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GRAYBEARD’S HANDGUN CARTRIDGE PAGE
This section has been greatly expanded. New rounds have been added and new thoughts have been added on the rounds here previously.
22LR: Everyone should own one or better still several guns or TC barrels in this caliber. I have owned about every sort of handgun made in this caliber and will never be without one. My all time favorite is an S & W Model 17 with 8 3/8" barrel. Sometimes I shoot it with the factory iron sights and sometimes I put a Leupold 2X LER scope on it. Scoped it will shoot a ragged one hole group at 25 yards. Back when I could still see it would do that with the factory irons. Use this one on small game and varmints and for punching holes in paper. I used to have a TC 10" barrel for the Small Bore Hunter Pistol Silhouette competition and wish I hadn’t let it go. I will get another one of these days and when I do, it will have a permanet home with me.
22 WMR: This one is a sleeper. I have used it briefly in NRA HP Silhouette competition in a 10" TC and have also owned various S & W revolvers in this caliber as well as a Ruger Super Single Six or two that chambered the round in one of the interchangeable cylinders. It has more punch than the 22LR and is good for small game and varmints. Try it and you will like it. Pay no attention to rumors that it is not accurate. I have heard them too and they simply are not true. When you find the load your barrel likes this round is fully capable of producing MOA or less groups out to 100-150 yards and is capable of cleaning killing small varmints like crows and praririe dogs at that range.
223 Remington: My barrels in this caliber have all been Super 14" factory barrels from TC. I got a replacement from TC for the one I had that failed to shoot sub-moa. The replacement also failed to live up to my personal expectations and so I don’t own it now either. My expectations for a varmint barrel and that is what I consider any barrel in this caliber, is for 5 shot groups to measure under an inch at 100 yards on a fairly consistent basis. So far I’ve not owned one or personally seen a factory barrel in this caliber that will live up to that expectation. I have had correspondence with people who do own barrels that will meet that standard. For varmints you can't beat the .223 Rem and it will deliver match grade accuracy when you find the combination of reloading components that makes it happy. Besides it is a fun gun to shoot. The recoil is almost nil and combined with its super accuracy this is a caliber you shouldn't be without. It will take crows, ground hogs, prararie dogs and the like out to 300+ yards and the limit is based more on your shooting ability than on the limits of the round itself. My next barrel in this caliber will be from one of the custom barrel makers who gurantee the accuracy of their barrels. I don't consider this a big game cartridge even though some people do and use it on deer. Most of the bullets and to my knowledge all factory ammo are designed with varmints or paper targets in mind and may fail miserably when used on big game.
6 MM TCU: Developed by Wes Uglade as were all the various TCU calibers, it was originally chambered by TC in the Contender. This and all the other TCU rounds are based on the .223 Remington case. I gotta have me one of these. I haven’t found the right one yet but am still looking and will own one soon. I think this will be my favorite varmint round once I get one and get some loads worked up. It will push the new Nosler 55 BTs to at least 3000 fps and I’m expecting to be able to reach 3100+ with it. I have loads listed for 70/75s at almost 3000 fps and have run 50s in the .223 to about 3100 fps. With the greater expansion ratio of the 6MM bore I’m confident of matching or exceeding the velocity of the .223 with like weight bullets. It is just a little light for a serious deer round but will suffice up to 150 yards easily when used with bullets of proper construction.
.257 TCU: Another Wes Uglade caliber based on the .223 Reminton case. This one is a bit of a rare bird at best with fewer of them made than any of the others and loading data is difficult to come by. For varmints and deer/antelope size game it will go anything the 6MM TCU will but really no more and the sectional density isn’t as good with bullets of like weight. If you are partial to the .25" bore size then get you one if you see it on a table at a gunshow. If you aren’t then pass on this one and get a 6 TCU for varmints or a 7 TCU for deer/antelope if a mild mannered TCU round is for you.
6.5 MM TCU: Another of the Wes Uglade calibers based on the .223 Remington case. It along with the 6MM and 7MM TCU were the three original TCU cartridges developed by Wes. This is an excellent varmint round for the Contender and isn’t half bad as a deer/antelope round out to about 175 yards or so. If you are fond of the 6.5 bore, which I’m not then this could be the one for you. Like all the TCU designs it is strictly a reloading proposition.
