Cartridge Cults

.41 Magnum - I had two years ago, an SW 57 and the SW 58. I sold them only because I needed the money. Just got a Ruger New Model Blackhawk 6 & 1/2" barrel .41 Magnum STILL PACKAGED in the original box and shipping box from the mid seventies (red and white) with papers and serial numbers of boxes matching! At Cabelas Gun Library. What a surprise! No scratches anywhere and still smelling of the packing grease. The old Walnut grips. I am excited.

.32 New Police (.32 SW Long) - Sometimes I prefer this over the common .38 Special in a nice revolver (Colt Cobra .32 NP compared with SW 36-10 .38):
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The .32 SW Long is pleasant and nice and accurate cartridge.

.44-40 - I prefer the .44-40 over the more popular .45 Long Colt; I find it to be more accurate for me (Colt's Frontier Six Shooter of recent make):
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7.62 Tokarev - In a VZ 52 next to the Cobra:
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It's a super speed .30 caliber in an auto action.

And, Lastly, the .32-20 in the Colt SAA 7 & 1/2" barrel. No pic but when I get pics of the Blackhawk I'll take pics of the .32-20 Colt as well.
The .32-20 is extremely extremely precise.
 
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I have most of the usual suspects, .22 LR, .38 Special, 9x19mm, .357 Magnum, and .45 ACP.

I also have guns chambered for .22 Short, .32 H&R Magnum, and .44 Special.

I enjoy the latter for range shooting a lot more than the former. I shoot mostly SSR in IDPA, and even though I shoot the very traditional .38 Special when doing so, I use my own cast bullet handloads with 200 grain RNs to do it. I actually got into bullet casting to being with so I could shoot 200 grain bullets in .38 Special without breaking the bank. Now I cast for just about everything I shoot.

I don't yet own anything chambered for .41 Magnum. However, I just bought myself a bullet mold, some brass, and a crimp die and shell holder for the .41. Now all I need is the rest of the die set and a Ruger Blackhawk so chambered and I'll be in business.

I think the .41 Special is a really neat concept. I'll love to see it available as a factory cartridge and chambered in a gun like the SP101. I don't expect it to happen, but I guess one never can tell. Then again, I also have dreams of a 5-shot SP101 with a slightly enlarged cylinder window chambered for .44 Special.

One thing I never worry about when buying a new gun is ammunition availability or cost. If the brass is around and someone makes a die set, I'm in business. Once I have brass it doesn't cost me any more to shoot .44 Special or .32 H&R Magnum than it does to shoot .38 Special or 9mm. Once I get my .41 Blackhawk I don't expect it to ever fire factory ammunition.

If one wants to be a cult cartridge shooter, one has to be a handloader (or filthy rich) to shoot in any volume.
 
.41 Remmington Magnum for me...............cause I don't know anybody else that has one.

Do my .22 Hornet or .358 Winchester count?
 
I don't know about this "cult" thing... I'm a rock-solid Baptist and so are my .38S&W, .44SPL, and .45AutoRims.
 
As a founding member of the 10mm cult I'd say with the reverence it holds with the members it is definatly a cult cartridge.
I also have love affairs with the 38 Super and 44 Special.
Also my admoration for the 10mm is such that I use the original 10mm (38wcf or 38-40 as it's better known) for cowboy action.
 
Cult

My favorite "odd" cartridge is the .38 S&W loaded as the .38/200.
Why? Dunno really; I just have a thing for heavy, slow moving bullets.
Like BP mortars also - heavy, slow moving projectiles.
I load BMG bullets into .50-70 cases and shoot them at 800-900 fps....Heavy and slow.
Go figure.
Pete
 
Maybe they are "Protestant" not "Cult" rounds, if it
makes you feel better about them.:rolleyes:

So, it seems the attraction is mainly because people just "want to be different" with the exception being the 10mm which has alot of real world merit.
 
Most of mine were already covered: 41 Magnum (the first Blackhawk was inexpensive with ammo dies holster), 7.62x25 (cause the write up on the CZ 52 said something about "unnecessarily powerful") and the 25-20 (cause it was my grandpa's also) reload for so I'm not stuck with factory prices.

But how about 244 Remington? NOT the same as the 6mm as it has a different twist and is more suited for varmits.
 
