What is it?
What is your thought on the one cartridge that is epitomy of being a rifle loony? You know, when some has one it just oozes rifle loony.

Obviously, the answer is JB's B-29

If you own two .308 Noma magnums and are looking for an SS Model 70 classic to convert that could define it.....

Barring that owning a 7x61 Sharpe & Hart with a long neck so you can use resized 7mm Remington Magnum brass without trimming...

Hahaha nice!...

I had thought .280ai, but that has receive too much mainstream gun press in the past couple of years maybe.

I thought of a couple that might make the grade as suficiently Rifle Loonyish.
7x57
.250AI
6.5-06

I don't know what it is, but I just can't get over the idea of having a slim, handy rifle chambered for .257 Kimber. Is it the ultimate R.L. cartridge? I doubt it, but it's the ultimate for me. (For right now, anyway )

I'll agree on the 7x57 but only if you stamp it .275 Rigby. That would give you some extra rifle loony panache

Brilliant!
That has to make the ranks there.

I had my 280 Rem stamped 7mm Express for the sytle points

Building a rifle in a chambering that requires a $200+ set of custom form dies to load a cartridge that is the ballistic equal to something already commercially available

A .280 AI reeks rifle loony in My book...............Hb

.219 Zipper, 8x57JS or 30 Newton.

My vote is for the 7 MM Gradle- Requires lots of work to mimic already existing ballistics-

I'm with Royce.

It's gotta be one of the rounds that requires 20 trick moves to equal a 300 Savage in a 9 pound hunting rifle.

I do have a friend that built 25 RUM the first year 300 RUM brass came out. He was running 100 grain Sierras at I don't remember how fast. That barrel couldn't have lasted 700 rounds. Wish I still remembered all the stupidity of that adventure.

A 7mm gradle express would be kind of cool...although redunant with the 7mm WSM and SUAM available now.

The 7x57 has got to be it..

Not chambered in any modern American production rifle (for good reason), this makes it all the more enticing to the evening tea drinkers.

Even though the 7-08 will do anything the 7x57 will do, it's just too "plebeian" for use by those who wear smoking jackets, womens slippers and enjoy discussing the subtle nuances of their favorite brandy.

Finally, because some animals were shot with it many years ago in Africa, (millions, if not billions more probably wounded), the high pockets find it irresistible.

These folks are usually only inches away from catching the gay, if not already a carrier of the disease.

6mmPPC is about loony enough for me.

And the.375 is cool but......375 Remington Ultra Magnum is WAY LOONY !

Just come right and say Ingwe then...

I didn't want to mention names but....

JM,

The 7x57 is presently chambered in the Ruger No. 1 International, or at least that's what Ruger's website says.

Now THAT would be a rifle loony rifle.

Ruger is a Albanian company, so that doesn't count.

7x61 Sharp & Hart

9.3x62 and 9.3x72R....

.30-40 Krag?

I've read about this cartridge. Funny it didn't take off as it seemed to be an improvement over what was out there at the time it was introduced.

?

For some reason this cartridge has always intrigued me. If I'm not terribly mistaken it's on par with the 7mm Rem Magnum.

30-06 and a little Lee Loader for it.

For me it's the old stand by .270 Winchester.

There's too many for me to list . . .

Here's a sampling of what I consider to be "rifle loony" cartridges:

- 7x66 Vom Hofe
- 8x68S
- 9.3x64 Brenneke
- 400 H&H

Whats wrong with owning two 308 Norma's?

270 Redding...always wanted one for some strange reason. If it ever happens, I hope I then realize I've lost all sense of self control and my addiction has taken over my ability of rational thought!

I can't believe that we have overlooked the 7mm Mashburn in this discussion. Any chambering that requires you to buy a special reamer and dies and then resize .300 Win Mag brass so you can equal the performance of the 7mm Weatherby and not quite match the 7mm STW is face down in a pile of Loony!

