Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Centerfires, rimfires, pistol cartridges and everything in between.
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Post by Doodaddy »

Taps wrote:When you shoot like me and pull the trigger when there is any part of the animal behind the dot
Glad to see I'm not alone.

I shot my first cowboy match yesterday and rang 2 of the 9 rams I hit. I was shooting 22lr so I honestly expected more failures to fall. I would like to shoot 22mag, but fear that's barely improving.
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

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I still recommend a .25-20 or .32-20 shooting cast lead at moderate velocities. Low recoil, low cost and very accurate.
For those that know my brother-in-law, "Outback Mick", he recently shot the first 40/40 here in Australia using a Marlin .32-20 that is over 100years old. :ymapplause: ^:)^
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Post by Jason »

I shoot a 22 Mag for pistol cartridge and I would not advise choosing one if you expect to be able to win any of the bigger matches. In those matches, you can't afford to lose even one or two rams that get hit but don't fall. None of the common pistol cartridge rifles recoil enough to matter or cause a flinch. I'd agree with Taps that a 32-20 and 25-20 are the best dedicated pistol cartridge cowboy rifles. I may end up getting a 32-20 and using that instead, especially if I ever decide to do nationals for cowboy.
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Post by glen ring »

I agree Taps. I have cast our 32-20 bullets and with just a few grains of powder you have a VERY mild PC round. We shot 25-20 for a while and it was a mild miser also and we have never rang a ram with any load.
Look forward to seeing you guys at Raton.
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

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glen ring wrote:I agree Taps. I have cast our 32-20 bullets and with just a few grains of powder you have a VERY mild PC round. We shot 25-20 for a while and it was a mild miser also and we have never rang a ram with any load.
Look forward to seeing you guys at Raton.
So if someone were looking for a 32-20 or a 25-20, what would be the good/better/best options for such a cartridge?
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Post by ChuckD »

Or something a bit easier to find- .327 Federal Magnum in a Henry Rifle?
Any thoughts how this stacks up for PC?
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Post by glen ring »

Doodaddy
I like the 1894cl marlins in 32-20. Yes, I am a marlin snob. Find a lightly used one with BALLARD rifling, ( yes some were made with microgroove rifling ) Look in the Lyman loading manual for the suggested accurate load and make it happen. I put a happy trigger in mine and it's FANTASTIC. If ammunition were not an issue and I was just getting into CLA I would use a Henry 22 magnum 24 inch barrel frontier with good sights added.

The 22 mag may ring a few rams at a few ranges, but most at Raton where the nationals are held seem to fall very easily to a 22 mag.

I have friends that shoot factory 22 mag and advise me they have no issues anywhere except the OKC gun club.

I think the national champion has used a 22 mag Winchester to win with at Raton a couple of years.
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

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glen ring wrote:Doodaddy
I like the 1894cl marlins in 32-20. Yes, I am a marlin snob. Find a lightly used one with BALLARD rifling, ( yes some were made with microgroove rifling ) Look in the Lyman loading manual for the suggested accurate load and make it happen. I put a happy trigger in mine and it's FANTASTIC. If ammunition were not an issue and I was just getting into CLA I would use a Henry 22 magnum 24 inch barrel frontier with good sights added.

The 22 mag may ring a few rams at a few ranges, but most at Raton where the nationals are held seem to fall very easily to a 22 mag.

I have friends that shoot factory 22 mag and advise me they have no issues anywhere except the OKC gun club.

I think the national champion has used a 22 mag Winchester to win with at Raton a couple of years.
My gut instinct was to get the matching 22 mag of the Henry to my 22lr. That would be the cheapest and easiest to do for sure, but I'd hate to commit to a round that might let me down depending on where I'm shooting.

Is the 32-20 that much better than the .357?
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

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Doodaddy wrote: Is the 32-20 that much better than the .357?
Same question from me.... you can download a .357 to match terminal velocities of a 22 mag or 32-20- or...? whatever, but you can't load any of those to half the energy (read Ram Slamming knockdown energy :P ) of the .357. Since the 32-20 and the 25-20 are handloaded why is it advantageous to shoot rather than the .357?

