Companion Handgun Cartridge

[Sneakshot92]

Ok. Time for another thread.
I laid down money on an ENCORE pistol in 357/44 B&D (not sure how to link the thread), but anyway. While the wheels are turning I might as well see what you all think would be a nice small cartridge to have a barrel in to complete the package. The idea here is a centerfire small bore to take care of small rodents/varmints and up to (however unlikely) 100yd coyote without changing over to a rifle barrel.

First thing that came to mind for me was the 218 Bee Or 22 K Hornet.

How about it?

*I posted this here because I figured my fellow reloaders would have a better idea of what works better in the shorter barrel lengths. If not the admins can feel free to relocate it to the general handgun section.*

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

A 223 would work well

 

[FROGO207]

I have a couple 22 Hornets and brass life is not so great. If you were to get a 223 barrel then you have readily available brass that you can load with Hornet specific bullets and low pressure Hornet loads or use the regular 223 bullets and be able to utilize the full power of the round. Or anything in between. Makes the most sense to me.

ETA: If I had owned the two 223 Handi Rifles before I owned my first Hornet I would not have bothered with a Hornet. Either of the two you mention the brass is expensive and the case necks are prone to splitting at max loads after a couple reloads. The 223 brass will hardly notice that pressure. Just my thoughts.

 

[troy fairweather]

Maybe 256winmag a 222or 223 would be nice to.

 

[DocRock]

222 Rem. Perfect small bore.

 

[Random 8]

.223 would be the easy answer. A do-all workhorse, cheap (free) brass, plenty of power for longer shooting, can be downloaded relatively efficiently to .22 hornet velocities with Unique or other medium speed pistol powders.

If you want something odd for the sake of being odd, .221 fireball, 5.45x39, .22PPC, .219 Wasp, in an encore with a custom barrel, most any obsolete or wildcat cartridge is on the table.

 

[cfullgraf]

Case life with 22 Hornet is short. I have a 22 Hornet Contender carbine and it is the only rifle cartridge that I neck size for. That helps extend the case life a bit, but case head separation still occurs after a few reloadings.

My suggestion would be 221 Remington Fireball. A bit more zip than 22 Hornet, less report than 223 Remington.

I also have a 221 Rem Fireball Contender carbine barrel from Bullberry.

 

[.308 Norma]

218 Bee Or 22 K Hornet.

They're both kind of classic (I'd get the Bee) and I think either would be fun. But then again, I like loading for cartridges that are not quite mainstream. If I was in your shoes, and I was just going for "useful" and easy to get ammo for, I'd get a companion barrel in .223.

 

[Sneakshot92]

I did kick around the idea of a 25-20 but those pesky 25 caliber bullets.

 

[Sneakshot92]

I like loading for cartridges that are not quite mainstream.

As do I. I've got a bit of a soft spot for classic cartridges that have become underrated oddballs. Call it an appreciation for the (mostly) forgotten cartridge wonders.

 

[Sneakshot92]

If you want something odd for the sake of being odd, .221 fireball, 5.45x39, .22PPC, .219 Wasp, in an encore with a custom barrel, most any obsolete or wildcat cartridge is on the table.

If i could find dies maybe a 22 spitfire would be a neat one to try. I do have access to a nearly endless supply of once fired 30 carbine brass. Or maybe a 5.7x28.

 

[Random 8]

Well, now that I know you like weird...you can get a TC barrel in 25x45 Sharps from match grade machine as a standard chambering. They also have .22 Vartarg Turbo...gotta love the name. And I do think 5.7x28 (already factory loaded with a nifty V-max bullet) or .22 TCM would be a good fit for your purpose.

 

[Sneakshot92]

Well, now that I know you like weird...you can get a TC barrel in 25x45 Sharps from match grade machine as a standard chambering. They also have .22 Vartarg Turbo...gotta love the name. And I do think 5.7x28 (already factory loaded with a nifty V-max bullet) or .22 TCM would be a good fit for your purpose.

I don't know if weird is the word I'd use but it works.

 

[Gumby0961]

221 FB all the way my favorite

 

[DocRock]

Well, now that I know you like weird...you can get a TC barrel in 25x45 Sharps from match grade machine as a standard chambering. They also have .22 Vartarg Turbo...gotta love the name. And I do think 5.7x28 (already factory loaded with a nifty V-max bullet) or .22 TCM would be a good fit for your purpose.

The 22 VTT is a very cool cartridge and would definitely be my choice for a custom varmint rifle.

 

[Sneakshot92]

The 22 VTT is a very cool cartridge and would definitely be my choice for a custom varmint rifle.

