Ultimate barrel

[HEAD0001]

I would like to put out a scenario, and hear what cartridge you think would be the ultimate cartridge for what I describe.

Here are the parameters:

1. Contender Barrel
2. 10" only. Definitely 10" only
3. Range of 150 yards
4. Cast bullets only
5. minimum recoil
6. Enough energy to take a turkey, ground hog, raccoon, or coyote to 150 yards
7. Scoped barrel
8. Reloading or some case forming is no problem

This is not for fun. I am going to put one together. I already have a 10" 45 Colt barrel and a 22 LR Match barrel. And I am looking for one more. Both barrels I have now are open sighted barrels. I want one with a scope. Thanks, Tom.

[stubshaft]

22 Hornet or K-Hornet maybe a 256 mag. but boolits may be a problem.

[41magfan]

Another vote for the hornet

[Artful]

well .256 or 22 hornet will definately give you reduced recoil if you wanted faster you could use .221 fireball another choice would be 25-20 or 327 HR mag.

- but when I looked at similar requirements, I went looking for the 30 carbine barrel for my choice, cause cast 30 cal molds are easy to find from 70-250 grain weight and with a 1:10 twist barrel, I can even load up the heavier ones subsonic to have a whole lot of fun using a 9mm suppressor on it. And you have sabot's from 30 cal to use 22 bullets if you really wanted that small a bullet.

0ther calibers 7.62x25 (30 Mauser) if you wanted surplus ammo availability or .32-20 would be another choice but I already am set to load 30 carbine.
Two most common calibers for bullet molds on the smaller end would be 30 and 35 - so my other choice would be a common 35 caliber like 9mm, it would have least recoil but 38/.357 mag/.357 max family are much easier to load for. But of course the heavier the bullet weight and the more powder the more recoil.

And while I have tried 256 and 221 fireball, I have found casting those itty bitty boolits to be a pain.

OH, here's some reading for ya.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=65285
http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt30carb.htm
http://www.castpics.net/memberarticles/Cast%20in%20the%20.30%20Carbine%20Pistol.htm
http://www.castpics.net/memberarticles/Cast%20in%20the%20M1%20Carbine.htm

[Southern Son]

I don't have a great deal of experience with stuff like this, I have a TS Contender in 7mmTCU and I love it, but I have thought that a 32/20 in a .30 cal barrel (I think TC do this already). 32/20 cases are easy and cheap to get and .30 cal moulds are plentiful. I wish that I could say that this is my idea, but I read it somewhere on this site.

[44man]

7mm TCU would be perfect. Very, very accurate.

[felix]

Ditto....7mm TCU ... felix

[475BH]

.223 Remington
cheap brass, lots of bullet choices (you could buy a custom barrel w/ a fast twist), low recoil, small powder charges, 1 pound of lead makes lots of bullets @ 45 grains a piece,

[felix]

475BH, did you not know that the TCU family cartridges are nothing but 223 based? 22s are too sensitive for game within typical hunting ambients, especially when shot from pistols. ... felix

[82nd airborne]

6tcu, .257 Kimber, 7tcu, .300 whisper/BLK, .357 Max, .30-30, and the list goes on....

[scrapcan]

I am with 82nd,

just get yourself a 30-30 barrel. It is not glamorous, it is probably not sexy, but it will do what you want it to. Dies are available, brass is available, moulds are available, factory ammo is available(today anyway).

And you might be able to get a barrel cheap as it is not glamorous or sexy.

are you limiting to 10 inch due to existing holsters or another reason? a 14 inch 30-30 is alot of fun and can use 100 gr to much heavier bullets. You choose how much you want your wrist to hurt.

