Sentember-October 1979 Number 81

(ISSN 001 7- 7393)

DAVE WOLFE Publisher

RALPH TANNER. JR. VP, Director of Sales

KEN HOWELL Editor

WYATT B. KEITH Assistant Editor

DAVE LeGATE Art Director

BARBARA PlCKERlNG Production Supervisor

RICHARD L ALDIS Staff Photographer

JOYCE BUETER Circula t ion Manager

TERRY BUETER Circula t ion

WANDA HALL Accounting

LYNDA RITTER Editorial Assistant

JANA KOSCO Executive Secretary

TECHNICAL EDITORS

BOB BRACKNEY BOB HAGEL WALLACE LABISKY AL MILLER HOMER POWLEY CHARLES R. SUYDAM KEN WATERS DON ZUTZ

P u b l i s h e d b y W o l f e P u b l i s h i n g Co Inc Dave W o l f e . P r e s i d e n t

Handloader The Journal of Ammunition Reloading

September-October 1979 Val. 14, No. 5 P.O. Box 3030, Prescott, Arizona 86302

F E A T U R E S : Testing Modif ied Wads for Skee t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wal lace Labisky

Smal l -Ri f le Primers Compared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Venturino

Two Big .45s - Old and New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Hagel

.221 Fireball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phi l ip C. Briggs

50-70 Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ken Waters

,257 Magnum Revolver.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A I Mil ler

The 10-Gauge Short Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Don Zutz

Reader Research: Making Things Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phi l ip Fyne

Loading for the Big-Game Sho tgun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joseph S. Krieger

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DEPARTMENTS: Reloader's Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Reader By l i nes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Loading the Old Ones . . . . . . . . . 12

Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8

Cartridge Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0

ProducTest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2

Propellant Profi les.. . . . . . . . . . . 74 Answers, Please.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The Handloader. Copyright 1979, is published bi-monthly by the Wolfe Publishing Company, Inc , P.O. Box 3030, Prescott, Arizona 86302. (Also publisher of Rifle

Canada - single issue, $2.00: 6 issues, $10.00, 12 issues, $18.00; 18 issues, $26.00.

Publisher o f Handloader is not responslble for mishaps of any nature which might x c u r from use of published loading data, or from recommendations by any member of The Staff. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the editor. Manuscripts from free-lance writers must be

responsibility for lost or mutilated manuscripts.

Change of address: Please give six weeks' notice. Send both old and new address, plus mailing label i f possible, to Circulation Dept , Handloader Magazine, P.O. Box 3030. Prescott, Arizona 86302.

2

2 accompanied by stamped self-addressed envelope and the publisher cannot accept

ON THE COVER:

Introduced in 1955, the .44 Remington Magnum cartridge became an immediate favorite with handloading handgunners. In turn, it inspired the redesign or modification of a number of already popular handguns. This Ruger Super Blackhawk, since superseded by a later model, was developed specifically for the .44 Magnum and has become a favorite in its own right. Photograph by Ken Howell.

HANDLOADER 81

Hercules powders. The choice of the new experts. Why do they choose Hercules7 ‘Cause theyve been taught by their fathers, grandfathers, and friends experts before them They know that Hercules powders deliver high energy, fast, clean burn, shot-to-shot consistency, and economy. Anticorrosive, too, for gun pro- tection. Red Dot” Green Dot A ,

Blue Dot”, Herco’, UniqueR, BullseyeR, Hercules 2400R and Reloder 7“ Smokeless Powders. Each as special as the job you have in mind. Hercules.

Spanish All-Plastic Shells

The all-plastic shotshell that lacks a brass head has never caught on to any great extent with shooters and handloaders in this country. But the rejection of these hulls, it seems, has been based more on whim than on reason. Although this type of construction doesn’t cry out for strength or adversely affect performance, it does fall short in appearance, and this seems to be the catch. Without a metal head, a shotshell doesn’t have that traditional look, and the average shotgunner can’t seem to get “turned on.”

About a year ago, a small supply of virgin 12-gauge all-plastic hulls of Spanish manufacture fell into my hands. According to the markings, these were made by Garate Y Mendibe, South America. My guess is that these hulls were part of a “market- pro be” ship men t , obviously intended for the handloading clan, though who the importer was, I haven’t been able to find out. Nor do I know whether shipments will continue to reach these shores. At any rate, a sizable number of these colorful imports must be sitting around somewhere waiting for loading data.

