Obsolete cartridges/rifles

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I like old firearms, particularly those that are chambered for obsolete cartridges, I’m a hand loader so it’s just a matter of finding dies and buying or forming brass. I’ll post a couple and maybe some of you folks can add yours.

I’ll start with this one, it’s a J P Sauer and Son sporting rifle chambered in 9x57 Mauser, I think from pretty early in the 1900’s. This rifle was one my uncle bought back in the 70’s, I don’t believe he ever shot it. I’ve shot it with old Kynoch ammunition and it shot pretty well at 50 yards. I found a bunch of old RWS 9mm rifle bullets and necked up some new 8x57 brass but haven’t shot them yet. I may try deer hunting with it but it’ll need to be a fairly close shot, I tried it at 100 yards and I just couldn’t see well enough.
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This is a J P Sauer “Knockabout”, I think from around 1900. It’s a 16 gauge but the chambers are short so I buy 2 1/2” ammo from RST. I like hunting with it so I don’t mind not being able to walk into any store for ammo. I can either order it or pick it up at Orvis which isn’t too far from me.
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Nice 16 !!!
 
I have a Savage model 99 in .250-3000 that my maternal grandfather gave me when he could no longer hunt. It's very hard to find ammo for it anylonger. Natchez has it in Remington 100gr.for $36/box of 20. I doubt I will hunt with it much, but maybe. I killed several deer with it, probably more than he did. I was just 13 when he passed, but remember that rifle from way back then.
 
I have a Savage model 99 in .250-3000 that my maternal grandfather gave me when he could no longer hunt. It's very hard to find ammo for it anylonger. Natchez has it in Remington 100gr.for $36/box of 20. I doubt I will hunt with it much, but maybe. I killed several deer with it, probably more than he did. I was just 13 when he passed, but remember that rifle from way back then.
The 250-3000 was quite the warp speed hot rod back in the day . Its still pretty good !!! Id hunt with it toytruck . Your G--pa would be happy about that . Its still a deer getter even yet today !!!
 
It’s not, but it’s well on it’s way like a lot of other cartridges. Remington does a production run once a year, I’m not sure any of the others produce it? Like the .257 Roberts it has something of a cult following.
For many older cartridges i think in order to boost sales they come out with a "new" latest and greatest introduction . Pure propoganda for much of it . The greatest claim to fame for the 250--3000 is its the parent case for the 22--250 . And thats a shame . A 25 cal at 3000 fps was a true milestone . How easily we forget .
 
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For many older cartridges i think in order to boost sales they come out with a "new" latest and greatest introduction . Pure propoganda for much of it . The greatest claim to fame for the 250--3000 is its the parent case for the 22--250 . And thats a shame . A 25 cal at 3000 fps was a true milestone . How easily we forget .
Americans have a short attention span as far as cartridges go. Newton also created a 6.5 mm and a .30 that hit 3,000 fps, or at least he claimed they did. I’m not sure how they measured that in 1915.
 
Americans have a short attention span as far as cartridges go. Newton also created a 6.5 mm and a .30 that hit 3,000 fps, or at least he claimed they did. I’m not sure how they measured that in 1915.
Youre Right !!! In the words of Popeye -- " How Embareasking " !!! I'd forgot that.....
Boy , that IS a good question , howd they measure it !?!?!? I dunno !!!!
 
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Here’s another, a 1916 model Newton rifle, this one chambered in .256 Newton. Plus some other Newton odds and ends, a catalog from 1915 and a couple Newton straight line reloading tools. I think it’s generally accepted that about 4K of these rifles were made. They were offered in .22, .256, .30, .33, .35 and .40 Newton.

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Buffalo Arms is a neat place to see some REALLY Rare, Obsolete Cases, Stuff i have never heard of? They have an Aisle of Shelving with Boxes and Boxes of Brass, with the Cartridge Name on front of the Boxes. I have walked that MANY times, Even my Dad along with me, Things he had never heard of either?
 
