic Vs. Modern Cartridges

Just because a classic cartridge has served you reliably for many years doesn’t mean that you can’t upgrade to something more modern.

Standing over the zebra stallion—bedecked in his finest pajamas, in a pattern best described as art by God—I tapped the stock of my Mauser 98 to say thanks for a straight shot. I was using an obscure cartridge released in 1906, the .318 Westley Richards, and was more than happy to have revived an African classic.

Fast-forward 2 years, and I’d be standing in ankle-deep snow in northwest Colorado over a handsome mule deer buck, holding the then-unreleased 6.8 Western, the latest development in the .277-inch bore diameter. On that hunt, our group had taken both mule deer and elk at ranges between 25 yards and 475 yards, and I came away very impressed with the design.

I love cartridges, whether big or small, and I always do my best to give any new design a fair shake before deeming it unneeded. Reading the comments regarding any article on these new developments, traditionalists are the first to declare any deviation from their “ought-six” or “two-seventy” as heresy, and that any attempt at releasing a new cartridge is just a demonstration of corporate greed and should be shunned.

In the first two decades of the 21st century, there have been some great cartridges released, including the aforementioned 6.8 Western, PRC family of cartridges, .350 and .400 Legend, Federal’s .30 Super Carry, Nosler’s line of cartridges and, yes, the 6.5 Creedmoor.

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The 6.8 Western uses heavier bullets and a tighter twist rate to step up performance in the .277-inch bore. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Do they surpass the classics like the 30-06 Springfield, 7mm Remington Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum and .243 Winchester? It truly depends on the application, your style and/or distance at which you hunt or shoot, and what you’re looking for in a cartridge. Let’s look at the concepts associated with the new cartridges and put them next to their older counterparts to see whether or not it might be a good idea to look into replacing your old favorite.

Shoot Longer, Shoot Flatter

The first design concept that needs mentioning is the sleek bullets that perform so well at longer ranges and in windy conditions. In order to increase the ballistic coefficient of a bullet (resulting in a flatter trajectory, better resistance to wind deflection and higher retained energy), the ogive of the bullet is elongated, using a flatter curve profile.

If you load these projectiles in a cartridge case of traditional length, quite often the resulting cartridge will be too long to fit in the magazine. The engineering answer was to shorten the case in order to provide more room for a longer bullet, whose longer ogive needs to be outside the case mouth.

This is a big part of the reason the 6.5 Creedmoor pushed the .260 Remington out of the limelight: If you stay within traditional hunting ranges, there’s nothing wrong with the .260 at all, but when distances get truly long, those higher B.C. bullets show their advantage. The Creedmoor has a definite edge. Add in a bit of marketing genius, and voila! … you’ve got the Creedmoor phenomenon.

The second concept, often tied in with the first, is the tightening of the twist rate within the barrel. I’ve shot a .22-250 Remington for almost a quarter-century, but I’ve always felt that the 1:12 is a handicap. The case has plenty of capacity to launch a bullet heavier than 55 or 60 grains (where the .22-250 tops out) and would be well-served by a heavy bullet. But, alas, the cartridge was designed when riflescopes were a rarity at best, so the 400-yard performance wasn’t really an issue.

Enter Federal’s .224 Valkyrie, with its 1:7 twist rate; slugs as heavy as 90 grains will be properly stabilized, and it’ll be able to utilize all the advantages of a higher B.C. bullet. The same can be said for the new 6.8 Western when compared to the .270 Winchester or .270 WSM. Where the latter pair use a 1:10 twist rate, which translates to the ability to stabilize bullets weighing 150 grains or, in some rare instances, 160-grain round-nose bullets, the 1:8 or 1:7.5 twist of the 6.8 Western allows the use of spitzer boat-tail bullets as heavy as 175 grains, in a case slightly shorter than that of the .270 WSM.

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While the 6.8 Western (left) might seem like nothing more than a rebrand of the .270 WSM (right), it uses a slightly shorter case and a considerably faster barrel twist to use longer, heavier bullets. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

If you want the ability to use the heaviest slugs in 0.277-inch diameter, to my mind it makes perfect sense to buy a 6.8 Western—and I did exactly that. I can still use the 130-, 140- and 150-grain bullets common to the .270 Winchester, but if I want the option of reaching for a heavier bullet with a better sectional density value, I have it. The .27 Nosler delivers a similar performance level, topping out at 165 grains, in a faster package. Its 1:8.5 twist rate again allows the use of a 165-grain spitzer boat-tail bullet, offering both a velocity and bullet weight advantage over the .270 Winchester.

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The .27 Nosler is a speedy cartridge based on the .404 Jeffery case and uses a tighter-than-normal twist rate to take advantage of heavy-for-caliber projectiles. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Do those points warrant a change on cartridge? Perhaps there’s something to this …

The Case Chase

Case design has also changed in the past 25 years, with the trends showing a general dislike for the Holland & Holland-style belted case. Instead, many designs have turned to the beltless and rimless .404 Jeffery as a platform, which uses the case’s shoulder for headspace rather than the belt of brass.

Belted cases are notorious for stretching, especially in the area just ahead of the belt, as the brass expands from each firing. This can not only have a negative effect on group size (as the case designed to headspace off the shoulder can offer better chamber concentricity), but it also reduces the life of the brass case. If you have no interest in reloading ammunition, the latter point likely won’t bother you, but if you appreciate an accurate rifle, the former point should.

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Berger makes some bullets that need specialized twist rates to be properly stabilized and are best served by a case that’s short enough so these longer bullets can be seated on the shank and not the ogive. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Looking at the ballistic differences between the popular 7mm Remington Magnum and Hornady’s new 7mm PRC, you might not see much at first. The newer cartridge gives a velocity advantage of 150 fps or so over Remington’s classic design. It’s also apparent that the 7mm PRC is built around bullets on the heavier end of the spectrum, as it’s offered in 175- and 180-grain configurations in the ELD-X and ELD Match bullets, and 160 grains in the monometal CX bullet.

Wait, can’t we get 175-grain bullets in the 7mm Remington Magnum? Yes, but not with the profile that can be used in the 7mm PRC.

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Hornady’s 7mm PRC is a long-action cartridge designed around the heavier 7mm bullets with higher B.C. values for long-range work. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

If you’re a handloader, the PRC’s 1:8 twist will allow use of 180- to 195-grain bullets. Would this matter to the hunter who spends the vast majority of his or her time shooting at game animals inside of 300 yards? Probably not, but if a hunter wanted a new rifle fully capable of handling both hunting duties and weekend shooting competitions at long range, the 7mm PRC is the smarter choice.

I’ve used it in both circumstances and came away impressed by the performance. Will it kill the 7mm Remington Magnum? I don’t think so, as there a ton of rifles chambered for the 60-year-old cartridge, and they will still need to be fed.

New, But Necessary?

Remington’s new .360 Buckhammer surely doesn’t look like some newfangled wizardry; in fact, it could have blended in among the classic lever-gun designs of the late 19th century. It’s a straight-walled, rimmed affair, loaded with Remington Core-Lokt round-nose bullets.

So, what’s the big deal about this, and why would Remington go through the trouble and effort when they already make the hugely successful .35 Remington?

Well, it fits the criteria specified by several Midwest states and hunting areas, including a minimum bullet diameter of 0.357 inch, a straight-wall conformation (bottleneck cartridges are prohibited in many places) and a case length not exceeding 1.800 inches. The .35 Remington is bottlenecked (as is the .30-30 Winchester), and the .38-55 Winchester runs at relatively low pressure and lower velocity.

So, with a relatively blank slate, Remington offered a new cartridge that runs at even higher pressure than the .35 Remington, driving a 180-grain to 2,400 fps and a 200-grain bullet to 2,200 fps. This makes a great woods gun, as it hits harder than does the .35 Remington. And in the wonderfully accurate Henry rifle I had the opportunity to test, recoil was mild enough for a young shooter. Devotees of the .35 Remington might not be lining up to trade in their Marlins, but for a new hunter who likes lever-action rifles, this cartridge should certainly be in the lineup of prospective purchases.

The .30 Super Carry—Federal’s new handgun cartridge—is touted as a smaller cartridge that gives two additional cartridges in a double-stack magazine, or one more round in a single-stack mag designed to handle the 9mm Luger. With a 0.312-inch-diameter bullet weighing 100 or 115 grains, the .30 Super Carry gives a performance level mimicking the 9mm Luger with 125-grain slugs and surpasses that of the .380 Auto.

Federal-30-super-carry
Federal’s .30 Super Carry is designed around a .312-inch-diameter bullet and smaller case to give the user additional magazine capacity.

Is the shooting public ready for a deviation from the 9mm or .45 ACP? It doesn’t seem so, as I feel the .30 Super Carry is struggling to catch on, and the famous duo I just mentioned seem to check all the boxes for the vast majority of the concealed carry autoloader crowd.

Time Marches On

At one point in time, the .270 Winchester was a newfangled idea, and I’m certain the older hunters in 1925 just shook their heads, as a young Jack O’Connor championed the new speed demon. I’ve often written that there isn’t a hunt on Earth that I couldn’t handle with a cartridge released before 1930, which includes the .30-06 Springfield, .300 Holland & Holland Magnum, .257 Roberts (in wildcat form anyway), 7x57mm Mauser, .404 Jeffery and .375 Holland & Holland Magnum.

Both the 9mm Luger and .45 ACP were in service, and while the majority of the speedy varmint/predator cartridges were a ways off, I’ve had a bunch of fun hunting woodchucks and coyotes with a .22 Hornet. But I also feel there’s plenty of room for those new designs that truly offer something unique, like the 6.8 Western, .27 and .28 Nosler, and the 7mm PRC.

Our optics have certainly evolved and improved, and the metallurgy and uniformity of our rifled actions are better than they ever have been … and there should be a logical correlation in cartridge development.

But I’m not retiring my good-old .318 Westley Richards any time soon.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


Raise Your Ammo IQ:

Should You Use Detachable Scope Rings?

The author discusses the best times to use detachable scope rings, and when to avoid them at all costs.

