Hunting Rifle Cartridges, What's Left?

[Guy Miner]

Honestly, what can possibly be left to develop? From a practical viewpoint? Re both cartridges and bullets...

For decades there have been:

Varmint Cartridges with very flat trajectory, astounding accuracy, and great results on target. My choice happens to be the .204 Ruger, but a half-dozen cartridges exist that perform well in the role.

Big Game Cartridges, from javelina & tiny deer up through big deer, elk, moose, African antelope... It's all been covered, with cartridges capable of only modest range, to those better suited to long range shooting. I tend to use the 25-06, 30-06 and the 375, but many other cartridges exist to fill this role.

Dangerous Game Cartridges, including the great bears, the big cats, cape buffalo, elephant. A charging grizzly moosehippolaphant... :wink: That is well covered with standard, and not-so-standard cartridges... I only have the 375 for this purpose, but if it was reasonable to expect I might need something more, I'd get one of the big .458's, probably the Lott. Many others will do as well, or better.

So for hunting... Honestly, what's left that is NEEDED in the way of hunting cartridges and bullets?

Pretty much nothing in my opinion. In fact, deleting a bunch and just perfecting the good ones is by far my preference.

What say you? :grin:

Guy

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah- it's hard to imagine there's much left in the way of cartridge development from a practical standpoint.

We've got cartridges that do just about anything that needs doing- near or far. We've had some good developments that I like very much in the last 25 years, but they don't really do anything particularly new. For instance, the 6.5CM isn't much different than the 6.5x55 or the .260REM for that matter. I like it, but it's not that revolutionary and for the common "deer gun" we've got an embarrassment of riches.

In a varmint gun, the .22-250 is still near the top of the heap and the .204 is essentially the 20-223 wildcat that's been around for a long while.

The dangerous game cartridges were perfected in another age...maybe when such cartridges were much more common. My 1911 vintage .416 Rigby would have been hard to beat when something big and scary needs stomping on. The .416 Ruger simply replicates in a slightly smaller case.

 

[ElmerThud]

From the hunting perspective, some of the biggest names in hunting African dangerous game in the early 1900’s, Finch-Hatton, WDM ‘Karamoja’ Bell, the von Blixens et al, commonly used the Mannlicher Schoenauers of their day in 6.5x54 or 7x57/.275 Rigby. But plainly bigger stompier cartridges/calibres came along together with the hardware to deal with that stuff better and they used it.

Hunting is what I’ve done for many years and so never been interested in much other stuff, but there most certainly are very many cartridges and calibres out there covering lots of areas of interest for all of us, whether that interest is historic or development for the future.

It’s still amazing after all these years of shooting and development, it’s still all about delivering a projectile to the desired point of aim accurately and that projectile accomplishing the desired job when it gets there.

But some of the hardware that came along in the early 1900’s I find fascinating.
The MSch M1903, the Colt 1911 & the ‘Broomhandle’ Mauser. Just wonderful timeless kit.
And my pretty updated Blaser K95 ... Sublime!

 

[muleman]

Pretty much true Guy. I like playing with some of the older cartridges using the newer powders and bullets. I'm waiting to see if anybody will do for the quarter bores what they've done with the 6.5s. I have a 257Roberts AI built on a standard Win 70 running a 1-9 twist just waiting for a .257 ABLR.

Scott

 

[Thebear_78]

I like the variety. No real need for any of it but I enjoy all the different cartridges and wildcats.

In any real situation there isn’t much you can’t do with a 223 and a 30/06, but by that logic we should all drive a Prius and F250. Sometimes different is fun


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[ozarkpugs]

I agree now that we have the 6.8 spc2 it's time to forget new cartridges and work on powders that are temperature insensitive .

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[ShadeTree]

Pretty much agree Guy. I feel like the big advances that have been made in my lifetime is in some powders and bullet designs. When it comes to cartridges there are a lot that are more of the same.

Some modern powders and bullet designs have given the ability to realistically experiment with a "new" cartridge performance wise, even though it's been around for decades or 100 yrs back.

Add to that, that on top of the old standby's there are plenty of cool and highly effective old cartridges that for one reason or another either never caught on, or were squeezed out that are plenty easy to revive in the gun build of a persons choice.

 

[truck driver]

Well I can hunt anything in North America with 2 cartridges that were developed before I was born and not feel under gunned and their not some big boomers.
The 257 Roberts will range from varmints to deer size game and the 30-06 takes care of the rest.
Actually I used the 30-06 for everything till I wore one out and had it rebarreled to the 257 Roberts. Safety reasons was one reason for me wanting a smaller caliber since there was housing developments springing up everywhere and I needed an explosive bullet that wouldn't over penetrate.
Curiosity and wanting something different probably is the main reason for us buying different cartridges and the industry keeps developing something new to spur sales.
So what's next? How about caseless cartridges? I know there has been several attempts to market these in the past but were just too futuristic for our taste and not dependable.
How about a non recoiling Lazer rifle that anyone can shoot and kill any game animal ? >)

 

[Elkman]

My perspective, (which I have voiced here in the past) is that nothing new (cartridge wise) has been created since about 1964, lots of variations but certainly nothing that has enhanced the ability to take animals ethically and cleanly. Nor has rifle technology ,again strictly related to taking game animals. Rifles are more accurate on a whole, but still not a game changer. I believe the greatest enhancements, have been in optics. Bullets are better but Partitions and Cor-lokt's have been around a long time. Just the ramblings of an old man.