Chet

Thought real long and hard about one of those a year or two ago at a local gunshop. It felt and looked so good. Came with brand new dies and 100 pieces of brass too. I really don't have a good reason as to why I didn't buy it, except that I'm cheap.

Oh come now guys, the answer is obvious

.500-.450 #1 Blackpowder Express

I wasn't really overlooking the mashburn, merely waiting on Dober to chime in on its merits.

How about any of the Gibbs cartridges too?...

a 16&1/2 earsplitingloudboomer, ackley improved with double radius shoulder, belt turned 1/2 off and a tube primer system so powder is ignited in front near the shoulder. twist rate of 1 in every 1.6 inches. bullett weight of maby 1000 gr. and 4750 fps. br. primers only. teflon coted carbon wraped br. 32&1.8 inches. did i leave anything out? fell free to help.

I'm currently changing the barrel of my Ruger #3 in 375 Win to 25-35.

I think I fell deep in the Loony creek.

Steve

only if AI'ed and running TSXs

I have had a 30 Belted Newton AND a 348AI. Thise have to be right up there. I currently am using and have taken to Africa three times a wildcat of my own design and thinking back then which pre dated and essentially duplicates the now semi popular 338 Lapua. I call it the 340 Tyrannosaur and it pushes 225gr Barnes TTSX bulllets out the snout at a full and chronographed 3100fps.

Took way too long to get to the Mashburn.

As a full time, bonafide Mashburn missionary, Dober will be hurt...

DF

338-57 O'Conner

fix it for you.

nope 6MM .30-40 Krag AI in an 1885 thick side Winchester single shot. Yep that'l do. Bear

.264 Win Mag

Damn, I am a loony! I also, have a 7x61S&H, and a .350 Rigby Rimless Magnum coming!

I always figure that when I get a .375 Weatherby, it will be a sure sign I've gone off the deep end.

Your own wildcat cartridge that's useful and fills a need other than your own loony lust.

Has anyone necked up the 30-06 to 9.3?

Any cartridge that makes the masses cock their heads like a dog and say "Huh?"

That's funny. That cartridge pops into my head everyonce in a while but I have to bite my lip and try to think about something else until it goes away . I must have the sickness too...

.297-250 Rook in a John Blanch side lever.

I personally like my 25-20. It's not in a lever action (Savage bolt Model 23), but in honor of the Jordon buck....I used it to take few whitetails.

I nominate this duo... the .300 savage and the 9.3x62 Mauser

What if you own two 9.3x64 Brenneke's?

Considering a rebarrel of Winchester 1885 in 405 Win to a .338-405 Win to duplicate 338-06 ballistics in a rimmed cartridge? And you own three 338-06's.

270 Win? nah only if you own 7 with an 8th on it's way and think you are a little light and should pick up a couple more. This after having owned probably close to thirty different 270's.

But the ultimate rifle loony cartridge is the 29 BS, you own of those and you ARE loony!

.19 Calhoon
The 19 Calhoon is simply a 22 Hornet necked down to a 19 caliber and fire-formed to a straight wall case with a 30 degree shoulder angle.
The 27 grain slug can be pushed out of the muzzle at around 3,600 fps.


Should be more than enough for all but the larger species of deer.
Point blank zero of 350 yards, 780 ME.
Sounds like the perfect caliber.

For me its the pre 64 M70 that was my grandpas. It was originally a 300 H&H, but he ran a custom reamer in and it now looks like a 300 Bee with H&H body taper. Identical case capacity to a 300 Winchester actually.

Chet...any guy who has to throat out 7RM's to get them to perk 175's is just a step behind the Mashburn folks in the Loony Bin..he just can't admit it yet. I know the symptoms

Obviously somethin' wasn't quite right with the 7RM or you would not have throated.....BTDT.

And anyone who owns an Echols,and squawks about a couple of C-Notes for dies needs to revealuate....

Talk to Darcy....