It was so nearly dark as not to matter, and I was frantically waiting on the green light to shoot the enormous tom leopard feeding on bait just 60 yards away. When Tanya Blake uttered, “Take him,” I wasted no time settling the crosshair just behind the cat’s shoulder and broke the trigger. Blinded by the muzzle flash, I heard the bullet strike flesh, and Tanya told me I’d knocked the cat out of the tree, but he’d recovered and trotted away behind the bait, albeit very slowly.

Elation mixed with doubt combined for one of the strangest feelings I’ve ever experienced. After the celebration of the fact that we had good blood under the tree, and all the team’s hard work had come together for the opportunity alone, we knew we had to go to work. With just a sliver of moon to illuminate our efforts, we had to rely on the flashlights we’d brought in preparation for just such an event.

I pushed a couple of buttons on the Smithson mounts and slid the Leupold off the receiver of the Ramirez Mauser rifle, giving the wide-open view of iron sights in hopes of fending off a charging, wounded leopard.

Luckily, I wouldn’t need them that evening.

Leopard-hunt-safari
The author used a Todd Ramirez Custom rifle in 9.3×62 Mauser, with a Leupold VX-5HD in Smithson detachable rings, to take this tom leopard with Tanya Blake Safaris. Having the ability to use iron sights for the follow-up is priceless. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

After the leopard was recovered, the experience surely had me thinking about the decision to use detachable scope mounts on a hunting rifle. I’d been a proponent of the idea for nearly two decades, but I am also the first to admit that detachable aren’t always the way to go.

Examples Of Detachable Mounts

My first experience with “detachable” mounts was my dad’s .308 Winchester. The rifle—a Mossberg Model 800A—was purchased shortly after my father had returned from boot camp in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, as a teenager. Enlisted in the National Guard at the height of the Vietnam War, he was shown the benefits of the .308 Winchester cartridge in the issued M14 rifle, and Dad bought the first decent rifle he could afford.

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For a dangerous game rifle—like this Bansner & Co. custom rifle built for Alaska—detachable scope mounts give quick access to the iron sights. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Now, in 1969, riflescopes weren’t anywhere near as reliable as they are today; in fact, they were quite terrible. I’ve had folks tell me the story of how my father nearly ripped the 4x scope off that rifle, reverting back to iron sights because the scope wouldn’t hold zero. He ended up with a Redfield Widefield 3-9x scope, with the TV screen, set in Weaver Pivot mounts, so he could access the iron sights quickly. That rig has held zero for more than a half-century … though I’ve had those same mounts fail on me.

Modern detachable mounts are—quite like the scopes they hold—much better than they were just two or three decades ago. I’ve used all sorts, from the Ramirez proprietary design and Leupold’s Quick Release mounts, to the Griffin & Howe Sporting Top Mount and my personal favorite, Talley Detachable rings, with varying degrees of success and reliability.

scoped-Browning-BLR
A Browning BLR Lightweight Takedown rifle, chambered in .30-06, makes a great backcountry choice. Talley detachable mounts can give the shooter the option of using the iron sights should the scope be damaged in a remote area. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

I equipped my Winchester Model 70 Safari rifle in .416 Remington Magnum with a Burris 1.75-5x20mm scope, set in Leupold’s QR mounts. That rig never let me down, and it was the only rifle I brought along on safaris to both Tanzania and Zambia. I took my first Cape buffalo with that rig, as well as varying plains game species. Using a steel post with a small half-moon cut in the shaft, the system features two levers to engage that recess in the shaft to pull the scope downward, locking it into place. Reverse the levers and the scope and rings can be pulled upward, leaving only the shallow bases on the receiver and giving me access to my iron sights.

This is perfect for follow-up of any dangerous game species or to pursue elephant with iron sights, while carrying the petite scope in a pack, should I encounter a kudu or impala on the way back to the truck. On more than one occasion, I’d carry a second, smaller scope—zeroed in a second set of rings—in case something terrible should happen to the primary scope.

Being a skeptic, it took some convincing before I relied on that system. I’d load up a bunch of 400-grain ammo, take a cold-bore shot, remove and reinstall the scope, and then take another cold-bore shot. Despite the heavy recoil, that system never moved more than ½-MOA when tested at my backyard 100-yard range. Simply put, it worked.

I can say the same for the Talley Quick Detachable rings and mounts; they’ve been nothing but utterly reliable. I first used Talley stuff when I took the Heym Express by Martini on back-to-back safaris to South Africa and Zimbabwe; the South African leg would see us hunting plains game, and the Zimbabwean goal was a bull elephant. Covering the bases with just one rifle, I mounted a Swarovski 1-6x24mm in Talley detachables for any of the plains game species, and for the elephant, I’d revert back to the great iron sights on that rifle. With sub-MOA accuracy from the .404 Jeffery, I again repeatedly tested the rig for changes in point of impact, and despite the recoil of a true, big cartridge, the Talley system held things in place.

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Talley offers their rings and bases in stainless finish to match rifles so finished. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Talley’s Quick Detachable system is similar to their fixed scope ring setup, but with a set of levers operating the screw that clamps the ring to the bases; tighten the levers and the rings are clamped to the dovetail of the bases, while loosening them allows the scope and rings to be removed. I haven’t seen more than a ¾-inch shift of point of impact at 100 yards, irrespective of the cartridge, and I’ve tested this system under recoil with cartridges as fierce as the .505 Gibbs Magnum.

My personal experiences with dad’s Weaver Pivot Mounts have been mixed. While not truly detachable, the Pivot mount swings the scope off the receiver, allowing the shooter to use the iron sights. With lighter-recoiling cartridges, it seems to be OK, as the flat springs that snap the unit into place are apparently capable of holding only so much recoil with repeatable results. I can say from experience that they don’t fare well with the recoil generated by the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, and either the Talley or Leupold system is a much better choice.

If you wanted to go with a high-end choice, Custom gunmaker Joe Smithson’s mounts are very hard to argue with. They use a pair of spring-loaded crossbolts to hold the rings in the dovetailed—and ball bearing-detented raceways in the receiver. These were supplied on the Todd Ramirez custom rifle I took on safari to Zimbabwe, and though costly, they’re the finest detachable mounts I’ve yet to come across.

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The author’s Browning X-Bolt in 6.8 Western is a great long-range hunting rig, but probably wouldn’t benefit from detachable mounts, as any shift in point of impact could be magnified at long distances. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Practical Application

So, when should the detachable mounts get the nod? And, when should the not?

For a dangerous game rifle—one which might be relied upon to follow large, thick-skinned, dangerous game animals armed with horn, tooth, tusk or claw—into dense vegetation, it makes complete sense to have immediate access to the iron sights. Even scopes with 1x magnification or a red-dot sight don’t seem to have the wide-open feel of iron sights, which can be shot with both eyes open. And while I do appreciate fine iron sights, my eyes aren’t getting any younger, and I much prefer the single focal plane of a riflescope, at least for that first shot.

So, with the exception of my double rifle, my dangerous game rifles wear detachable scope mounts. These rifles are—generally speaking—used inside of 200 yards or thereabout, so in a worst-case scenario, where we have a shift of even 1 MOA, we’re talking about a 2-inch difference at 200 yards.

For the hunter who regularly pursues game at longer ranges—say the hunter after Coues deer, any of the sheep species, mountain goats and the like—the potential shift in point of impact could be an issue. For long-range precision shooting, one goal is to make your scope mounts as rock-solid as possible to allow your scope to “go to sleep.” The moving parts involved with any of the detachable mounting systems would probably not appeal to a shooter who has taken the time to assemble a rifle and ammunition capable of hair-splitting accuracy.

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Using a detachable ring/base system allows the user to carry a second scope in rings, already zeroed, which can be taken from a pack in a flash if needed. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Other than a dangerous game rifle, a hunter who regularly pursues game in remote areas might truly benefit from the advantages of the detachable system. Many modern rifles come with a clean barrel, devoid of iron sights, and should you fall and hit your scope, you’re out of business, left with a fully functional rifle that you cannot aim. Even if you sought out the lightest possible fixed 4x scope and pre-zeroed the unit in a set of rings, you could easily stow it in a pack. The few ounces of additional weight on your back are nothing compared to the long trek back to civilization with a useless rifle and an intact tag.

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A set of precision tools can help you install your detachable bases and rings properly—the first time. Setting the screws to the manufacturer’s recommended torque specs is an important detail, necessary to minimize any shift in point or impact. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

For the AR crowd, who often use the same rifle for hunting and home/personal defense, having a low-powered variable scope in detachable mounts makes complete sense. Many companies offer detachable mounts compatible with a Picatinny rail, allowing immediate changes from hunting rifle to bedroom gun, utilizing the iron sights or changing to a red-dot reflex-type sight. And like any bolt gun, the minute shift in impact—if any—won’t affect a rifle at hunting ranges.

Choosing The Proper Detachable Scope Rings

The choice of detachable mount that works best for you is highly subjective. In terms of functionality, most of the reputable manufacturers offer a dependable product. I like Talley rings and bases, as I’ve had great results with their conventional setups. Warne makes a good set of detachable as well, as does Leupold, Burris and others. Recknagel and Joe Smithson certainly take things up a notch, both in price and engineering, and are usually reserved for the higher-end rifles. NECG (New England Custom Gun Service) offers their Quick-Loc European-style mounts, with spring-loaded dual claws, for the traditional continental detachable mounts; while costly, these are utterly reliable.

Warne-detachable-scope-rings
Warne detachable rings with the signature steel spacer and levers quickly remove the ring from the base. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Best of all, the vast majority of these detachable systems can be installed by the user. Like a fixed base/ring system, I strongly suggest reading the manufacturer’s specifications and directions before beginning the install. I also recommend you become very familiar with all the moving parts and put a towel down on the table you’re working on to help catch little parts. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dropped the little internal springs of the Talley detachables, or the small screws and other parts of various systems—using a light to crawl around on the floor isn’t my favorite pastime.