6.5 JDJ: This is one of the earliest of JD Jones’ series of JDJ wildcats. It is also one of his most successful and most widely used and recommended. It is a rimmed cartridge based on the strong .225 Winchester case and properly loaded will last a long time. To prepare the .225 Winchester case for loading as a 6.5 JDJ you merely run it into the sizer die and open the mouth up to 6.5 using the tapered expander and load it. Case capacity is about ideal for the bore diameter and short barrels of Contenders making this a very efficient round. It is at its best when used with bullets weighting 120-140 grains for big game and 85-100 grains for varmints. It has been used successfully on about every game animal in North America save the big bears and a lot of African plains game as well. It and the 7x30 Waters are two peas in a pod, what one will do the other will also.
7 MM TCU: Still another Wes Uglade development. This one is definitely up to hunting the deer/antelope sized game. My barrel-actually my wife's barrel-in this caliber is a very old 10" factory barrel that shoots so accurately that I hesitate to tell you about its best groups. Suffice to say that if it ever goes over 'moa' I know that the fault lies with the shooter and not the gun. This one is strictly a handloading only proposition as there is not now and to my knowledge never has been a factory load for it. Handloading for it is simplicity itself. You just run a .223 case into the 7 TCU sizer die and load it using any appropriate recipe. I prefer to use 120 grain bullets for this one and have had good results with the Nosler 120 BT and the Hornady 120 SSSP. My buddy and fellow HHI member Glen Fryxell insists that the 140BT is the way to go. I consider this about a 150-175 yard deer killer in my wife's 10" barrel. Stretch that if you must but there are better rounds if you need more than that.
7 X 30 Waters: Now we have reached my all time favorite of them all. I have used this cartridge on a variety of game from varmints to white tail deer to exotics and hogs, it performs. I have used the Nosler 120 BT and 140 BT, Hornady 120 SSSP, 139 SP & BTSP, but my current favorite is the Sierra 130 SSSP. With the latter I am getting three shot three group average of 0.87" at 100 yards at 2260 fps. I can get more velocity but not a better combination of accuracy and velocity. I have taken a large 20 point fallow deer stag and a medium size hog with this load in September 1997 and used it at times for white tail deer during the '97-'98 season here in Bama but failed to get a shot opportunity while it was with me that season. I finally sold my 14 3/8" factory barrel that was shortened from 21" by our local gunsmith, Wallace Gatlin. It was always a super performer and has shot more moa and sub-moa groups than any big game capable gun I have ever owned. Just before I sold it I fired a 3 shot 100 yard group with it that measure only 0.27" " center to center. And yes, I still sold it. I have replaced it with another factory TC barrel. This one is a 14" stainless steel one to match the new stainless frame I bought at the same time. I consider it a 250-300 yard deer killer. This is one I think no long range handgun hunter should be without. It is fully the equal of the highly touted 6.5 JDJ in my opinion.
.300 Whisper: Another of JD Jones’ developments. He designed it as a sub-sonic cartridge for military use where it was intended to deliver accurate fire out to 200 yards. It is based on the .221 Remington Fireball case necked up to ..30 caliber. It has seen use in silhouette competition as well as being used as a hunting round by many. It is a very mild round and its case capacity is ideally suited for use in 10" barrels. It isn’t fast and it isn’t fancy but if you are looking for a mild manner .30 caliber round suitable for deer/antelop out to maybe 150 yards this one has a lot to recommend it, especially if you want a compact 10" barrel on your TC.
.30 Herrett: Originated in 1972 thought the efforts of Steve Herrett and Bob Milek, this is one of the best choices for a deer cartridge for a 10" barrel TC. The original intend of this pair was to have a round that had enough power for big game combined with a case small enough for good loading density and efficiency for use in a 10" barrel. They succeeded admirably. Cases are formed from the 30-30 and shortened to a length of 1.610". It is at its best pushing bullets of 125/130 grains at 2200 fps. This beats the Whisper by about 200 fps in a 10" barrel.
300 Savage: My barrel for this round was a 10" factory barrel that started life as a 32 H&R Magnum. I used it extensively in metallic silhouette competition in the days when I was active in such things. I sent it
to JD at SSK and had him rechamber it to 300 Savage. This has got to be the loudest barrel I have owned to date for the TC. It seems to me that there is just too much powder to burn efficiently in this short barrel. I don't recommend it in such a short barrel. I do think it might be a winner in a barrel of 12.5" to 14" length but the .309 JDJ would be better still. The .309 JDJ will most likely be my next new barrel purchase. I think you would be better off with a .30 Herrett if you insist on getting a 10" for its handy carrying ability.