You're only a small step away from needing a reamer. You seem young yet....another few years of dickin' with those 7 RM's will have you calling Dober for the reamer.The 7 Weatherby won't cut it..same as a long throat 7 RM (pressure/ pressure!).......I'll save a slot in the Bin for ya...

All in fun my friend..

I mean.....can I help it if the factories never got it quite right?

How about some of the Lawson cartriges like the 17 Lawson, kind of partial to the midwest, but some may have made it out and about. I actually knew Mr. Lawson and he was really a rifle loony, would have made you all proud! T.S.

Surprised no one has mentioned the 6.5 Creedmore.

My credentials include a .30-338 (gotta have that neck at least one bore diameter long), a 9.3x74R, both a .280AI and a 7mm SAUM, a .25-36 Marlin and a 7x64 Brenneke.

.22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer

.375 Hawk in a Rem. 760 pump. A .375 H&H for an Amish machine gun.
Oh and 2 7mm Mashburns!!

I thought the 25-284 was THE campfire "loonie" cartridge.

Especially when chambered in a Rem. 600 action....(grin!)

Virgil B.

30-06...especially with loads worked up to duplicate the use of anything from the 22lr to the 300 mags...

300 Pegasus. 4000 fps, 30 cal with under 1000 rounds of bbl life.

I'm not sure I like you any more....

I'll nominate my 22 CHeetah.

Moving a 53 gr. TSX out of the barrel at 4285 fps - can do amazing things on deer.

Total pain in the ass to make, not all that practical - but 4285 FPS!

I have had a couple of those as well. Both versions, and yes thay ARE a rifle Looney round to be sure! WONDERFUL cartridge. I ended up just using 243 Brass necked down and fireformed, the Remmy small primer BR stuff just is not needed, and I got better and more reliable ignition and more consistent shot to shot velocites with the 243 brass and CCI Bench Rest primers.

Maybe I just saved you a whole pile of time and trouble and money....

Is it just me? Why hasn't the .30-30 been nominated by someone? They made three million rifles to shoot the .30 WCF. A lot of people REALLY like it. Perhaps they are not rifle loonies...

I know, I do not.

Them is fighting words.

338 WSM has gotta be it!
is there a 22-378 yet?.. Where the powder charge is still burning after the bullet already made it to the target?..

Hey, go figure but I've got a 338 WSM...

Dober

Nobody ever questioned your rifle looney status Mark

Perhaps a better poll would be "you are a rifle looney if" that could contain entries such as:

...your gun safe is a walk in unit and comparable in size with your garage
...to increase versatility, you load your 7-08 to the maximum to make it better suited for moose, and your 338 Lapua down to help keep whitetail in one piece
...you have four interchangeable barrels for one Ruger 10-22
...you prefer one of your four 22-250s for black tailed prarie dogs and another for white tailed prarie dogs

etc.

I dunno, the 358 WSSM is pretty loony-ish:

I don't know, but I would think it would have to fulfill the following criteria:

1. Be a PITA to create the brass
2. Look kinda funky - like that 35 WSSM above - WTF is that?
3. Be fairly unpopular, even among wildcats
4. Almost exactly duplicate the ballistics of a known commercial round

Anybody choosing to use a round that fit the above could truly claim loonyism.

Oh crap I'll bet its a bad sign that I suddenly started looking for cheap WSSM donor when I saw that .358 WSSM.....

DETAILS!

I was gonna say too, that looks an awful lot like a .35 whisper. Details?..

That's also known as "the way around using a shotgun for deer in Indiana" but that's a lot to stamp on the barrel.

Skane-I was most definately gonna say that that's a Hoosier gun 4 sure...grin

Dober

250 Savage necked up to 6.5mm.

In Indiana in 2007 the DNR started allowing "pistol caliber" rifles for deer hunting. Previously shotgun, muzzleloader, and archery only. After 2007 you can use a centerfire rifle for deer hunting in Indiana IF:

-case length of 1.160" minimum to 1.625" maximum
-minimum bullet diameter of .357"

Of course this was intended to allow those cute little rifles chambered .357 Magnum and the .44 Magnum.
Just like my Ruger 96/44 lever and 99/44 Deerfield.