Good scope rings won’t need to be lapped and will center the optic in a natural fashion; I can’t tell you how much ammunition I’ve saved from using quality mounts. If you’re serious about getting a detachable mount system to give the optimum results, don’t cheap out when buying the base/ring system. It’s one aspect where you’ll get what you pay for.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


More On Scope Rings And Mounts:

Understanding Defensive Handgun Bullets

Many armed citizens only trust their lives to factory ammunition, but here’s what you need to know about defensive handgun bullets.

We’ve all heard the rule from on high: Thou shalt not carry handloads in thine everyday carry weapon, lest thou be deemed guilty immediately for saving thine bacon. The concept and reason, loosely stated, is that a prosecuting attorney could possibly convince a jury that you intentionally made “hot loads” (I break out in hives just typing that), or that the threat—which you interpreted to put your life in danger—was farther away than you stated, based upon the penetration of the bullet and/or expansion. Those handloads could indicate—to the uneducated—that you were looking for a gunfight.

Just as I handload almost all of my dangerous game ammunition, on the basis of the idea that I can pay attention to each and every component and aspect of the loading process, I have no problem with handloading EDC defensive ammunition. In fact, handloading my defensive ammunition allows me to inspect all of the projectiles I’ll be using. It gives me an opportunity to tune each and every case, weigh each powder charge and use a consistent crimp. The factory stuff is great—there’s no doubt about that—but I’m the kind of guy who likes to hedge his bets.

Handloading defensive ammunition is not for a lot of people, and I certainly understand that.

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A lineup of worthy premium defensive bullets, including the Federal Hydra-Shok, Hornady XTP, Speer Gold Dot, Barnes XPB and the Cutting Edge Handgun Raptor. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Choosing A Defensive Handgun Bullet

Not all defensive bullets are created equal, and the reloader (or those buying any defensive ammunition, actually) needs to be aware of the differences, similarities, pleasures and pitfalls of the various designs.

What exactly makes a defensive bullet? Well, that’s a highly subjective question, as just about any handgun bullet can be used in a defensive situation. I caught my father carrying plain old lead, round-nose bullets in his .38 snub nose the other day and gasped in horror. Dad replied, “They’ll work, trust me. The government issued them for decades.” Maybe he’s not entirely wrong, but with the availability of modern bullets of premium quality, I’m not carrying lead projectiles. Nor am I carrying a FMJ, which will certainly offer deep penetration, but nearly zero expansion.

I prefer a jacketed hollow-point bullet (as opposed to the plated bullets), engineered to give the best balance of penetration and expansion. If you’re trying to pick out which bullet will work best for you, try searching for some examples of the bullet’s performance in bare ballistic gelatin, as well as after passing through several layers of clothing and/or drywall. The latter two tests can often show you whether expansion is reliable; I’ve seen more than one model plug up with drywall and fail to expand.

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Note the skived jacket on the Hydra-Shok; this helps initiate uniform expansion.

Federal’s Hydra-Shok handgun bullet has been around for more than three decades, yet it still checks all the boxes for an excellent defensive choice. Using a notched copper jacket and a post in the center of the hollow cavity for reliable expansion, the Hydra-Shok has long been a popular choice for law enforcement and is among my favorite designs. Speer’s Gold Dot is another favorite, which has its copper jacket bonded to the lead core. This process allows the hollow-point to expand reliably, yet the bonding process ensures the structural integrity of the bullet, providing very high weight retention. Hornady’s XTP (eXtreme Terminal Performance) handgun bullet is equally suited for a hunting scenario as it is a defensive scenario, using a jacket of varying thickness (growing thicker as you approach the base), which is serrated to initiate equal and even expansion. Both the Gold Dot and the XTP have the jacket slightly wrapped around the nose of the bullet, to protect the meplat during the feeding process in a semi-automatic handgun.

There are also monometal choices, such as the Barnes XPB or the Cutting Edge Handgun Raptor, and while both are hollow-points, they function very differently in the terminal phase. Where the Barnes will retain nearly all of its weight, the Cutting Edge is designed to actually break apart. The Handgun Raptor has cuts along the ogive, and that section along the hollow-point will break into four blades, radiating in a star pattern for some nasty initial trauma, while the base of the bullet (Cutting Edge calls it their Blunt Trauma Base) maintains caliber-diameter, penetrating up to 16 inches in ballistic gel. These aren’t your grandfather’s bullets.

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The Cutting Edge Handgun Raptor is engineered to break into four blades, which radiate in a star pattern, leaving the caliber-dimension base to give deep penetration. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

If You Must Build Your Own

Looking at the lead-core bullets, you'll see those models designed for use in a revolver will sport a cannelure for using a roll crimp, while those designated for the semi-auto guns will not. Those cartridges generally use the case mouth for headspacing and cannot use a roll crimp; rather a good taper crimp will keep those bullets from moving within the case.

Irrespective of the crimp style, I’ve found that the more uniform you can keep your crimp, the more uniform your velocities will be. I reach for the Redding Profile Crimp die for the best roll crimp possible, applying the crimp in a separate operation, after seating the bullet. When I need a taper crimp, I like the Redding Micro Adjustable Taper Crimp dies, as they allow me to fine-tune the amount of crimp being applied, making adjustments for variations in case thicknesses.

The monometal bullets will offer at least one crimping groove, though there might be multiple grooves for different seating depths. Just as with rifle bullets, copper-alloy handgun bullets will be longer than their lead counterparts of the same weight and diameter, as copper is less dense.

Regarding velocities, I'm not necessarily looking to break any records, but rather achieve the most uniform, accurate and sensible speeds. I recommend using load data from the manufacturer of whichever component bullet you’ve chosen, as the configuration and conformation of that bullet can require a specific powder charge range, and often data isn’t interchangeable.

Lastly, I like to pick a bullet weight the same as my practice ammo, so that the recoil and overall feel of my handgun stays uniform when switching from range ammo to carry ammo. Once I’ve picked my defensive bullet, I can then search for a practice bullet, be it a cast-lead bullet or an FMJ. 

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2022 EDC special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


More On Defensive Handgun Ammo:

The Joys Of Reloading .300 Win. Mag.

Despite its old-school design, there are still plenty of good reasons to keep reloading .300 Win. Mag.

If you look at the most recent cartridge designs, the 60-year-old .300 Winchester Magnum is the antithesis of modern trends. It’s belted, has a neck considerably less than one caliber in length, and it functions in a long-action receiver … yet the engineers moved the shoulder forward to increase case capacity. This last feature certainly allowed more room for powder, but it precluded the use of long, sleek bullets that have proven to give the best downrange results. These new bullets possess ogives so long that they can’t be seated in the .300’s case and still fit in the magazine.

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When loaded with a truly stiff bullet like the 200-grain Swift A-Frame shown here, the .300 Winchester is a powerful cartridge capable of handling the majority of game species hunted today. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Being a derivative of the Holland & Holland case, the .300 Winchester Magnum headspaces on the belt, and that can pose several issues. First, there will be stretching above the belt as the case is fired; this can be combated, as we’ll see in a minute, and it’s why I use fired brass cases when I’m getting serious about accuracy in any .300 Winchester. Second, the 25-degree shoulder can provide excellent headspacing, so long as you don’t move that shoulder too much during the resizing process.

Many claim that short neck fails to give proper neck tension, yet I’ve never had an issue in the thousands of rounds I’ve loaded. Unlike some modern designs, many projectiles will extend considerably below the neck/shoulder junction, and that can have an effect on the space left for the powder column. As the neck of the .300 Winchester measures just 0.264 inch, the idea of neck sizing—in order to keep the shoulder where it gives best concentricity and headspacing—might not be the best solution.

Instead, I much prefer to measure the amount of shoulder movement by using Redding’s Instant Comparator to give me the difference between the SAAMI specification and the fired case. I can then use one of Redding’s Competition Shellholders, which are graduated in increments 0.002-inch deeper than a normal shellholder, to be able to resize the case diameter and neck fully, while leaving the shoulder in the spot that gives the best headspace and concentricity. Using this method also reduces case stretching significantly, extending case life.

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Despite possessing the Holland & Holland belt, with use of the Redding Competition shellholders, the .300 Winchester Magnum case can be made to headspace off the 25-degree shoulder. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The .300 Winchester Magnum can use a heavy powder charge, sometimes over 80 grains, and runs best when sparked with a large rifle magnum primer. I’ve come to rely heavily on Federal Gold Medal Match primers, and a GM215M primer is my go-to: The consistency of these primers plays a definite role in keeping velocity spreads low.

Building With Bullets

One of a .30-caliber is the wide selection of projectiles available, in both weight and conformation. Common bullets range between 125 and 220 grains, but despite my best efforts with traditional 125-grain bullets like the Nosler Ballistic Tip, I feel they’re too light for the velocity generated. And unless it’s of premium construction—like the 130-grain Barnes TTSX—most bullet choices will begin at 150 grains … and even then, things can get messy if it’s a cup-and-core design.

The copper monometal and alloy projectiles, being longer than their lead core counterparts of the same weight, will give satisfactory hunting performance at 150 grains; there are traditional choices like the Barnes TTSX, or boutique choices like the Badlands Precision Bulldozer 2, that come in at this weight. Both offer excellent field performance and will expand reliably at any sane hunting range. These 150-grain bullets can be loaded to 3,300 fps, and I’ve seen a chronograph read 3,400 fps.

With bullets between 165 and 220 grains, you’ll see the .300 Winchester really shine as both a hunting and a target cartridge. Though many have made the switch to various 6.5mm cartridges or larger, and newer .30-caliber cartridges for target or competition work, it wasn’t that long ago that the .300 Winchester Magnum was revered as a target cartridge.

U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle—immortalized in both print and film—relied heavily on a .300 Winchester Magnum based on a Remington 700 action. Load your .300 Winchester with match bullet, such as the 178- or 195-grain Hornady ELD Match, 176-grain Hornady A-Tip Match or 175-grain Sierra MatchKing, and you’ve got a formidable combination. All can be loaded to a velocity that will keep them supersonic out to 1,500 yards, and if you want a cartridge to pull double-duty for target and hunting work, you could do a helluva lot worse than the .300 Winchester.