The yellow GB-32 trap-load hull and the red Mirlo field hull are both sixty-eight millimeters long, while the orange Super Perdiz hull is a millimeter longer. All three carry the same headstamp - either ZIGOR ZlGOR or ZIGOR VITORIA.

Aside from the difference in color and tube-wall markings, all three hulls are of the same internal design, with no internal taper and an integral “combustion chamber” that forms an extremely narrow circumferential ledge. All three are likewise of virtually the same capacity.

On the outer surface, that part of the shell head that would normally be covered by the brass is of heavier construction. On the GB-32 and Mirlo hulls, this boss extends forward of the rim for about three eighths of an inch, while on the Super Perdiz hull, it extends five eighths of an inch forward.

The primers are the number 57 size. Interestingly, the primer-pocket design bears a similarity to that of a Boxer-primed rifle case. The headface is recessed to

accept the battery-cup flange, of course, but the nose of the battery cup comes to rest (or nearly so) against an abutment at the flash-hole end. The CCI 157 primer mated perfectly with my sample hulls in all respects. But the Remington 57’ didn’t, despite its length averaging about 0.004 inch less than the CCI offering. Obviously, this is a matter of battery-cup flange dimensions rather than primer length.

The only real problem that surfaced when handloading these Spanish plastics revolved around the flash-hole size in the primer pocket. Its diameter is too small to accommodate the stem of most depriming punches. My MEC, Texan, and Ponsness- Warren tools were not suitable in this respect. Fortunately, my old Redding Model 16 tool got the job done, though only barely so.

Crimping was carried out using a Versamec 700 tool, and the virgin hulls easily accepted an excellent six-point closure. An even better appearance resulted when I jury-rigged one of MEC’s old knife-edge crimp starters. After the initial crimp, the newer rounded-edge starting die does a fine job. Attaining an eight-point crimp was difficult: most attempts ended with a seven-point closure.

In working up loads, I used published data for the Winchester AA hull as a guideline. For a 1-1/4-ounce payload in the Super Perdiz hull, I charged with thirty- one grains of HS-6 behind Winchester- Western’s WAAl2Fll4 wad. Tests carried out in the Hodgdon Powder Company ballistics lab showed an average muzzle velocity of 1,240 feet per second for virgin hulls. Maximum chamber pressure was 9.900 lead units - a very safe load, and one that performed well in the field on pheasants. In once-fired tubes, the average velocity climbed slightly, while there was a slight drop in chamber pressure.

For a l- l /%ounce charge weight in the GB-32 trap shell, I dumped in twenty-one grains of Trap 100 behind Hodgdon’s Green Arro-Wad, with a 20-gauge 0.070- inch card wad in the shot pouch to regulate crimp space, Average velocity checked out at 1,140 feet per second; maximum pressure was 10,300 lead units. The load worked very well on jacksnipe. Again,

HANDLOADER 81 6

with once-fired hulls. the velocity rose Ballistically, the 9mm Winchester

8

slightly, while pressure dropped a bit. The final tested load was a one-ouncer

in the red Mirlo hull. Twenty-three grains of Trap 100 behind the R12L Power Piston generated 1,315 feet per second, with a maximum chamber pressure of 9,900 lead units - fast and safe. - Wallace Labisky

9 m m Winchester Magnum

In this issue, Bob Hagel reports on the .45 Winchester Magnum cartridge and the first production gun chambered for it. Companion to that cartridge is the 9mm Winchester Magnum. The two cartridges were developed for the Wildey gas- operated automatic pistol. which is not yet in production. The 9mm Winchester Magnum is not presently offered in the Contender, and according to Thompson/Center, they have no immediate plans to offer the caliber. They have been working with it but haven’t come up with satisfactory accuracy and would have to do further experimentation before offering it.

Winchester tells me that they have a sizeable quantity of loaded 9mm Winchester Magnum on hand - but no components for it. Winchester will not distribute the 9mm until there is a g u n auailable for it. For those who look forward to trying the 9mm, we can hope for the appearance of the Wildey guns, or chambering of the Contender for it - and there have been some inquiries at Winchester by people who talked of producing a carbine.

