Oddballs

[Warren Sear]

Among others, I load for the 7.62x54R for use in my various Mosin-Negant rifles, 7.62x25 for use in my CZ52 pistols, and the 7.65x53 Mauser for use in my 1891 Argentine rifle, usually with cast bullets.

Also, I load 10.6 German Ordnance for use in my Model 1883 Reichs revolver. Low velocity .44 caliber 153 grain cast wadcutter bullets sized to .430 shoot to point of aim at 25 yards. I also occasionally load 215 grain RNFP .44-40 bullets in it, but these shoot high. The sights on my revolver (a family heirloom my grandfather brought to the US when he emigrated here) are fixed, so I like to use the load that hits to point of aim.

Pictured below are my 1891 Argentine rifle and 1883 Reichs revolver.

 

[Nemo288]

I load 10.6 German Ordnance for use in my Model 1883 Reichs revolver. Low velocity .44 caliber 153 grain cast wadcutter bullets sized to .430 shoot to point of aim at 25 yards. I also occasionally load 215 grain RNFP .44-40 bullets in it, but these shoot high. The sights on my revolver (a family heirloom my grandfather brought to the US when he emigrated here) are fixed, so I like to use the load that hits to point of aim.

I just knew someone was going to have a historical 44 I never heard of!
That Reichs revolver is awesome and in museum condition.
Color me envious and glad to see you are shooting that baby.

I am gonna include the 6mm Remington in this category now, because both brass and ammo are nearly impossible to obtain.
When neither Midway or Starline can provide brass, it's getting rare.
The last batch I located was languishing at a well known gunsmith's shop several years ago.

I also load and shoot some less common 44 cartridges: .445 (should have been called the 44 supermag or the 44 Gates) and the mighty 444 Marlin.
Remington stopped making 444 brass a couple of years ago but luckily Starline picked up that ball as they have with many other odd-balls.
Yeah Hornady offers 444 brass but they charge $x2.

I have also used the .445 cases to make full length .44 special shot shells.
They will hold almost exactly .5oz. of #9 shot.
The faces are sealed with a couple of thin cork wads and bullet/primer waterproofing sealant which is really glorified nail polish.
This experiment was less than totally successful as some of the cases did not seal to the chamber under fire and backed out hard enough to lock up the revolver.
The plastic shot cases are the way to go even if they hold half the shot these do.

Still working on the 44 Alaskan.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Two cartridges on your list caught my eye, .50-50 carbine because I'm not familiar with it and 9x23 Mauser because the only gun I know of being made for it was the rare Broom Handle Mauser. Do you own that pistol and please describe the .50-50 carbine cartridge.

Rather than trying to remember my list again I'll ask if a member has a die set they'd sell for a revolver that I bought without researching how hard it is to get dies for, my .375 Super Mag. It is a left over from when long range silhouette matches were popular. The brass is made by shortening .375 Winchester cases.

My C-96 Broomhandle is in 30 Mauser but I have made cartridges for other in 9mm x23 Mauser. I have been successful making both cases from 223 brass!

The 50 Carbine is a shortened (about 1/2") 50-70 for use in the Cavalry Carbine M-1870? 425 grain projectile and 50 grains of FFFg. In the 1873 Carbine The Chamber is the same as the rifle. The '73 Carbine ammo was a 405 bullet over 50 grains of FFFg, the rifle load was 500 grain bullet and 70 grains of FFg (2Fg). My personal 50 Carbine is a parts gun rolling block. I have shot a lot of 45-70, I was very surprised at the light recoil of the 50-50. There is a 50-55 Maynard: same case, 10% more powder.

I do load 375 Win for a 12" Contender barrel, but I always wanted a Dan Wesson in 375 Super Mag.

Ivan

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have also used the .445 cases to make full length .44 special shot shells.They will hold almost exactly .5oz. of #9 shot.

I use trimmed 460 S&W cases to load 45 Colt shot shell, they hold 1/2 ounce of 7 1/2's and do a number on West Virginia Copper Heads!

You can neck down 7x57 Mauser for 6mm Remington cases. I had a friend that had a MG-34 and a MG-42, I made him a couple thousand 8x57 reloadable cases from 30-06, 270 Win & 280 Remington. Just size and trim to length!

Ivan

 

[22lrfan]

I load around 50 calibers but the ones not readily available in the local stores would be:

Rifles
.218 Bee
.222 Rem
.303 Savage
.32-40
.32 Win Special
.375 Win
.40-82 Win
.43 Spanish
.50-70 Govt

Handguns
9x18 Makarov
.44 Russian
.45 Auto Rim
.455 Eley

 

[Nemo288]

I always wanted a Dan Wesson in 375 Super Mag.

The 375 is definitely the rarest of the supermag revolver family especially now that S&W has legitimized their versions of the 45 and 50 supermags.

Have Bullberry (or another Contender/Encore barrel maker like MGM) make up a 375SM barrel for your Contender.
The supermags do extremely well in short rifle barrels 16-18".
I would love for Bighorn Armory to offer their rifle in .445.

Contenders and now Encores are some of the cheapest ways to get a very accurate gun that shoots an odd-ball round.
Also provides some blue-sky territory where a handloader can explore a previously untried environment and do something unique.
(Encore's are now a S&W product with S&W style serial #'s on the receiver).

 

[LittleCooner]

218 Bee
22 AKM
6 PPC
6 Grinch
6 Fat Rat
250 Savage
284 Winchester
300 H & H

 

[SMSgt]

The 375 is definitely the rarest of the supermag revolver family especially now that S&W has legitimized their versions of the 45 and 50 supermags.

Have Bullberry (or another Contender/Encore barrel maker) make up a 375SM barrel for your Contender.
The supermags do extremely well in short rifle barrels 16-18".
I would love for Bighorn Armory to offer their rifle in .445.

Contenders and now Encores are some of the cheapest ways to get a very accurate gun that shoots an odd-ball round.
Also provides some blue-sky territory where a handloader can explore a previously untried environment and do something unique.
(Encore's are now a S&W product with S&W style serial #'s on the receiver).

I used to own a Contender in .223 and .30 Herrett and would buy another except it is produced in only off-the-shelf calibers now and few in that. Likewise for the Encore. It's gotten too expensive to have specialty caliber barrels made.

 

[Dieseltech56]

Unusual ones I load are

17 fireball
10mm
44 special
357 maximum
375 super mag
445 super mag
454 casull
500 mag

The 375 super mag I cut 375 win cases down. It's for a Dan Wesson. Hands down the most expensive dies I've bought

 

[Nemo288]

I guess my point was that if you going to have a nice custom gun made in a wildcat or other "odd-ball" round
for which no commercial firearms are available, the Encore is an economic choice.
A custom bolt or lever gun chambered in a non-standard round will be more expensive if it's of any decent quality.
My Bullberry barrels were in the $500 region.
Bighorn Armory rifles start at $2500.

 

[muddocktor]

Mmm. My oddball ammo are.

7,65 Parabellum
7,63 Mauser
7,62 Tokarev
9mm Browning long.

Good luck finding any of my brass after I leave the range.

You reload 9MM Browning Long? I have a Husqvarna m/1907 that has been rechambered to 380 Auto but Sarco had original barrels for sale in the original 9 MM Browning Long and I have been thinking about picking up a barrel since you can now find boxer primed brass for that caliber. How do you find that round to shoot as compared to a 380 Auto?

As to the original post, the only ones I reload that aren't readily available are 264 Win Mag and 22 Hornet.

 

[oysterer]

41 special, very odd but a great round in my 57, 58 and 657s

I used to do 45 auto rim but sold the gun

all else is plain vanilla in defending round count
9mm
45ACP
38spl
44spl
10mm
6.5 cm
308
and that's the extend of it

 

[Kurusu]

You reload 9MM Browning Long? I have a Husqvarna m/1907 that has been rechambered to 380 Auto but Sarco had original barrels for sale in the original 9 MM Browning Long and I have been thinking about picking up a barrel since you can now find boxer primed brass for that caliber. How do you find that round to shoot as compared to a 380 Auto?

As to the original post, the only ones I reload that aren't readily available are 264 Win Mag and 22 Hornet.

I'm all set for reloading, but haven't done it yet. I have ammo from PRVI Partizan. So, for now I'm just picking up my brass.

Can't compare with the .380. have no pistol on that caliber, as of yet. I have bought a CZ VZ 24 from 1937, but will only put my hands on it next year.

On the recoil deparment it's mild. The "husky is a big heavy pistol and the 9x20 is sort of a low power 9 Para.

Edit. PRVI ammo is currently being made.

