Efficient Cartridges are the Answer to Short Supplies

Are efficient cartridges still the best choice now that reloading supplies are scarce? Do you consider cartridge efficiency a factor in your firearm purchase? Photo: Massaro Media Group. Does cartridge efficiency weigh on your mind? Massaro Media GroupPhoto: Massaro Media GroupLooking at the above example, you will see that the.308 Winchester requires a powder charge between 37 and 38 grains on its low end. The.300 Winchester, on the other hand, will require somewhere between 58 and 80 grains for its top end. The.308 Winchester will deliver between 189 to 134 shots per pound of powder. The.300 Winchester Magnum will deliver between 120 to 87 shots per pound. This is a big advantage for target shooters who want to maximize their powder supply. The.300 Winchester Magnum will give between 120 and 87 shots per pound, while the.308 Magnum will improve the.308’s speed by 400 fps in certain instances. The.308’s velocity, which is in the 2,750-to 2,850-fps range when using the 165-grain cartridge, makes it a sound hunting choice. This velocity is not a handicap at most hunting distances. This velocity is not a handicap at all at most hunting distances. The.416 Rigby requires between 90 and 100 grams of powder to drive a 400gr bullet to its desired muzzle velocity. The smaller-cased Remington Magnum uses 70 to 80 grains of powder. However, this is not a problem. I have used the cartridge with full-house loads at 100 degrees plus temperatures without any pressure issues. The Remington’s powder efficiency and ability to fit slimmer cases into a rifle’s magazine were the main reasons I chose it over the Rigby. Massaro Media GroupThe Remington.22-250 Remington has been my favorite varmint/predator rifle, but it isn’t as efficient as the Remington.223 Remington. The.22250 Remington will have a much better velocity than the.223 Magnum by a significant amount. It will shoot at almost 500 fps with a 55 grain bullet, but the.223 Remington has a very usable velocity. Although 500 fps may seem like a fair trade-off, the fact that you can still shoot a.223, and get 70 more shots per pound with a 55-grain bullet, might make you reconsider your decision. The 7mm Remington Magnum is a popular hunting choice. From a handloader’s perspective, the cartridge is still inefficient in several ways. Firstly, the cartridge is overbore. This means that the case capacity compared with the bore diameter is so low that it may be a loss leader. The.280 delivers velocities that are within 100 fps of a larger 7mm Mag. and a shorter barrel length, depending on what load data you examine. You’ll see a 10-grain difference between the two cartridges, so the .280 Remington makes all kinds of sense, from an efficiency standpoint.Stretching Your PowderFor those who are unable to switch cartridges or simply have no desire to do so, there are some steps you can take to maximize accessible powder supplies.Generally speaking, with regard to rifle cases, the faster-burning powder choices within a given list of applicable powders for certain cartridges will require the least amount of powder. My.470 Nitro Express runs on powders with a charge weight between 103 and 120 grains to achieve the magical 2,150 fps muzzle velocity. Reloder 15 powder, which has a faster burn rate than the rest, provided good data. It uses a range between 87 to 90 grains of charge weights. It needs a foam wad to compress the load for uniform velocity. I like IMR4350 in.30-06 Springfield, but IMR4064 is better. Reloder 22 in the.270 Winchester is a great choice. However, IMR4064 and IMR4166 might get more mileage. The.38 Special will propel a 158-grain, cast-lead bullet to 930 fps using just 3.8 grains. The.45 Colt will send the 250 grain slugs to just under 900 fps in my Ruger BlackHawk. I’m optimistic that the supply shortage will ease up in the future, but the lesson has been learnt. Reloaders need to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their supplies. This is the lesson we have learned. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be found in MOA. Perfect for long-range shooting! Get free targets