Cartridge Cults

E

EdInk

New member
Anyone here a members/followers/believers/owners of any "cult" cartridges?
(e.g. ANY flavor of .41 or .50, .44automag, .45gap, .38s&w, 45schofield, 475Linebaugh, 480Ruger, etc)

I was just curious why you like them and if you think the offer any significant advantages over the more mainstream stuff?

Also, why do you think the round never caught on/fell out of popularity?

Thanks and I would like for this not to turn into flame thread.

-EdInk

P.S. I think 357sig and 10mm are more NICHE than CULT but feel free to
discuss them too.
 
I sort of think that "cult" throws a sort of label of stupidity over people who use the cult cartridges, and if they have a rational, logical reason, that reason is lost.

If I was to buy into a large bore magnum handgun, what would I buy? I'd buy a .41. Why? For starters, because I have no intention of grizzly hunting with it, or so forth. I don't want and don't need a .44 magnum. I would be using pantywaist loads in my .44 magnum with light bullets, and wasting all that potential destructive power.

But, If I bought a .41, I could use equal bullet weights, driven to equal velocities. I would not be using sissy .44 magnum loads that would surrender penetration and wounding power, I would be using bullets that would penetrate deeper and provide far greater tissue damage at equal weights and velocities because of improved sectional density.

There was a reason the .41 magnum was created. People now don't care for that reason. They don't want an intermediate cartridge between .357 and .44, they choose either to get a 44 magnum and load specials, or buy a .45 colt. Neither of those choices are inherently better than a .41 magnum, in fact, they are probably inferior in some aspects.

I believe that the existence and popularity of a .40 caliber round in semiauto format shows that the intermediate bore is of actual value. The problems with carrying .45 ACP and benefits of the 40 caliber dual stack magazines are the reason for the .40 cartridge. There were no obvious and overwhelming negatives to the .44 magnum, and no clear benefits to the .41 magnum, so shooters every day just bypass the 41 and get 44 or 45 revolvers.
 
I invoke 10mm Auto gods every morning when lighting up the incense sticks in the altar around box of 10mm Auto and praying to 10mm gods to provide me with accuracy, speed, power and an abundance of components for reloading sabbath later in the day.
 
44 Special....

I have a sub nose revolver that has the delivery of a brick though a plate glass window....

I like big, wide bullets. It is still popular around my house!
 
I like the .41 Magnum.

Why?

Beats me. I just do.

I like the .44 Special.

Why?

Beats me. I just do.
Click to expand...

+1. Both are handloader's dreams and their full potentials can only be realized with proper handloads. I also like the .41 special concept.
 
Just FWIW I don't consider the .475+ cartridges as 'cult' rounds because they actually have utility beyond their commonly-available predecessors.

To answer your question, I lean on the established offerings myself.
 
i have definitely liked the .50 GI since it came out and i hope to own one someday. I dont really know why, it just seems like a .45 with a little more 'man' behind it.
 
I don't know if I would call them "cult" cartridges

But I have .357AMP, .44AMP, and .45 Win Mag, that would probably fit on your list.

I like them because of the guns they came in, along with the performance they offer.

Advantages over "mainstream" cartridges? The only two I can think of are the guns they are in, and the fact that nobody else will try to borrow your ammo!:D

I have a fondness for magnum auto pistols, and while there are some in "standard" calibers, the ones in "cult" calibers appeal to me more, generally. I have a Desert Eagle in .44 Mag, and I have had them in .357. I have a Coonan in .357, and had an LAR Grizzly in .44 Mag.

The Coonan is nice, and while the Desert Eagle has advantages, its size, weight, massive grip size (larger than other magnum autos), and stock fixed sights make it my least favorite. Also the fact that one must always use jacketed bullets don't help.

I got rid of my Grizzly in .44 Mag, replaced it with one in .45 Win Mag. I just like it better.

I am a dedicated handloader, so availability of factory ammo isn't a high priority for me, as long as I can get brass, or make it.

So, I'm a fan of some "cult" cartridges, and I can do anything with them you can do with the more popular ones, except buy them at Walmart.:D
 
So, I'm a fan of some "cult" cartridges, and I can do anything with them you can do with the more popular ones, except buy them at Walmart.
Click to expand...

And why anyone would want to do that is beyond me. :barf:
 
I was just curious why you like them and if you think the offer any significant advantages over the more mainstream stuff?
Click to expand...

Me, I like to 10mm, .41 Mag and .44 Special. Why? Because I like less mainstream stuff.

