The .270 Winchester is one of the best big game cartridges ever devised and the standard of comparison among long range cartridges. Because of its standard length case and long neck, the .30-06 can make efficient use of the heaviest (especially 220 grain) .30 caliber bullets. However, even after the introduction of the fabulously successful .17 HMR rimfire, the sales of .17 centerfires has languished. The 7x57 is chambered in a reasonable selection of rifles and the ammunition is distributed around the world. Ammunition can be purchased wherever sporting rifles and ammunition are sold. 6x62 factory loads drive an 85 grain bullet at a muzzle velocity (MV) of 3460 fps with 2260 ft. lbs. Pushed to the max, the Swift can outperform the .22-250, is just as accurate and the two are indistinguishable in terms of blast and recoil. It is equal to the 7mm Ultra Mag and .30-378 Weatherby in range and trajectory with only a fraction of the recoil. Copyright 2002, 2017 by Chuck Hawks. The reloader with a .458 can create reduced power loads suitable for hunting Class 2 or Class 3 game, significantly expanding the heavy rifle's usefulness. Like all powerful medium bore cartridges they kick pretty hard, which limits their popularity. Mag. and traditional lever actions (Winchester, Marlin, Henry, etc.). In the magnum category, my long time favorite is the 6.5mm Remington Magnum. Of the rimless cartridges designed for use in bolt action repeating rifles, the most popular is the 9.3x62mm Mauser. Some of these are rimmed cartridges, some are rimless and some are belted. They are top choices for the beginning big game hunter, as well as the canny old pro. The .350 kills almost as well as the .338 Mag. As much as I appreciate the .338 Federal, I have to admit that the best of the modern .338's for large, as well as dangerous, game is the .338 Winchester Magnum. The 9.3x62 duplicates the ballistics of the larger 9.3x74R and kicks about like a .35 Whelen, which is to say considerably less than a .375 H&H. It is VERY obscure, but yes, they made 7.62x32mm ammo... OK, Thank You! The bonded core construction and higher sectional density of this jacketed flat nose (JFN) bullet makes it a good choice for hunting large animals. That is quite a few cartridges considering that there is not a single best selling rifle cartridge in the bunch. Mag. In terms of pure performance, no other .25 can beat the .257 Weatherby Magnum, Roy Weatherby's favorite cartridge. Please leave us a comment or suggestion here, Thank You! It is based on a unique case (essentially a blown-out, belted, .30-06 with a double radius shoulder) designed for the purpose by Roy Weatherby. In strong firearms, such as the Marlin and Henry lever actions and Ruger, Dakota and Browning/Winchester single shot rifles, the .45-70 can become a different cartridge. Complete List of all Calibers of Ammo Ever Made, Why You Should Join The NRA Today and Save $10, Knife and Blade Selection and Style Name Chart, Anti-Gun Companies and Businesses To Avoid. Hornady has made a bid to change that with the introduction of the .17 Hornet. Ideal for use in semi-populated areas, the .17 Hornet also creates less barrel fouling than the larger .17 centerfires. Winchester used to describe it as "perfect for black bear." It shoots flat, doesn't kick much and handles bullet weights from 87 to 120 grains with aplomb, making it suitable for all Class 2 game. 1924 7.5x54mm MAS mod. The 300 grain load makes a fine woods cartridge for deer and black bear hunting and the 405 grain bullet is adequate for Class 3 game at short range. On the continent of Europe, 8mm cartridges like the 8x56mm M-S, 8x57mm JS Mauser and 8x68S have traditionally been the favorite all-around cartridges. There are many fine standard 7mm cartridges, including the 7-30 Waters, 7mm-08 Remington, 7x57mm Mauser, 7x57R, 7x64, 7x65R, .280 Remington, .280 Ackley Improved and .284 Winchester. Among standard .35's, the .358 Winchester is probably the best choice. A powerful medium bore, like a .375 Magnum, will do all that is needed for hunting any of the world's bovines, including the famed African Cape buffalo, Asian water buffalo and North American bison, but big bore rifle cartridges continue to prosper. If I could choose only one medium bore rifle for hunting around the world, it would be a 9.3x62mm. Today, 140 grain bullets are the most popular weight in all three calibers, although bullets from 100 to 160 grains are commonly available. The big case capacity of the .300 Magnums suggests that they should be used with bullets weighing 180-220 grains. However, it is no worse than the other .375 Magnum calibers and considerably less than the fearsome (at both ends) .375 RUM and .378 Weatherby. It was introduced almost 40 years before the WSM and Rem. The Alaska Game Department, for