Handgun Ammo

BP Conicals and...

Sam Colt did not invent the revolver, but his Paterson in 1836 was the first successful repeating pistol. It was fragile and underpowered compared to the...
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Conical Bullets...

Fifty-plus years ago, when Bill Ruger decided his company would offer a percussion revolver, he insisted it would be the best ever manufactured. It would...
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Black Powder...

The Dance & Brothers revolver was like all the rest based on the Colt pattern. It has the loading lever of the Colt 1851 Navy and a round barrel of the 1860...
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.32/.38/.33 WCF...

Over many decades of shooting, one is bound to develop favorites. One of mine is a genre of firearms; pistol-cartridge rifles, carbines and revolvers.
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Colt and...

Colt or Remington? I have often wondered which I would have picked had I lived in the last half of the 19th century. I have not had the privilege of...
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Shootin' For The...

A few years ago, I bought a SIG Mosquito .22 pistol, thinking it would be an inexpensive practice understudy for my 9mm SIG P226. The Mosquito handled some...
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Black Powder Cartridges...

The .45 Colt cartridge consists of a 250- to 255-grain bullet over 40 grains of black powder, at least according to the prevailing wisdom.
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The .38 Special in .357...

Sixty years ago, .357 Magnum ammunition was difficult to find and .357 Magnum brass was virtually nonexistent, unless one bought a box of new ammunition and...
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Federal Ammunition 100th...

Federal Ammunition — celebrating its centennial year in 2022 — rose from a defunct shotshell factory into an industry powerhouse now partnered with...
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Black Powder Sixguns

Looking for the best load for percussion sixguns is not all that different from cartridge-firing sixguns in the endless possibility of choices
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Tank’s Five Favorite...

Of all the cartridges I load, the .45 Colt is my favorite. Sure, there are better cartridges for certain applications, but no other cartridge stands-in and...
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Big-Bore Carbines

I like big holes, especially at the end of my barrel! Big holes mean big bullets. Big bullets make big holes in things, so there’s no need to rely on...
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Reloading the .38-40

There is nothing really new about necking cartridge cases down to accept smaller bullets and thus increase muzzle velocity.
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Springfield Garrison &...

It seems Springfield Armory (SA) has been taking refresher courses on cool, vintage, battle-proven pistols of late.
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Compromise Part VI: The...

The roots of the Ruger Bisley go back to the 1st Generation Colt Single Actions from which the original Bisley came.
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Cast Loads For...

In a world of striker-fired, poly-framed, semi-auto shell shuckers, Springfield Armory surprised everyone with an old school, forged billet all-steel shooter.
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Smith & Wesson 10mm M&P

The Smith & Wesson Military & Police series of polymer-framed semiautomatic pistols is approaching its 20th year.
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Favorite .44 Bullets

We are told there is no such thing as a magic bullet. Perhaps so; however, when it comes to the .44 Magnum there is one that comes almighty close.
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Alliant’s Red Dot and...

Everything about sixgun power changed when the .44 Magnum arrived in late 1955. After graduating from high school in 1956 I started my journey down the path...
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The Revived Remington

Most of the shooting world knows by now the Remington Arms Company we all were familiar with in the past is no longer with us today.
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hornet handguns
Hornet Handguns

Today we have a long, long list of repeating rifles available chambered in cartridges designed for long-range varmints and small game hunting. A century ago...
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.375 JDJ

Thanks to stalwarts JD Jones of SSK Industries and Larry Kelly of Mag-na-port International, the 1970s were the heyday for handgun hunters, the decade being...
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Handloading the .45 ACP:...

The U.S. Military used the 1911 through two world wars and then in 1947 the Army began looking at the possibility of adopting a smaller, lighter .45 ACP pistol.
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The .45 ACP Part I

As this is written we are at the apex — hopefully — of the Corona Virus Lockdown.
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Handloading the .45 ACP:...

