| .219 Donaldson Wasp | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | Rifle | |
| Place of origin | USA | |
| Production history | ||
| Designer | Harvey Donaldson | |
| Designed | 1937 | |
| Specifications | ||
| Parent case | .219 Zipper | |
| Case type | rimmed, tapered, bottleneck | |
| Bullet diameter | 0.224" | |
| Neck diameter | 0.251" to 0.253" | |
| Base diameter | 0.421" to 0.422" | |
| Rim diameter | 0.506" | |
| Rim thickness | 0.060" to 0.063" | |
| Case length | 1.715" to 1.813" | |
| Primer type | Large rifle | |
| Ballistic performance | ||
| Bullet weight/type | Velocity | Energy |
| 45 gr (2.9 g) Sierra | 3,400 ft/s (1,000 m/s) | 1,155 ft·lbf (1,566 J) |
| 50 gr (3.2 g) Hornady V-Max | 3,202 ft/s (976 m/s) | 1,139 ft·lbf (1,544 J) |
| 50 gr (3.2 g) Barnes VLC | 3,367 ft/s (1,026 m/s) | 1,259 ft·lbf (1,707 J) |
| 52 gr (3.4 g) Sierra | 3,100 ft/s (940 m/s) | 1,110 ft·lbf (1,500 J) |
| 55 gr (3.6 g) Sierra | 3,100 ft/s (940 m/s) | 1,174 ft·lbf (1,592 J) |
The .219 Donaldson Wasp cartridge (.219 Wasp) was created in 1937 by Harvey Donaldson. It is based on the .219 Zipper case, which is in turn based upon the .25-35 Winchester case.[1] While popular amongst match shooters in the 1930s & 1940s it has fallen by the wayside in favor of cartridges such as the 22 PPC and 6mm PPC, but is still held in high regard for its accuracy. 50 & 55 grain bullets are commonly used[2] and pressures for some loads are reported to be in the 55,000–60,000 psi (380,000–410,000 kPa) range.
There are in fact two versions of the cartridge, the original design and the newer so called "Donaldson Wasp Short". This version has a body length around 0.050" shorter than the original. Furthermore the neck length of the short version was reduced by 0.040" to remove what was considered by newer shooters excessive neck length. This resulted in a finished case length around 0.098" shorter overall (1.715" versus 1.813").
Reloading dies for the short design can be used to size and load a rimless version based on the 6.8 SPC case.
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