For the hunter, bullets between 165 and 220 grains make one of the most flexible packages available. There are too many wonderful hunting bullets offered in component form to list here, though I’ve come to favor more than a few: Federal Trophy Bonded Tip and Terminal Ascent, Sierra GameKing, Swift Scirocco II and A-Frame, Hornady’s Interlock (both round nose and spitzer), and Speer Grand Slam.

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While not exactly conforming to modern cartridge designs, the .300 Winchester Magnum still gets the job done. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Fueling The Fire

During the past two decades, I’ve used Reloder 19, 22, 23, 25 and 26, IMR 4064, 4350 and 4831, Hodgdon H414, H4350, H4831SC and H1000, in addition to others. You’ll want a powder on the slower side of things, without needing to use so much that the load is heavily compressed. I like a column that takes up about 90 percent of the available volume.

For reloading dies, the .300 Winchester Magnum warrants the best you can afford. I like the RCBS MatchMaster Bushing Dies and Redding’s Type-S Bushing Dies; both have a micrometer-adjustable seating die, and both offer a sizing bushing that can minimize excess stretching of the neck.

The .300 Winchester Magnum is one of those cartridges that has fantastic accuracy potential with factory ammunition, and gets even better with handloads. Despite the recent lack of favor for belted cartridges, the .300 Winchester still shines, and if you’ve got a rifle you love, it’s easy to cook up a handload that’ll engender all sorts of confidence.

Pay a bit of extra attention, and you’ll more than likely end up with a tack driver.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


More On Reloading:

Legends Never Die: Reloading Old-School Projectiles

Why old-school projectiles remain a valuable resource to reloaders in the 21st century.

I truly enjoy shooting and hunting with the latest bullet technology, and I’ve written many times that we’re in the Golden Age of projectile development. Monometal copper bullets, hybrid ogive designs and bonded cores are all great … but they aren’t always necessary. Sometimes, an older, classic design fits the bill perfectly—and might even be desirable.

The classics are “classics” for a reason. They’ve proven themselves for generations, and so long as the application is suitable, they function just fine. Of course, some of the simpler designs showed their limits and resulted in the recommended cartridge and caliber minimums we’ve all become familiar with. However, when you stay within the parameters of the projectile’s design, you can see the merits of that particular bullet.

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“If it’s good enough for the military, it’s good enough for me.” The classic FMJ handgun bullet is a great choice for
affordable, high-volume shooting. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The Ol’ Cup-And-Core

The cup-and-core bullet design—for both rifles and handguns—hearkens back to the 1880s yet remains a perfectly viable choice for both hunting and defensive work. It’s a simple concept, with a lead core wrapped in a copper jacket, usually with a bit of exposed lead at the meplat to initiate expansion for the hunting bullets, or perhaps completely encapsulated in the case of the full metal jacket, military-style rifle.

In the rifle world, the Remington Core-Lokt is a great example of a bullet still in use today, and it still works great when used at reasonable velocities on suitable game species. In cartridges like the .30-30 Winchester, .257 Roberts, 7mm Mauser and .30-06 Springfield—where velocities are reasonable—a cup-and-core design will suit just fine, especially if of proper sectional density. The light-for-caliber rifle bullets tend to be frangible, especially if pushed too fast.

From the reloading perspective, I like this bullet style for cartridges that have minimal case capacity. The lead core keeps the bullet length down, and many of the older designs have a shorter ogive; this combination allows for more room in the case, and less bullet outside the case mouth. The .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum (I do prefer bullets with thicker jackets for this application), .350 Remington Magnum, and .260 Remington will all be easier to load with the shorter cup-and-core projectiles. The Sierra GameKing and ProHunter, Speer Hot-Cor, Hornady InterLock and aforementioned Core-Lokt are all hell on deer and similarly sized game … and wonderfully affordable.

I also like the cup-and-core bullet design for fueling obscure cartridges. As just one example, to feed my .318 Westley Richards—which uses a .330-inch-diameter bullet—I bought a Lee Classic Bullet Sizing Kit, sized for .329-inch-diameter bullets. With a liberal application of Imperial Sizing Die Wax and some heaving and shoving on the Redding Ultra Mag reloading press, I can swage Hornady’s .338-inch-diameter 250-grain Interlock cup and core bullets down to 0.330 inch. There seems to be 0.001 inch of spring-back, as the resultant bullets measure 0.330 inch on two different sets of calipers. All this lets me keep the old cartridge alive.

One of the biggest complaints about cup-and-core rifle bullets is jacket/core separation. Upon impact, the jacket peels away from the core, resulting in poor penetration. This is a common phenomenon among boat-tail bullets, especially at higher velocities. This condition is also what prompted John Nosler to build a better mousetrap; his .300 H&H Magnum was a bit too fast for the bullets of the 1940s, and blew up on a moose’s shoulder. If you run a magnum cartridge, I suggest a thick jacket and plenty of bullet weight.

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While there have been numerous technological advances in bullet technology, a good flat base cup-and-core bullet—like the Sierra ProHunter shown here—can certainly get the job done. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Jacketed Hollow-Points

On the handgun front, the old-school bullets can be an effective, highly affordable and clean choice. The jacketed hollow-point has long been relied upon for defensive work and will give great penetration without breaking the bank. Hornady’s XTP and XTP Mag and Sierra’s Sportsmaster are still great choices and can serve for target work, defensive needs and as a hunting bullet. They have a good cannelure, or crimping groove, and they’ll withstand magnum velocities.

For those who prefer to avoid lead vapors, the tried-and-true FMJ, TMJ or encapsulated bullet makes a great choice. You'll need to be a bit more careful with the crimp—I prefer a good taper crimp for the autoloading cartridges—as you can bulge the case or damage the bullet when using a roll crimp without a cannelure.

Another point to keep in mind when it comes to handgun bullets: some are plated instead of jacketed. Make sure you use the proper load data for the specific type of bullet you’re loading, as confusing the two can lead to pressure issues, and no one needs that.

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The author used a Lee Classic Bullet Sizing Die to swage Hornady 250-grain .338-inch-diameter bullets down to .330 inch for use in the .318 Westley Richards. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Lead Is Timeless

Lead projectiles are as old as cartridges themselves and can make a great option for the reloader to create cheap and effective ammunition, in both rifle and handgun cartridges. You can buy cast lead bullets or grab a mold and cast your own; I like a bit of antimony to keep things a bit cleaner in the barrel. Some of the lead projectiles are wrapped in a polymer coating—like Federal’s Syntech—to minimize fouling as well as lead vapor in an enclosed environment.

Using a cast lead bullet for practice is perfect means for becoming proficient with your handgun. If you want to put time in with your .454 Casull, without the associated pounding, load up some 255-grain cast lead loads at .45 Colt specs and head to the range. Cheap wadcutters are great for the EDC wheelguns; my S&W Model 36 happily digests all the cast wadcutters I can feed it, making practice much less expensive. If you want to try to minimize lead fouling, and even out velocities a bit, a gas check is a great idea.

While there are plenty of applications for a premium bullet—from thick-skinned animals to targets measured in miles—there’s still plenty of space for a classic design. With the price of ammunition and components constantly on the rise, perhaps it’s high time to take another look at the more affordable choices for our reloading.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


More On Reloading:

Testing The Henry Model X In .360 Buckhammer

A review of the new .360 Buckhammer chambering and the Henry Model X lever-action rifle.

Lever-action rifles are among the oldest American repeating designs, and they’ve remained both a nostalgic and reliable choice for the past century and a half. Certainly, metallurgy has changed—undoubtedly for the better—and while the craftsmanship of run-of-the-mill guns might not present the artisan touch of the late 19th century, CNC machining and other modern advancements have resulted in a much more consistent product. We still have—in some form or another—those now-ancient names that became household words among hunters, including Winchester, Marlin and Savage, but modern companies such as Henry have also adopted the lever gun.

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The Henry Model X in .360 Buckhammer.

In addition to having many of the classic, late-19th and early 20th century rifle designs still with us, a good number of the cartridges of that era remain popular choices. With the .45-70 Government dating back to 1873, the .38-55 WCF dating to 1876, and the .30-30 Winchester coming onboard in 1895, there are a substantial number of venerable rifle cartridges that’ll still get the job done. If you hunt in an area where any rifle cartridge is acceptable, the world is your oyster.

But should you wish to use a centerfire rifle for big game hunting in certain Midwestern states, you’ll encounter a set of very particular game laws that vary from region to region.

Most require a straight-walled cartridge—one with no shoulder—in order to keep velocities on the lower side of the spectrum, and (presumably) prevent a high-velocity rifle bullet from skipping across the flat landscape. Others limit the case length, or specify a minimum bullet diameter. To comply with the rules and offer an advantage over the bigger, and often slower, straight-wall cases—like the .45-70 Government, .444 Marlin, .450 Bushmaster and .38-55 Winchester—ammunition companies have released some new designs. Winchester started with the .350 Legend, which is equally at home in a bolt gun or AR platform, and for 2023, Remington has countered with their own .360 Buckhammer.

A Chip Off The Ol’ Block?

Based on the .30-30 Winchester case (derived from the older .38-55 Winchester) with the case walls straightened out, the .360 Buckhammer is, if you will, a twist in the idea of mating a .30-30 with a .35 Remington. It uses the same .506-inch rim diameter as its sire, but with a case length of 1.80 inches—shorter than both the .35 Remington and .30-30 Winchester. The maximum overall cartridge length is held to 2.5 inches, which is also just a wee bit shorter than the aforementioned pair.

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A straight-walled case, adherent to some specific game laws in the Midwest, the .360 Buckhammer meets certain criteria to bring usable performance to hunters in need. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

With projectiles of 0.358-inch diameter, the .360 Buckhammer is offered in both 180- and 200-grain loads, featuring the time-tested Core-Lokt round-nose bullet. A simple cup-and-core bullet with a cannelure, or crimping groove, serves both to allow a good roll crimp to be applied to the case mouth as well as “locking” the core and jacket together. It’s a good deer bullet, especially when used at moderate velocities.

