High Powered Rifle

[Beaker]

The term "high-Powered Rifle" is used commonally used in literature and I understand that cartridges like the .30-30 or .30-06 and equivalant are "hi powered" while center fire pistol cartridges or .22 rimfire cartridges are not.

Does anybody have or know of a formal definition, or other nomenclature scheme in the rifle or gun trade as to what the term "hi-power" refers to, if any? Or, is the term a common folk term with no real definition?

I have wondered about this since I was a kid, and since I am getting back into the shooting sports again, and am a tenderfoot lever gunner, the term has aroused my curiosity again. Any and all opionions would be welcome.

Beaker

[mescalero1]

I do not know when the term first came into being.
I use it to differenteate between the " carbine, assault, intermediate, cartridges " and a full size battle rifle.

[AJMD429]

I use it to refer to cartridges that are 'only' chambered in rifles, excepting the single-shot creations and now I guess, the Freedom Arms ones. Pretty arbitrary, I admit.

[Chas.]

Around here, I hear the term "deerrifle" more often. And it's one word, deerrifle. Kinda like when you see something and don't know what it is, you ask "Whasat?" - one word whasat, like deerrifle.

[Hobie]

I think that it mostly refers to battle rifle cartridges unless you're a writer of fiction. In that case it will be any centerfire rifle cartridge (cartridge in a rifle). Unless you're a politician and then it will include an airsoft rifle.

[mescalero1]

Hobie,
you are a gas!

[AJMD429]

Unless you're a politician and then it will include an airsoft rifle.

[stew71]

I'm still waiting for the New York Times to use the term "low-powered rifle".

[greyowl]

The term is used to discribe any rifle that shoots a more powerful cartridge,real or percieved than whatever your currently using. The term is usually used to justify to your wife why you need a new rifle. As in, "I missed that deer because I didn't have a powerful enough rifle". The trick is to jump up only slightly in cartridge "power" so that you can reuse this line of reasoning several times. An example would be, 30-30, 35 rem, 444, 45-70. Remember, the power increase only has to sound reasonable, there doesn't really need to be much difference. A slightly larger or heavier bullet, a bit longer or wider case, a few FPS or KE increase on a ballistic chart is all it takes to make the new purchase," more powerful". Once you play that out as far as you dare you then switch to "range". As in I need a longer range rifle. Now you move over to the likes of the 300 savage, 307 win., 308 mar, 308 win. From there you finally reach combining the two. A "more powerful, long range" rifle. Now you move to the 356 win, 338 mar, and 358 win class. It's not a perfect use for the term, but it will keep you going for awhile.

[Swampman]

As a kid we called a "deer rifle" a "high-powered rifle." A single shot shotgun was called a "single barreled shotgun." We never used the term "rimfire" we called it a .22.

[Borregos]

I think that it mostly refers to battle rifle cartridges unless you're a writer of fiction. In that case it will be any centerfire rifle cartridge (cartridge in a rifle). Unless you're a politician and then it will include an airsoft rifle.

You got it in one Hobie

[Swampman]

"Rifle: Rifles to be used in High Power Rifle competition must be equipped with metallic sights (Some long range, 1000-yard matches allow the use of "any sights"), should be capable of holding at least 5 rounds of ammunition and should be adapted to rapid reloading. Tournament programs often group competitions into two divisions, Service Rifle and Match Rifle. The rifles currently defined as "Service Rifles" include the M1, M14, M16 and their commercial equivalents. Winchester and Remington have made their Model 70 and Model 40X rifles in "match" versions and custom gunsmiths have made up match rifles on many military and commercial actions. 1903 and 1903-A3 Springfield, 1917 Enfields and pre-war Winchester Model 70 sporters in .30-06 are all equipped with clip slots for rapid reloading. The most suitable rear sights are aperture or "peep" with reliable, repeatable 1/2 minute (or finer) adjustments. Front sights should be of either the post or aperture type."

[Mokwaw]

When I was a kid it meant anything bigger than a .22. Example is my great uncle had a Win 43 in .22 Hornet.....thus a high powered rifle. Same for my uncle when he bought a Win 94 in 30-30. Basically the same for handguns....my grandpa had a high powered revolver, .32 S&W, if you had a .38 special you could derail trains with it. Needless to say most of my family weren't into firearms.

[O.S.O.K.]

Well, I think the first marketing use of the term was by Savage right? .22 High Power?

I think the term was put forth by the gun makers regardless. The NRA also picked this up for it's "High Power" Rifle competitions - but I don't known when those started - but I think around WWI - seem to remember that it was created in order to increase the number of able recruites or something like that - which makes sense. We should be requiring participation in this training to graduate from HS - at least for the boys. Yes, I know - sexist aren't I?

[Gun Smith]

My best guess would have to be when smokeless cartridges started to replace black powder arms. To me that would have been in the mid 1890's around the time in the U.S. of the M. 94 Winchester and in Europe it probably would have been about the time of the first Mauser and Enfield military smokeless rifle calibers.
I believe this term is colloqial in origin and not related to any specific cartridge.

[oic0]

Down here it always meant any rifle thats not a .22 rimfire.
We call a .22 rimfire rifle a "22". Everything else is a rifle. Adding "high power" on to the name is optional and can be applied to any if the mood strikes or for emphasis.

Which I find funny because when I looked up the caliber requirements for deer, it pretty much said anything centerfire with exceptions made for larger older rimfires... or the short version, any rifle thats not a .22 rimfire... lol.


I would think it would probably vary from state to state and align with whatever the minimum accepted deer cartridge is.

Just me 2 cents.

[Modoc ED]

My best guess would have to be when smokeless cartridges started to replace black powder arms. To me that would have been in the mid 1890's around the time in the U.S. of the M. 94 Winchester and in Europe it probably would have been about the time of the first Mauser and Enfield military smokeless rifle calibers.
I believe this term is colloqial in origin and not related to any specific cartridge.

I think that's pretty much when the phrase "High Power" came into use. I have some old Winchester posters and flyers and some of them refer to the new "High Power" rifles introduced with the introduction of the Winchester 94 and smokeless powder.

[Buck Elliott]

The .22 Hi Power was originally called the "Imp" IIRC

[Charles]

The origins of my understanding of what a "high power rifle" is, are lost in the maze of dim very old memory. But the definition I have carried around as long as I can remembers is... A high power rifle is a centerfire rifle with a muzzle velocity of 2,000 fps or greater.

[Beaker]

Well its nice to know my .30-30 is a high powered rifle even if its not powerfull enough to kill a deer.

[L_Kilkenny]

In my neck of the woods High Power Rifle = Centerfire Rifle. Bow season, muzzleloader season, shotgun season, high power season, etc etc. That's what we call em.

LK

[AJMD429]

Now you move to the 356 win, 338 mar, and 358 win class. It's not a perfect use for the term, but it will keep you going for awhile.

The .358 BOS Magnum is the "high power" I want in that case... ... 6843 ft-lbs from a 225 grain .358 bullet at 3700 fps!

[Meeteetse]

You can sort of tell the age of someone by the responses in this thread. . . . .

For me, growing up in the 40's, 50's and 60's in Wyoming and learning to hunt, we had four calibers; .22, 30/30, 30-06 and high powered rifles. I grew up thinking anything bigger than a 30-06 was high power. I guess we just kept it simple. The 30/30 was a truck gun, the 30-06 was a hunting rifle and the .22 was for varmints and pests. Around our place even the .270 was for someone who couldn't handle an ought-six. . . . . . .