Some clever RIFLE LOONIES there in Indiana immediately saw the potential of the parent case 25 WSSM to be necked up for the 358 bullet. This satisfies all the DNR requirements for the centerfire rifle for deer hunting, and gives you 358 Winchester performance.

Crafty bastards there in Indy.....



Personally, I think that takes the "Rifle Loony" crown. Some gun nuts developed a chambering specifically for ONE STATE'S deer hunting season!

Developing a wildcat rifle catridge for the sole purpose to satisfy the requirements of a two week season?!?

Loony.
And I love it.

How about a 256 Newton, 270 Gibbs, or a 35 Whelen AI? Or all three.

250 savage. .... maybe thats just my favorite cartridge

I'm a little surprised nobody has mentioned the 6.5x55 in a Mannlicher-Schoenauer - or maybe I missed it :-)

318 Westley Richards.

Agree with 35 Whelen AI. Son loves to shoot whitetails with 250 gr Partitions. May be overgunned, but fun to see them roll. No looking for them!

Best response on this thread... that right there is funny!

And true

But reading the scribblings of the devotees gives a good time, and that, at the end of the day, is what a hobby should give.

A cartridge doesn't need to make sense, it just needs to make happy.

358 Hoosier?

"Ultimate rifle loony cartridge" is a pretty subjective thing. For me it was my 6.5-06AI.

It ain't a cartridge, it's a POV...

I gotta say you proably nailed it with that comment, but its still fun to speculate.

8x60S Mauser

-Bob F.

I know a bunch of "rifle loonys" and the only thing I can think of that they all have in come are 6.5mm's.

It was already mentioned but here goes.

If you have a need for this you are an indeed a rifle looney. I couldn't believe the first time I saw it in the midway catalog.

A 6mm/.30-40Krag/Ackley Improved. You gotta be pretty looney to run that.

6mm/.30-40Krag/Ackley Improved Reamer

Don't have one, but I do have a rifle in .308 Norma Mag.

400 Whelen---------left handed.

Mart

OK 240 Wby blown to a straight walled case so as to headspace on belt. Use .411,or so, diameter bullets and run it in a 20" 760 Rem pump. Wanted to create an "american double" (NOTE: this was actually attempted but I will never say who tried this)

I say 348 winchester. It was only chambered in one factory rifle that I know of (the M71) but boy was that s sweetheart!

Hey! I've got one of those in a 7 1/2 (including scope) lb Rem XCR II and a 500 Jeffery!

Anyway my choice for a loony cartridge is the 475 A&M ... Here's a little blurb about it.

"I came across this funny story in Cartridges of the World and figured I'd share

Around 1960 Fred Barnes (of Barnes Bullets fame, no relation to the Frank Barnes who wrote CotW) built himself a 475 A&M chambered rifle, based upon a sporterized Enfield action. With it's open sights, that rifle weighed no more than 8 pounds (600 Nitro rifles generally weigh 16 lbs, 577 nitro rifles tip the scales at 13 generally, and most other buffalo blasting bolt guns with monsterous african game cartridges are commonly about 10-11 lbs)

Being Fred Barnes, his initial handloading effort combined stiff charges of IMR 3031 behind his 600 grain bullet (listed ballistics have 110 grains of IMR 3031 behind a 500 grain bullet pushing it 2980 fps for 9860 ft-lbs of energy, Frank surely cooked up something at least as potent, if not moreso)

Fred, some friends, and a small crowd of well-wishers went to an informal shooting near Grand Junction Colo. for the maiden firing of the rifle. Fred sat down on the pea gravel of the parking area and closed his legs to fire from the sitting position. He took dead aim at the base of a small juniper tree, which was tenuously hanging on at the top edge of a roadway cutbank.