In 1905 John Browning designed a semi-automatic pistol firing a new .45 cartridge the style of which we now label “rimless,” even though it does...
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Range Rats, Scavengers &...

Every range has them — Range Rats. They’re not beady-eyed, long-tailed rodents, but die-hard shooters who frequent the range almost daily
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Perfect Packin’ Pistol...

The fourth cartridge in this series is from Smith & Wesson, chambered in a swing-out cylinder double-action revolver — the .45 Auto Rim.
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Handloading the .45 ACP Part 2

I load and shoot large amounts of cast bullets of several types in my 1911s. As outlined in the first installment of this series, all of my .45 ACP rounds —
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Big Horn Armory AR500

Big Horn Armory’s (BHA) AR500 chambered for the most powerful cartridge in existence for AR-platform guns — the 500 Auto Max!
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The Rise, Fall — and...

In the early 1980s, the combined wisdom of Jeff Cooper and Whit Collins created the 10mm Auto cartridge. Dornaus & Dixon introduced their Bren Ten pistol as...
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DIY heavy hitters for your...

I could happily end my shooting days with the .45 Colt cartridge and never feel cheated. With handloads, the .45 Colt offers a versatility many cartridges lack.
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The .41 Colt

What I hate is the .41 Colt is not exactly a handloading sweetheart. When I first started handloading for a nice Colt SAA .41 in 1982, factory ammo was...
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Ruger Model 57

What’s in a number? There was a time in ancient history, and for some people still today, when numbers were thought to be mystical.
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Reloading: Lots of Fun —...

I began reloading ammunition decades ago, initially using an old Lee Loader, a set of those plastic powder measures and a great deal of patience.
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.41 Mag Slugs

Like most of my obsessions, it started by thumbing through a gun magazine — certain articles grab our attention, refusing to let go.
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The .22 LR

The argument is background noise anyplace two or more gun guys are gathered. Could you, should you ever, use a .22LR as a defensive weapon?
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The .356 TSW

A victim of poor timing and marketing, the promising .356 TSW (Tactical Smith & Wesson) cartridge may be on the verge of a comeback.
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Cast bullets for .44 WCF...

Today we have a large choice when it comes to .44-40 (.44 WCF) leverguns. Replicas are available patterned after the Model’s 1860, 1866, 1873 and 1892.
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The .38 WCF

People sometimes ask, “What’s your favorite gun?” Or sometimes it’s, “What’s your favorite cartridge?” I always reply, “You mean today? I...
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Lapua and SK Rimfire Ammo

I tend to collect rimfire ammo like John Taffin collects six shooters. In recent years I’ve enjoyed shooting .22s more and more, and love to try different...
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Black Hills Ammo

Over the span of about three decades, Black Hills Ammunition has grown from a small part-time operation to one of the most respected manufacturers of...
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The .44 Magnum Opus

The .44 Magnum has now been around for well over 60 years and it seems like a good time to look back at this excellent — perhaps even all around —...
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AR-Alternate Calibers

Sometimes it seems nobody really likes the .223 Remington. Ever since the inception of the AR15 60 years ago, this little round has been under a magnifying...
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Big Bore For Big Boars

At the risk of enraging millions of American deer hunters, I will boldly state my favorite big-game quarry is wild boar.
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Harpers Ferry Armory Snubbies

There are several manufacturers offering 2-inch .38 Special snubbies or belly guns—whatever we wish to call them. With nearly every state now providing...
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A Single Action For The Ages

This .44 is from Uberti via Cimarron. It has been dubbed the “Bad Boy” and it is one exceptionally good-looking and handling .44 sixgun.
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It's An X-Ring Christmas

Christmas comes but once a year they say. But if you do it right, once a year is more than enough. To use an overworked, semi-obnoxious piece of...
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Having Fun With The .41

Like most things in my life, I’m usually late to the party. Take the .41 Magnum for example. I’ve just recently jumped on board and become a convert.
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