 

[69gto]

Right on Elkman, give me a 270 and a 338 with partitions and I would be covered for everything I want to hunt. From another old man.

 

[joelkdouglas]

I look forward to the day I can put iron sights on a rifle, and have those same iron sights deliver a 6x, bright, clear view that also provides a compensation for different ranges.


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[Africa Huntress]

My perspective, (which I have voiced here in the past) is that nothing new (cartridge wise) has been created since about 1964, lots of variations but certainly nothing that has enhanced the ability to take animals ethically and cleanly. Nor has rifle technology ,again strictly related to taking game animals. Rifles are more accurate on a whole, but still not a game changer. I believe the greatest enhancements, have been in optics. Bullets are better but Partitions and Cor-lokt's have been around a long time. Just the ramblings of an old man.

Bill, the thinking of an older gentleman ( you ) and a young girl ( me ) are the same. I am hunting with the same calibers my great grandfather, grandfather, and mum, hunted with. 450/400- 1899, 300 H & H -1925, 6.5 Swede- 1894

As to the subject of bullets. Without a doubt they have improved, but my great grandfather had the same success hunting I have now, as did my grandfather, and mum.

If we stick to the op/s subject--hunting ( not target or desire to have and play with different calibers and cartridges ), I dont feel my three hunting rifles give up anything to whatever todays whizbang caliber is, and if they do the animal hunted isn't aware of it.

Now this is just my personal opinion. I feel that everybody's desire to shoot animals at 500 plus yards because they have "the" bullet and rifle that can do so, actually has diminished "hunting" to a certain degree.

But as Bill said about his ramblings, this is mine only from a young female instead of an older gentlemen

We just finished giving a lecture about this to some young hunters so it was fresh on my mind

Best Regards

Jamila

 

[Divernhunter]

The only one I can think of would be a cartridge that has a radar controlled bullet that locks onto the animal so I do not miss.

 

[Dwh7271]

Jamila,
I know I've said it before but cool cartridges.

OP,
Only thing I could think of would be a shorter fatter 338, 375 etc. Seems like short and fat is the way things are headed.

 

[PJGunner]

I kind of look at things this way. If there were only a limited types of centerfire cartridges, say .223 Rem., 243, 7-08 and 30-06 at least for most people's hunting the firearm manufacturers would soon be out of business. After all, most gun owners take reasonably good care of their firearms so they last for generations.It wouldn't be long before they couldn't sell another new gun for love nor money and would be out of business. Why bring out a cartridge that just duplicates one already in existence? The 7x57 and 7-08 as one example. There isn't one darn thing that the 708 does that my 7x57 properly handloaded in a modern rifle will not do and sometimes do it better. Does a half inch shorter action really mean all that much? Anyone ever notice that a Remingtom M700 in the longer action chambered to the 30-06 will accept a .375 H&H cartridge into the magazine with room to spare? Yet nobody seems to mind or complain about the very long bolt throw of the long action M700. Oh my. :shock: To be perfectly blunt, the gun makers have to come out with "new and improved" so that can stay in business. Plain and simple.
Paul B.

 

[Guy Miner]

Ya, I was thinking back about Ruark's "Horn of the Hunter" describing a long (9 weeks maybe?) safari to Africa. He used four rifles:

220 Swift - which he ended up disliking intensely
30-06 - Remington bolt action that it seems he used a LOT.
375 H&H - Winchester bolt action I believe that he used quite a bit

And a big double, a 470 perhaps? I've forgotten. That he used when sneaking close on cape buff.

So, there we have rifles & cartridges that will still do a superb job in their role.

Guy

 

[Dwh7271]

Yep, he had a 470 Guy. One of the amusing stories in that book is where he fired both barrels accidentally. Knocked him and the buff silly.

 

[Poz]

I can't really see where anyone is going to do anything that isn't simply reinventing the wheel. But as earlier stated, that not sell rifles, so there'll be someone out there with a tinkering mind and curiosity to burn that will reinvent something. I personally love my 30 06 and have , several times mind You, gone to a 300 magnum which I always seem to end up selling and going back to my 30 06. So I built a custom 1 that now I'll never sell. Also have a 338 06 and thinking about a 6.5 06 ....call me crazy but I like the cartridges built off a 30 06.

 

[RaySendero]

The newest cartridge I have ever owned was introduced in 1956 !!!

AND I don't have any interest in anything newer.

 

[diverdown]

Guy, I was at our local gun show yesterday, (quite crowded) and found a used Merkel Double Rifle in .470 Nitro express that was in real fine shape. The owner (original owner) used it in Africa and didn't want to part with it but had decided with his age catching up he wanted someone else to make use of it. Price was $9500.00 and was a little negotiable. Had one box of ammo and a case to go with it. My thought was "what a conversation piece."