Cartridges off the Beaten Path

[JD338]

I have a few rifles and a couple handguns that are chambered for rounds that are not in the main stream of popularity.

257 Roberts
6.5 JDJ (T/C Contender handgun)
6.5mm Rem Mag
7x30 Waters (T/C Contender handgun)
280 Rem
280 AI
35 Whelen
45-70

Nothing wrong with any of these. When loaded to their full potential, they are all top performers.
What do you have?

JD338

 

[Guy Miner]

6mm Remington - got it in 1974 and people said "A what?" :grin:

.257 Weatherby mag - now it's pretty popular - for a long while it was obscure. I'm trying to get used to it being more mainstream now.

.30-30 - true enough - around here it's a rare bird, as was the .45/70 when I got that Marlin.

.375 H&H - common perhaps in Alaska and Africa - not so much in central Washington, land of the coyote & mule deer.

Those are my oddball rifle cartridges. Also have some sort of unknown 9mm Brevet double-barrel pistol. It's odd for sure. Dad has a few cool old guns:

.22 Savage High Power, in a Savage 99 .228" diameter, not .224" (also has a .410 shotgun barrel that can be screwed in)

11.7mm Danish - in a Remington Rolling block - similar to, but not the same as a .45/70 cartridge

 

[rjm158]

Savage Model 340 in .225 Winchester.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

That 22 High Power is a rarity, we have two in the family, unfortunately neither of them live in my gun cabinet.

I have a 300 Savage in a Model 99 EG that belonged to my grandfather, it has an old Lyman All-American 4x on top. Still shoots 150 grain handloads and most factory loads into 1.5" @ 100 yards all these years later.

I have a 30-06 Springfield in a Win model 70 classic. Now I know theres nothing odd there in but listen to this. I bought it used in 2003 at a Hardware store, it was the first I had ever seen with the stainless matte finish in a walnut stock. The rifling is 4-groove which is odd, most '06's that arent Springfield '03's have 6 groove. It is my favorite hunting rifle, it fits me as though it were custom made. I love it. I cannot for the life of me though find out where it came from for in all of my searching I have not yet found a rifle thus cataloged by Winchester at any time. I believe it may have come from the custom shop. I did not pay a custom shop price for it however.

I have a Colt 22 Peacemaker, never seen but 3 of these.

I have a Higgins 20 gauge bolt-action shotgun with no serial number.

Dad has a Marlin Model 27S in 25-20.

And finally my oldest sister has a Savage 99F in 284 WCF, which is getting to be pretty scarce these days.

As a rule I like utilitarian rather than specialist cartridges, i.e. 25-06, 270, 30-06, 308, 300 Mag etc., and utilitarians usually do not go obsolete. I also own no proprietary cartridges although I have been thinking of rebarreling an old Ruger 77 22-250 to 6.5 Creedmore.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

Oh and P.S.

My Great Uncle Hollis owned a Custom 98 Mauser rifle chambered in 7x61 Sharpe and Hart Magnum. That is one you seldom hear of as well!

 

[DrMike]

.257 Roberts
.260 Remington
.280 Remington (two of them)
7mm WSM
.338 Federal
.356 Winchester (two of them)
.350 Remington Magnum
9.3 X 64 Brenneke (Well, it is still being built)
.375 Winchester

 

[HeathSexton]

.260 Remington
.358 Winchester
.45/70 Govt
.410 bolt action tube fed shotgun


Those are about my only odd balls I guess

 

[BK]

.17 Remington (not Fireball)
.221 Fireball
.220 Swift x2
6mm
.257 Weatherby
6.5 Creedmoor
7mm WSM x2
.300 Savage
.300 Weatherby
.358 Winchester
.35 Whelen

I almost bought a 9.3x62 a couple of weeks ago, and may still yet. On my lookout list is a .222 Remington, .250 Savage, .257 Roberts, .260 Remington, .264 Winchester Magnum, 7x61 S&H, .300 H&H, .340 Weatherby, .375 Weatherby (NOT .378), and a .416 Rigby. And the pretentious/goofball in me wants a rifle marked ".275 Rigby" which is, of course, a 7x57 Mauser.

 

[BK]

Oh, and also on the want list are 16 and 28 gauge shotguns, .32 H&R Magnum and .41 Magnum revolvers.

 

[FOTIS]

The ones I have know are pretty usual, but I have owned some doozies in the past.

 

[SJB358]

I have a few not so popular cartridges like

35 Whelen
358 Winchester
45-70 (getting pretty popular around here though)
264WM
7WSM

They are really all excellent cartridges in my mind, and that is what counts. I would like to find an old M99 300 Savage or M71 348 Winchester. Those two have kinda been eluding me awhile as I have picked up other rifles and such. I kinda like them alot as most normal folks have never seen one or might have just read about them in a magazine. Scotty

 

[atmoshpere]

Just took a step outta the mainstream myself by having my 308 win rebarrelled in 284 win.

 

[backcountryhunter]

one man's trash is another man's treasure - "off the beaten path" is a very subjective term as witnessed by "375 H&H ? maybe in AK or Africa but not here in central WA" ... if THAT doesn't speak to the subjectivity of the topic nothing ever will and IF you are using ammo availability as criteria the "A I's" will com ability to fire out at the top due to fire factory fodder - like all things in these times, nothing is "simple" like it should be ...

 

[Ridge_Runner]

lets see
Ruger mini-30 in 6mm PPC
AR's in 25 wssm and 458 socom
348 winchester
sav. 99 7mm/08
contendors in 7mm JDJ and 375 JDJ
6mm (rem 788 left hand)
7mm STW
270 BEE
7mm Allen
6.5 gibbs
20 tac
250 sav.
I think thats all of the odd ones
RR

 

[Gm weatherby man]

Ridge- runner. How you like the 25 wssm in the ar platform? Sounds like a fun setup. 8)

 

[1Shot]

T/C Contender 14" pistol barrels
6mm-225 Winchester
30-30AI

Rifles
6.5X55
264 Win Mag
7X57
7.5X55
30X47 HBR (300 Savage case with shoulder pushed back 10 thousands but left same OAL.)
303 British
8X57JS
45-70 Sharps

 

[Ridge_Runner]

Ridge- runner. How you like the 25 wssm in the ar platform? Sounds like a fun setup. 8)

It will get er done, I've shot a couple hundred rounds through it, it shoots well, but you can only shoot the 120 gr sp factory load through it due to mag length, that or seat factory BST's .o12" deeper.
so basicly its a reloading proposition, but what better deer cartridge than a 115 gr NBT at 3000 fps? I'm impressed with it.
RR

 

[BK]

Man, I'm glad I never bought a Contender! I'm sure by now I'd be on J.D. Jones' (SSK Industries, maker of Hand Cannons) Christmas card list by now!

 

[6mm Remington]

6mm Remington, but it's way too popular to call it obsolete or oddball! :lol:

38/40 Winchester rifle.

 

[Woodycreek]

300 Savage Model 99
45-70 Govt 1895 Marlin
243AI
300RUM
10mm Glock 20SF

And i want to get a Rock River Arms Upper in .458 SOCOM :twisted: