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The uncommon round you still shoot
Kevin_L
Member Posts: 2,011 ✭✭✭✭
38, 357, 22lr, 45, 9mm, 12 & 20g, etc. We all shoot those because they’re great and easy to find and not terribly expensive.
For me, the only non-mainstream round I consistently shoot is the 22 Hornet. Picky to reload, expensive if you don’t, crazy accurate in the Ruger 77/22. I love it.
How about you?
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
Comments
I have an old Savage that is chambered in 25-20 Winchester, ammo is not cheap and is scarce. Box of 50 ranges from about $85.00 to $115.00, needless to say, I don't shoot it much.
.44-40, 221 Fireball, 222, 17 MachV.
I built my writing around unusual cartridges. The ones still in my safe include the Hornet, .30 Herrett, 7-30 Waters, 9mm Makarov, and .25 Souper. I recently sold my prized .41 Special. Along the way, I wrote about the .218 Bee, .256 Win Mag, .17 Ackley, 22 K-hornet, 30-40 Krag, and a few others I'd have to look up to be sure of the names, including one .20-cal hotrod with a hemispherical shoulder. Ones I never got a chance to play with and regret it include the 6.5 Swede, 7-57, and 250 Savage.
Balancing the oddballs is the fact that I have never owned a .30-06, .270, or any magnum rifle. The commonest one was my first one: a .308 in a Rem 788.
5mm magnum. Don
[ frantically consulting the Cartridges of the World 10th edition… ]
until now, I’d never heard of a 5mm magnum. Would love to see a pic of that firearm @dcon12
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
A couple years ago I took a Husqvarna 30-06, sent off the barreled action, and had it turned into a 6.5-06. I also have a 1898 Krag wich of course is chambered in .30-40. Those are the two "strangest" chamberings I have, everything else is run of the mill. I have not tried to buy ammo for the .30-40 as it came with several boxes of Winchester Silver Tips.
Oh, and I have a Winchester 94 chambered in 32 Winchester Special, which is getting somewhat rare these days. One can certainly buy ammo for this, I just don't like the price.
https://www.gunbroker.com/All/search?Keywords=5mm%20magnum&Sort=13
I do recall playing with a 5mm Mag for a while. The rifle was on loan to me, and I think I still have a 3/4 box of the ammo around here somewhere. Since it isn't reloadable, it was never a topic for my writing, but it was a fun gun to play with. It hammered ground squirrels.
HPD said;
"Oh, and I have a Winchester 94 chambered in 32 Winchester Special, which is getting somewhat rare these days. One can certainly buy ammo for this, I just don't like the price."
Yep I've got one of those too, '54 vintage. I guess the 32 Win Spcl and my 32 ACP are about the most 'non-mainstream' cartridges I own, but both of 'em are still pretty common.
Like Rocky, I have spent most of my shooting years avoiding super common cartridges like the 06 and 270. Great cartridges, but I wanted to be different I guess. I still have the old time favorites like the 250/3000, 257 Roberts, 6.5X55, 7X57 and others that have fallen out of popularity because of the new super dooper whiz bang, at least according to the marketers, cartridges. Funny that I've never shot a animal that shrugged off any of the classic rounds I hit it with.
About the only semi- uncommon one I have is a contender barrel in 357 Maximum. That was a replacement for the 30 Herret barrel that was stolen back in 1989. I hope the guy that ended up with it was familiar with forming 30 Herret cases out of 30/30 brass. Bob
375 Winchester. Not as uncommon as others or as old .
Win model 70 in 225 which I am going to put on here to sell in a while, Anschutz 17MACH2,
.480 Ruger Super Blackhawk. It's really fun to shoot. I've killed two deer with it. It was the first pistol cartridge I reloaded.
I also have a Ruger #1 in .480.
6.8SPC.
I think I’ve been ahead of my time with that cartridge for the last 15+ years.
Remington made two models, one with a magizine and the other tube fed. Only made a few years. Ahead of its time, a step up from the 17HMR. I have shot a few hogs with this. Don
32 S+W, 32 S+W Long and the 32-20 are the odd balls I still shoot.
Just for fun, Load a Ruger Single Seven in such away the first to fire is the S+W, S+W Long, 32 H+R Mag then the 327 Federal Mag. pop. Pop. bang. Bang!!
7x57mm. I reload my own ammo for it.
41 magnum. Again I reload my own ammo for it.
6 x 284 is about the most uncommon I have
Rocky ,your work first came to my attention with an article about loading from scratch in 1997 issue of handloaders digest. Still refer to some of your stuff from time to time
Thank you, sir.