.309 JDJ: Based on the .444 Marlin case, this is one of JD’s crowning achievements. For those who love the .30" bore it is as good as it gets in a handgun. Yes you can now get the Encore and bolt action hand rifles in such calibers as .308 Winchester, 30-06, 30-06 JDJ and even the .300 Winchester Magnum but there really is a limit on how much powder can be burned in a 14"/15" barrel. JD’s favorite bullet for this one is the Nosler 165 BT and he claims 2400 fps for it. That is about the same as the .308 Winchester gets from the Encore and can be obtained from the lighter and to me better feeling Contender. I wouldn’t hesitate to take on anything in North American with this one except the big bears. The larger JDJ rounds are superior for stuff like elk, moose and black bears but this is one that really will do it all and at a lower level of recoil than the true hand cannons. Yes, I’m gonna get one and I hope soon. No, I don’t need it, I got more toys now that I can afford to play with but this one I will add soon.
32 H & R Magnum: A nice shooting round, excellent for metallic silhouette shooting and for small game and varmints. I Wish I had left my barrel in this caliber instead of converting it to 300 Savage. I will get another someday. Had a Ruger revolver in this caliber once. It didn't shoot as a 6 1/2" nor did it do any better as a 9 1/2" after I returned it to Ruger to have the longer barrel installed. I Don't know why but it just wasn't a shooter. Sure don't miss that one but I sure would like to have another revolver in this caliber someday. I may get an old S&W Model 18 I have laying around converted one of these days if I can find the money.
357 Magnum: From a revolver I don't recommend this one for deer and larger game. Sure it will do the job with proper placement of the proper bullet at 50 yards or less and might be stretched a little further, but why? Use the 44 Magnum on big game and reserve this one for varmints and small game and self defense situations where it shines brightly. Nuff said. Well maybe not enough said afterall. I love the .357 magnum and shouldn’t dismiss it that easily and quickly. Even though I’ve never used it on deer and larger game I have used it for hunting small game and turkeys and varmints and it does shine there. It is also a fine round for self defense for those who carry a revolver for that purpose. It is one of the finest for general plinking and fun shooting as well as target shooting. I’ve used it in silhouette competition with great success as have many others. I still remember one day we were having a match at the old now defunct Crystal Springs Range. My good friend Billy Doss was using his Colt Python 6" and my reloads. I was acting as his spotter and coach. He had run the chickens, pigs and turkeys and was one shot away from a perfect round when he turned to me and commented to that effect I told him what he better do is shoot and not worry about the score until the match was over. He laughed and turned back around to fire a missed shot. The .357 magnum does have many uses even if I don’t consider deer hunting to be one of them.
.357 Herrett: Another Steve Herrett and Bob Milek colabboration. Also made from the 30-30 case like the .30 Herrett but with an case length of 1.750". This one can’t quite match the old and excellent .35 Remington and unless you want a 10" barrel you would do well to choose the Remington round instead. It was once mildly popular but today has little to recommend it unless you want it for nostalgia. It is an excellent choice for deer to 125 yards or a bit more and will do for black bear over bait or treed by dogs with the right loads.
35 Remington: Another nice one. I have had several TC Super 14" barrels in this caliber and all have delivered outstanding accuracy and deer killing performance. I currently have none left in this caliber as the last one was sent off to JD Jones at SSK to be turned into a 358 JDJ for even more long range clout. I have used the Remington 200 grain round nose corelock and the Hornady 200 grain round nose exclusively because that is what I had on hand from using with my Marlin 336 when I started and they worked so well I saw no need to change. It will take on anything in America short of the big bears and up to 150-175 yards will do as well as anything.
