Have you ever heard of Charles Newton? Here we look at his .256 Newton cartridge.
One of several high-velocity rimless cartridges designed by Charles Newton for his bolt-action rifles, the .256 Newton was introduced in 1913 by the Western Cartridge Co. Until the .264 Winchester Magnum came along in 1958, this was the only American-designed 6.5mm to be offered on a commercial basis. The last of the Newton rifle companies failed in the early 1920s, and Western quit loading Newton cartridges in 1938. The .256 Newton is based on the .30-06 case necked down.
The .256 Newton has hung on as a wildcat cartridge and, occasionally, custom rifles are made for it. Cases can be made by necking down, reforming and shortening .30-06 brass. It’s adequate for practically all North American big game but is not as effective as the .270 Winchester. With modern slow-burning powders, its performance can be improved over original factory ballistics.
.256 Newton Loading Data and Factory Ballistics
| Bullet (grains/type) |
Powder | Grains | Velocity | Energy | Source |
| 120 SP | IMR4350 | 55.0 | 2,980 | 2,362 | NA |
| 130 SP | IMR4895 | 46.0 | 2,900 | 2,425 | NA |
| 140 SP | IMR4831 | 57.0 | 2,890 | 2,598 | NA |
| 129 SP | FL | – | 2,760 | 2,180 | Western factory load |
Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt of Gun Digest’s Cartridge’s Of The World.
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