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Wes wrote:I'm not much of a magnum fan either. Especially in rifles. I could never tell the difference in how dead my elk was with a 30-06 or my brothers 300 mag.
I have to say that the 270 is so common out in my country because it shoots flat and most are accurate. I do believe that it is the most gun that the average Joe can shoot well with. Most people don't handle recoil well. I'd far rather see younger kids shooting this than a 243 though. Not enough power for elk or moose, and maybe not for mule deer at long ranges.
My Dad had a 270 and had never heard of Jack O'Conner. He thought the 270 was hell on wheels after hunting his whole life with either a 30-30 or his uncle's 45-70.
My least favorite is any 7mm Magnum.
My lest favorite cartage is the 30 30 , favorite for East Texas hunting is the 7.62x39 cheap cheap ammo only in the Ruger ,the 38/357 ,44 mag 444 marlin, i wish for a lever rifle box magazine chambered in this caliber 6.8 rem,6.5 Grendel. 375 JDJ
Last edited by tomtex on Sun Jun 20, 2010 11:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
I would have to say any of the .300 mag varieties. I had a .300 Win Mag, and I just hated it. I like short, compact guns, and those aren't it. I have no qualms with accuracy or performance, it's just that they tend to come in long, heavy guns, and they are definitely overkill for any of the game I shoot. I use a .243 for most of my deer hunting. I don't shoot much over 150 yds at deer anyway, so I don't need something that will make an 800 yd kill shot on game. The .300 magnums use too much powder, kick too hard for my liking, and won't kill a deer any better than a .308 at the ranges I shoot.
For the fans of the magnums, you have my full support. My dad has one, and he's the reason I bought the one I had. He loves his, and I sold mine to my brother and he loves it. It shot great, killed great, but sending 20 rounds downrange for practice was brutal for me. I won't hunt with anything I don't like practicing with. I sold mine and bought a .300 wsm. I liked the gun a whole lot better because it was as light and compact as my .243, but it kicked worse than the full size one I had, and was still overkill.
If I want to hunt something bigger than deer, I'll take my 45-70.
As a side note, I enjoy the smaller magnums for some reason. I don't like them enough to own any, but I love shooting my buddy's 7mm mag. Kinda weird, but everyone has their preferences.
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen" - Samuel Adams
I wouldn't necessarily say they are my least favorite, but I really don't get all the handcannon cartridges, like the .460, .480, .500 and so forth. I know some of you have legitimate uses for them, but I think the vast majority of owners have them for the macho factor, and probably rarely shoot them because they are so punishing. Most people would be better served with a .44 magnum, .45 or maybe a .454. If one needs something more powerful, why not select a rifle cartridge?
I don't include such cartridges as the .475 and .500 Linebaugh, since they are sort of special purpose cartridges; one generally can't go to the local gun store and find a specimen for sale. I presume the people who shell out the money for those have a good reason to do so.
"...In this present crisis, government isn't the solution to the problem; government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
"...all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed." Declaration of Independence
I know fellows who love the .270. I cannot see any point for a cartridge so close to the 7mm in size - given the 7mm's superior range of projectiles.
The .243 is noisy, destroys meat, can be a poor killer on deer sized game yet I find it too noisy for varminting.
Unless one is going to Africa I cannot understand the current African calibre craze- especially when owned by shooters who cannot shoot a 30-06 properly. This may be sour grapes on my part, I do not know, as my 'upper limit' recoil wise is a 350-Rem Mag mod 7 or a 375 H&H in a heavier rifle- and then only when they are fired occasionally.
DerekR wrote:For me it's the 7mm Magnum. The only magnum rifle I ever owned. Too long, too loud and overkill in the Tennessee woods I hunt.
7mm Rem Mag for me as well...has pretty much every thing I want in a Boltgun/BLR cartridge except a "Belt". Hate belts, just a darn fool idea IMHO. It's why I was excited about the .375 Ruger, oh come to daddy.....375 H&H was forgotten in a heartbeat.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
-Benjamin Franklin
I'd have to say the .30-06 and it's off spring. Give me a .308 (which I still find unappealing), a 7mm-08, a .260 or a .243 over the outdated, un-efficient, over sized -06 and it's off spring. If I ever need bigger than a 7mm-08, which I won't, I'm gonna jump right on over the -06 to a magnum.
.223 is also on my "not to own" list. Everyone always spouts how cheap it is to shoot but in reality for "quality" ammo it isn't much, if any, cheaper than the .22-250 which is a better cartridge. Again if I need a smaller, quieter, less damaging cartridge than a .22-250 for say fox hunting, I'm gonna jump down to a hornet, bee, fireball, etc etc.
I also don't have any use for a cartridge designed for use in semi-auto handguns. But this had more to do with the brass chuckers than with the cartridges them self.