.358 JDJ: AWESOME! That is an apt description of both the recoil this round generates and it’s performance on game. I wanted this one a long time before finally having JD Jones at SSK Industries turn one of my .35 Remington barrels into it for me. So far I have tried it with the Hornady 180 SSSP and 200 SP, Nosler 225 BTs and PTs and the Sierra 225 BTSP. Accuracy with all is excellent and I feel the real limiting factor is my ability to take the punishment of the recoil and continue to carefully place the shots. Lots of one inch and less groups of 3 shots at 100 yards have been fired to date. I have settled on the two Nosler bullets in this caliber and that is what I have used in hunting with it to date and expect I will continue to use in the future. The lighter bullets will probably work fine on deer size game but I see no real advantage they offer. I carried this one to Colorado with me in the fall of 1998 for use on what was supposed to be a combination elk/mule deer hunt. Plans changed when the transmission on my Bronco died in Glenwood Springs, Colorado and the hunt was for mule deer only and me with no transportation on the ranch. I did have an opportunity to try the barrel on a forkhorn but decided to pass. I used it mostly during the 1998-99 Alabama deer season and used it to take both deer and turkey. Needless to say it performed splendidly using Nosler 225 BTs at 2287 fps. All game fell where it stood and no blood trail was needed. Tissue destruction was extensive and all bullets left exit holes. What more could you ask? I personally think this is a superior round to the much more highly touted .375 JDJ except for use in Africa where the minimum caliber of .375 is often required. Bullets of .375" are made for use in either the .375 H&H Magnum or the sedate .375 Winchester. Those for the .375 H&H are intended to be driven at 2650-2700 fps in the 250/270 grain weight range and the JDJ struggles to get them up to 1950-2000 fps. I just don’t see how they can be expected to expand properly from the JDJ beyond 100 yards when launched at those velocities. Bullets for the .375 Winchester are all flat nosed and shed velocity quickly. Bullets of 220 grains can be driven to about 2250 fps according to data from SSK but the one most commonly used is intended for the .375 Winchester and is a bit soft for that velocity. Should be an excellent performer where expansion is required and quick put downs are wanted. From what I read it lives up to that. Bullets in .358" are made for either the .35 Remington and are round nose or for the .358 Winchester/.35 Whelan. Bullets for the former in 200 grain round nose configuration at 2300 fps out of the .358 JDJ are moving only about 300 fps faster than from the .35 Remington in a rifle which is what they were designed to do. They should be very terminal on thin skin game like deer at that velocity. Bullets of 225 to 250 grains designed for the .358 Win/.35 Whelan are designed to be pushed about 2300 to 2600 fps and the .358 JDJ can get them up to 2300 for the 225s and about 2200 for the 250s. That’s a lot closer to design spec than the .375" bullets from the .375 JDJ. So, my conclusion is the .358 JDJ is one fine round for the really big stuff. Try it and you’ll like it, but hang on tight because it is bad at both ends.
.41 Magnum: This is a relatively new round for me. I now own my first ever revolver for it, a S&W 657 with 6" barrel. I bought it in 1998 just because I had never had one and Steve at the Sportsman’s Exchange in Gadsden made me a good price on it. It was on my hip throughout the 1998-99 deer season but was not used on game but did come close once. I was sitting in the permanent tree stand build during the summer and had just killed a deer with my .358 JDJ when a turkey flew up into the tree next to me. I knew with little doubt it was a legal gobbler but just couldn’t make out a beard on it. The turkey was too big to have been a hen in that area but only gobblers are legal in Alabama and I just couldn’t put a beard on it as hard as I tried so I let it fly away without taking the shot. It would have been an easy 30 yard or less shot. I have done some load development for this revolver but not much of it yet. The most accurate load I found shot so high that it would take a new front sight to get it down enough to use for hunting. If I ever scope it for hunting you can bet that is the load it will use. This round is very nearly the equal of the grand old .44 magnum. Bullet diameter is .410" as compared to .429" for the .44 magnum. Bullets weighting 210 grains give roughly equal sectional density and penetration to the 240 grain bullets in .44 magnum and are usable for the same purposes. What the caliber lacks is good heavy weight bullets for the bigger stuff. For deer, hogs and maybe smaller black bears I wouldn’t hesitate to use this one.
44 Magnum: This is the standard, by which all other handgun rounds are judged. I have used this round in both revolvers and the Contender. It gives me 1.5" to 2.0" groups at 100 yards from both my S & W 629 Classic DX and from TC Super 14" barrels. Some think that the only way to go is to use hard cast bullets and some say to use only the JHPs. I am on the fence on this one folks. I use both and have found they both do the job very effectively on deer size game. When I go bigger and tougher then I go to the heavy (300-325 grain) hard cast lead bullets. I have a very generous supply of linotype and an even harder foundry type given to me by my friend Billy Doss that works wonders with my Lyman 429244 and 429640 molds. I have also added the Lyman 429650 mold to my collection and this big bullet is awesome to look at and shoots as well as anything I have yet tried in this caliber. It will see more use in the future on any hunts I take using the .44 magnum on hogs or black bear. You can't go wrong on this one whether you prefer a revolver or a TC. This is another one no handgun hunter should be without