Who loads for the most obscure caliber? I know there has to be some crazies on this board, like myself, who load for some really offbeat cartridges.

I load for the 350 African Express, a 35 caliber rifle that falls about a third of the way between the 358 Norma Mag and the 358 STA.

Anyone else?

RobertD

How about the .360 Nitro Express 2 1/4"?? AKA 9.3 x 57 R. Or as it says on my old Sauer Stalker rifle, .360 x 57 R.

The 219 Improved Zipper that I have had for over 40 years cannot be fireformed as the brass splits. Thus I must make new cases from larger brass or modify .225 Winchesters.

The chamber is the 28 degree RCBS version which is a much better idea when one needs to form brass than the 40 degree Kilbourn's.

Thus to this rifle a 219 Zipper cartridge is quite obscure when one can't use it.

70 cal Pinfire Howda
Is that obscure enough?

I load a 416 Howell. I don't think there are more than 100 rifles chambered in this great round. (But that is just a guess and I could be way off.)

I reload for 219 Donaldson wasp (Renmington Rolling Block) and 6.5X257 for a rechambered Type 38, 7.7X58 for a Type 39, 6.5X50 for a Contender.

I can't beat the Howda. The oddest I have is a 9.5x57 Mannlicher-Schoenauer AKA .375 Rimless Nitro Express x 2-1/4". I also load and shoot the 41 Long Colt, but it is downright commonplace compared to the 9.5x57.

I ultimately sold the rifle but I used to make my own cases and reload for a rifle called the "7.62x38mm Jackrabbit." At the time, it was the only one in the world because I designed the cartridge and had my smith build it for me.

After I subsequently sold the rifle to fund another crazy project, my smith told me a fellow came into his shop and told him all about this "neat little rifle" and asked if he could build it.

Naturally my gunsmith frield allowed that since he built the first and only one...he could probably still build a second one.

So far as I know, there may never have been but the TWO such rifles ever made.

But this may be kinda cheating the intent of the question.

7X41,7.62X41,9X41. .375X41, .358X.404 IMP., 8mmX.404X2.5.Not only obscure but the only ones in existance. roger

How about a .240 Page Souper Pooper. No lie, it's listed in Cartridges Of The World. Bill T.

I have had so many wildcats in my early years that I can't even remember some of them...Today about the most obscure set of dies I own is a a set of 450-400-3" dies necked up to take .416 bullets. I made a double rifle once in this caliber off a Browning BSS....I was taking double rifle making lessons from Rick Stickley at the time of this endevor, sorta...still have the dies, sold the rifle. I also have a set of 10.75x68 dies along with about 10 boxes of old Kynoch loaded ammo...but sold that rifle too. I still shoot a 9.3x62, and a 6x45...thats abou it for me.

Pages pooper and super pooper along with Huntington's Rock Chucker are obscure today for sure. Both Warren and Fred were proponents of the 6mm. and are to some degree responsible for the .243 and the .244 (6mm). They were class act wildcaters in the 40s and 50s. roger

When I was a kid I built a rifle on a Herters Mauser action, but I wanted a 25-06 which was a wildcat at the time, and you couldn't get a barreled action, so I bought a bbl and action separately and screwed them togather myself. What I didn't know was chambered barrels are short chambered and you are supposed to run a finishing reamer in them when you're done.

When the std 25-06 wouldn't fit the chamber when I screwed bbl on the action, I ground the bottom off my die and used it that way. Worked fine, had to shorten the cases some and trim them, but what I ended up with was a cartridge 1/2 way between the 257R. and the 25-06. I called it my 25x60. Killed some critters with it, but I got bored with it, and had to have the chamber finished out to 25-06 before I could sell it.

How about a 25/10 REX. Previous owner pased away and I wound up with it. He used to make a living handloading back in the 80's under the name "Cadre". The company that made the dies said they had never seen one before, or since.

Simdow

Saw one the other day, a 338BR. A 22BR or 6mmBR case necked up to 338. The fellow was shooting 300 grain boattail bullets that were longer then the case. Looking down the barrel it looked more like a corkscrew then a rifling!

How about a 44/45LC Eargersplitten Loudenboomer. That's a cartridge formed when you fire a 44 Mag in a 45 Long Colt by mistake!

Anybody else shoot a .303 Canadian Epps Belted Magnum?

This is great stuff. There are some really obscure cartridges out there still being used!!!

Son of a Gun: I didn't know Newton made a 22. What is it like? Is it more like a 223 or a 220 Swift?

RobertD

Oh, I could tell, but how 'bout we make this a test and see if anybody knows.



Anybody?



And hey! Spell my name right.

How about a 17-225 or 17-22/250... in a Marlin 336 (ex-35 Rem)?

do shoot straight,
greg
www.gmdr.com

It's a kinda, sorta .22 Hi-Power on steroids. Shortened .30-06 case necked down to take .228 diameter bullets 'cause it was developed long before .224 bullets were common.