Magnum is interesting. Out of a five-inch barrel, the 115-grain bullet achieves 1,475 feet per second. Winchester says the 9mm is definitely reloadable and cited success with Bullseye and their own WW-231. The .45 seemed not so fortunate, as they could find no canister powder that didn’t produce excessive muzzle flash. The 9mm is easily in a class with the .357 Magnum and certainly exceeds any of the other 9mm and .38 auto cartridges. The 9mm WM has less muzzle energy than the ,357 - the 9mm tested used the 115-grain as opposed to a 158-grain bullet for the ,357. Surely the ingenuity of handloaders could produce some other spectacular ballistics in other barrel lengths.

Some sharp-eyed readers will note from the accompanying Winchester dimensions

I 1 . 1 ~ 0 ( t 9 , a m n ) - 1’ 1.575f40,00mm)MAX.- ~~ , ~~ ~~~ - 1

that the new case would be a good source of brass for forming such cases as the .30 Mauser. Extra-long .38 Super brass could be made - and there are other possibilities for re-forming and wildcatting; these large cases always seem to bring out the inventiveness of handloaders.

Meanwhile, let us hope for commercial guns to appear for this new 9mm. - Dave LeGate

Lyman Alive and Well

In these troublesome times, it’s easy to get overly nervous and predict calamity on the basis of a few small, indistinct signs. Rumors are common, false as well as true. One floating about lately says that “Lyman is in trouble” and may not make it past the end of the year. Lyman says that’s nothing more than bilgewater.

However, the rumor has basis in something more substantial than pure imagination, so a little explanation is certainly in order. The basis seems to be lags in delivery. There have been some delays - and reasons for them that look good rather than bad.

Moulds have been slowed down by Lyman’s quality-control people. Some moulds simply wouldn’t measure up, and when the percentage got high enough, a search for reasons - and solutions - was inevitable. The culprit turned out to be old machinery that would no longer hold tolerances. The solution: rebuild or replace the machinery.

Now, it’s just not possible to produce anything with machinery that’s taken down, uprooted, disassembled, or disconnected. So for a time, neither the new nor the old has been producing moulds. That doesn’t sound to me like

basic, calamitous trouble for the company, especially now that the teardown and rebuild program is well underway - and may be all done by the time you read this.

If Lyman moulds aren’t topnotch when they’re again available, we’ll have something to squall about. For now, moulds of the near future sound like something worth waiting for. Let’s hope

Lyman’s new, redesigned loading dies are being made available slowly, not all at once. Stocks of the older dies, as they run out. will give way to supplies of the new ones. Again, this makes sense and sets up ground for optimism about Lyman products of the near future.

Orders received - according to Lyman - are up substantially from last year, and that’s a good sign, not an indication of impending disaster. Also, Lyman has plans for extending and improving their entire line, and assuming that the executives there have their heads clamped- on straight, this also sounds encouraging.

Predicting the future is a ramshackle trade, best avoided by the prudent. Anything can happen, any time. But from the signs now showing, the rumor that Lyman’s in trouble seems a bit off, wouldn’t

0

HANDLOADER 81

so.

you say? - Wyatt Keith

“Ken Waters’ “Pet Loads” goes a distant step beyond the usual load tables by telling us which loads worked best. T h e data collected in this book represent a tremendous amount of time and dedicated involvement. an effort not likely to be equaled . , . , . ”

Jim Carmzchel

“ T h e r e has never been a handloading book like Ken Waters’ “Pet Loads. While I was editor of the Handloader, I had virtually every handloading manual and book available when I started working with a new cartridge, but no source gave me as much useful information as the Handloader, and no writer gave me more information than my meticulous friend Ken Waters ~ and few gave m r as much. I know how many thousands. of hours of reading, first hand research, handloading, shooting. compilation and writing have gone into this monumental work and ~ although I have every issue of the Handloader ~ I am delighted to have all of Ken’s fabulous series in one place, with his revisions and updates.”

Neal Knox

The handloading manual you asked for is in production!