I had to really think about what cartridge I don't like or won't shoot, and why. I came up with really 3 cartridges/classes of cartridge I don't like, own or shoot. The first is 243 Winchester. This one is weird for me, since I'd shoot it myself and I don't mind it personally. When a hunter shows up at the ranch or one of our outfitted hunts with a 243 I cringe and get knots in my stomach. This is because I have seen the worst shooting (marksmanship) and worst bullet performance as well as wounded game, missed game, multiple hits on game, long trailing jobs and totally lost animals. Admittedly it is not the fault of the cartridge. I don't know why but it is the most abused, out of place, wrongly applied cartridge I've come across among clients. In fairness, I've seen good, experienced shooters that are knowledgable about ballistics/handloaders use it with perfect success. It is very, very popular so I've also had more observations with 243 than most other cartridges. Next on my list is the 270 Winchester. Again, nothing wrong with the cartridge. I developed an attitude towards it long ago that I never shook. There are limited bullet weights and types and the ballistics are tucked neatly among many other cartridges. Also, field performance has been average at best in nearly a hundred observations. This one is just a personal thing for no particular reason, just don't care for or have use for it. Lastly, the 338-06 and similar ballistic performers up to 340 Weatherby. I've shot several and just couldn't stand the abrupt recoil and blast. This family of cartridges didn't kill anything deader than a cartridge that is more managable for me. All the limited experieces were unpleasant to the point that I won't shoot one myself nor stand near someone that does (from the bench), and I back off much more than usual when guiding clients with these calibers.
bulldog1935 wrote:.25 rimfire - they wasted all those Stevens Favorites which could have been made in 22LR instead.
Sadly bulldog..... They sent the wrong gun for you. (caliber) But that alone doesn't make the .25 Stevens bad.... I wonder just how much you have shot the .25 Stevens rimfire to have this strong opinion of its worth?
Granted ammunition is non-existent these days and $$$ when you find any. Luckily I've 'ratholed' it for years! This does not belittle the actual worth of the .25 Stevens; only hinders it.
The .25 Stevens was/is a superb small game round and superbly accurate as well.
You may not think my opinion amounts to much.... So I include one from a person most would never think would praise such a dismal little round..... Elmer Keith himself! (from "Sixguns" page 124)
I hope you bought the rifle I returned, because it was a jewel inside and out. Since then, I can't tell you whether it would shoot a long, but I don't believe it was chambered for it.
bulldog1935 wrote:I can't tell you whether it would shoot a long, but I don't believe it was chambered for it.
I think Stevens chambered everything they made in rimfire .25 as the .25 Stevens which IS the Long version. The Short was only used as a lesser powered round not unlike a .22 Short being used in a .22 Long Rifle chamber.... No .25 rimfire that I know was chambered 'Short' only that I can think of.
Wish I did have the .25 Favorite you mentioned!
Last edited by 2520WHV on Fri Jun 25, 2010 9:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'm kind of cartridge fanatic and tend to appreciate them for what they are. But there are some I have absolutely no interest in.
30 carbine: Why? Couldn't the Armed Forces chamber those handy carbines in something else? .45 ACP, 38 Super, even 9mm?
Anything grossly overbore. 7mm STW and .300-.378 WM are extreme examples. There comes a point where putting more powder behind a bullet ceases to improve performance. You are better off to increase bore diameter.
Extreme handgun rounds. Anything beyond 44 Mag or 45 Colt and I would rather carry a rifle. (Now rifles in these rounds may be a different story.)
.17's period
.30 and .32 handgun rounds
.25-35 and 7-30 Waters: No real trajectory improvement over 30 WCF and not as hard hitting.
This is easy, The .270 Winchester is my pick. I have seen numerous Game Animals run to the next county hit in the boiler room. Sorry, but I am not the least bit impressed with this round. I will stick to the 30's, nothing under.
The 7mm Rem. mag is something I think the shooting public could have lived without. I've seen too many people who think the 7mm mag makes them 1000 yard shooters. And I've seen more bullet failure out of that cartridge than any other. IF 7mm mag people really thought about their shots, and thought about their bullets, they would probably choose the 7x57 instead or the .280. Actually IMO the 7mm mag is a dandy cartridge when the range causes the velocity to drop down to the same speeds as either of the above cartridges mentioned..but unfortunately most people cant shoot them well at those ranges.
The 7mm mag did have a golden lining for me though...cause when I was out in WY everyone was wanting to trade off their old leverguns for new 7mm mags cause that's what it took to bring down an elk...ha!....I bought lots of leverguns back then because of that mentality
slow2run wrote:My lest favorite cartage is the 30 30 , favorite for East Texas hunting is the 7.62x39 cheap cheap ammo only in the Ruger ,the 38/357 ,44 mag 444 marlin, i wish for a lever rifle box magazine chambered in this caliber 6.8 rem,6.5 Grendel. 375 JDJ
Just curious: many consider 30-30 and 7.62x39 to be ballisticallycomparable, and 30-30 is a pretty popular cartridge. Why do you dislike it so much, while holding the other in such high regard?
"...In this present crisis, government isn't the solution to the problem; government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
"...all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed." Declaration of Independence