[missionary5155]

GreetingI would consider the 7.62 X 39. But in a real 308 barrel. Shorter brass and with a 110 or 125 grainer with 5 grains Unique it hardly pops but under 30 yards is bad news on small critters. Move up to a 135 grainer ay 1350 fps and mr yapper is easy game at 150 yards with a scope and if you can hold it steady out in the bushes. Recoil is no more than a 357 mag with the same boolit weight and far better balistics. The mold availability is stagering.
Having owned the 7TCU in both 14 " and 10 " that is one round that would be hard to beat. the 145 grainers shot like lazers. I would practice trying to head shoot the turkeys (150 meters) and the pistol would do it.. the shooter was not perfect.
Those would be my #1 & #2 choices

[Geraldo]

For standard calibers, .223 or .30-30. In wildcats 7mmTCU, .30 Bellm, .300 BLK.

I'll second the question on limiting barrel length. What's up with that?

[HEAD0001]

Barrel length is 10" for a few reasons. But yes-holster length is one. I have a custom holster built that uses a 10" barrel. The holster is a perfect length. I do all my hunting off my Kawasaki Mule and the holster hangs perfectly, and hits nothing. Just two more inches of holster length would hang too low, and bang on lots of things. 10" barrel length just works out perfectly for me.

I have thought a good bit about the 32-20. I have also considered a 30-30. I do have a 30 carbine in an Encore rifle barrel. My GF hunts with that. But a shorter barrel would be nice.

I was just thinking 30 caliber or above because the bullets that are smaller are harder for me to cast with good accuracy??

I like all the different ideas. Now I can watch for a good used barrel, and pick one up when I see it. That is how I buy all my Encore and Contender barrels. I can't believe how much people change around.

I have even considered a 357 Max. But that recoil might be a bit more than I want. For varminting I really want to keep the recoil down. I wonder what that recoil would be like in a 32-20??

I have also thought about the 25-20. How hard is the 25 caliber bullet to cast?? Tom.

[DragoonDrake]

I don't know about the 25 cals, but .243 is not bad and the 7mm's are easy too. The 6mm TCU and 7mm TCU get my vote. My 7 is deadly accurate with the rcbs 145-SIL mold. There is not that much recoil but there is a lot of muzzle blast using bl-c2. I have shot, though not extensively, a 10'' 30-30 and was not overly impressed; the 14'' shoots and handles a little better.

I have only recently picked up and started reloading for a 10'' 22 hornet. I find casting those little buggers takes some time and patience (sp?). To really get them to shoot accurate you have to go over the 22's with a magnifying glass and weight sort them all.

I hope that helps some.
Adam

[scb]

I use my 30/30 barrel for everything you describe. 311465s, 31440,s and 311284 all shoot real well with 10 gr. Unique for minimal recoil and of course you can load'm hotter.

[Artful]

I have also thought about the 25-20. How hard is the 25 caliber bullet to cast?? Tom.


I find casting those little buggers takes some time and patience (sp?). To really get them to shoot accurate you have to go over the 22's with a magnifying glass and weight sort them all.

I hope that helps some.
Adam

I found that same issue with 25's once I got up to .30 they seemed to get way less picky and you didn't have to spend as much TLC to get good boolits.

.30-30 or 7.62x39 are about equivalent preformance wise but the more powder the more recoil, if you included deer I would have gone that large but if your stopping at 'yote size I don't think you need the extra power.

[timkelley]

I think my 30 Herrett would do what you want.

[Tom W.]

30/30 a.i.

[leadman]

I have had many, many contender barrels. In your situation a 300 Whisper or the 30-30 would work well. Both can be loaded down with lightweight bullets or up with heavier.
The 30-30 would provide more velocity on the top end.
I have taken deer with the 300 Whisper with, gasp, a 125gr Ballistic Tip at 2050fps. The 30-30 would be faster, but in a 10 inch it would be really loud.
I have shot cast bullets down to about 900 fps in the 30-30 with no issues.