With the 180-grain load leaving the muzzle at 2,400 fps, and the 200-grain load moving at 2,200 fps, the .360 Buckhammer offers an appreciable velocity advantage over the .35 Remington, which usually moves that same pair of projectiles at 2,120 fps and 2,080 fps, respectively. Being round-nosed, these Core-Lokt bullets don’t have the best ballistic coefficient values, but the nose profile allows for safe use in the tubular magazines common to so many lever-action rifles.

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Based on the .30-30 Winchester case, the .360 Buckhammer shares many dimensions, and fits a lever-action rifle perfectly. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Using a 1:12 twist, the .360 Buckhammer has the potential to offer the handloader the use of heavier bullets, though velocities will certainly drop off. But for those who enjoy taking a lever-action rifle to the thicker woods in pursuit of whitetails and black bears, the .360 Buckhammer is right at home.

Now, How To Launch It

Any new cartridge can be an exciting prospect, so long as you have a means to fire it. Many times, a cartridge will be introduced at SHOT Show, only to have the rifles for said cartridge be MIA for a year or more.

That’s not the case here with the .360 Buckhammer.

Enter Henry Rifles, who have worked in conjunction with Remington to bring four different models of their excellent rifles to market chambered for the Buckhammer, including their Lever Steel, Side Gate Lever Action, Single Shot Steel and the model I got to review, the Model X.

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The Henry Model X has a receiver layout similar to the classic Marlin designs. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

When I reach for a lever gun, I expect to see blued steel and walnut, or at least birch. I might even react calmly to stainless steel or a laminate wood stock, as in a Browning BLR. But a synthetic stock? Prior to holding the Henry Model X, I’d have declared it blasphemy; once I had it in hand, my opinion was swayed. Though the package will cause any lever purist to cock an eyebrow, the Model X is a serious hunting gun, packed with very usable and well-thought-out features.

With a receiver highly reminiscent of the hugely popular Marlin 336, the Henry Model X offers the advantage of a solid-top receiver and side eject, in that an optic can be mounted low to the bore. In lieu of a safety or half-cock, the Model X uses a transfer bar located in the face of the hammer. So long as the shooter keeps rearward pressure on the trigger, the transfer bar will make contact with the firing pin button—but if there’s no trigger pressure, or while the hammer is resting against the face of the receiver, there’s no chance of the rifle going off.

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While a polymer-stocked lever gun may be strange to see at first, the Henry Model X is a sound design and performed wonderfully. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Using my Lyman Digital Trigger Scale, I measured the Model X’s trigger break at 3 pounds, 9 ounces, with almost no creep and just a bit of overtravel; for a lever gun, it was nice. Henry has equipped the Model X with a large lever loop, and I found that quite comfortable.

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With a muzzle threaded for either brake or suppressor, and a brass-sleeved tube magazine, the Henry Model X gives the shooter all sorts of options in loading and more. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The 21⅜-inch barrel is topped with a fixed fiber-optic front sight, with a fully adjustable fiber-optic rear sight, and is threaded and capped to allow the user to install a brake or suppressor. The tubular magazine is accessible via the side gate lever on the right side of the receiver—just below the ejection port—or at the muzzle end, via a cutout in the magazine’s bottom that’s capped with an inner brass liner tube. The tube magazine has a five-round capacity.

Once I got past the initial doubts about the stock, it proved to be both comfortable and useful. It’s a two-piece affair, with a curved pistol grip, and textured patches on the pistol grip and forend that give a solid grip, even with wet hands. The buttstock has a solid rubber recoil pad—which I found to be on the harder side of things—and to my elation, it had a 14-inch length of pull. I’ve always appreciated the longer length of most European firearms, and this Henry is one of the first American production rifles I’ve come across with a proper stock length.

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The solid rubber buttplate of the Henry Model X lever-action rifle. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Instead of sling-swivel studs, normally screwed into the stock, Henry has opted to mold them into the stock, so there’s nothing to come loose, rust or squeak. The butt is symmetrical, having no cheekpiece, so the left-handed shooters will be equally comfortable with the Model X as the righties. The forend has a squared nose, with a short section of Picatinny rail on the underneath, and each of the sides features a Magpul M-Lok slot, so there are all sorts of options for attaching lights, bipods and other accouterments.

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The Henry Model X has both a Picatinny rail and M-Lok options at the forend, so many different attachments can be utilized. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

At Home On The Range

To prepare the Model X for the shooting range, I screwed a Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40mm scope—long proved a rugged choice and perfect for deer hunting in first and last light—in Talley detachable rings to the top of the X’s receiver. I chose the detachable Talleys in order to have a means of quickly accessing the iron sights. Should you want to use the Model X in truly thick terrain, yet have the ability of confidently reattaching the scope with a return to point of aim, this is your setup.

At my little 100-yard range behind my office, the Model X in 360 came alive. From the first shot, I noticed that the Henry rifle had very little felt recoil, even from the bench. The trigger broke nicely, allowing the crosshair to stay on target properly, and the minimal muzzle jump aided in reacquiring the target quickly.

Both the 180- and 200-grain load delivered sub-MOA accuracy—much better than I was expecting from a lever gun—with the 200-grain load printing just a bit better. The best of the three-shot groups hovered around the ½-MOA mark, the worst just under an inch, with the average just above ¾-MOA.

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The .360 Buckhammer was a champion at the bench, delivering sub-MOA accuracy with both the 180- and 200-grain loads. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

At any rate, the combination of Henry Model X and Remington .360 Buckhammer ammo is very inspiring. And while it might not be as flat shooting as a .308 Winchester or 6.8 Western, it makes a great woods rifle, with velocities slightly better than the comparable .35 Remington. My test rifle stayed very close to the advertised velocities, with the 180-grain load averaging 2,387 fps and the 200-grain load 2,208 fps.

During the bench session, each and every cartridge fed and extracted without issue; in fact, I found the out-of-the-box Henry to be much smoother than the majority of the modern Winchesters and Marlins I’ve spent time with. In spite of my initial apprehensions—solely based on my visual impression—I really enjoyed taking the Henry to the bench and wouldn’t hesitate to spend a season here in my native New York with this combination.

Where Does This Fit In?

Many will repeat the fact that the century-plus-old .35 Remington gives a similar performance, but that’s not entirely reason enough to discount the Buckhammer. Others will say that the venerable .30-30 Winchester is so plentiful and available that it makes no sense to deviate from that platform, or that if you wish to hunt with a cartridge larger than .30-caliber, the next logical step is the original straight-wall lever cartridge: the .38-55 Winchester. I feel slightly different, in that the .360 Buckhammer represents a higher-pressure variant of the classic formula.

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The Henry Model X’s flat-top receiver mated perfectly with a Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40mm scope, set in Talley detachable rings. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Taking the niche game laws off the table, I think the .360 Buckhammer is a great cartridge for the hunter who stays inside of 150 or 175 yards, in pursuit of whitetail deer and black bears. It’s easy on the shoulder, available in four models of Henry rifles (proudly made in the USA) and hits harder than either the .30-30 or .35 Remington. I hope that the .360 Buckhammer gets the “modern spitzer” treatment that Hornady has given to so many of the classic rimmed cartridges and the same bonded-core treatment Federal applied to their HammerDown series. And, more rifles from various companies are likely on the way.

Long story short: I like the Buckhammer. Is it going to be my personal daily go-to? Probably not, as I’d classify myself as a bolt-action guy more than anything else, and my heart lies there. But for the lever crowd, I think this is a breath of fresh air and an awful lot of fun to shoot and hunt with.

Henry Lever Action X Model .360 Buckhammer Specs:

  • Chambering: .360 Buckhammer
  • Barrel: 21.375 Inches, 1:12 Twist
  • Finish: Blued Steel
  • Stock: Black Synthetic
  • Length Of Pull: 14 Inches
  • Overall Length: 40.375 Inches
  • Capacity: 5 + 1
  • Sights: Fiber Optic Front ; Adjustable Fiber Optic Rear
  • Weight: 8.07 Pounds
  • MSRP: $1,091

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


Raise Your Lever-Gun IQ:

Using Chamber Concentricity To Fit Ammo To Your Rifle

Leave that shoulder alone! Here’s how to fit ammo to your rifle using chamber concentricity.

Bottlenecked cartridges have many different means of headspacing, from using a rim—so popular among the lever-action cartridges—to the Holland & Holland belted design, to the true rimless cartridges that use the shoulder for headspacing. And while the goal for creating ammunition is to have the cartridge slip easily into the chamber, sometimes that formula doesn’t give the best possible accuracy.

If you reload your ammunition, you can control some of the dimensions, and you can give yourself an advantage in the accuracy department.

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Proper chamber concentricity will enhance accuracy and put a smile on a shooter’s face. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Managing Variables And Expectations

First, to understand things properly, we must realize that not all chambers are cut in the same manner. Yes, our factory guns and even custom jobs do the best to keep things as uniform as possible, but even with the modern level of CNC machining, precision go/no-go gauges and computer designs, our chambers might not be cut in a uniform manner from gun to gun. Couple that idea with the fact that our mass-produced ammunition—while I feel it is the best that is has ever been—will have slight variations from brand to brand … and even from lot to lot.

Now, the differences in accuracy might not mean a whole helluva lot to the deer hunter who reaches for the rifle once a year. He or she will often sight the rifle before the season, taking a few shots to make sure they can effectively hit a paper plate (roughly the size of a deer’s vital organs) or a bit better—and that’s fine, if that’s your hunting style. But for someone preparing for a hunt at longer ranges, or someone who is serious about target shooting or the various rifle competitions, a different mindset and level of precision is needed.

Piece By Piece

Looking at the first and most basic premise of reloading a metallic cartridge, the resizing die is used to reduce the case from its fired dimension back to the SAAMI-specified dimensions. The fired cartridge has expanded to the dimensions of the chamber as a result of the pressures generated from the firing sequence. It’s the difference between the original SAAMI dimensions and fired (chamber) dimensions that allow the cartridge to easily insert into the chamber, but it’s also that difference in dimension that reduces chamber concentricity.