A collection of the last thirteen years’ articles on tested loads for over seventy metallic cartridges, plus updates on many. Handloader readers are familiar with the meticulous detail of Ken’s data, notjust the loads, but relevant comments on the arms and components used, making it the most comprehensive manual ever assembled. The articles are reproduced on eight and a half by eleven-inch pages, some from the rare hard-to-find original magazines.

As new material and updates appear in Ken’s continuing Pet Loads series, they will be offered for sale at intervals to add to the main series. The main volume and supplements are in loose-leaf form, the main volume to come in a handsome gold-embossed five-ring grained vinyl binder with index tabs, as shown above. The price, after publication, will be $29.50.

As a special pre-publication offer to our loyal readers, 500 numbered copies, personally autographed by Ken will be available at $25.00. Take advantage of this pre-publication price, send your check today and reserue your autographed copy. Publication is planned for this fall, so don’t delay.

Arizona residents add 5% sales t u x

Wolfe Publishing Co., Inc. Box 3030 Prescott, Arizona 86302

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1979 19

Joseph S. Krieger’s thoughts on handloading for the

BIG-GAME SHOTGUN ANY EASTERN states forbid M hunters to use rifles for hunting

big game. The most popular and most effective alternative to the centerfire big-game rifle is the 12-gauge shotgun firing rifled slugs - projectiles capable of stopping even the largest game animals likely to be encountered by the American hunter. The high trajectory of the slug limits its useful range, but out to a hundred yards or so, the hunter who can shoot a slug shotgun can depend on it to drop his deer.

The other drawbacks to the shotgun slug are not ballistic. Most hunters who use slugs don’t practice with them before hunting seasons open, and any problems that result are generally attributed to the slugs rather than to the hunters, giving slugs a worse reputation than they deserve. Also, shells loaded with slugs are not readily or widely available, and their cost is high. If the slugshooter is to practice, he must bring his costs down. Handloading homemade slugs is the answer. Readymade slugs are expensive, so there’s little difference between the costs of factory loads and handloads, and sometimes the handload may actually cost more than the factory load.

While my position is practice at any cost and I would make sure of getting all the practice I needed, whatever slug loads cost me, I’m as eager as the next man to keep costs down. Availability is often a greater problem; slug loads are sometimes hard to find locally, and slugs for handloading are often even harder to find.

I turned to home-cast slugs. Lyman is the only producer of moulds for casting slugs, and I find thdt their

moulds make slugs not only cheap but easily and readily available. It’s possible to cast a hundred or more in an hour. Cast in the morning, they’re ready to load and fire in the afternoon. The only problems I’ve encountered are minor: slugs tend to stick in one mould block, and bases are not perfectly round when I get them out. The people at Lyman were willing to exchange the mould when I told them of my problem, but I just haven’t yet

Brenneke slugs have long been popular for I

Slugs and wad columns (left) are like those normally used for handloading slugs and roll- crimping. Krieger uses Alcan Flite Max 3 wads (right) to load cast and sized Lyman slugs. He reports several advantages besides ease of loading.

ise

42 HANDLOADER 81

found the time to make the exchange. The fact that this mould is nearby gives me a sense of security.

Though out of round a t the base, these slugs gave me good accuracy with several loads I got from the Lyman manuals. The best load consisted of a Remington SP shell, originally roll-crimped, and thirty- seven grains of SR-7625 touched off by an Alcan G57F primer. The wad column consisted of a Remington H wad, a 318-inch fiber wad, and a 0.200- inch card wad. The crimp was rolled-in with a Lyman Easy shotshell press. The forty-fourth edition of Lyman’s handbook listed the velocity as 1,580 feet per second. This load consistently grouped within the chest area of a life- sized deer target out to a hundred yards.

First, I wanted to improve on the accuracy if I could; and second, I wanted to make the loading procedure less complicated.

Roll-crimping, normally used in slug loads, caused more than a few problems. The tubes of many shells twisted before the crimp was complete, and it was difficult trying to keep the

I looked further, anyway.

undersized slug centered in the shell. The technical staff at Lyman gave me a number of helpful suggestions that made crimping a bit easier. Tim Pancurak wrote that applying the crimp in stages would make it neater, and this technique ended the twisting of the tubes. But it made for an even longer loading session for the same number of shells loaded.