Advantage, well 10mm you really don’t need to ask that, 1275 fps 722 ft/lbs in a high cap auto . The .41 and .44, well the .41 close to .44 mag power but less recoil. .44 Speical, it is just so darn cute.
 
25-20, why? Well it was Great Grandpa's gun and it aint leaving the family. Point 2 is if I have a gun I am going to shoot that gun so.........I am the worlds biggest pain in the uh huh to my dealer because I know he has a 25-20 and ammo for it but he doesn't want to sell the ammo he has. It's one of those calibers I always look for and if I see a box it's leaving the store with me. Most boxes look like they have been around for 40 years and sometimes I pay original price. On the other hand sometimes I pay out the nose but if its there I gotta have it.
 
I'm a 10mm fan. For handloaders, it's probably the most versatile round for which conventional pistols are chambered. I have a Delta Elite now, and a Bren Ten on order.
I used to have two revolvers chambered in .44-40, which for a cowboy might not be unusual, but I'm no cowboy. I was already handloading for an old Colt Frontier Six Shooter, and decided I wanted a "modern revolver", but didn't want to add another caliber, so got a S&W commemorative in the same caliber. The Smith got sold, so maybe my membership in the .44-40 Cult has been revoked?
 
I'm not really sure I'd categorize the 10mm as a "cult" gun. It's fairly common (comparatively speaking) to cartridges like the 9x23, .41AE, etc.. Even compared to the 38Super and .45GAP, it's still much easier to find a wider assortment of 10mm on the shelf these days than these other calibers.
 
.350 Remington Magnum.

A short action round that fitted in a .308 length action 30 years ahead of it's time. It was designed at the request of Alaskan bear guides. It's still the go-to rifle for Coastal Alaskan bear guides, but very hard to find nowadays.

275 yard MPBR with 180 grain slugs, and something close to 250 yards with 250 grain slugs. I haven't tested it with 300 grain slugs, but plan on doing so. The real beauty is that it's housed in a .308 length carbine for the guy that has to root a wounded bear of out of brush. Excellent moose gun as well. It will authoritatively flatten any game in north America, and without the violent recoil of true magnum cartridges.

If you have an old .350 Rem Mag in a model 660 or 600 carbine, put an add in the Anchorage paper and you'll create a mini-frenzy of guides who want it. You'll get double what you could hope to get in the lower 48 - they are highly thought of in this part of the world.

I had mine built by the Remington custom shop on a model 7 action about ten years ago - one of the best buys I ever made! I had wanted one since I was a kid in Michigan and flattened a buck with a somebodies borrowed 350. It was impressive then, and still is today on much bigger game.

Munit04.jpg
 
There is no such thing as a "cult cartridge" if you're a handloader.

For me, .17 Rem is as easy to load as .223, so there's no advantage in availability or price one way or the other.

.32 H&R mag is just as easy to load as .38 special, so there's no advantage either way on that one in availability or price.

I do shoot a few cartridges that might seem "rare" to others, but since I load my own I don't see them as "cult cartridges". They're what I want to shoot, so I shoot them.

Daryl
 
Does 7.62x25 count?

If you can find it, and the gunshop owner isn't a jerk (I have seen 16 round packs for $8 :rolleyes:), milsurp ammo is super cheap. Modern commercial ammo is ~$20 as box, maybe a little more or less depending on type and gunshop.

Also, it's a heck of a lot of fun to shoot. It's almost as loud as a .357 mag, and the muzzle flash is very impressive.

FMJ's have VERY impressive penetration, and JHP performance is acceptable. The .223 Timbs, which is a 50 grain bullet in a sabot that gets ~2000 fps, is at least comparable to the 5.7x28.

It never caught on for several reasons. For decades, the only available pistol for it was the Tokarev. The CZ52 is a fairly recent import. Both pistols are single stack, low capacity, single action, very unusual looking, and rather quirky. The Colefire Magnum is a brand new "pistol".

The cartridge is also generally unsuitable for a modern semiautomatic pistol.

The first aspect is that the overall length of the cartridge is rather long. It's just a hair longer than a 10mm Auto cartridge or .38 Super. I don't know if it's close enough to fit in one of their frames or magazines, but it's very close. At any rate, either of those cartridges aren't very popular anyways. It very well might require a dedicated frame and magazine, which is less economical from a manufacturer's standpoint when other calibers can share frames and magazines.

The other part is that I suspect handgun manufacturers don't really want to deal with a general public that may not be aware of the specific maintenance requirements imposed by corrosive ammo. Also, these days, it may also be preferable to simply introduce a brand new cartridge instead.
 
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