When you measure the amount of expansion on some of the belted cases—famous for stretching just above the belt—you might see as much as 0.020-inch lengthening on the first firing. It’s no small wonder that we see case head separation among the belted cases, especially if we are bringing things back to the SAAMI dimension after each firing. That level of stress is too much for even the finest brass cases.

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Belted cases headspace off the belt and will stretch to the point that the case will separate. Leaving the shoulder in same position as the case has when fired will drastically reduce this phenomenon. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

If we’re talking about a rimless case, where the shoulder handles the headspacing, it isn’t difficult to see why accuracy could suffer if the ammo and chamber aren’t quite matching up very well.

The Neck-Sizing Technique

Reloaders have long taken steps to keep cases as close to chamber conformation as possible. Early on, it was the neck sizing technique that was the most popular means. When a cartridge is “neck sized,” only the neck is reduced back to original dimension in order to provide enough tension to hold the projectile; the shoulder position and body diameter of the fired case are left “as is.”

This technique certainly works, though it does have a couple of pitfalls. Generally speaking, the neck-sized ammunition is only suitable for bolt-action rifles, which have the power to close the bolt on the ammunition of larger dimension. Lever guns and auto-loaders can quickly show the shooter the rifle isn’t happy at all with this type of ammunition.

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RCBS neck-sizing bushing dies are a solid means of neck sizing cases without overstretching the brass. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Also, the neck-sized brass will usually be reserved for the rifle from which it was fired; the slight variations in chamber dimensions can prevent neck-sized cases from one rifle being used in another, as the bolt might not close at all. Plus, even when done properly in a bolt-action rifle, feeding can be much less smooth than regular ammunition.

For the target shooter, this might not be a huge deal, but for the hunter it could make big difference, especially when in pursuit of dangerous game, where a follow-up shot is imperative. Caveats aside, most manufacturers of reloading dies still offer a neck sizing die as an option. If you want to take the neck-sizing route, I recommend opting for a bushing die to minimize the amount of neck stretch during resizing.

Shoulder Work

The other means of obtaining the best chamber concentricity, yet still offering smooth and rapid feeding, is to measure the amount of shoulder movement from SAAMI spec to your fired cases. Redding’s Instant Indicator and Bullet Comparator is what you want to measure exactly how much your cases are stretching upon firing.

Using a SAAMI-spec dummy case as a reference point, the Comparator will quickly show you how much your fired cases vary from the specified dimensions. When used in conjunction with the Redding Competition Shellholder Set, it’ll allow the reloader to use a resizing die to shrink all the exterior dimensions of the fired case … without moving the shoulder.

It works like this: After using the dial indicator to observe the difference in your fired cases and the SAAMI-spec dimension, you’ll arrive at an average dimensional variance. So, for example, if you were to compare a half-dozen of your fired cases to the SAAMI-spec dummy, seeing a difference of 0.006 inch, you could grab the correlative shellholder and resize your cases. Redding’s Competition set of shellholders offer five different depths—ranging from 0.002 to 0.010 inch—for each family of cases. At worst, you might have to use a shoulder dimension 0.01 inch different from the observed variation, but that’ll still enhance accuracy.

What this does is resize your case—body diameter, neck dimension, etc.—while leaving the shoulder where it was after being fired. Cartridges loaded in this manner will give the benefits of a fully resized case in the feeding department but will best match your rifle’s chamber by keeping the shoulder up against the chamber wall. Yes, these cartridges will also be rifle-specific, in that they are best reserved for the rifle in which they were initially fired, but the chamber concentricity will invariably improve, and with that—at least in my experience—the accuracy, velocity spread and uniformity will also improve.

I’ve used these shellholders to cut the groups size of a .308 Winchester in nearly half, and drastically reduce the velocity spread as well. They surely have extended the life of my .300 Winchester Magnum and .300 H&H Magnum brass. In fact, when I run into a problem rifle, I reach for the silly little shellholder trick if the gun seems to be a bit finicky, and there have been several instances where a seemingly lame load has come to shine once the shoulder has been properly mated to the chamber.

Bottom line: The Comparator will run about $180 street price, and a set of the Competition Shellholders cost another $80 or so. With the two, you can easily customize your ammunition to best match the dimensions of your rifle’s chamber, resulting in an easy-to-feed cartridge that gives the best concentricity available. I feel rather confident saying that you’ll see an improvement in both accuracy and consistent velocity; this is, after all, what we reloaders seek most. 

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


More On Reloading:

Kimber Mountain Ascent Caza Review: Light Is Right

A lightweight and accurate bolt-action rifle, the author takes a closer look at the Kimber Mountain Ascent Caza.

None of us are getting any younger, and if you were to ask my legs, hips and lower back, the hills I choose to hunt seem to be getting steeper. Despite having crossed the half-century mark, I refuse to allow my native Catskills and Adirondacks to intimidate me to the point where I avoid hunting them. Though the terrain may be rugged, here in New York we have oxygen in our mountains—as opposed to the Rockies, where oxygen comes at a premium—and while the game might be sparse, it’s an iconic experience.

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The controlled round feed 84L action of the Mountain Ascent Caza has a miniaturized Mauser-style bolt, in this case, a fluted bolt body and skeletonized bolt handle and extractor. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Rifle weight has often been a factor for those who hunt the rugged terrain, whether it be sheep hunters on the scree slides of Alaskan mountains or anyone who hauls their gear on their back when venturing into the few remaining wild places left on Earth. If I’m on relatively flat ground—say, in the Hudson Valley of New York, the Great Plains of the Dakotas or eastern Wyoming and Colorado or even the vast majority of Africa—I don’t mind a bit of weight to my rifle. But once things start to get steep and rugged, I want the least amount of weight on my back and shoulders as possible.

Kimber—a rifle company originally based entirely in my home state of New York—has long prided itself on their lightweight rifles. Yes, the Kimber Talkeetna and Caprivi big-bore rifles are both built in the common weight ranges, but there are many models that swung in the welterweight division.

The Kimber Montana, and especially the Kimber Adirondack with its short barrel, felt like a helium balloon on the shoulder, yet was still manageable when shooting. Scaled-down actions, replete with the features required to be considered controlled-round-feed, mated to slim barrels and lightweight synthetic stocks add up to an accurate combination that will not be felt during the process of packing out a deer from those remote and rugged locations.

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Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The Adirondack model produces a ton of muzzle blast from its short barrel—though if used as a hunting rifle wouldn’t be unmanageable—and even the Montana felt a bit like a willow wand when it came to settling down for the shot. Looking at the various Kimber rifle models through the years, I feel they’ve come to their best balance of weight and portability with their Mountain Ascent Caza rifle.

The Reign Of The Caza

With the naked rifle coming in at just over 5 pounds, depending on chambering, Kimber offers a sensible mountain rifle here, with all the features I’ve come to appreciate. Despite the light weight, the Mountain Ascent Caza balances well. And where most companies will rely on a short-action receiver to help reduce weight, my test rifle featured Kimber’s 84L long action and was chambered in the universal .30-06 Springfield.

With a 24-inch featherweight stainless-steel barrel, fluted for 8 inches just ahead of the chamber and with a 2-inch muzzle brake (thread protector included), the Mountain Ascent will give full house velocities. While my ears are certainly damaged from years of gun fire and loud drummers, a muzzle break on a rifle this light makes sense. I often wear a combination of earplugs and shooting muffs at the backyard range—especially while testing a rifle with a brake—but in the field I’m not comfortable with hearing protection. I’m not a fan of brakes, but physics are physics, and on a lightweight mountain rifle like the Mountain Ascent, it’ll help you place a shot better than if you’re dealing with snappy recoil.

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With a handsome profile, the Mountain Ascent Caza is a pleasure to carry, and the open pistol grip offers a very natural feel to the rifle. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The 84L action is what I’ve often referred to as a mini-Mauser; it’s a controlled-round-feed design with the non-rotating claw extractor, just in a scaled-down configuration. I measured the bolt body at 0.585 inch in diameter—a typical Mauser 98 bolt body will measure right around 0.700 inch—so there’s a significant reduction in action diameter. And to further reduce weight, Kimber has fluted the bolt body. It uses a two-lug bolt face (the Mauser 98 has a third lug on the bottom rear of the bolt body) and a 90-degree bolt throw.

The 84L action features a wing-style three-position safety highly reminiscent of the Winchester 70 design, with forward to fire, middle position being safe but able to work the bolt for safe loading and unloading, and rearward being safe as well as preventing the bolt from moving. When the safety is moved forward, putting the rifle into battery, there’s a small red dot visible where the safety wing meets the bolt body, indicating the rifle is hot. The 84L action is pillar bedded into the stock, and the action and barrel are coated in Kimber’s proprietary non-reflective KimPro II black finish.

The Mountain Ascent comes with an adjustable trigger, which Kimber indicates comes set at a weight of 3.5 pounds. Using my Lyman Trigger Pull Gauge, my test rifle’s trigger broke consistently at 2 pounds, 8 ounces. The shoe is wider than that of most rifles, measuring ⅜-inch wide and offering a nice feel during the squeeze—and breaking crisply without creep or overtravel. I really liked the way this trigger performed during accuracy testing, as well as from field positions.

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The Pnuma Caza camo pattern is both attractive and effective, and the KimPro II metal coating eliminates glare. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The Mountain Ascent has a blind magazine, holding four rounds down, and a small polymer trigger guard with one action screw rounds out the union of action and stock. And speaking of stocks, the Mountain Ascent has an ergonomic, ambidextrous reinforced composite stock, wrapped in the Pnuma Caza camo finish. The Caza is, to my eyes, a nice blend of the digital camouflage color scheme, blended into smoothed patterns that are appealing to the eye.

Without cheekpiece, or any sort of checkering or distressed area to offer a better grip, the Mountain Ascent Caza stock feels very good in the hands. With a sloping pistol grip, which keeps the fingers of the trigger hand more parallel than perpendicular to the barrel, the Kimber stock is (apparently) symmetrical, giving the shooter everything he or she needs, with nothing they don’t.

