What cartridge has suprised you the most?

[ATPBULLETS]

I am amazed at all the favorites.... and the truely great reasons.....keep em coming....I am learning a bunch...

[jimbob86]

.270 WIN, for versatility- 90gr HP for prairie dogs to 150gr BTSP for deer out past Ft. Mudge to reduced recoil 130gr loads for the kids, I can make an acceptably accurate load without a whole lot of effort .... it just plain works.

[Jbotto]

I knew this was going to be a great thread when I saw the title. I just wanted to type here so I can watch this thread progress. I shoot pretty mundane calibers so everyone knows what to expect from them. Some day I'll get something interesting.

[drail]

.41 Remington Magnum. I knew about it before I got into it but it still strikes me as one of the best handgun cartridges we have devised. Mr. Elmer was a pretty smart guy. I only wish I could find a lever gun for it. (not a Marlin) I remember reading Elmer's comments about how flat it's trajectory was compared to the .44 Mag. He wasn't kidding.

[A pause for the COZ]

So far... ( i never quit looking) My AR 300 Black out has been a super pleasant surprise. I have no experience with subsonic stuff.
Seriously, Every load I have tried has shot well. Some even better than that.
It seems like a idiot proof round. Almost all loads are 85 to 100% capacity.
I have tried from 125 gr jacketed, 150 gr Hornady 3031's, 150 gr Hornady 30-30 bullets. All of those has clover leafed at 100 yards.

For a cast plinking load I use the Lee 155 gr 7.62x 39 bullet sized and checked to .310. 16.5 gr RL-7.
The other night I ran a bunch through the progressive, took a couple mags out today. 2 targets with 5 aim points each. 5 rounds per aim point. Fast fire maybe 2 seconds between shots at 100 yards.
Gave me this performance.
Its is fun to blast and even better while blasting you hit what your aiming at.
300 black out is a keeper.

[swampy308]

260 Remington

[jj320]

444 marlin loaded with 330grn hard cast and bullseye is a great plinker almost no recoil and very accurate on paper. I thought the gentlemen at bear tooth would laugh at me when i asked about a plinking load the wife and kid could shoot and enjoy. He provided a load with bullseye for there 250 grn bb harcast and a charge for 330grn. it works great and was very surprised at the performance

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Every one of those calibers I've reloaded for has surprised me at one time or another. At the pressures I experiment with. I consider myself lucky just being able to aim something let alone pull its trigger _.

S/S

[10 Spot Terminator]

That would be the 32-20 in a Savage Sporter bolt rifle. Found the cartridge was only limited by the stength of the action applied to shoot it. Could load a 100 gr. bullet to nearly 2100 fps. Atually took a mule deer at near 100 yds with a well placed round in his ear. Didnt plan to use this gun but it was what I had with me when he crossed my path and my tag needed filling.

[Daekar]

So far, the round that actually surprised me the most wasn't a handload... it was Aguila subsonic 22LR. The first time I shot it through my CZ UltraLux, I thought there had been a malfunction because it was SO quiet! That 28" barrel really brings the noise down.

The other surprise was the first time I shot handloaded 44 magnum in both revolver and carbine. It was the first time I had a pistol push back on my hands rather than trying to jump up, and I remember being surprised a how stout the 44 was out of a lever gun. It was that moment that sold me on pistol carbines.

[griz]

357 out of a rifle. The longer barrel gives it a lot more speed yet makes it quieter and very friendly to shoot. With handloads it approaches 30-30 levels of power.

[BoogieMan]

I havent loaded it yet. But, the surplus nazi ammo from my 8x56r was a real surprise. Load and big muzzle blast. Pleasant recoil and fair grouping. I was expecting a nasty recoil and not being able to hit the target. Cant wait to get out and shoot 100yd to see what I can make it do.

[homesick]

1st would be 25-06 / 2nd is the 204 ruger

[schmellba99]

I'll have to go with the .243, for most of the same reasons everybody else has said. Probably my favorite overall rifle caliber.

The 6.5x55 Swede is a cartridge that I think is one of the more under appreciated designs as well. It is a very smooth shooting round that has significantly more power and range than the .243, with almost no increase in recoil to go along with it. Not quite as versatile in the projectile weights as the .243 though, but that has a lot to do with the low popularity of the round.

[BigD_in_FL]

The two that impressed me the most are the 7MM BR and the 6MM BR, the first from an XP-100, the second from a rifle made from an XP-100. Accuracy from a bench was great - "minute of quarter" from the pistol (operator error), and "minute of 6mm hole" from the other - you couldn't shoot a lousy group from the bench if you tried
The 7mm made a great antelope gun, the 6mm the best coyote gun

[Revolver1]

After reloading for 3yrs now, if I could only have one caliber gun, it would be the 38spl. Out of a heavy frame revolver this caliber can do it ALL! 357 hot to the mildest, most accurate target loads. Awesome!

[GeauxTide]

My vote goes to the 260. The easiest to load accurate loads, most pleasant to shoot, and surprising trajectory.

[dahermit]

Jacketed bullets can easily be made using a modified bullet mold and 3/8 OD Copper tubing.Making the 375 one of the cheapest rounds to load

.

Kraigwy, I remember articles written about doing that with copper tubing and the .375 some years ago. Some gun-rag writers and others claimed that there was the possibility of the copper tubing jackets getting stuck (due to the open base) in the barrel and the cores would still exit, leaving the tubes as obstructions in the barrel. Did you ever have any problem or evidence of the cores blowing out of the jackets? Or, was that worry unfounded?

[MCCALL911]

In general, flat-nosed handgun bullets have surprised me. Not only is their penetration amazing, but the trajectory of the bullet through the medium leaves a wide, generally straight wound.

[rc]

32-20. A very accurate round and cheap to reload. Fun to shoot.

[trapper300RUM]

My 300 Remington Ultra Magnum has put a big ole smile on my face

[FM12]

Rifle: Good old 30-06. Handgun: 44 magnum. Both can be loaded mild to wild. great all purpose rounds.

[David Bachelder]

Bolt action .243

hands down.

[Crashbox]

For me it's the .405 Winchester. Best training cartridge around in my opinion- it is AMAZING how quickly it taught me how to PROPERLY place the buttstock against my shoulder.

[ATPBULLETS]

For me its the 30-06 for its versatility...loaded pistol like with cast bullets to full house compressed loads for the big bang..... for pistols....38/357....same as above....if just one of the above...38/357... pistol and lever combo....