Well, the ’52 revised edition of Sharpe’s Complete Guide to Handloading showed up in today’s mail, along with a reprint of Part 3 of the ’49 edition republished by Palladium Press in 2010.  For those still interested, I think I’ve discovered in these texts the source of confusion about the 22 Varminter’s shoulder angle which, by now, we all understand was 28 degrees, not the 26 degrees 30 minutes of the parent 250-3000 Savage case: 

On page 191 of the ’49 reprint (and repeated in the 1952 Supplement), Sharpe discusses the history and development of the Varminter and makes this statement: 

“Thus was born the Varminter.  This is made by necking down the 250/3000 Savage case, which, in spite of its rather small capacity as compared with the 220 Swift, has always been an extremely efficient cartridge.  The rather abrupt shoulder angle of the Savage case was retained in that development. I consider this shoulder angle of major importance in the performance of any cartridge [emphasis by poster].” 

Sharpe’s statement was carelessly written for someone so meticulous – he intended to emphasize the parent and child cases both featured a “rather abrupt shoulder angle” — not necessarily the same, exact angle.  We know this is so because, on page 192, Sharpe says this:

“Gebby tells me that the 28 degree shoulder slope contributes to the all-around performance of the Varminter more than any other single item in its design.”

The Shooting Times writer picked out Sharpe’s single sentence on Page 191 and didn’t bother to read Page 192.  A couple of his adherents then further messed up by inaccurately quoting Sharpe’s paragraph, to the effect the Savage case featured a 26.5 degree shoulder.  Nowhere on Page 191 or 192 does Sharpe even mention the exact degree of the Savage case shoulder, only that it was “abrupt.” 

Such grevious distortions of wildcatting history should earn the distorters at least one visit from Gebby’s ghost in the small hours of the night, to deliver a whack on their ears with something hard.