 

[DWalt]

6.5x55, 7.5x55, 8mm Kropatschek, .30 Rem, .303 Savage, 6.5 Jap, 7.7 Jap are those I form my own cases for. The only odd handgun cartridge I form and load for is the .400 Cor-Bon

 

[Kurusu]

6.5x55, 7.5x55, 8mm Kropatschek, .30 Rem, .303 Savage, 6.5 Jap, 7.7 Jap are those I form my own cases for. The only odd handgun cartridge I form and load for is the .400 Cor-Bon

I was expecting a 6,5 x 58 after the 8mm Kropatscheck.

And no. I don't have neither of them.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Expensive loading dies are a relative thing! My RCBS 8x56R Hungarian dies were the most expensive; until my RCBS 450 3 1/4 Nitro Express. These were my most expensive; until I bought 2 dies sets for 43 Spanish & 43 Reformado, together the CH4D dies were the top layout. Then I started using Redding Competition Die sets! A body die, A Neck size Collet that is micrometer adjusted and a Micrometer adjustable seating die. When I started they were like $125, the last set (for 338 Lapua Mag) was just under $300!

When I last looked at the CH4D web sight, they listed sets for 40mm Anti-Aircraft, but didn't mention the price (or the cost of a press that fit them)!

Ivan

ETA: Cost is very relative! I was looking at a used Weatherby Mark V in 460 Weatherby, I could buy 100 brass, 100 Hornady Solids, 1 pound of powder, 100 Federal 215 primers, The Weatherby brand dies and shell holder and still save $35 over 100 rounds of factory ammo. This was Circa 1983. I do have a number of rifles that I have never fired a single round of factory ammo in; sometimes it was already obsolete, sometimes I can make it much cheaper than buy it! 338 Lapua Mag is around $8.50 to 13.00 a round for factory, Buying vergin brass for each shot makes it $6.50, reloading is around $1.85-2.25 each, depending on which and how much powder! That's a lot per shot, but the impact craters, gongs clanging, and neighbor's complaints make it all worth while! ITB

 

[Kurusu]

This thread...

Is lacking pictures.

I'll do my part. This is also a test. I'll tell you out it went in the end.

Mauser C96 7.63 Mauser. One made in 1911(bottom one) with 6 groove rifling, one made in 1910 with 4 groove rifling.

T 33 from 1944 7,62 Tokarev

Fyi. Test washed out. Pictures are upside down. We'll see on the next. set.

 

[Kurusu]

Part 2 and the test continues

Parabellum pistol, 7,65 Parabellum. Portuguese contract pistol made in 1909 # 2703 of a 3500 pistol contract.

Safety off

Safety on

The other side

Husqvarna M 1907, 9mm Browning Long. Made in 1917, first year of Husqvarna production, previously M 1907 pistols were made by FN.

Conclusions from the test. This device is kin to Hal 2000. And hates me.

 

[k22fan]

6.5x55, 7.5x55, 8mm Kropatschek, .30 Rem, .303 Savage, 6.5 Jap, 7.7 Jap are those I form my own cases for. The only odd handgun cartridge I form and load for is the .400 Cor-Bon

Am I correct guessing that you "form" 7.5x55 from .284 Win.? I do not know of another case to start with. It's just a quick neck enlargement and resize. I reloaded for a bunch of 1911 Schmidt Rubins, enough to say not all of their extractors will cling to .284 Win. rims long enough to be 100% reliable in rapid bolt manipulation. In my observation most reloaders do not know if their Schmidt Rubin is trully reliable with .284 Win. cases because they either shoot groups off the bench or drop the butt down off their shoulder and pull the bolt back slow to catch the case. Using an add on peep sight and replaced front sight I shot one of my 1911s in old fashioned timed high power matches. I took a couple of black tails with another one. When .284 Win. was relatively new it was necked up and down to just about every caliber. At a gun show I stumbled onto a .30/.284 Win. die set. Its FL sizer makes a perfect 7.5x55 neck sizer.

Does anyone here reload the original Schmidt Rubin cartridge, the 7.35x53.5mm, for an 1889 rifle? If I recall correctly it took .304" bullets. Despite every reloading manual warning us about early v. later dimensions of 8mm German military rifle bullets I've never seen a manual that acknowledged the same difference exists in 1889 v. 1911 Swiss military cartridges.

 

[jimbo728]

.44 WCF
.44 Largo
.44-40 Win.

All three being the same makes it easy.
Jim