Multiwad columns caused additional turmoil at the bench. Getting all those wads into each case added to the time necessary. When loading a box or two, the additional steps might not seem that time-consuming - but when loading a hundred or more slug loads, each extra step extends your stay at the bench to the point that reloading becomes a chore. The time and problems involved have probably kept many handloaders from even attempting to handload slugs.

The wads also had a tendency to tilt before seating over the powder. This happened even when the utmost care was taken to ensure correct positioning in the case. The interior size of the case, compared to the generous diameter of the wad, seemed to be the cause of this situation. To provide the

H&K’s P9S .45 cal ACP

Eight power packed .45 cal ACP rounds (7 in magazine1 in bore)

Shoots faster; one round more; Y2 Ib. lighter; 1” shorter than U.S. Goa. Mod. 1911 .45 ACP

necessary gas seal, this tight fit is needed, but the difference in diameters made seating the wads very difficult.

In combination with a charge of shot, the tilted wads are not that big a problem, since the shot charge acts as a fluid mass. The shot can assume the same attitude as that of the wads. The slug, being solid, is not cushioned evenly a t the base by the wads. Uneven pressure on the base of the slug at the time of firing has to cause some deformation of the projectile. If the wads leave the case tilted, so does the slug. I t follows that the slug would then strike the forcing cone while still tilted, furthering the deformation of the slug.

Accuracy has to be affected by these conditions, and knowing they exist does little for one’s faith in the finished load, even when the load is shooting well on paper. There is always that lingering doubt as game approaches.

While searching for solutions to some of the problems I’d encountered, I came across three promising sources of information. First was the instruction sheet packed with several boxes of Brenneke slugs I had purchased in 1967. The data specified

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Automatic summary at the touch 01 a bunon. The Model 33 shows minimum, maximum. variation. average and standard deviation of velocities. A low standard deviation is your key to unilorm and accurate loads. Direct digital display of both velocity and round number the instant you shoot’ With skyscreens and automatic reset, you can chronograph up to one round per second and shoot for group at the same time. - Portability and convenience. The Model 33 and a pair of skyscreens weigh less than live pounds and will fit in a small briefcase. You can chrono- graph an hour per week for eighteen months without replacing the internal llashlight balteries. Accuracy. reliability and service Oehler has pro- vided all three lor so long that we almost lorget to mention them Al l Oehler instruments have a three-year warranty.

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44

the use of a regular star crimp when loading those slugs. The roll crimp was said to be dangerous. Loads listed were well within safe pressure limits, but they still gave very good velocity. One of the loads given was to become very significant in the research I was doing. Stoeger Arms Company, the importer of Brenneke slugs, listed the load as follows: a 2-3/4-inch plastic case, with a Winchester 209 primer and twenty- eight grains of PB. One hundred pounds of pressure was to be applied to the slug-wad unit before it was star- crimped in the case. The load produced 1,296 feet per second, a t 10,860 pounds per square inch.

This load was quite similar to a Lyman load I had used several times. The Brenneke. weighing approxi- mately eleven percent more than the Lyman slug (490 versus 440 grains), took a lighter charge than the similar Lyman load. The Lyman load was a Remington SP case, thirty grains of PB, a Remington 57* primer, and wads as in the previously mentioned load using SR-7625. This load was roll- crimped.

Other helpful information came from E.H. Harrison’s article “Loading Shotgun Slugs” in the November 1964 issue of The American Rifleman. Colonel Harrison used a load consisting of a Remington Power Piston wad, a sized Lyman slug 0.688 inch in diameter, and twenty-eight grains of Hercules Unique. This combination was loaded in a star- crimped Western X-Pert paper case. The powder charge for this load was reduced by one grain under the charge for a similar roll-crimped load, using the more common multiwad column. The research with this load was limited, as pointed out by Colonel Harrison, but served a s a very excellent start ing point for my purposes.

Further information was gained from the selection guide for Hercules powders published in the second edition of the Handloader’s Digest. The guide listed the same powder charges for both roll-crimped loads and those that were star-crimped, the only adjustment being a change in the length of the wad column. There was no information as to chamber pressure, but one assumes that published data are safe to use.