Yes, I know I am ignoring the crushing recoil of the downloaded 357.... :ymdevil:
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Post by glen ring »

I've had two marlin .357 cowboys. Neither liked lead bullets at any velocity. The one I shoot often loves a 140 grain xtp at about 1300fps. I shoot a 180 grain xtp at about the same velocity when I shoot the 200 yard course. It is a great gun for PC but too light for big bore, in my opinion.

My 32-20 marlin Cowboy limited ( they made 500 ) shoots slow lead and fast jacketed bullets very well. My 1894cl 32-20 shoots an 8 inch group with a lead bullet but will stay inside two inches with a 100 grain jacketed bullet. Both 32-20's love a 100 grain xtp at about 1100 fps.

If Henry will make a 24 inch 327 magnum then I'd certainly buy one. I load everything on an old RCBS Rockchucker and the extra step of lubing the 32-20 cases gets to be a pain.

I had a 22 magnum 1894M Marlin. It was VERY accurate Shooting inside an inch at 100 yards when I scoped it, but it had a light barrel and we just didn't like it for off hand shooting. Find what feels good in YOUR hands, tinker with it on different loads and then just go have some fun. A past national champion told us his guns are three inch guns, but he can hold three inch groups so he's done well.
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

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I was curious about how some rifles/cartridges performed with cast bullets as that's what I would like to land on simply due to cheapness of shooting. Definitely some food for thought. Thanks.
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Post by Tlee »

glen ring wrote:I've had two marlin .357 cowboys. Neither liked lead bullets at any velocity. The one I shoot often loves a 140 grain xtp at about 1300fps. I shoot a 180 grain xtp at about the same velocity when I shoot the 200 yard course. It is a great gun for PC but too light for big bore, in my opinion.

...(snip)
I found the same thing on my 357mag Marlin 1894(s). Couldn't get them to shoot plain lead (any weight, at any velocity, using any vendor's projectile or powder combination) into anything better than a 8" group... at 50 yards (wouldn't put 3 out of 5 on paper at 100). Same guns shoot pretty much all jacketed, plated, and even gas checked lead into 2" groups at 100meters (or better) at a variety of velocities from subsonic to jacketed at 1900fps.

Judy uses a 357 for big bore CLA. 158gr at 1700fps AMV for CPTs and a 205gr gaschecked lead boolit running just barely 1200 once it reaches the 200meter point. Unless the wind is on the backside of the target, it is about 95% knockdown/reliable and 2MOA at the Rams. The 180gr XTP jacketed, while accurate, we found were often less than 75% reliable on the CLA rams... 180gr Remington Cor-Lokts were slightly better. Sil-TMJs a bit better yet, but the last two are impossible to find now.

:ymcowboy:

just my .02,

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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Post by cedestech »

Merlin wrote:
Doodaddy wrote: Since the 32-20 and the 25-20 are handloaded why is it advantageous to shoot rather than the .357?

Yes, I know I am ignoring the crushing recoil of the downloaded 357.... :ymdevil:
(I'm reading this and wondering the same thing... 357 brass is cheap, downloaded it seems to last forever, large component selection and no recoil if downloaded for PC... I haven't done the math but am pretty sure I am into 357 for less then what 22mag cost to purchase....)

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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Post by Doodaddy »

cedestech wrote:
Merlin wrote:
Doodaddy wrote: Since the 32-20 and the 25-20 are handloaded why is it advantageous to shoot rather than the .357?

Yes, I know I am ignoring the crushing recoil of the downloaded 357.... :ymdevil:
(I'm reading this and wondering the same thing... 357 brass is cheap, downloaded it seems to last forever, large component selection and no recoil if downloaded for PC... I haven't done the math but am pretty sure I am into 357 for less then what 22mag cost to purchase....)

:)
Find me a Rossi .357 :ymhug: :ymhug:
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Re: Best Pistol Cartritge Rifle ? ?

Post by glen ring »

Tim

I have some 180 grain silhouette bullets I'll give you to load for Judy , if you want.I think they are Sierra and some Nosler TMJ.
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