When Fred pulled the trigger, everyone was watching for the impact. The shot went low. The tree was summarily uprooted! All watchers cheered as the tree fell, then, as a group, they looked around to find what Barnes' reaction might be. There he was, located several feet back behind his original position, lying on his back, arms outstretched, holding the rifle above his head. Dust from the muzzle blast and his ignoble recoil-induced slide (he had absorbed well over 110 ft-lbs of energy) was still stirring when Fred asked, matter-of-factly, "Anybody want to buy a rifle?"

He found no takers."

I can't believe nobody has mentioned one of the earliest and oldest wildcats: over 100 years old, the 25 Krag, created in 1906 and popular in single-shot rifles through the 1920s and '30s. It performed in the same class as the 25-06, which was introduced in 1920. It finally fell out of favor when the .257 Robts came out in 1934. There were also short versions and two Ackley versions, the 25 Ackley Krag, and the 25 Ackley Krag Short, which was Ackley's favorite with which he reported velocities as high as 3412 fps with the 100 gr bullet and H-380. Having one of these working for you today would be pretty loony, I think.

The B29 is only out loonied by the B29AI. My 9.3X62 is so mundane I am ashamed to take it to the range.

I have just taken a break from the reloading room, and realized that it is my duty to report myself for a flagrant act of loonyism. I am loading .300 Sav. rounds for a bolt action rifle (Rem 700). When you think about it, what reason is there to chamber a modern bolt gun in .300 Sav in the first place. And I bought one and load for it. Definately loony.

Anything other than 30-06

338-378 Keith Thompson - requires expensive cases, $370.00 set of trim, forming, and loading dies. All this for a rifle that will recoil hard without a muzzle break and split your ear drums if it does!

.25-284 if you go to the trouble of setting one of those up. You are definitely a rifle loony.

I like that 358 WSSM. Here is its ugly big sister, a long throated 338 RCM with 300 gr SMK.

I think the qualification for ultimate rifle looney cartridge would be a cartridge that duplicates performance of an existing cartridge but requires a reamer, special dies and a few steps to make it. The 6mm Super LR vs the 243 might be a good example.

6,5 MachIV, 8-06AI, 9,3x64, 416-348Improved

long to short range, deer to elephant and in between.

Dom

14 Walker Hornet??

35 Sambar...or a 35-300 Whelen

Whoa, you have me a little confused. You mean .35-300 WSM, right? I see .35-300 Whelen, I'm thinking that came out of the Department of Redundancy Department!

Grandpa shoots a 30 Gibbs, and I have been itching for a 44-77 Sharps, so I guess we might be rifle looneys. I had a .17hmr right when they first came out, and I got a lot of "Its a 17 What?" from lots of folks.

It's a pretty boring cartridge, but everybody i have ever known who has bought a .222 Rem (at least in the last few decades) was a loony. 222 Rem mag, and you are certifiable. You have to be really passionate about some minutiae to choose the .222 Rem and mag over the .223.

As far as calibres go, 6.5mm/.264 and 9mm/.358 definitely attract the loonies.

I've been looking for a .222 for what seems like forever. I have a 6.5 Creedmoor, a .358 Winchester, and a .35 Whelen. I guess I qualify!

GIBBS!!! Some day I'll have all 8. The bigger ones are great cartridges, but the 240...now THAT'S looney.

Looking in my safe and closet (need another safe...), everything but the original Browning .22 semi-auto, Ruger M77 7mm Rem Mag, Browning B92 in .44 Mag and Ruger MKII .22-250 are more or less redundant.

Nothing more so than the three .30-06's and two .308 Win rifles.

Such redundancy doesn't make the cartridges looney, won't comment on the owner...

No complaints, though - I enjoy them all.

Not really.....unless you are turning necks for the damn thing. My wife loves her 25-284. Wonder how much she would like if she had to sit there and turn those dang necks. At least she will dump the powder and seat the bullets.

.300 Whelen Express

(Take a .35 Whelen piece of brass, neck it down to accept a .308 round, and add the word "Express" to it to make it sound cool. I'm telling you, with the right marketing, it could be the next big thing.)

