Nearly twenty years ago, Smith & Wesson introduced their huge new X-frame double-action revolver along with the 500 S&W cartridge. Hornady loaded the first 500 S&W ammunition, sending a 350 grain hollow-point XTP bullet at an advertised 1900 fps! We recently tested some 500 S&W ammunition handloaded with the 350 grain Berry’s plated flat nose […]
Tag: Revolver
500 S&W Reloading Without Breaking the Bank!
Big guns, big bullets, big smiles — handloading with Berry’s plated bullets means your costs don’t have to be. Disclaimer Ultimate Reloader LLC / Making with Metal Disclaimer: (by reading this article and/or watching video content you accept these terms). The content on this website (including videos, articles, ammunition reloading data, technical articles, gunsmithing and […]
TESTED: 357 Magnum Hornady 140 grain FTX Bullets
The 357 magnum cartridge has been around for a rather long time. It was developed in the 1930’s by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and Douglas B. Wesson. This group intended to make a high-velocity revolver cartridge which could pierce automobile bodies and early ballistic vests. The 357 magnum has since established a good track […]
TESTED: Henry Big Boy All-Weather (357 Magnum)
After reviewing Henry’s X-model 30-30 rifle, we found ourselves eagerly awaiting the delivery of another Henry lever action. In the past year, we’ve taken a closer look at the 45-70 and 30-30 cartridges. The crew here at Ultimate Reloader is quite taken by lever action rifles, as are all our visitors! Henry recently shipped us […]
Bear Hunting A-Z
Have you ever been bear hunting? Both Gavin and I have successfully taken bears. There’s something about a bear that adds a little spice to a hunt, perhaps it’s knowing they can be dangerous. I thoroughly enjoy bear hunting. It can be challenging, any adult bear is generally a trophy worth taking, the meat can […]
TESTED: Hodgdon’s CFE Pistol Smokeless Powder
If you’re looking for a versatile powder for revolvers or semi-auto handguns, CFE Pistol certainly deserves your attention. That’s the powder that’s front and center in this story! Disclaimer Ultimate Reloader LLC / Making with Metal Disclaimer: (by reading this article and/or watching video content you accept these terms). The content on this website (including […]
A Tour of the UR Revolver Collection
I really enjoy revolvers. I enjoy looking at them, taking care of them, loading ammunition for them, shooting them, and just generally appreciating them! So I thought it would be fun to share with you all my collection of Smith and Wesson revolvers. Model 1905 Snub Nose 38 Special, Rare 2″ Barrel This model 1905 […]
Taming the Beast: 500 S&W Special
Even Dirty Harry needs an occasional day off from the intensity of magnum handgun recoil. And I’m presuming that’s when he reaches for his box of 44 Special cartridges. Fast forward 46 years and today’s “most powerful handgun in the world” is even more intense: the 500 S&W Magnum. This is where 500 S&W Special […]
LEE Pistol Dies: Overview and Setup
My very first set of reloading dies were LEE 44 Magnum pistol dies that came with the LEE Pro-1000 press that I started out with. Since then, I’ve acquired many more sets of LEE dies ranging from 30-06 to 9mm to 45 ACP to 357 SIG and quite a few in between. LEE Pistol Dies […]
Getting Started Reloading 500 S&W Magnum
There’s a first time for everything, and as a reloader, there can be many “first times” when you enjoy taking on new cartridges. For a while now I’ve wanted to load 500 S&W Magnum, and today I got that chance. My friend Dale Miller picked up a Smith and Wesson 500 S&W Magnum revolver a […]
New Revolver Book from Grant Cunningham
I’m excited to announce that my friend Grant Cunningham (nationally known revolver expert) has published a book with Gun Digest! Grant’s Blog has long been on my list of regular reads, and I can’t wait to get my copy of this new book. Grant really does some great work on fixing and customizing guns as […]
Poll: What handgun cartridge do you reload most often?
I know a lot of us reload a lot of different calibers, but I thought it would be interesting to find out what calibers folks are reloading most often (I’ll do another poll for rifle cartridges). Don’t see your most frequently loaded handgun cartridge? Please leave a comment!
Shooting and Reloading Versatility – 357 Magnum Delivers
Let’s face it, some guns are more practical than others. A Glock 19 for range duty and carry is one of the more “utilitarian” gun values out there. An AR-15 pistol on the other hand- we’ll I’m not sure exactly what they’re for, but they sure are fun to shoot! Regarding versatility, the […]
Hornady Lock-N-Load Bullet Feeder – Die Stations
One important thing to consider when contemplating a bullet feed system is – “How am I going to setup my dies and powder measure, and do I really have room and enough stations to make this thing work?”. Well, those are good questions, and this post will discuss a few different die configurations on the […]
Hornady Lock-N-Load Bullet Feeder – Overview
In my last related post – Hornady Bullet Feed Dies – Overview I covered the basics of the bullet feed die that is integral to the new Hornady Lock-N-Load Bullet Feeder system. In this post, we’ll take a step back and look at a “high level” feature overview of this new product. The Complete Hornady […]
Alliant 2400 and 357 Magnum – Liking it!
For quite a while now, I’ve been waiting to try Alliant 2400 in my magnum revolvers (for 357 Magnum, and for 44 Magnum). Well, a while back I put in an order for a 4lb canister of this powder. I had the Dillon XL-650 setup for 357 Magnum, so I thought I’d give this powder […]
The joy of “end to end” control when shooting
Shooters tend to be enthusiastic about what they do. Enthusiasts tend to want complete control over their activities. The natural conclusion is that shooters want complete control over their shooting experiences- from plinking to hunting, to competition shooting. Reloading for your weapon affords you more complete control over your shooting experiences. If you want the […]
What is it about blued revolvers?
Not sure what it is, but I really like blued revolvers. Stainless is much more practical in some ways, but finely crafted curved blue steel is just a thing of beauty! The revolver pictured below makes me think I’m a detective from 1932. There’s something about holding it that makes me want to put on […]
Redding T-7 Loading 357 Magnum (HD)
Hornady Pistol Dies
In this review, we’ll take a look Hornady’s “Custom Grade New Dimension” pistol dies. In particular, I’ll use a set of revolver dies (44 special/magnum) for this review. Summary: Overall Score: 4.5/5 Hits: – A very complete set, with accessories and replacement parts, allen wrench – Great features, Excellent quality – Comes in a […]