[bhn22]

I think your best choices are the 30-30 or .357 Max, too. One that may interest you is an old IHMSA caliber, the 7mm Super Mag. It's nothing more than a .357 Max, necked down to 7mm. A sort of rimmed 7mm Whisper precursor. For that matter, a 7-30 Waters would be pretty neat too, but recoil might be a bit brisk, as it would be with the 30-30.

[aaalaska]

Given the list you posted ,I'd go with the 30/30, or a35cal 35 rem 357max.30 cal and above just seem less picky with cast. I have rolled groundhogs out past 100 yrd with the 10 in 44 mag ,and cast.Don't know how far that one would be good for, haven't been in groundhog country since I scoped that one. But would thik it would do the job out to150+.
Alex

[NVScouter]

The 6mm/25/7mm TCUs

30 or 357 Herrett since they were designed specificly for 10"barrels.

My casting experience makes me lean to .30+ for all my casting these days. I get too many rejects in my 22 and 25 moulds to make it really worth it. I kow lots of people here are better but I've only been casting a couple years.

That and you said coyotes. I've blow off legs, broken spines, etc. and had them still need to be tracked. A good 150g cast hollow point works great here.

I shoot my 357 Herrett to 200 regularly with jacketed, plated and cast. They all shoot about the same.

[bearcove]

35 rem is a good choice if cast is priority. All those pistol and rifle molds available.

The herrets are great but brass is a bit of work to form.

[Dark Helmet]

30 Reese

[firefly1957]

I think you would be happy with a 300 Savage chamber with a bullet that you would not seat past case neck. Regardless of caliber you might read about and consider a paper patched bullet.

[NVScouter]

35 rem is a good choice if cast is priority. All those pistol and rifle molds available.

The herrets are great but brass is a bit of work to form.

I would say the 357 Herrett over the 35 REM soley because you want a 10" barrel. If it was a 14 I'd get the 35 Rem. The 35 Rem in a 10" will give you incomplete powder burn but brass is easier for sure.

[bearcove]

I had a 10" 357 Herrett, It was a good shooter but a handfull. Big boom. My 10 in 7TCU seemed like a 22 in comparison. East to make brass too.

[Artful]

You guys all seem to want to give him big boomers. remember what Tom said...


I would like to put out a scenario, and hear what cartridge you think would be the ultimate cartridge for what I describe.

Here are the parameters:

1. Contender Barrel
2. 10" only. Definitely 10" only
3. Range of 150 yards
4. Cast bullets only
5. minimum recoil
6. Enough energy to take a turkey, ground hog, raccoon, or coyote to 150 yards
7. Scoped barrel
8. Reloading or some case forming is no problem

This is not for fun. I am going to put one together. I already have a 10" 45 Colt barrel and a 22 LR Match barrel. And I am looking for one more. Both barrels I have now are open sighted barrels. I want one with a scope. Thanks, Tom.
__________________
WEST BY GOD VIRGINIA

HEAD0001

so least powder for speed required.

so 300 whisper or 7.62x39 over 30-30 as uses less powder - 30 carbine over 300 whisper if goes fast enough for ya, as uses less powder so less recoil.

Doesn't take much energy to kill a turkey, ground hog, raccoon, or coyote at 150 yards but you want to use a cast bullet with some speed.

[7br]

Hmm. I love my 22hornet, but would probably step up to .32-20 for the coyotes. Don't have much use for yotes, but if I am going to put something down, I want it to go down as fast as possible.

[45r]

I like my 12 inch 357max alot shooting 185GC and 215GC boolits,real accurate,low recoil and easy to work with the straight case.Haven't tried my 200PB boolits yet but I bet they will shoot fine with RE-7.It shoots under an inch at 60 yards with several loads and powders.My 7-tcu is the most accurate with 1 inch groups at a 100 but I use J-words in it.If you want to spend some bucks try out SSK's 40/44 JDJ.It can shoot a 200 grain XTP close to 2000fps out of a 10 inch barrel and is made from 44mag brass.Its a handfull in the recoil department but performance is very good.