example, specifically recommends the .30-06/220 as the minimum load for brown bear. Home Made Guns (Don't Try This at Home!!). The Swift was first factory loaded cartridge to offer a MV in excess of 4000 fps and for decades it remained the highest velocity cartridge available. There it was, right there in print. These are all fine combination varmint/deer cartridges. From this point on, the emphasis would be on .375 Magnum cartridges. The .30-30 is the classic medium range deer, black bear and general Class 2 game cartridge. The .32 Special is ballistically very similar to the .30-30 and it has generally been chambered in the same rifles. The following is a flat list of handgun cartridges, loosely in order of increasing caliber: Common handgun cartridges. The 9.3x74R can be used to take any game animal in the world and it has long been regarded as an all-around African cartridge. Almost anybody who has done much range work with shotgun slugs knows that they are plagued with fliers. They drive a 286 grain bullet at a MV of 2362 fps and ME of 3544 ft. lbs. … List of rifle cartridges, by category, then by name. All three cartridges are capable of cleanly harvesting all Class 2 game and they do so with minimum punishment to the shooter. Currently available standard calibers include the .357 Magnum revolver cartridge (as adapted to rifles), .35 Remington, .356 Winchester, .358 Winchester and .35 Whelen. The big .300 Magnums are fine long range cartridges and can be used in the "all-around" role for mixed bag Class 2 and Class 3 game hunts. Admittedly, it has too much muzzle blast for most varmint hunters and factory loaded ammunition is expensive. The .338 Federal is the modern, standardized version of Jack O'Connor's ideal woods cartridge. This is a 38,000 CUP load, the same MAP as the .30-30, that launches a .377" diameter, 255 grain bullet (SD .256) at a MV of 1950 fps and ME of 2153 ft. lbs. .30-06 ammo can be found anywhere ammunition is sold. kick so hard that most riflemen are simply unable to do their best shooting with them. However, as an ultra-long range cartridge it is unexcelled; the expression "four feet in the air" must have been coined for the .257 Weatherby. A good 400 grain bullet at 2050-2100 fps is suitable for all North American heavy/dangerous animals, including Bison and Kodiak bear. The .17 Hornet launches a 20 grain V-Max bullet at a MV of 3650 fps, about the same velocity achieved by the .22-250 with a 55 grain bullet, only at a fraction of the muzzle blast, recoil and expense. There can be no question about its killing power; it is in use around the world on a great variety of game and its record speaks for itself. Handloads can duplicate the performance of the .45-70 (300 grain bullet at 1850 fps) and .450 Marlin (350 grain bullet at 2100 fps) in the .458 Mag. Among the magnum .35's, I am convinced that the .350 Remington Magnum, the first true short magnum cartridge, is the most useful. Factory loads from major ammo companies using these heavy for caliber bullets are only available in the 6.5x55. Loaded to 50,000 cup, its ballistics are equal to the 7mm-08 with bullets weighing up to 150 grains, while its longer neck, slightly larger case and longer action make it a better choice with heavy 160-175 grain bullets and for reloading. It is available in the excellent Browning BLR rifle and will handle all Class 2 and Class 3 game within its MPBR. Rimmed rifle cartridge examples include the.22 Hornet,.30-30 Winchester, 7.62×54mmR,.303 British, 8×50mmR Lebel, and.45-70 Government. There are short action cartridges, standard length cartridges and long magnum cartridges. Fine cartridges they are, although they have never been very popular in North America. The .338 Winchester Magnum shoots flat enough to be considered a long range rifle, as flat or flatter than the .300 Winchester Magnum with a 200 grain bullet. Far more alternatives, in fact, than exist in several more popular caliber families. Rimless 9mm Parabellum pistol cartridges (Even this list is not all-inclusive!). (The .375 Win. The 9.3's can be divided into rimmed cartridges designed for use in single shot rifles, double rifles and drillings, and rimless cartridges intended for use in magazine fed repeating rifles. In the magnum category we have the .338 RCM, .338 Winchester Magnum, .340 Weatherby Magnum, .338 RUM, .338 Lapua and .338-378 Weatherby Magnum. However, for most purposes, the .338 Federal can be handloaded down to between 2400-2450 fps with a 200 grain bullet. cartridges are a bit more powerful, but if you can't do it with a .300 Weatherby, you definitely need a larger caliber cartridge, not more powder behind a .30 caliber bullet. These types are rimmed rimless, semi - rimmed rebated rim and belted. In this regard it is superior to to any of the short .300 Magnums and even the .300 Win. The .30-30's moderate recoil makes it suitable for beginning and recoil sensitive shooters. The .338 Magnum's popularity and usefulness is not limited to North America; it can be found all over the world where big and dangerous animals are hunted. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. The cartridges in question include the .450/.400, .404 Jeffery, .416 Remington Magnum, .416 Rigby, .416 Weatherby Magnum, .450 Nitro Express, .458 Winchester Magnum, .458 Lott, .460 Weatherby Magnum and .470 Nitro Express (to name some of the best known elephant cartridges--there are many others). This is an especially confusing category, as there are so many .30 and .303 caliber cartridges on the market. Remington's Big 7 is the best selling of all magnum rifle cartridges and the only magnum included on the short list of the best all-around cartridges. A .308 hunting rifle should weigh about 8.5 pounds in the field, the same as a .30-06. Barrel, Comparison Of Popular Hunting Rifle Ammo Calibers, .950 JDJ Worlds Largest "Sporting" Bullet, Kid With a Gun : Gun Control and Traditional American Values. The 9.3s are, generally speaking, Continental European medium bore cartridges similar in capability to the various North American .35 caliber cartridges and the British .375 cartridges. Hey Folks, I'm looking into single shot rifles, and have been assured that I want rimmed cartridges for reliable ejection. The .257 Weatherby Magnum is a .257 Caliber (6.35 mm) belted bottlenecked cartridge. We can divide them into standard (high intensity) and magnum categories. Regular Guns and Shooting Online readers know I am not a fan of .300 Magnum rifles. In general, they simply kick too hard for the average rifleman. Rimmed cases are typically used in break-open actions and repeating rifles with tubular magazines. This .17 is based on a blown out, sharp shouldered, necked-down .22 Hornet case. All rights reserved. However, the .223 Remington is the obvious choice in this group, because of its great popularity and the cheap factory loaded ammunition available in the caliber. The Nosler factory load drives a 225 grain Partition bullet at a MV of 2550 fps and is recommended for deer, elk and moose. Rimmed cartridges have a rim or extractor flange of larger diameter than the case base, often with a grooved or undercut area immediately ahead of the rim. Magnums include the short .350 Remington Magnum, the standard length .358 Norma Magnum and the long .358 STA. There are many useful centerfire rifle cartridges and considerable overlap among them. and its recoil is usefully less than most of the other medium bore magnums. There have been a number of .17 caliber wildcats and a few .17 caliber centerfires have even achieved factory loaded status. in a modern 8.5 pound .38-55 rifle, making It one of the mildest medium bore loads suitable for all Class 3 big game. Left to right: 1 3 inch 12 ga magnum shotgun shell, 2 AA battery (for size comparison), 3 .454 Casull , 4 .45 Winchester Magnum , 5 .44 Remington Magnum , 6 .357 Magnum , 7 .38 Special , 8 .45 ACP , 9 .38 Super , 10 9 mm Luger , 11 .32 ACP , 12 .22 LR Any modern .45-70 rifle in good condition should be able to safely use these standard pressure loads. In the movie, during training, the instructor starts talking about the Kalashnikov. One advantage an online author has over a print author is the ability to update articles, and I make an effort to take advantage of this capability. It is pretty much a standoff in terms of overall performance. It is also among best selling of all big game cartridges. The .257 Wby. Among the elephant cartridges the .458 Winchester Magnum, shooting a 500 grain bullet at a MV of 2000-2150 fps, has been proven all over Africa on the largest animals. The Winchester Super-X factory load launches a 200 grain bullet at 2490 fps from a 24" barrel. These are primarily intended for hunting Class 2 game. Big bore rifles, those with bores over .40" diameter, are surprisingly numerous. However, the fact is that all of them (including the .300 H&H, .300 Remington Ultra Mag, .300 Weatherby, .30-378 Weatherby, etc.) This being the case, I have never had much affinity for any .32 except one: the .32 Winchester Special. This article was originally penned in 2002. This versatility gives Winchester's .458 a big advantage over the larger-cased elephant rounds. Winchester's standard length .338 Magnum is the only really popular medium bore cartridge in North America. My favorite .475 A&M Mag....Thank you for the great job. The 6.5x55 was originally designed for 160 grain bullets and its case is therefore a bit longer, while the .260 and Creedmoor are true short action cartridges designed for 140 grain and lighter bullets. 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