With the information read and understood, I assembled a load that to this day is my standard slug load: Remington SP case, thirty grains of PB, CCI 157 primer, Lyman slug in an Alcan Flite Max 3 wad, and a neat star crimp topping off the case.

The slugs, initially oval a t the base, are lightly lubricated, then sized

through an llll6-inch drill bushing before loading. Each one comes out perfectly round, with no weight lost in the sizing process. Being 0.6875- inch in diameter, these slugs fit perfectly in the shotcup portion of the Alcan wad without flaring the mouth of the wad. The wad I first used was the old-style Alcan formed without the interior ribs in the shotcup. Alcan wads of recent manufacture carry the ribs mentioned; these ribs do not allow the slug to seat against the fiber filler wad in the shotcup. The old-style Alcan Flite Max are the only wads I’ve found compatible with slug loads assembled in this fashion, though I am sure that others could be put to similar use.

This load came about after numerous disappointments and quite a few boxes of components before being fully accepted. During a period of experimenting that lasted more than five years, neither the shotguns used nor the persons doing the test firing suffered any physical damage. This fact, I believe, was because of the careful selection of components and an even more careful study of the information available concerning the handloading of slugs. At no point was any load concocted haphazardly or without a great deal of forethought and study.

The Remington SP-PB load has constantly shot well in a High Standard Brush King, grouping within three inches or less a t fifty yards, this being a three-shot test group. Group centers do not have any tendency to shift from one group to the next.

Excellent results have also been achieved using a Franchi autoloader and a Mossberg Model 500 pump. All the shotguns are of course 12-gauge and are equipped with the manufacturers’ slug barrels and rifle sights.

Another load using twenty-eight grains of Unique, all other components being the same, was also tried for some time with some success, but it had a slam-bang effect on the Franchi. Pressure may have been higher in this load, and this may account for the effect i t had on the autoloading mechanism of that particular shotgun. For this reason, the Unique load is reserved only for the pumps in my gunrack.

When Lyman published the second edition of their informative shotshell manual, additional proof was obtained as to the safety of my initial slug load. The technicians at Lyman listed a load for the Remington SP case as follows: an Alcan Flite Max 4, an ounce of shot, and a CCI 157 primer. The powder charge for the Lyman load was less by a grain and a half, 28.5 grains versus

HANDLOADER 81

30.0 grains. Pressure averaged 9,420 lead units, with velocity listed a t 1,410 feet per second.

While there are several differences between the two loads, these differences are not drastic or dangerous. The weight of the Lyman cast slug used in my load ranged between 434 and 446 grains. These figures represent the weight variation encountered in weighing one hundred slugs. The Lyman load used 437.5 grains in their load; what I had done was to substitute one ounce of slug for one ounce of shot. In addition to the substitution of payloads, a slight wad adjustment had to be made because the hollow-based slug occupies more space in the shell than the tightly packed charge of shot. The Flite Max 3 has a shorter filler wad than the Flite Max 4 wad and allows the added space needed by the slug load. As for the increase in the powder charge, I have seen several charge bars and bushings throw powder charges that vary by more than the grain-and-a-half increase I have gone to. When you consider that each charge is weighed before loading, the increase shouldn't and hasn't caused any problems when fired in a well made shotgun of recent manufacture.

Other shot loads developing high velocity were also checked, and several worked with excellent results when used as slug loads. But the PB load has proved the best of the lot.

The use of the one-piece wad column makes reloading a pleasure. Aside from sizing the slug and weighing each powder charge, these wads make it possible to load with the same speed and ease of shot loads. One other advantage became apparent as load development progressed: not only was the slug firmly centered in the case, but upon firing, the wad column guided and centered the slug into the forcing cone and down the barrel. The forcing cone can be a perilous area for the unsupported slug roll-crimped in the usual manner. The slug can strike the cone a t any point along i ts perimeter; this condition cannot be conducive to accuracy.

The friction between the slug and the walls of the barrel is also eliminated. The wad now takes the punishment normally reserved for the slug. If the handloader takes the time to see that a nearly perfect slug is placed in the shell, the loading techniques detailed here ensure that the slug leaves the barrel in the same condition. Since the entire slug exits the barrel, there'll be no lead deposits in the barrel. This not only helps accuracy but also makes cleaning up a little easier.