Interesting, I was cleaning up and ran across a copy of G&A from Feb. 2001 which has an article by Wiley Clapp on which rounds ought to or are likely to die out within the next few years. This was in Feb. 2001.

He lists the following semi rounds: The .25, .32acp and .380acp should be gone. 38 Super should be gone. 10mm will be gone.

For revolver rounds he names the following that should be gone: 32S&W long, 32H&R Magnum, 38 S&W, .41 Magnum should be gone. 45 Colt will be gone.

Of what he mentions the 25 and 32 stick around but maybe have fallen off a bit. The 380 has reached great heights, ammo manufacturers can't make enough of this stuff. The 38 Super has gained some in popularity, or at least the number of companies making quality ammo for it has increased quite a bit over the last decade, and more companies make guns in this caliber than 10 years ago. 10mm is still around hasn't lost much if anything.

The .41 sticks around I don't think it gained much but it ain't lost much either. The .45 Colt endures.

Personally I like the 38 Super and the .44 Spl. If all I had was guns in these two calibers I'd have all I need in handguns. Between them my bases would be covered. Well except I'd need a 22.

tipoc
 
I like 45 win mag and 10mm. I also have a bunch of NAA 450 Magnum Express brass ready to load if'n I ever find a NAA Magnum Eagle.
 
The .41 AE could have been the .40 S&W. After all, it was basically the same round and the same idea, and it pre-dates the .40 S&W. However, it suffered from several problems:

1- It used .410 cal bullets. All the bullets on the market for .410 were designed for .41 Magnum revolvers and therefore could produce some feeding problems.

2- The rebated rim design is somewhat odd and can contribute to less than reliable functioning.

3- The .41 AE suffered from a lot of the same problems that many early .40 S&W pistols did. It was basically a barrel and magazine swap, and the guns designed for 9mm didn't take to it well. Poor functioning and increased wear; pretty much exactly what we saw with early .40 S&W pistols which were nothing more than 9mm pistols with a larger breech face, .40 cal barrel, and a different magazine. One will note that in general guns designed from the ground up to be .40 S&W are more pleasant to shoot and more reliable than the converted 9mm pistols.

So yes, it could have been the .40 S&W, but it wasn't.
 
I'm in the 10mm sect currently. Absolutely great woods walker cartridge with everything you like in the .357 mag in a 15 round capacity gun.

I used to be a .44 special head, carrying a S&W 696 daily, until those guns became such a sought after item that I couldn't NOT sell it for $500 more than I paid for it. I'm toying with the idea of getting one of the new Ruger Blackhawks in that caliber, just so I have something to do with all my old brass.

I'm still there in spirit though. Most of my .44 mag shooting is done with 240 gr lead @1000 fps. Right in the keith .44 special band.
 
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I happen to think the .41 magnum is a useful cartridge and I once owned an S&W Model 58. But I also owned a 4" S&W Model 29, too (that was in my I-wanna-be-like-Elmer Keith days) and honestly, I couldn't tell the difference in the recoil between the two. I never used any particularly light loads in them. I also had two S&W .44 Specials, too, more or less for the same reason. But I don't consider any of them to be a cult cartridge.

The .45 ACP, especially in a Colt Government Model, is the biggest cult cartridge with the biggest cult following of any thing I can think of. I love them but just to be different, my .45 is a Ruger.

All Rugers are kind of cultish, too, come to think of it.
 
It's not a handgun cartridge, but I enjoy shooting .244. Unfortunately for Remington at the time, .243 was marketed a whole lot better. If they'd had the insight to go with the heavier bullets and tighter twist rates, I think it could have easily held its own against .243. I also like .22 Shorts. Get the low-velocity ones and the report is about like an air gun. Do either of those count?
 
I've got quite a few of the rounds mentioned.

357 SIG. Glock 31 and SIG 226. There is just something that draws me to this round.

10mm. Always wanted one and got a Kimber Eclipse in it. Also have a Witness in 10mm.

.41 Mag. Ruger Blackhawk. Don't remember why I bought it.

45 Gap. Springfield XD. Bought this before Springfield had a model available in 45 ACP.

454 Casull. Taurus Raging Bull. Wanted something that had serious power.

480 Ruger. Ruger Super Redhawk. Shot one at the range that a friend had and liked it, so.... another gun.

50AE. Desert Eagle. Just bought it for the sheer fun factor.
 
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