This should help off the tee;
But for your short game, you are on your own.😁Bob
375 Winchester, it's a bit hard to come by.
32 S&W and 38 S&W. Both in revolvers (naturally) and both hard enough to find and expensive when I do so I reload 'em.
This - old lever action Marlin: Best Regards - AQH
Remington model 591 in 5mm rf. I have seen where some one smithed a center fire bolt head
for this rifle and was reloading for it. Not me though.
Picked up an odd piece of brass at the range today. A guy was blasting away like he was playing a video game firing 5.7 x 28 rounds as fast as he could. Have any of you used it?
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
I have several odd balls that I don't shoot much anymore. 218 Bee, 32 and 38S&W, Winchester Rim Fire, 9mm rimfire, and .22 Extra long. I have a model 43 Winchester in 218 Bee with a four power Redfield scope that I have some V Max reloaded for. it's a fun little rifle. I have several little .22s chambered for the Extra Long .22s,but they don't get them. The last box of extra longs I saw was two years ago at Tulsa and they were $460.00. I bought a partial box just to have some for $85.00, that's crazy.
358 win 32-20 32long 22hornet and 35 whelen. And I'm looking at a 303 savage.
were to start, just sold my .219 Donaldson Wasp, just shot my .40/70 sharps bottle neck. also have a .50/70, 50/110 wcf, 50/90 sharps. marlin .32 rim fire or .32 colt long (2 firing pins). waiting on dies for the .460 express (.404 Jeffery necked up to .45).............
22 Hornet and 17 mach 2
I also have some 32 rimfire tools, but don't shoot them due to availability of said round.
I also have two 32ga shotguns and a 35 whelen AI. Don
I reload about 1,000 rounds of 22 Hornet, every winter. Love my 77/22 Hornet. I replaced the stock with a varmit thumbhole stock though. I use it to hunt coyotes and bobcats in PA. Rocky Raab taught me how to reload for this round, about 15 to 20 years ago. Yes, it is definitely a little hard to reload it when you are starting out. Now it is like second nature. Because the neck and walls are so thin, you really have to pay attention to how much lube you use on it. I reload it with 2400 powder and use a Hornady 40 grain Vmax bullet.
I also love to shoot my 38-55, 38-40, 25-20 and my 32-20. I don't play around with my 219 zipper or 218 bee much any more. I might get back into the bee, but cases are too expensive for the 219 Zipper
As a few know........17's have long been my addiction.
Among them are the 17 Javelina, 17 Hebee, 17 Ackley Bee,17PPC..........and I'll add the 20BR(great long range pd round).
Here's a handy/lightweight Sako/H&R 17 Mach IV.
7TCU both rifle and handgun and 25 Stevens RF
I took the easy road or lazy way I guess
As a young kid I read about guns more than could own them magazines were cheap guns not so much
but at that time advice in a lot of articles was stick with common popular calibers
If you were in the middle of no where you could always find 30.06 ammo or 308 as examples
Now days given I never plan on being there in the" middle of no where" or some exotic land sad to say But as a kid we all dream or at least I did about such travels and hunts .but never came to be
However I still stuck to that old rule avoid the latest wizzbang go fast caliber of the month And stick to common rounds, yes is a bit boring doing so
Even now It took me a few yrs to to buy a 300 black out to make sure it became common same with the 17 hmr but I got a great deal on the rife I could not pass on it . so as common as they are now those are as close as I come to a custom or scarce caliber
Poating this i got to thinking Thinking way back many years ago I did have a pair of 6.5 and 7.35 Italian carcano rifles and a british 303 jungle carbine I traded for had no idea what it was at the time
All for a short time but ammo was rare and expensive at the time for a fellow making mim wages in the early 1970 s so I traded them off
Now this late in life and too many hobbies I do not jave the desire to start forming cases and maybe swaging bullets for a odd ball gun
So I will leave that fun for the rest of you
32-40
300WSM
My varment control pistol is an antique Colt Automatic in .32 ACP It's very efficient for the final sendoff.
Joe
oddist one I shoot regular is 28ga.............
303 Savage in a Take Down model 99. Also not really uncommon except for the caliber stamping, 244 Remington in a model 725. Remington changed the name of the caliber to 6mm Remington in 1962 with the introduction of the 700
Not too odd nor old but seems relegated to a loyal following these days, .357 SIG. Don't shoot it a whole lot, though, my handloading days are long gone.