Based on some sage advice I received from forum members, some personal research in the "new to me" world of single shot rifles, and hours of discussion with a friend who is heavily involved in this sport, I have narrowed down my choices for a planned build on a Stevens 044 1/2 action.  As previously advised, my shooting would involve target work at 100 and 200-yard ranges.  In decending order of simple to difficult to get components for reloading, my short list is as follows:

32-20 - because brass and ammo is readily available
25-20 - for nearly the same reasons stated above
22 Hornet - for nearly the same reasons stated above
25 Hornet - will require custom dies and forming brass but 
                  seems easier to accomplish than the remaining 
                  cartridges
25-20 SS - a historic an interesting cartridge with a good 
                 reputation but will require custom dies and buying 
                 expensive brass
28-30 - a historic and interesting cartridge that has really 
            caught my fascination but again will require custom 
            dies and expensive brass

Of course the brass issue coud be overcome with breach seating, but for starting out I'd like to go with fixed ammo and a cartridge that wasn't so exotic as to make obtaining ammo too much of an obstacle (however I do see myself getting a 28-30 as second at some point down the road but only after I've started with a good basic kit).

As always, many thanks.  You guys are a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience.  Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Jeff

I think that if it were mine I would go with .25 Hornet. Brass is plentiful and I should think that .25-20 ballistics could be duplicated, or nearly so.

Not being familiar with .25 rimfire bore dimensions, would it be compatible with simply rechambering the gun to one of his .25 caliber choices?

Of all  the cartridges listed, the .25-20 wcf would be my choice for numerous reasons. First of all the cost of getting brass, dies, molds, etc. to start with. Then it's well known good results for the 100-200 yd. distances you chose.
Finally it's a caliber that even loaded up a little faster, still produces very low recoil, and good case life.
And the .32-20 is a an equally great choice.

32-40 would be my choice. Premier 200 yard target round. A given at 100 yards.

O44 1/2 is to small for any cartage in the 32/40 class ken 

.25 hornet is a great cartridge. To form all you have to do is shoot.22 hornets in it and trim. 
Lee Gibbs pres.ASSRA

I should add that my CPA has a Douglas 10 twist barrel. (I like your Mission style furniture).

JerryH

Gail a CPA told me the 044 1/2 would be too small for any cartridge 30-30 and larger.  Hence, the list I came up with.  Thanks again!

32-20

Or keep as is and make .25 rf ammo from .17 wsm, which is not difficult to do, and buy another rifle that is suitable for a larger diameter cartridge such as the .32-40.

Another vote for the 32/20. 
- Same extractor as 28/30 ?
- Your 25 rim block I believe would work for a 22 lr
- 044 1/2 in 32/20 would be a nice "sunny day" woods companion
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Thanks guys.  Interesting hearing the 28-30 extractor would be closer to a 38/357 as a friend of mine suggetsed 32 Miller which, if I remember, is a necked down 357.  Holy smokes, just as one cartidge begins to make crystal clear sense then along comes something else.

The 32 Miller is a high pressure round when shooting 200+ grain bullets.

Too much pressure only if you load it that way. The .32 Miller is strictly a handloading proposition and as such can be tailored to the gun. Or, slightly alter the chamber dimensions so someone else's hot handloads couldn't be inserted, and also at the same time place it squarely in the realm of somebody with good sense to manage it.

What are you going to use it for ?  If bench rest & breech seating casting your bullets fast twist “wildcat” fine small # of cases low volume precise work

If offhand better to stay with traditional twist & case. Many more cases needed and factory bullets like Meister sells to Pistol Caliber  silhouette competitors better choice. I buy 25/20 & 38/40 by the thousand. No way I could cast that volume.  My offhand rifles keep couple hundred cases prepped loading all same time as a lot. Hunting another thing too.

Look at local matches available to you don’t want to set up a road race car when drag racing all that’s nearby 

End use makes the choice 

Boats

boats wrote on Feb 7^th, 2021 at 1:13pm:


Yes and that end use is bench rest at 100 to 200-yards.  Thanks

200 yard bench probably best performance anybody’s had rifle like yours = Stevens action,  is 32/20 as set up by Paul Shuttleworth. If he says the 044 1/2 will handle it it’s the best choice.