The sister cartridge to the .300 Whelen Express would be the .300 Short Whelen.

(Take a .358 Winchester piece of brass, neck it down to .308, and *voila* the short action version with only a slight loss of velocity. It too could be popular...)

yeah...that's the 300-35 Whelen, isn't it? Unfortunately for a rifle looney, it might catch on.

Hey! Easy there! I have a Rem XCR II in 375 Weatherby that weighs 7 1/2 lbs with scope.

I'm thinking a 7mm - 50 BMG wildcat shooting 160g Partitions at 4000 fps would be a little on the loony side ...

I hate to admit that I am building a 375/416 barret improved on a Mcmillan 50BMG action. It is kinda looney.

Being a looney myself I have to agree with the aforementioned .300 Savage, 7x57 and the 6.5x55. I am going to throw in the .22 Hornet as well.

count me in on the 375 Wby crowd as well, heck of a yote rifle.......

Dober

It has to be the 358 Win for me. I have 6 rifles chambered for the cartridge. 5 bolt rifles and 1 single shot.

Or

The 222 which I have 3 rifles chambered for this caliber. Might add the 250/3000 to the mix.

Ken

Don't get me wrong, I want to build one on an SS M70 action, but it is pretty loony...

30/376 steyr

I win...



Naw, just kidding, it's not mine.

Bob,

Don't you try to drag me down your path to complete Loonyism!

I think there is a pretty big difference between having a rifle with a longer throat, that can still use commonly available factory ammo and $35 dies from Wal-Mart, and a full-on wildcat like the Mashburn.

I know this from at least a little bit of experience. I tried the AI thing once, got another 100 fps and found it was only so much mental gymnastics. (And I could still use factory ammo in that rifle).

With all due respect, I try to follow the advice of the more sensical guy's on the 'fire like this one. He seems like one logical cat:



Chet

308 Winchester,You can find it in ANY modern Rifle. You can get more Aftermarket stuff for said Rifle. You can Find the Ammo just about everywhere. You can load it with Bullets from 110gr. to 220gr. You really have to work hard to put to much Varget in it. Recoil is mild. You can Kill just about anything on the Planet with it( without Stunt shooting).Extremely Accurate.

Of all the rifles in my safe I'd say the two that come closest to your question say 285 OKH and 9mm Mauser on them.

BTW, there is one that is stamped 275 Rigby in there too.

Good reply!

But - I've ALWAYS used 243 brass and normal primers (even Magnum ones) - I am a rifle loony - but I'm not loony enough to want to use weak little primers.

No problem KDK I have a set of RCBS 375 Weatherby dies I'll sell you. That way you will have a good excuse for the build. "I allready have the dies" . Magnum Man

In that case, I guess I qualify also. I had a Remington 700 Classic in .300 Savage but that wasn't loony enough. I bought a Model 70 stainless classic short-action in .22-250 and sent it to Hart's Barrel Works and had a 24" #4 contour .30 caliber barrel installed and had it chambered for .300 Savage. Right now I have to fit an Accurate Innovations walnut stock with built-in aluminum bedding block to the barreled action and it will be my big game rifle.

I also sent a Model 70 classic in .270 to Douglas and had a .257 Roberts barrel installed and I'm in the process of fitting a Super Grade stock that I found on ebay. That will be my deer rifle and 'yote rifle.

If you have a pair of Brennekes in 7x64 and 9.3x64, that should qualify you, as would possessing both a 7x61 S&H and a .308 Norma magnum.

Anybody who does a 7mm Gradle is beyond Loony status and is off the deep end (OTDE).

Owning original 40-Xs in both 6mm International and .30/338 might qualify you also.

Reading this thread has convinced me I'm not worthy, but I'll put up the 25 rem, 30 rem and 32 rem trio because I like old school, the brass is interchangeable and the corkscrew tubes on the Remington 14's add to the "cool" factor. And paying the price for that ammo when I could be shooting my 6mm or 308 , and, yes, my 222 rem instead must count for something.

