Hello All,

I am considering cartridge options with the following characteristics:

Able to produce good accuracy (is 1 MOA asking too much?) at 100 yards with < 1,000 FPS or so;

Possibly be able to be loaded a littler hotter to a lot hotter, while retaining good accuracy.

The list I have in my head right now includes:

22 Maynard XL

22 Hornet

25-20SS

25-21 Savage

32-20

32-20 CPA

32-40

33-57

357 Maximum

The first key is the low power accuracy.

TIA

John

     Some years ago, I shot a rifle with one of its interchangeable bbls in 28 caliber.   It was chambered for a straight 38 SPL case and used for breech-seating.   Not, of course, necessary to have a neck on the case if you are breech-seating.   This worked fine, and was pleasant to shoot, but not QUITE as accurate as a 30 Schwartz on the same rifle.   If I were building another, I'd look at the 32-20 case, or the straightened version, 32-20 CPA.    This same case might also be suitable for a 6.5 mm, 25 cal, or 6 mm bore.   One one might start with a 32 S&W case, leaving the option of going to a 32-20 case if the former was not large enough.
     The notion of a small, straight case for a breech-seating barrel does not seem to be utilized very much, but it makes sense to me. They are very easy to load, easy to make a durable breech-seater for, and the brass is cheap.  It is possible to just bore the chamber, using a 45 deg. taper to the bore at the end of the chamber, thus obviating the need for a special chambering reamer.

CHRIS
RGChristensen

the smaller cases are notoriously finicky with loading---the CAN be made to work but in general the smaller the case and bullet the more sensitive they are to the multitude of variables that have to be "just right' for true accuracy.   I suspect the the midsize straight or straight tapered cases with 25/26 cal up to .32/33 cal bores will let you meet your goals with fewer frustrations.   JMHO

You could probably add the 327 Federal to your list.
Wanting one chambering that will do everything, be accurate, shoot sub sonic, or shoot fast, is an age old pursuit.
Most wouldn't consider the short 32 S&W (not the 32 S&W Long) to be a shoot fast cartridge, and yet the big ammo companies offered a 32 S&W Gallery loading using a 46gr round ball with 4grs black powder, as an option to the standard 88gr bullet with 10grs black powder loading.
Numerous factory cartridges were offered with various loadings ranging from "cat sneeze" versions, to standard, to Hi-Vel. Plus the shot loadings for foraging.
Ideal sold a lot of round ball moulds, light for caliber weight moulds, to heavy for caliber weight moulds. The early Ideal loading manuals listed a lot of loading options for the gun crank to experiment with.
If nothing else, investigating the one chambering that will do everything concept will provide a lot of trigger time, a lot of enjoyment, and the opportunity to learn some interesting lessons along the way.
And you never really know until you actually try.
Have fun.

rgchristensen wrote on Jun 28^th, 2016 at 11:55pm:


Thanks Chris - it took me a while to understand your proposal - ie. to have, potentially, a jump from the interior diameter of a straight-walled case to the bore diameter.  Did you find any issues with fouling, corrosion, etc.? 

Has anyone else tried this approach, for a purely breech seated set-up?

I just Love my 25-20 WCF, 120 gr bullet...cheap shooting. Best way to really learn shooting in conditions, 32-20  also. Now the 32-40 old standby, accurate, easy to load if your arthritic, have one eye, gimpy and go by the name of 'Lucky".......Thats my story and I'm sticking with it!

I have five 30 cal barrels on SS's, two 14 twist, two 12 twist and a 13 twist.

Two are 30-32/35 Stevens, one 30-32/20 (built for my wife), one 30/40 and a 30/30 Wesson, respectively.

I had my bullet molds made for the 14 twist and shoot them in all the above. All three molds are Ron Longs, they are all true spitzers and range from 1.155 - 1.165 and weigh 180 - 184 gr.

I also have one PB, bore rider, that is 1.19 lg, it's also very accurate (1.25, 5 shot @ 200) and it two, will stabilize in a 14 twist @ 1400+.

I wouldn't recommend a heavy bullet 32/20, unless it is in a rifle, comparable to a HW in strength. If the breech block gives at all, the cases will stretch and fail. Cases last a long time in my wifes HW.

Frank

My 32/40 high wall I shoot pretty slow. I don't know exactly how slow, but I'd call it very accurate. 1/16 twist with a Borton 185gr bullet, 12.5- 13.5 gr 4227 anywhere in there it will shoot less than 1 moa, especially at 100 yards. Haven't tried any lighter loads than 12.5.



John