There is a t least one other advantage

"Ir 4xe

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46

offered by these methods: the slugs, sized to 0.688 inch, are very loose in the barrel. This allows the handloader to cast the slugs a bit harder than can be used with a roll crimp. The same can be said of factory-loaded slug loads. This hard cast slug does a more effective job on game when it hits, since it never breaks up the way a pure- lead slug does.

Unfortunately, I cannot offer the reader dozens of instances to prove this last point, but I can describe two situations that may help decide my case. The latest took place in November 1977. The buck was hit squarely in the chest, and the slug traveled the entire length of the body after breaking two ribs and devastating the animal’s chest cavity. The slug finally stopped under the skin near the animal’s rump; it also broke the spine three inches from the pelvis. Aside from being flattened a t the base and gouged on the nose, the slug was still shootable. I t also weighed within a few grains of its original weight. I doubt that even the best rifle bullets could have made the kill more cleanly or retained a similar percentage of its unfired weight. I am sure that a normal shotshell slug would have been little more than a handful of fragments.

Another whitetail was taken in similar fashion. The slug from this eight-pointer retained ninety-eight percent of its original weight after bringing the buck down within a few feet from where he had been hit.

Accuracy obtained with the shotcup- slug combination and the star-crimped shells was an improvement over the roll-crimped loads, but not as dramatic as had been expected. At fifty yards, two of three shots would touch, with the third enlarging the group slightly. Out to a hundred yards, a three-shot group would constantly cluster within the chest cavity of the deer targets I use.

The accuracy and trajectory of these loads may not impress the varmint hunter or the target shooter, but they are more than adequate for the needs of the woods deer hunter. Most game is taken within a hundred yards of the gun; this is well within the range of the slug shotgun.

With these techniques that I’ve been using for some time, the handloader can load a box of shells with slugs in less than half an hour. Costs for the load vary greatly, depending on the cost of the lead used in casting. If you disregard the cost of the lead, you’ll find the cost per shot slightly more than the cost of firing a .22 rimfire. 0

Two Big .45s (Continued from page 31)

when the action does open when fired, it is after pressure has dropped to zero, and no more danger exists than in an autoloading action.

There are few other changes of note from early Contender pistols. One other worthwhile improvement is that the rear sight has more positive adjustments and “stays put” better than the ones on the first Contender I used many years ago.

As we were not interested in doing load tests with the 9mm Winchester Magnum cartridge - a t this time, a t least - no barrel was requested for it, but the .45 Winchester Magnum cartridge was wrung out pretty thoroughly to find out just what it would do with various powders and bullet weights. We not only wanted to find out how good it was when handloaded with those various powders and bullets, but how much better, if any, it was than the old .45 Colt when both cartridges were chambered in the same strong action.

First, let’s take a look a t the vital statistics of the new cartridge from Winchester-Western factory releases. As mentioned earlier, the new .45 cartridge is rimless and, according to the original Winchester news release, developed to be used in the Wildey autoloading pistol. Ballistic data furnished by Winchester-Western were taken from the five-inch barrel of that pistol. At the present time, only one bullet weight is factory-loaded for the cartridge, a full-metal-case (solid) bullet made especially to transfer maximum energy to silhouette targets. Velocity from the five-inch test barrel is listed a t 1,400 feet per second, delivering a thousand foot-pounds of muzzle energy. Midrange trajectory height a t one hundred yards is about 2.8 inches, but that figure is of little value for other guns with different barrel lengths or for other loads.

The case is not as long as that of the .45 Colt, or the magnum revolver cartridges, being 1.198 as opposed to 1.285 inches for the .45 Colt. Overall loaded cartridge length is listed a t 1.575 inches, but the factory ammunition I have measures only 1.565 inches. Full cartridge length of the Winchester- Western 2 5 5-grain factory cartridge for the .45 Colt is 1.583 inches. Bullet diameter is also listed on the maximum cartridge drawing a t 0.452 inch, but bullets pulled from factory ammunition mike 0.451 inch. Powder capacity of the .45 Winchester Magnum cases is 41.5

HANDLOADER 81