I think we need to come to an understanding that there are stages of loonism (as shown here and in like many medical conditions) from [/i] just touched [i] to [/i] head shaking [i] and perhaps a couple in-between.

That "358 Hoosier" is different--that's downright clever.

6mm Remington Not only do I love it, my son who is 15 now has two rifle so chambered, a Remington Model 600 Centennial in 6mm and a Ruger MKII in 6mm. I still have one I call my own also which is a Ruger #1B in 6mm and I'm looking to find the perfect bolt action so I have one in a bolt rifle as well. I'd love to find a good used Model 70 controlled round feed rifle to build it on!!

Not only do we have three in our family then, but I like to allow my friends to experience the mighty 6mm Reminton. I talked a buddy into getting one and another friend many years ago, a bunch of us guys got him a Ruger #1B in 6mm for his wedding shower/gift like they do for the women folk. I got tired of seeing women have all the fun and I thought it was a great idea to have some buddies throw in together on this "gift". Goodness knows, once a guy gets married, at least initially, the rifle buying slows for a while until finances and other things straighten out.

Maybe the 6mm Remington isn't loony after all, but being it's biggest advocate/cartridge pushing pimp is!

How about the 300 short whelen Ackley Improved. Always be prepared to one up at least three levels.

For me it's the .218 Bee. It won't really do anything the .22 Hornet can't, The much more readily available .20 and .22 calibers can be bought off the shelf at most gun shops while the Bee factory loads are scarce and expensive.

Since my rifle is a lever action, suitable bullets for reloading are few in choice and brass is kinda' hard to scrape up sometimes.

Now, With all those negatives stacked against it I still love the 'lil bastage and it sees more use over the course of a year than any rifle I own.

Besides,coyotes,fox and snapping turtles must absolutely hate it since it's fubar'd so many of their family members.

Damn, no pimping of the .280?

Kurt

I have two 25 Remingtons...a Model 14 and a new 22 Hornet rebored and rechambered to a 25 Remington. I also have 30/40 Krag Handi-Rifle rechambered from a 30/30. I like round-nosed and flat-nosed jacketed bullets and hard cast bullets at moderate velocity, but I'm okay. Everyone else here is a little off, though.

+ 1 Cant get any better than that moniker.

I know pretty sad isn't it Kurt!

I like the 7X57 Mauser as the Rifle Loony Mascot...

or .22 Hornet?

Any I don't have...

My vote, believe it or not, is for the hoary old .30/30. In a good single shot or bolt action rifle (or even a good lever gun such as the Savage 1899) it opens up a world of experimenting options. Bullet choices to include cast bullets of weights from 85 grains up to 210 grains, traditional cup-n-core jacketed stuff, and new generation monometals provide enough variety to keep an experimenter busy for a lifetime. Factor in the usefulness of powders ranging from Bullseye to 4831 and the possibilities are endless.

I am thinking of having a new 30-06 built to replace the perfectly good one that I had build two years ago. If I have the barrel stamped 300 Springfield Thin Mag, would that make it a suave, loony cartridge?

Chet

Could be all Loony's would/will end up in the same place - Lol.

Nah, .300 Whelen is much cooler.

Four come to my mind:

257 Roberts
7x57mm Mauser
35 Whelen
350 Norma Mag.

Or to pick one, a 280 Remington for everything!

The Hoytle Maxi-Mag: a 50 BMG necked down to .223.



270

Has to be a winner. Now I feel the need to get a 7x57! I thought my Grendel was bad enough but I see I have work to do. Don't have the gay, slippers, smoking jacket or even drink brandy except for my margarita recipe!

Thanks for the humor!

If you are posting here - or argueing over which one it is - you are probably right.

How about .460 Weatherby? Ever pulled the trigger on one from a bench? You've gotta be loony!

How about the .308-.280 Remington now thats a rifle loony cartridge...

