.357 Magnum / .38 Special – The Bruce Lee of Survival Rifle Cartridges
No doubt more than enough was written about the first magnum revolver cartridge--the mighty little .357--in the years following its introduction in 1934. The (now) wee beast kicked off a new arms race in handgun cartridges, but it ruled the roost for long enough to cement its place among the finer modern defensive rounds. And when rifles were finally chambered for it, the sturdy little fella persuaded many that he could be quite useful in hunting, too. While the .357 is in no
Marlin 1894: .44 RIPSAW Wildcat Cartridge (aka .44 Monster Mag)
RPP’s first wildcat cartridge, the .44 RIPSAW, made its explosive debut at our test facility this weekend, and staff all returned with RIPSAW lust in their hearts. It’s one thing to look at a gun on paper and speak in the abstract about its performance potential. It’s quite another thing to hold that gun, ignore the impressive numbers being generated by the chronograph, and simply fire it at reactive targets. Most common reaction, by a wide margin, was “Holy s**t!” It’s a kne
Marlin 1894: Push comes to shove. Stretching the .44 mag.
Maybe it's my background in building race bikes and high performance streetbikes, but I still find myself repeating the mantra that light is right. But as anyone who has experience with magnum calibers will tell you, that maxim doesn't hold up so well with guns. A caliber whose recoil is manageable in an eight pound rifle can become downright painful if a pound or two gets stripped away. Nonetheless, I have a desire bordering on obsession to build a very light, very powerful