All About Straight-Walled Cartridges
Hey all, we here at True Shot Academy are going to talk about straight-walled cartridges. These types of cartridges are commonly employed by shooters of all types, both recreationally and purposefully. Our goal today is to provide a brief overview of this ammo type while delving into traits, use cases, and more. Without further ado, let’s go over straight walled cartridges.
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What is a Straight-Walled Cartridge?
Straight-walled cartridges set themselves apart from other cartridges due to their lack of a distinct taper or bottleneck. Like the name suggests, the casings found on these cartridges feature distinct straight lines and geometry. Tapers and bottlenecks allow for higher potential velocities, a trait which is absent on straight-walled cartridges. This means that straight-walled cartridges have less potential velocity than traditional cartridges which feature tapers or bottlenecks.
Many straight-walled cartridges feature distinct, pronounced rims at the base of the cartridge. These rims are present as they aid in ensuring proper headspace is achieved. Additionally, these rims make loadings of this style well-suited for use in revolvers and rifles alike. The rims allow the cartridges to stay in place in a cylinder and engage with an ejector while rifles take advantage of the rim for positive extraction. Recently introduced straight-walled cartridges optimized for semi-automatic use will lack these distinctive rims.
Why Do These Cartridges Matter?
These types of cartridges are especially important for hunters. There are many states which have restrictions on rifle hunting. Specifically, many states have either outright banned rifle hunting or placed heavy restrictions on the practice over the years. These types of restrictions are usually made with geographic considerations in mind in the name of safety. Simply put, some states are too flat or have a geographical makeup which makes the use of traditional rifle cartridges risky and unsafe. Due to potential personal and property harm, many states have restricted rifle hunting.
Straight-walled cartridges are unique as they do not match the velocities of popular, traditional hunting rounds due to their design. Because of this, many states which have previously restricted rifle hunting allow for the use of straight-walled cartridges. One should keep in mind that some states and even specific hunting zones may have additional or different restrictions to consider. Due to the varied and non-standard regulations, one should consult the proper authorities in their area prior to hunting. What is permissible in one state/area may not be permissible in a different state/area. By doing so, one can be informed of any restrictions or rulings they need to abide by and not run afoul of the law.
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Examples of Straight-Walled Cartridges
At this point in time, there are a number of straight-walled cartridges one will encounter on the market. These cartridges span handgun and rifle cartridges and varying degrees of popularity. Additionally, some of the cartridges have been around for decades while others are recent additions to the market.
Common straight-walled cartridges include:
- .357 Magnum
- .44 Magnum
- .45 Colt
- .454 Casull
- .44-40 Winchester
- .500 Smtih & Wesson
- .444 Marlin
- .45-70 Government
- .350 Legend
- .360 Buckhammer
- .450 Bushmaster
- .50 Beowulf
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What Firearms Use Straight-Walled Cartridges?
At this point in time, end users will find that there are many firearms which accommodate cartridges of this type. A majority of the handguns chambered in straight-walled cartridges will be of the revolver variety. While overshadowed by single action and double action revolvers, there are also a number of semi-automatic handguns which accommodate straight-walled cartridges. Single shot, lever action, and bolt action rifles are commonly found chambered for straight-walled cartridges. Additionally, modern semi-automatic firearms, such as AR-15 pattern rifles, can be found chambered for these cartridges.
Finding firearms chambered in these types of cartridges is actually quite easy. One will encounter a variety of offerings, especially in the form of lever action and bolt action rifles and revolvers. As far as handguns, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Magnum Research, and Taurus manufacture handguns of this type. With regard to rifles, Henry Repeating Arms, Stag arms, Ruger, Marlin, and POF produce rifles chambered in straight-walled cartridges. These handgun and rifle manufacturers are just a small sampling of manufacturers who produce firearms that accommodate cartridges of this type. With offerings from these manufacturers and more, one will have zero issue finding a firearm of this type.
Are Straight-Walled Cartridges Hard to Find?
Availability of straight-walled cartridges ultimately comes down to the specific caliber one is after. Some calibers are simply more prevalent than others are. For example, a long-standing loading such as .357 Magnum will be easier to find in most places than .350 Legend ammo will be. This is mainly because .350 Legend is a relatively new addition to the market and is not as common as .357 Magnum ammo is.
Common ammunition offerings can generally be found in most places where ammunition is sold. Some of the less common and recent additions to the market can also be encountered in these spaces. Of course, if one were to shop for ammo online, finding elusive and specific loadings gets easier. If you buy ammo online, you are simply afforded a wider range of options than what is locally stocked.
These types of loadings will be found in standard loadings and in specialized, exotic forms. Specialty offerings are generally going to be optimized for use cases such as hunting or suppressed shooting. Specialty hunting loadings will often be designed to ethically dispatch game and is potentially available in the form of lead-free ammo.
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Conclusion
All in all, straight-walled cartridges are employed by a number of end users. Everyone from recreational shooters and hunters who specifically seek these cartridges out enjoy straight-walled calibers of all types. With support found in handguns and rifles, a variety of shooters can effectively use these types of cartridges. We here at True Shot Ammo have a wide range of straight-walled cartridge ammo offerings available. The range of ammunition for sale includes range loadings, hunting loadings, subsonic loadings, and more. Whether you are wanting to buy ammo of the straight-walled variety or are after ammunition of a different kind, we have got you covered. As always, happy shooting.
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Need bulk ammo? At True Shot Ammo, we have a wide variety of handgun ammo and rifle ammo available to purchase. Please visit our website trueshotammo.com, call us at (888) 736-6587, or you can email us at [email protected] for more ammo options.
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