Phil - then Maybe the 458 is the answer

Or a good solution...

Got Bear???? LOL.

I don't know what the cartridge is but you can be pretty sure it will be necked for 6.5 cal...

And I would also say you are pretty far gone if you can squeeze a 280AI between a 280 Remington and a 7 Rem Mag..and then jump for glee........even further "gone" if you see a 280 kill better than a 270...

Now....Mashburn people? We are perfectly normal....

I'm glad you are finally coming around... the .280 IS much better than that nasty old .270...

Someone say 9mm Mauser?

Like I said KDK......beyond hope.

Bobin, if you are referring to my pick, it's a 130 Accubond in a 6BR Lapua case...and yes that would be correct, in .264

.223 Rem. vs. .222 Rem. vs. 243 Win. vs. 6mm Rem. vs. 257 Rob. vs. .257 Souper vs. 260. Rem. vs. 6,5 Swede vs. 7mm-08 vs. 7x57 vs. 308 Win vs. .30-06 Sprg. vs. 8x57IS vs. 338-06 vs. .35 Whelen vs. 9,3x62 vs. .375 H&H vs. 9,3x64 and both vs. the Ruger...

And now the magnums...

How about my beautiful pre-Garcia Sako L61R Magnum with Douglas Premium Stainless barrel chambered in 6.5x300 Weatherby?

BTW, it's for sale.

Actually saw a .308 Norma Mag the other day, not unreasonably expensive, either. Maybe call it the .300 Swedish Wizzum?

I had a witty comment till I saw Scarlett, now I've lost my train of thought...

I've been watching her eat popcorn for 10 minutes now.

Its been hours for me...

Take a break man - Lol.

.257 Barnes QT

[quote=tex_n_cal]Actually saw a .308 Norma Mag the other day, not unreasonably expensive, either. Maybe call it the .300 Swedish Wizzum?

It is best to avoid fooling with the Swede Magnum. I have two and am contemplating another,,,,

Whew, I'm glad I'm over that distraction. Now no more Scarlett pics please...





















Of course I'm joking feel free to post as many as you have...

7-30 Waters. What for?

LBP - Lol.

7x30 - For a rimmed round in a TC or Lever and using light recoiling flatter than 30/30 roundnose bullets, the 120 Flat point.

Bump Up for a classic...

.338-2.5"/50BMG
300 gr. SMK @ 4200 fps.
Just forming the brass is a 7 step process with 50% rejects.

DING DING DING
Winner

One for LPB...

As for ultimate - nothing ever is "ultimate" for a loon. It is the core of the sickness.

Best loony cartridge... .280 Rem. Has everything going for it ... underdog, paper advantages, 7mm "high bc" mystique, uncommon, and sits right in the middle of #1 & #2 most popular big game rounds.

Lou

I have to agree. I just bought two Sig SHR 970s in .280 because of the cartridge and the rifle. Both qualify as looney material in my book.

If your worried about one cartridge then you arn't really a rifle looney....Nuff said.....Nice old thread by the way..

To be a true rifle loony, the 9.3x57 known as the old potato chucker in Sweden, is the one to look for. When you mention this cartridge everybody I mention it to answers, what???

Then I tell them it�s an old European cartridge and they look at you as if you are weird. Which I guess I must be, since I have not one but two rifles in that caliber and like them a lot.

.22 Hornet is another real rifle looney masterpeice

Being rimmed it has a high "looney factor" inherently. It offers nothing substantial over other cartridges, with the possible exception of low noise. It can be frustrating to load sometimes. Yet they are wonderfully satisfying to tinker with, and can be fantastically fun guns.

I started this thread really knowing that there couldn't be truly ONE cartridge that was epitomy of a rifle looney givent he basic nature of being a rifle looney, but in typical rifle looney fashion its terrific fun to speculate about it.

As someone that is about to start trimming, I can see the genius in that idea.

Where does a 7x61 S&H and a 22 CHeetah put a guy?