The stock features one rear sling swivel stud and two at the forend, giving the ability to attach a bipod to the rifle. A 1-inch Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad takes the thunder out of the .30-06, even from the heaviest of loads, and I measured the length of pull for this rifle at 13⅝ inches.

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Kimber cut weight on the Mountain Ascent Caza where it could—note the skeletonized bolt handle, extractor band and fluted bolt body—but with a good rest, it was a pleasure to shoot. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The Tale Of The Targets

Kimber offers a sub-MOA guarantee with the Mountain Ascent and provided two test targets to prove the fact that the rifle left the shop meeting those parameters. And while the targets were printed with 168-grain match-style ammunition, I also feel the beauty and versatility of the .30-06 Springfield is the variety of bullet weights offered to the hunter.

So, for this test, I grabbed five different bullet weights across the .30-caliber spectrum to see how the Mountain Ascent would handle them. Because of the extremely thin barrel contour, combined with the fact that this is definitely a hunting rifle, I limited group size to three shots.

From light to heavy, I tested Federal’s 150-grain Fusion load, Federal’s 165-grain Nosler AccuBond load, their 175-grain Terminal Ascent ammo, Norma’s 180-grain BondStrike ammo, and Federal’s 200-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, giving a range of projectiles suitable for deer and similar-sized game, all the way up to grizzly bears.

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The Mountain Ascent Caza really liked Federal’s 175-grain Terminal Ascent ammo, printing ½-MOA groups. Kimber offers their sub-MOA guarantee with this rifle. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

The Kimber muzzle brake tamed even the 200-grain load’s recoil, and though there was considerable muzzle rise—again, physics is physics—shooting the Mountain Ascent at the bench wasn’t an issue.

The rifle showed a definite preference for 165- to 180-grain bullets, delivering excellent accuracy with the 175-grain Terminal Ascent load and keeping all loads in this bullet range inside of ¾ MOA. The 200-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claws averaged 1 MOA, with the 150-grain Federal Fusion load coming in last with an average group size of 1.12 MOA. Even the worst group is more than accurate enough for any hunting scenario.

There were no issues at all with feeding, extraction or ejection, and in spite of the diminutive action, I found the 84L action to be completely satisfactory. The Mountain Ascent trigger gave a very natural feel, and the Maven RS.2/Talley ring combo allowed good cheek weld.

Tinkering with some offhand shots, the lighter weight of the Kimber rifle did require additional time to steady the crosshair, but when using a natural rest or a set of shooting sticks, it posed no real issue.

Final Thoughts

If a lightweight rifle is in your future, and the carbon-fiber-wrapped barrels aren’t your cup of tea, then I’d take a good look at Kimber’s Mountain Ascent. Among lightweight guns, I like the features they’ve packed into this rifle. I’ve always been a fan of controlled-round-feed actions, and I’m a sucker for a good trigger.

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The three-position Model 70-style safety on the Kimber Mountain Ascent Caza; note the red dot visible when the rifle is switched to the fire position. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

If I had to pinpoint any issues with the rifle, the safety felt a bit snug out of the box—though it did smooth out by the time I was done with my testing—and the length of pull is a bit too short for yours truly. The latter comment, however, is common to almost all American rifles: I find them all collectively short at the standard 13½- to 13¾-inch length-of-pull. Extend that dimension to 14¼ inches, and I immediately take a different posture when behind the trigger and I shoot better.

So, Kimber, if you’re listening: Maybe you could offer an extended length-of-pull on your stocks?

Overall, I’d have no problem dragging a Kimber Mountain Ascent into the mountains, across a prairie or into a deer blind. Speaking candidly, there might be instances where the rifle’s weight might influence me to take a different approach to getting steady for the shot, but that fact is mitigated by the gun being an absolute joy to carry.

Congratulations, Kimber, you’ve done a good job with this one.

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Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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Reloder TS 15.5: Nullifying The Thermometer

Alliant Powder Reloder TS 15.5 is aiming to nullify your need for a thermometer as a handloader.

“See, this one goes to 11.” Why don’t they just make 10 louder?” “This one goes to 11.”

The classic exchange from This Is Spinal Tap has been referenced more times than you could count, but it immediately came to mind when I heard of the release of Alliant’s Reloder TS 15.5—“it’s 0.5 better.”

But there’s more to this new powder than just modifying Reloder 15—which is incredibly useful in cartridges like the .17 Remington, 5.56mm NATO, .22-250 Remington, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, .375 H&H Magnum, .404 Jeffery and .470 Nitro Express—and the new release needs a fair shake.

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Alliant’s new Reloder TS 15.5 powder, shown here in the 1-pound canister.

Temp Through Time

Well, let’s start with its proper name: Reloder TS 15.5. The “TS” stands for Temperature Stable, and that’s been the buzzword among the latest powder releases. Exactly how instable was our old lineup of powders? Well, there was a rule of thumb among ballisticians that became near-gospel: Every degree Fahrenheit of temperature change—up or down—from the test data temperature would either add or subtract 2 fps.

For example, if you developed a load using good old IMR 4064 at 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and then took the load to hunt late-season caribou adventure, where the temperatures hover around 0 degrees, you could expect a velocity loss of roughly 130 fps. Take that same load to Texas in June or to Zimbabwe during October, where a thermometer reading of 100 degrees is common, and you’ll see your velocities increase by 70 fps or so.

Now, should your chosen powder charge be well within the realm of safety, that increase might not matter in the least. But, if that load is on the cusp of unacceptable pressure, when the temperatures get warmer you might find cratered primers, a sticky bolt, difficult extraction and other issues.

In a bolt-action, lever-action or single-shot rifle, the temperature fluctuation might not pose a huge issue, so long as the pressures are acceptable, and shouldn’t result in much more than an adjustment of your scope. But I’ve seen shooters bring a rifle to the range in the warmer months—after having put it away after deer season, knowing it was properly zeroed—only to find a bughole group at a different point of impact.

“My scope must’ve got bumped.” No, we’re likely seeing the effects of warmer temperatures. This is why the manufacturers are stressing the temperature stability of newer designs, and they have proven to minimize the effects of temperature swings.

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RL 15.5 metered very well, needing very little trickling for precise load weight. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

That Extra 0.5

Reloder TS 15.5 claims a burn rate “between Reloder 15 and 16,” but that’s a rather vague statement, as there’s an awful lot of real estate between the two. Looking at a modern burn rate chart, you’ll find that Reloder 15 sits just north of IMR 4064, and Reloder 16 sits just south of H4350. In between resides Hodgdon’s Varget BL-C (2) and H380, as well as IMR4350 and IMR4451, Winchester 748 and 760, and Alliant’s own Power Pro 2000MR and 4000MR.

Assuming a burn rate smack-dab in the middle, you’re looking at a rather versatile powder, which can serve a good number of different cartridges, from the .223 Remington and .22-250 Remington, up through the 6mm Creedmoor and 6.5 Creedmoor, to the .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield. Based on my experiences with the .375 H&H Magnum, I could see where Reloder 15.5 would be a natural fit.

The RL TS 15.5 is an extruded stick powder, with a rather large grain structure when compared to RL 15, looking very similar to RL 16. This shouldn’t pose an issue in the larger cases like the .30-06 and family, or the .22-250 and 6.5 Creedmoor. But for the .223 Remington, and even the .308 Winchester, compressed loads might be an issue.

That said, I had more than acceptable results in my .308 Winchester, using a 180-grain Nosler Partition (perhaps one of the finest choices for an all-around hunting bullet) and a charge of 44.7 grains of RL 15.5, sparked by a Federal GM210M primer. In my well-worn Ruger .22-250 Remington, a charge of 37.0 grains of RL 15.5 topped with a 53-grain Sierra MatchKing printed three shots in just over ½ inch at 100 yards, at a velocity of 3,690 fps.

Based upon the excellent results I’ve had over the years using RL 15, IMR 4064, IMR 4350 and H380 in the .375 H&H case—all being in that same burn rate range between RL 15 and RL 16—I thought that RL 15.5 would be a natural fit for the classic case. While there’s no published load data for the .375 H&H using the new powder, it’s apparent that the differences in most cases between RL 15 and RL 15.5 aren’t much more than 1 grain, so using the RL 15 data as a starting point is a safe plan.

Using a 285-grain Speer Grand Slam and the data from the Speer Handloading Manual Number 15, I started at 2 grains below maximum, with 67.0 grains. The Speer data tops out at 69.0 grains, and that’s where I found the accuracy/velocity combination I deemed suitable for a proper hunting load. Pushing that bullet at 2,490 fps into three-shot groups measuring just under 1-MOA, I saw an ES value of 15 fps for this load.

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The extruded stick grain configuration of RL TS 15.5; it’s a short-grained powder, yet bulky. Photo: Massaro Media Group.

Made in Sweden, Reloder TS 15.5 has a de-coppering agent built into the formula to help reduce bore fouling, and it has the potential to perform equally well in hunting applications as it does in target rifles. For those fans of the 6mm cartridges—especially the .243 Winchester and 6mm Creedmoor—you might find a fast friend in RL 15.5. I think it’ll also prove that this powder might be perfectly suited to the Mauser-based cartridges like the 7×57, 8×57, .257 Roberts and more.

Will I be abandoning those proven loads I have using good old Reloder 15? Probably not. But, when working up a new load for a different bullet or for a new cartridge, RL TS 15.5 could be the powder that just might yield one of those magic combinations.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the July 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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Custom Rifles: How To Build “The One”

When it comes to building your perfect custom rifle, it all starts with your dreams and the action.

When having a custom rifle built, one of the most enjoyable aspects is the blank canvas with which the project begins. I’ve seen all sorts of unique builds, from double rifles built on shotgun actions to pump rifles chambered in cartridges suitable for thick-skinned dangerous game, to drillings in some strange configurations … and rifles built on resurrected actions of a time long ago.

Custom guns can be downright fun. But the most popular—and often the most practical—choices are those classics that are relatively affordable and available. Many of the custom rifles were based on surplus military actions. Much of the WWII-era Springfields, Enfields and Mausers were transformed from the simple (yet obviously effective) military guise into sporting works of art.

