MS primitive weapon is any weapon of .35 caliber or larger, having a breech loading capacity of 1 round, with an exposed hammer. So the .35 Whelen craze has been hot/heavy, along with the .444 and 45-70.
I have been resarching this forever following the trial and error segment (past 2 years) on these rounds. All knock you into tommorrow, and are expensive ammo purchases. On a normal year, I may only get one shot at a deer over 200lbs., most are 150 and under. I have no need for a 180-220 grain bullet. I am not going after moose, elk, or buffalo. I really hated the H&R rifles - and the problems associated with them. So glad I waited and researched more options while my buddies are selling theirs off for nothing.
I am in the process of building a TC Encore, with a .357 Maximum barrel. The .357 MAX is longer than the .357 Magnum round, and when loaded with a 158gr JHP, is surprisingly accurate with the velocity and energy of a bigger rifle cartridge. Do some reading and Google Mike Bellm or MGM (Match Grade Machine) for barrels and calibers. Now, you will spend much more for this set up compared to an H&R, but you get more! And the ammo will be cheap once I am set up to reload. 2 50 round boxes were online at $70 which is pricey, but the factory loaded .357 MAX is hard to come by. I will be saving every brass case once it is fired for sure!
|