Just wnen I thought I knew it all (well mostly)

Got the Nov. issue of Shooting Times today..Article about the .256 Winchester and a Ruger single shot Hawkeye circa 1963. Would love some pictures and more info. I had no idea.

They sure were neat guns, but kind of a niche market. I think the Thompson Center Contender pulled the rug out from under them.

Here is an old thread I found with a great illustration on the workings of the Hawkeye, it is not at all what I was thinking, the bullet goes into the barrel, not into the "cylinder". I always thought of it as a single shot revolver, but now I see it is breechloaded.
http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=64087&view=next

Why did they choose to use that cartridge?

eveled said:

Why did they choose to use that cartridge?

Click to expand...

There were several "hot" little cartridges that came out about that time....256 Win. Mag., .22 Jet and .221 Fireball.
Ruger concentrated on the .256 Win Mag., building its first prototypes on the .44 Blackhawk (flattop) and Super Blackhawk frames. When they couldn't get the cartridge to work in either of those they started work on the single shot idea.
But WBR was limited in thought when it came to that because the cylinder frame limited the company to what cartridges they could produce the gun in. TC capitalized by making there's a tip-up handgun.
Bill Ruger always liked the single-shot "one-shot, one-kill" sportsman type idea. It is believed he started thinking about the #1 Single-Shot Rifle by at least the time the Hawkeye pistol came out...and in fact, WBR did make one Hawkeye pistol in .221 Fireaball with 16" barrel and attached buttstock.
Chet15

My oldest brother had a 10'' TC Contender in .256 W. and I loaded ammo for him at that time.

He killed a Michigan White tail deer with it, which I thought was a bit of a stretch for that cartridge/gun combination....I disremember the exact load he used, but I do recall that is was an 87 gr. bullet. 8)

The Universal M1 Carbine was chambered in .256 Winchester also.

http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_Universal256.html

quote> Only five firearms are known to have been chambered for this cartridge, none of which are currently manufactured.

Ruger Hawkeye single shot pistol (introduced 1961)
Marlin Model 62 Levermatic rifle (introduced 1962)
Rex Merrill Sportsman single shot pistol (interchangeable .256 Win Mag barreled upper)
Thompson/Center Contender single shot (interchangeable .256 Win Mag barrel)
Universal .256 Winchester Magnum carbines (introduced 1963) <end quote

A friend I shoot with has a bolt action and an AR rifle both modified for the .256 Winchester magnum cartridge. He has the dies and makes his cases out of 357mag brass. They shoot really well.

A bit more info. The Hawkeye came out in 1963. The T/C Contender wasn't introduced until 1967. Thompson Center Arms catalog #1 offers many of these odd calibers,, including the .256 Winchester.
The Hawkeye pistol is a desired collectable by more Ruger collectors.
If you were to attend the East Coast Gathering,,, you'd get to shoot one,,,!