I already have a suitable varmint rifle but the 28 inch bull barrel is not handy when I'm looking for an easy carry in the backcountry. Hence the Pistol configuration.

 

[DocRock]

I already have a suitable varmint rifle but the 28 inch bull barrel is not handy when I'm looking for an easy carry in the backcountry. Hence the Pistol configuration.

The great thing about the 20 and 22 VTT is, based on the 222 case, there's not a lot of powder behind them and a 14" barrel will get full combustion if not absolute velocity.

 

[troy fairweather]

Could go all out a make a 17bmg and have the first particle accelerator in WI lol.

 

[Sneakshot92]

Could go all out a make a 17bmg and have the first particle accelerator in WI lol.

I'm pretty sure I'd have one gawd-awful expensive 22 birdshot equivalent. Them itty bitty buwwits caint stand that kinda speed. Unless I got a stupid slow twist rate. Something like one in 10 feet. Lmao.
17 cal howitzer!!!!!

 

[GarrettJ]

I’ve got a 12” .221 Fireball that works pretty well. T/C does slower twists in their barrels, so it does best with bullets in the 40-45 gr. weight class.

I tried some 36 gr. Varmint Grenades, but they are longer than some others, so they aren’t stable in my barrel (but they do great in my .223 T/C rifle barrel with the same 1:12 twist.

But I’ve come to the conclusion that if I’m shooting a small diameter case in the Contender, it’s a lot easier to pluck the empties out if it’s a rimmed case vs. a rimless. I’m thinking something like a .218 Bee, .25-20, or one of the revolver .32 cartridges (.32 S&W, H&R, .327 Fed) would be a good choice.

 

[Sneakshot92]

I’ve got a 12” .221 Fireball that works pretty well. T/C does slower twists in their barrels, so it does best with bullets in the 40-45 gr. weight class.

I tried some 36 gr. Varmint Grenades, but they are longer than some others, so they aren’t stable in my barrel (but they do great in my .223 T/C rifle barrel with the same 1:12 twist.

But I’ve come to the conclusion that if I’m shooting a small diameter case in the Contender, it’s a lot easier to pluck the empties out if it’s a rimmed case vs. a rimless. I’m thinking something like a .218 Bee, .25-20, or one of the revolver .32 cartridges (.32 S&W, H&R, .327 Fed) would be a good choice.

The 256 win mag is a neat little cartridge in my book, but I don't know about necking it to accept 22 caliber bullets. I don't know if such a round was ever made.

 

[Armored farmer]

Ok. Time for another thread.
I laid down money on an Encore pistol in 357/44 B&D (not sure how to link the thread), but anyway. While the wheels are turning I might as well see what you all think would be a nice small cartridge to have a barrel in to complete the package. The idea here is a centerfire small bore to take care of small rodents/varmints and up to (however unlikely) 100yd coyote without changing over to a rifle barrel.

First thing that came to mind for me was the 218 Bee Or 22 K Hornet.

How about it?

*I posted this here because I figured my fellow reloaders would have a better idea of what works better in the shorter barrel lengths. If not the admins can feel free to relocate it to the general handgun section.*

Excellent thread and I like the premise of a longer range handgun for woods carry. I have been kicking around the idea of a scoped single six hunter in .22mag, but I like your idea of the Contender! .223 is a great varmint/ coyote caliber. I could also go .44mag or .45colt barrel and be deer legal here in my state.
Excellent food for thought! Thanks!

 

[Sneakshot92]

Excellent thread and I like the premise of a longer range handgun for woods carry. I have been kicking around the idea of a scoped single six hunter in .22mag, but I like your idea of the Contender! .223 is a great varmint/ coyote caliber. I could also go .44mag or .45colt barrel and be deer legal here in my state.
Excellent food for thought! Thanks!

The things we do for one nice do-(almost) all setup. One big bore barrel for medium/large game and an easy to swap over to barrel for the smaller to medium stuff.
Btw. I was looking at some data for the .224 Valkyrie. It looks very promising to adapt to a 12-14 inch barrel. Maybe even a 10 inch with the right bullet.

 

[Dudedog]

I would say .223.
As noted, cheap/free brass.
Never tried to but I would imagine you could download to .22 K Hornet vels, and have a lot more on top if you wanted it.

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Excellent thread and I like the premise of a longer range handgun for woods carry. I have been kicking around the idea of a scoped single six hunter in .22mag, but I like your idea of the Contender! .223 is a great varmint/ coyote caliber. I could also go .44mag or .45colt barrel and be deer legal here in my state.
Excellent food for thought! Thanks!

A 357 Max would would work at longer range too and be legal for Deer so would a 300 black out or wispier