What unusual/nonstandard calibers do you load?

[Gatofeo]

.32 Long Colt, for my Marlin Model 1892 lever-action rifle. This caliber requires unusual .32 projectiles, the standard .32 handgun bullets won't work because they're too large to enter a sized case mouth, which is typically .294 inch.
The hollowbased bullet is .299 inch diameter.
The heeled bullet has a heel of .299 inch and bullet diameter of .310 inch.
I cast heeled bullets from an old Lyman mould.
I also use Hornady .310 inch lead balls, used in .32-caliber muzzleloading rifles, pressed halfway into the mouth.

I also reload for .44-40 and .32-20 but don't consider them to be oddball calibers.

The .32 Winchester Special, for the 1894 carbine my Dad bought new in 1941. A fine rifle.

 

[nutsforsmiths]

Hi:
Where do you find brass for .38 S&W?
Thanks,
Jimmy

Starline makes brass and I have bought mine through Midway. I think Remington also makes brass.

 

[Mule88]

Ive loaded 45 AR, 32 S&W, 38 S&W 38 Long Colt , 44-40 , 350 Remington

 

[Larry from Bend]

I reload for a 6mm-06.

 

[Buford57]

.45 AR in a converted .455 HE 2nd
.30-40 in a sporterized Krag
6.5mm Arisaka in a sporterized Arisaka
.45-70 (Black Powder) in a repro Sharps

Loaded .35 Whelen (Mauser Sporter), 7mm TCU (Contender) in the past as well as .22 Hornet and .45-70 (Smokeless) in Ruger #3s.

.280 Rem. is neither terribly rare nor particularly common , but I've had a lot of fun reloading for it since Cabela's made me an offer I couldn't refuse on a stainless/laminate Ruger M77 a few years ago. Far more accurate than older M77s I'd owned in .308, .30-06 and .270.

 

[longr]

A tight necked 6br is as wild as I get

 

[S&W HE]

.17 Remington
.32 WCF (32-20)
.32 S&W Long
.38 S&W

 

[Paul5388]

Well, I haven't seen the .45 Super mentioned, or the .360 DW (.357 and .44 mag to the right of the .360DWs)

and .445 DW Supermag.
7mm STW (a necked down 8mm Mag)
.38-55 in .375 Win brass or fire formed .30-30 brass.

9mm Largo and 9X18 Makarov
.35 Whelen and 6mm Rem.

 

[Hondo44]

44 CRR

That's .44 Colt Revolving Rifle. I bought a reproduction of the 1855 Colt revolving rifle which is a cap and ball 6 shot with a .440 bore in vintage terms meaning the small diameter of the bore at the top of the lans, not the bottom of the grooves which is .470. It's designed for a .454 ball, 142 grs. But am not into muzzle loading.

So I converted it to cartridge like many originals by making a cartridge cylinder for it that chambers the S&W .460 which is just a long 45 Colt. The old Lyman-Ideal listed a 450229 HB mould that throws a 155 gr bullet that I size to .454 and load over a black powder substitute for the original charge of 40 grs FFFg with standard .45 Colt dies

 

[8ZRD11R]

280 Rem
8mm Rem Mag
35 Whelen
375 H&H

 

[gunboat57]

Unusual:
577-450 Martini-Henry
577 Snider
11mm Gras
11mm Mauser
8X58R Danish
7.62X38R Nagant

Not so unusual:
44-40
45-70
7X57 Mauser
6.5X55 Mauser
7.62X54R Russian

Downright common:
30-06
303 British
8mm Mauser
30-30
38 Special
357 Magnum
44 Magnum
45 Colt
45 ACP

Probably coming soon:
32-20

 

[bmcgilvray]

It is difficult to say which is unusual and which is not. Obtaining a set of dies is part of acquiring a center fire firearm. The very latest die set acquired is a .41 Long Colt.

Rifles
.22 Hornet
.223
.22-250
.220 Swift
.257 Roberts
.270 Winchester
7X57
.30 Carbine
.30-30
.30 Remington
.300 Savage
.30-40
.308
.30-06
.32-20
7.62X39
.303
.303 ICL Improved
.32 Winchester Special
.351 Winchester
.375 H&H Magnum
.405 WCF
.45-70
.45-90 WCF

Handguns
.25 ACP
.32-20
.32 S&W Long
.32 Long Colt
.380 ACP
9mm
.38 S&W
.38 Long Colt
.38 Special
.357 Magnum
.38-40
.41 Long Colt
.41 Magnum
.44 Special
.44 Magnum
.45 Auto
.45 Auto Rim
.45 Colt
.455 Webley

 

[LK45s]

5.7X28mm for FN FiveSeven and PS90.

 

[BUFF]

The 8mm Peabody-Spoonbill.

 

[Coaltminer]

Don't have the rifle anymore, but it was .225 Winchester. Was a heavy barrel Model 70 made in 1965. First load I put together using 4064 powder and Sierra 55 grain bullets grouped under 1/2". Shoulda kep it!

 

[Nemo288]

Only wildcat (and a semi at that) I load is the .445 supermag.
I started before there was any brass and made them out of:
303
30/40
30USA (American military 30/40)
30USA has the thickest brass of the lot.

The original .445 Gates Mexican brass was pretty thin and I
gave up on it. The Starline gets good marks but the rifle brass
will last forever so I have not got any yet.
I might be convinced to part with a box of the rifle based
loads I don't use. They pound the gun pretty good. I would
consider reloading them downwards. The tradeoff is getting
expansion and a gas seal vs. the thrust against the cylinder.
The DW revolver was repaired twice for excess endshake :|

The problem started when loads in the various brass because
of volume differences exhibited different pressure.
I had to settle on one after all that work and went with 30/40
because of its availability and quality.

I would love a lever gun in this round. It would fill the gap between
my .44Mags and the big .444.
I win the lottery I will have Steven Dodd Hughes make me one
on a Winchester big bore action.

---
Nemo

 

[Paul5388]

I loaded some Gates brass recently, but I don't see much reason for anything more than a VH744. That's a 715 below the 744.

 

[Nemo288]

I loaded some Gates brass recently, but I don't see much reason for anything more than a VH744. That's a 715 below the 744.

I was younger and definately stupider when I started with the
big DW. These are jewels of the handgun world. I abused mine
and am leery of even firing it as it is in perfect from the factory
condition now

I will probably unload all the early dragon loads and get mellow
in my golden years (can't believe I just said that).
Just got my first gummint cheese check. Maybe now I can afford
to shoot regularly again.

---
Nemo

 

[Vfeldman]

32 S&W long
32 H&R Magnum
327 Federal (when I can find some brass!)
.30 Carbine
9mm Major
44 Spl
45 LC

 

[andyo5]

Nothing really unusual. My most uncommon would be:

8x57mm Mauser
7mm Benchrest