Obsolete? Balderdash! It's arguably the most versatile handgun cartridge extant. Handloading makes it even more versatile. It has a high fun factor as well if one is into light bullet/slow powder maximum flasho-blasto loads! A few years ago, I made up a few of those just for what turned out to be an annoyance factor. 125 grainers in front of W296 in a 4-inch 686. The indoor range at which I was shooting had nothing in the way of sound baffles, some of the other shooters began to cry, and I was asked to leave. I said OK as long as you waive the range fee or charge me for no more than ten minutes. No, I am not buying any of your lead reloads, sorry. This is what I came to shoot. Fortunately for me, they saw it my way. I did pay for the target and backer. Haven't been back. Speaking of obsolete, there's this neat top-break in .44 Russian................ .