Planned obsolescence in firearms, IMHO, is a ploy firearms manufacturers use to sell new guns. I go to gun shows fairly often and the most of the dealer tables are covered with AR-15 and AK-47 knockoffs in various calibers, and autoloading pistols, mostly plastic.
If a person wants a firearm for police or militia use, then 9mm and .223 makes sense, but for hunting there is no game on the planet that a 45-70 will not take down, and a .45 ACP will stop an home invader as well today as it stopped an enemy during the two world wars and the Korean and Vietnam unpleasantnesses.
 
I love the 1911. I shot expert all 3 years as a medic in the Army, 1976-1979.

Of course, NONE of the range officers would believe that a mere medic would out shoot them.

But then, I had a HUGE advantage going in. From 11-16, I shot a thousand plus hours with a Crossman Mark 1 CO2 single shot .22 caliber pellet pistol. Cans, bottles, sparrows, squirrels, crows, starlings, targets, anything that moved (I was a typical boy!). That pistol weighed at least 2 pounds, maybe more. The grip mimiced a 1911. It looked like a big Luger.

So, when I shot a 1911 for the first time it seemed like I was coming home!!!!!

NOT like the poor 2nd Lieutenant at Ft. Sam. It was his third time trying to qualify with a .45. He was so scared of the pistol that he jerked the muzzle down at EVERY shot. The silhouette target was on a 4×4 post that rotated 90°. After 4-5 magazines he had nearly severed the post in half. There was only about 3/4" of wood on the right side that kept it from breaking in two. The poor guy was gonna be out processed due to not being able to qualify with a handgun.
 
A pistol is a pistol is a pistol. Sight picture, grip and trigger pull. We have an enclosed porch, now my wife's art studio, that's 36'x16'. I have a target set up at one end and shoot from the other, about 28'. I shoot an old Mark 1 in .177 and a 2240 in .22. I'm old, not as steady as I used to be, eyesight not as sharp, but I can still keep them mostly in the black.

Your Ft. Sam LT just was never taught how to hold the 1911 correctly, was most likely squeezing
his whole hand, not just his trigger finger. I used to instruct in the NG, we had a lot of guys who could not hit a silhouette target at 10' BECAUSE THEY DID NOT PAY ATTENTION. When my wife qualified for her CCW license, she shot the center out of her 10 ring with her .22LR High Standard Double 9 revolver, then put both rounds from her Bond Arms .45 Derringer together between the 8-9 rings (that's where she was aiming), and all because she paid attention to grip, sight picture and trigger pull.
I love the 1911. I shot expert all 3 years as a medic in the Army, 1976-1979.

Of course, NONE of the range officers would believe that a mere medic would out shoot them.

But then, I had a HUGE advantage going in. From 11-16, I shot a thousand plus hours with a Crossman Mark 1 CO2 single shot .22 caliber pellet pistol. Cans, bottles, sparrows, squirrels, crows, starlings, targets, anything that moved (I was a typical boy!). That pistol weighed at least 2 pounds, maybe more. The grip mimiced a 1911. It looked like a big Luger.

So, when I shot a 1911 for the first time it seemed like I was coming home!!!!!

NOT like the poor 2nd Lieutenant at Ft. Sam. It was his third time trying to qualify with a .45. He was so scared of the pistol that he jerked the muzzle down at EVERY shot. The silhouette target was on a 4×4 post that rotated 90°. After 4-5 magazines he had nearly severed the post in half. There was only about 3/4" of wood on the right side that kept it from breaking in two. The poor guy was gonna be out processed due to not being able to qualify with a handgun.
 
I had a Winchester Model 1903 in .32WSL (Winchester Self Loading). It was a beautiful gun but I had to order ammo from Buffalo Arms. I don't know if they just loaded the ammo weak or if there was something wrong with the gun, but the bolt crushed every spent casing upon ejection. I did some research and found the .32WSL has been called "the World's most useless cartridge." I decided they were right and sold it to a collector who didn't care how it shot. I did also read that the.32WSL was the parent case for the .30 Carbine, so I guess it wasn't totally useless.
 

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