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A custom rifle can be built on just about any action, but some have attained popularity for a reason.

With World War II more than 75 years behind us, those rifles are becoming increasingly scarce, and the custom rifle of the last three decades has been, as often as not, built on the Mauser 98 sporting rifle actions, Winchester Model 70s and Remington 700s—and with cause. These are solid designs that are easily worked and can make a rifleman’s dreams come true.

I’ve handled some absolutely amazing custom rifles based on more contemporary actions like the Ed Brown Model 704, the Granite Mountain Arms M98 clone, the CZ550, the Howa 1500 and more. It seems that the controlled-round-feed and push-feed crowds are equally represented in today’s custom rifle world.

I reached out for further insight from a trio of my favorite custom builders, all of which have a stellar reputation, and whose work I greatly admire: Mark Bansner, Todd Ramirez and Dan Rossiter.

Todd Ramirez

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Todd Ramirez at his bench. He’s renowned for his custom rifle work.

Phil Massaro: What are some of your favorite actions to base your custom rifles on, and what features are you looking for?

Todd Ramirez: My favorite action is the Mauser action—the aftermarket square-bridged actions. It’s very diverse, so you can build a .416 Rigby-length action, all the way down to a .223 Rem. on a mini-Mauser action. The Mauser action has a long, thin action tang, which allows the creation of a perfect grip. The Winchester action, on the other hand, has a wider tang. It’s very wide similar to the Remington-style tang, so your grip is oversized and blocky.

The grip is the heart of the rifle, because all the control is from the grip: the trigger, bolt handle and safety. A gunmaker who builds with a Mauser action has to fine-tune the action and stone out machine marks and other imperfections. Also, being that it’s square-bridged, the mounting system for the scope can be set up centered true to bore. This removes all scope binding.

Of course, on the Winchester 98 action, one can still build the same quality of a rifle. You can square bridge the action, add custom bottom metal and aftermarket triggers, sculpt the tang some and weld on a custom bolt handle. The action still needs to be trued and surface-ground to be square bridged. The Winchester comes out to be more work and money than the Mauser action. That’s why, on my premium rifle builds, I prefer to use a Mauser action. The Winchester is my second choice. 

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A pair of fine custom rifles from Todd Ramirez, built on Mauser 98 actions and stocked in beautiful, high-figure walnut.

When it comes to Remington, I prefer the aftermarket actions because they’re machined true and have an aftermarket M1-style extractor. Plus, the option of components is endless with the Remington platform. The action is easy to inlet, but it does not lend itself to having a sculpted tang for a more tapered grip. It has a wider tang like the Winchester.

Mark Bansner

As president of Bansner & Company of Adamstown, Pennsylvania, Bansner has a healthy reputation as a custom builder of rifles, from the lightweight mountain guns, to safari rifles to precision target guns. Famous for his synthetic-stocked rifles, Bansner is no stranger to fine walnut nor deep bluing.

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Mark Bansner in his Pennsylvania shop, with a custom .404 Jeffery made for Alaska, Africa and Australia.

Phil Massaro: Mark, which are your favorite actions to work with?

Mark Bansner: Well, we work exclusively with bolt-actions, and there are three basic categories: the Mauser 98, the Winchester 70 and the Remington 700. All have their clones. For example, the Granite Mountain Arms is a Mauser clone, the Dakota 76 is a Winchester 70 clone and the Defiance is Remington 700 clone—and all have their strengths and weaknesses.

The Mauser is the most complicated to work with, as there are a couple of features that usually need to be changed out to satisfy most customers. The straight-bolt handle will need to be bent to accommodate a low-mounted scope, and the “flag” safety switched for the conventional wing-style safety. Once that’s sorted, you’ve got a great action to work with, and though some may say that a Mauser 98 is sloppy, I’ve made some very accurate rifles with this action. Of course, modern clones like the Granite Mountain Arms come machined to much higher tolerances, but the cost goes up dramatically, and the wait time seems to increase each year.

The Winchester 70 is a great platform—no worries about the safety conformation or bolt handle—and has also been a popular choice, with most customers seeking the controlled-round-feed actions for a custom build. But both of these actions have a square bottom, and that’s where the Remington 700 shines: It’s a round action and can be worked on a lathe.

Is the 700-style action the most popular action in your shop today?

MB: Far and away, the 700 and its offspring are the most popular among my clientele, and that includes the M704, which we love so much. That M704 has a unique controlled-round-feed bolt face, but its essence is a derivative of the Model 700. That said, I can’t begin to tell you how many ½-MOA Mausers and Winchester 70s we’ve built over the years.

If you were building a custom gun for yourself, say, for a special elk or bear hunt, what would you choose as an action?

MB: If I were building a synthetic-stock gun, Cerakoted for weather resistance, I would assuredly reach for the M704, or maybe a Model 700 clone. If I wanted a walnut-stocked rifle, I’d reach for a Winchester Model 70 or a Dakota Model 76. But I have come to love that stylish M704.

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Bansner & Company is the brainchild of Bansner—with voluminous input from fellow gunsmith Ben Moedinger—and is as well known for their synthetic stocks as they are for their accurate barreled actions.

Any experiences with the Ruger No. 1 or other falling-block single shots? I see many custom rifles built on that platform.

MB: I’ve seen some gorgeous custom work based on the Ruger No. 1, but they’re a chore. When they shoot, they shoot wonderfully, but when they don’t … well, there’s the amount of pressure put on the barrel by the forend, the rubber bushings needed to adjust it, and a bunch of stuff that, as a gunsmith, just doesn’t appeal to me. I know the engravers love them, but the platform isn’t for me as a builder.

For the customer looking to get into a custom gun for the least amount of money, is the 700 family the way to go?

MB: Absolutely. There are a good number of 700 clone actions available at an affordable price and, with minimal work, can be made into one helluva rifle. If you can seat that barreled action properly into a decent stock, the results will be eye-opening.

Dan Rossiter

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Dan Rossiter, of Griffin & Howe, working on the stock of a beautiful .35 Whelen rifle.

Dan Rossiter is the shop foreman at the prestigious Griffin & Howe, and a member of the American Custom Gunmakers Guild. Working with the firm that is renowned for its custom rifles—G&H built the .30-06 that Ernest Hemingway made famous in his Green Hills of Africa—Rossiter has developed some well-founded opinions on the basis for a custom rifle.

Dan Rossiter: We build three different lines of hunting rifles at G&H, two of which need to achieve ½-MOA three-shot groups with factory match ammunition or we don’t let them out the door.

I’ve worked with two precision action manufacturers: American Rifle Company and Defiance. G&H bases our wood-stocked “All American” rifle on American Rifle Company’s Mausingfield Action. This action is a controlled-round feed, with a Springfield-type inertia ejector and a Remington footprint. We barrel the All American with a Proof Research carbon-fiber barrel. The precision to which both the action and the rifle is built shows up down range in a very real way.

The other action G&H uses is made specifically for G&H by Defiance. These are a controlled-round feed, with three-position safeties and TriggerTech triggers. We build a lightweight synthetic-stocked rifle—the Highlander—with these actions.

Going Your Own Way

The Classics: G&H’s reputation was built on taking military rifles such as the 1903 Springfield and Mauser 98 and turning them into functional works of art, and the company still builds the “classic sporter,” as do other custom builders.

FN Mauser: If I’m building a classic bolt action for a cartridge that’s the same overall length as the .30-06 or .300 Win. Mag. families, I’m looking for an FN commercial Mauser action. These actions were very nicely made and typically sport better tolerances than their military counterparts. With the investment in some bottom metal and a three-position safety, you will have the basis for a wonderful custom rifle. Just find a gunmaker worthy of the task.

Winchester Model 70: If you’re into the whole classic British magnum thing, then find yourself a Winchester Model 70. Modifying a standard Model 70 for a .300 H&H or a .375 H&H is a straightforward affair. These actions already have a great three-position safety and, although custom bottom metal is an upgrade, the factory offering looks good and works just fine. These actions can actually save money if used for a custom build when compared to commercial FN Mauser.

1903 Springfield: These actions can make a beautiful custom rifle. Make sure the heat treat is good (many serial number references exist for this), and keep the cartridges to the .30-06 family. Three position safeties are available, as are custom bottom metal.

Granite Mountain Arms and Satterlee: Consider the classic Mauser double-square-bridge action in four different lengths to suit just about any cartridge designed for a bolt-action rifle. These GMA actions are wonderfully machined, and they are ready straight from the maker. They sport three-position safeties, a great bottom metal, excellent triggers and will feed all the major families of cartridges right out of the box. Satterlee Arms deserves a mention here as well: They don’t come in as many lengths as GMA, but they do come in titanium. Like GMA, these are precision-machined, double-square-bridge Mauser actions.

Falling-Block Single Shot: Steve Earle of Steve Earle Products makes one of the finest single-shot falling block-actions in the world. It’s a reproduction of the Daniel Fraser falling-block action and is so well machined it boggles the mind. It’s also immensely strong, absolutely beautiful and wonderfully elegant in its handling qualities when properly barreled and stocked. I strongly recommend contacting Glenn Fewless of Mook Machine Works, who makes a barrel specifically for these actions, with a full-length integral rib.

Building ‘The One’

There are a great number of gunsmiths willing to build you a rifle on any platform you could feasibly imagine, so long as you’re patient enough to meet their time table and have a checkbook that can cover the costs of the endeavor.

However, there are the logical choices that can check the boxes with a minimal investment and still give the satisfactory experience of the custom rifle. Whether the platform is a Remington 700, Winchester 70, Savage 99, Ruger M77, K98 Mauser or CZ550—and though sadly discontinued, there were a lot of great big-bore rifles built on that platform—there’s no wrong or right answer when it comes to your custom rifle. The single requirement is that you, the owner/shooter, enjoys the rifle, irrespective of the opinions of others.

Sources: Todd Ramirez: CustomGun.com ; Mark Bansner: BansnerAndCompany.com ; Dan Rossiter: GriffinHowe.com

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the June 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.


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