Striking, eye-catching, and bizarre are the terms I’d use to describe the .22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer. You may have seen this odd-looking round floating around the internet, but you had no idea what you were looking at. You just know you are looking at something weird. Weird cartridges are nothing new, and we will be examining one of the most interesting and bizarre cartridges ever produced, the .22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer.
The .22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer is a very real cartridge. At least one rifle was produced to shoot it, and it was the product of a legendary ballistician. The cartridge had a fairly unique purpose, and it wasn’t designed for commercial use but for one simple experiment to answer one question. Can a projectile fired from a rifle reach 5,000 feet per second?
The Challenge
Bob Hutton, editor of Guns & Ammo magazine and owner of Hutton’s Rifle Ranch, put out a bit of a challenge. He wanted a cartridge to throw a projectile at 5,000 feet per second. Hutton had a long history of testing cartridges at the Rifle Ranch, including the 5.56x45mm, which he tested at Eugene Stoner’s behest.
Guns & Ammo regularly took contributions from a man named P.O. Ackley. If that name is new to you, you should research the man. P.O. Ackley was a rifleman, gunsmith, barrel maker, columnist, and wildcat cartridge developer. The man developed dozens of cartridges that were often improved versions of existing cartridges. He often blew up guns just to see what he could learn from doing so.
When he heard of Hutton’s idea for a cartridge that would exceed 5,000 feet per second, he got to work. His end result was a 50-grain .224 caliber bullet on a .378 Weatherby Magnum case. He had to seriously neck the cartridge down. The massive case had plenty of capacity and allowed 105 grains of H570 powder.
Did it Work?
P.O. Ackley reportedly sent Bob Hutton a batch of hand-loaded ammo and a hand-built rifle to test. As far as I can tell, it’s the only rifle of this caliber ever produced and the only ammo load. Bob tested the cartridge, and it achieved a speed of 4,600 feet per second.
While the .22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer didn’t achieve its goal, it did produce a fairly humorous and unique cartridge. From the name to the purpose, this was never to be taken all that seriously and was seen as an experiment. It’s completely possible that someone could take a run at this experiment with modern, slower-burning powders and reach the 5,000-foot-per-second goal.
The .22 Earsplitting Loudenboomer – An Offshoot
Before we go, I need to mention the .22 Earsplitting Loudenboomer, which is a bit different in design and the name of the Eargesplitten Loudenboomer. This was a .22 caliber projectile placed on a .50 BMG casing. Machinist Zach Weighman produced this ‘cartridge’ as a joke. It’s a novelty and appears to be an empty, unprimed case.
The Meme
The .22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer is more than a meme. It was a serious attempt to tackle a specific goal. While the cartridge might not have hit that goal, it did make a lasting impression on the firearms world and its culture.
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