Boats

More choices, more confusion

If you go with 357 mag/max cases, you open up a whole new can of worms. 30-30 Wesson, 30 Schwartz which is almost the same. Both are basically 357 max straight tapered to 308.

1500 fps with a 200 grain bullet can be kept in the 20,000 psi range.  The case head diameter of the 357 is only .020” larger than 28-30, rim diameter +.010”.

Seems to work fine in the 044 1/2 action.

i had an original in 25  20ss and it shot great breach seatedjust make it a 25 20winchester  because brass is affordable  and get the brass before you start the build  let cpa barrel it.   best  art

32-20 or rather 30-20 in my case is a dandy, especially with a fast-twist barrel and heavy bullets.  I have a 1:12 twist Lothar Walther barrel on a BSA 12/15 action. Should maybe try it with nitro, but it actually is my go-to short-range bp match rifle.

You mentioned.32-20 and then maybe getting a .22 hornet barrel later, you might consider a .218 bee, so you wouldn’t need to change the extractor.

Just be aware of the pressures it takes for either the 32-20 CPA or the 25WCF as Jerry H shoots for them to actually become extremely competitive. Being also dependant on where one lives you might not be able to reach the velocity of what it takes to both be competitive and to not incure the separated cases being lost to get and to remain there during a match. When I first built my 28 based on a straight tapered to 28 357 max. case I had to actually knock out each case with a cleaning rod to be competitive. Shortly after I re-chambered to a 28-35 and I could push it allot harder than I actually needed to be extremely competitive and pressure was never an issue and case lose was also none existent from that time forward. Same holds true now for my 25-35 and just as competitive as any 25 out their currently being used.

boats wrote on Feb 8^th, 2021 at 8:37pm:


I think the W-W brass is softer and the rim is thinner. Both aid extraction. Annealing .32-20 Starline brass to make .25-20 is now the standard procedure. 

The .32-20 is definitely better at wind bucking. I shot the .25-20 two years ago for the reduced recoil while first recovering from bone cancer, 200 yards is a real challenge. I am now cleared for more recoil and going with the .32-20 and a 200 grain bullet.

Wow, more interesting stuff.  Now where did the beat my head on the wall emogee go?

25 Hornet, 25WCF, 25-20SS 32-20 CPA, 32-20 Will probably need a wad over the powder to keep from spilling powder into the action if breech seating. Some use Floral Foam at the mouth of the case some use cork .200 off of the powder.

So after a lot of fantastic input from you guys and considerable head scratching on my part my final choices have come down to a 30-20 for the 044 1/2 and a 30-30 for a future acquisition of a 44 1/2 or CPA.  That would give me a universe of bullets to work with for both guns and minimal effort in forminng brass for the 044 1/2.  Thanks again, I appreciate all the good discussions you guys provided!

Jeff

Also noticed you are in California and you are welcome to come out and shoot with our group in Modesto should you be close enough. If so I can get you added onto our Schuetzen match schedule list.

Quote:


Good stuff.  Thanks!

I gotta admit I'm still pulled to the 28-30.  It may end up being my second barrel

To date I have done four 25-35's for friends and below is one of four or five of Jack Hughes 200 yard 250 targets he has shot. Jack Hughes who is also on this site is one of those I have built one for. His load data is at bottom of his target for those who might be interested. 


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I would never recommend anything that I have not self proven to myself to work. One of those four 25-35's I built was for myself. I had Manson design my custom reamer around the Mos 120 grain Spitzer and it has worked out extremely well. If memory serves me right the bullet mould I cut as shown if the mould section. Is the Mos clone that I cut for Jack Hughes and used on his target as shown. But I could also be wrong it might be one of the 28 Mos clones that I also cut for friends to be used in their 28-35's that I also built for them?

I've settled on the 30-32 for starters with the 044 1/2 (with a 30-30 for starters with a 44 1/2 or CPA in the future).  The 28-30 will probably come second for the little Stevens.  

I've read differing comments on 28-30 brass.  Some burgeoning on not so good for Rocky Mtn.  But others stating its fine.  I take it there is no basic brass on which the case could be formed.  Given this, what would be the best source of brass choice for the cartridge?   

Found the donor brass to use.

       Huntington's sells [or did] 6 x 70R brass that can easily be sized for the 28/30 Stevens, it is very nice brass made by Norma.  Don't look for 6 x 70R brass in your cartridge books, it ain't there.   ledball