I’ve enjoyed reading this thread, pretty much feeling the same way as a-lot of you, Big green really screwed up with the 6mm, 260, 280, 35 whelen. I’m a big fan of the 260 and 280. The 25-06 along with these should deserve more attention. I’ll never shoot a 6.5 creed, our 1-8 and1-9 260s will run with them all day. A lot of greats definitely need more love!!
What cartridge do you think deserves more love?
- Thread starter Aussie Wanderer
- Start date
Lazy Bushman
Beginner
- Apr 17, 2022
- 139
- 190
An interesting question and a lot of interesting responses from people . When I think of the "much love" part of the question, I'm thinking about commercially available (at least in most gunships not necessarily universally) still but really not talked about much, at least in common publications, at least in my region. My list would include:
22 WMR - still very effective. I know an old guy how hunts opposed to shoots and rarely shoots past 50m and his 22WMR is his go to for pigs where he is. Been over-shadowed by the newer rimfire but still extremely effective
22 Hornet - A step up from the WMR but what a great and extremely efficient cartridge in the hands of a competent and effective hunter out to around 150m on not only small game but medium as well. I have never seen one that when hand loaded for shoots much more than a half minute of angle. Had I not been thinking of commercially available ammo then I would have considered the K-Hornet
243 Win - Despite reading a couple of articles in publications just recently, this is a round you I hear buggar all about these days and I reckon it's 25 years since a gun writer down here received a rifle to evaluate in that calibre. Yet in the 80's it was touted as the quint essential "do it all" for the vast majority of game short of about 4-5 species here in Australia. If only the original spec for the 243win was a 1:9 twist or slightly better then life for the newer 6mm's and 6.5's would be different IMO
257 Roberts - All ready mentioned. One calibre that is pretty much impossible to saying thing negative about IMO. You see buggar all for sale second hand and there is good reason for that......the people who own them don't want to give up a good thing. Perhaps better marketing by newer comers at the time had a big part.....dunno
338 Federal - again already mentioned. I hummed and argh'd on this. Very effective, short action, if you want a 338 but a 338win mag is a little too much gun then the Fed is a solid choice. I have wanted one for ages. Ammo and brass hard now to get. I reckon that if they did more than neck up the 7.62x51 case to 338 and it had a case length 1-2mm longer, it would be been a fraction more of a good thing and performance would have been just that much better with all other things being much the same. Again just IMO but who knows but I reckon it would have got even more attention. I don't recollect but a handful or articles even back when it was released. Answer to a question no one was asking perhaps?
7mm-08 Rem - I'm out of order as this is a late inclusion. Love this calibre but again I hear buggar all about it from any magazine. The majority of commentary comes from those who already own it. I wonder if it is in decline for the same reason the Roberts is? Factory ammo still available but variety of choice is decreasing and brass is hard to find for it. It was also released in a time when the 270win was king of the 7mm's (and possibly still is), plus you had the 6.5x55 about and 25-06 and stepping up to a 308 wasn't a big step, so where really did the 7mm-08 fit in if you had one or two of any of these? Key point of difference was similar to 270win effectiveness with slightly less recoil and and short action.
Sorry for the long winded response but that's my list and reasoning. Different people from different countries may see it different which is fine. Diversity of thought and opinion is one reason I love discussing firearms.
22 WMR - still very effective. I know an old guy how hunts opposed to shoots and rarely shoots past 50m and his 22WMR is his go to for pigs where he is. Been over-shadowed by the newer rimfire but still extremely effective
22 Hornet - A step up from the WMR but what a great and extremely efficient cartridge in the hands of a competent and effective hunter out to around 150m on not only small game but medium as well. I have never seen one that when hand loaded for shoots much more than a half minute of angle. Had I not been thinking of commercially available ammo then I would have considered the K-Hornet
243 Win - Despite reading a couple of articles in publications just recently, this is a round you I hear buggar all about these days and I reckon it's 25 years since a gun writer down here received a rifle to evaluate in that calibre. Yet in the 80's it was touted as the quint essential "do it all" for the vast majority of game short of about 4-5 species here in Australia. If only the original spec for the 243win was a 1:9 twist or slightly better then life for the newer 6mm's and 6.5's would be different IMO
257 Roberts - All ready mentioned. One calibre that is pretty much impossible to saying thing negative about IMO. You see buggar all for sale second hand and there is good reason for that......the people who own them don't want to give up a good thing. Perhaps better marketing by newer comers at the time had a big part.....dunno
338 Federal - again already mentioned. I hummed and argh'd on this. Very effective, short action, if you want a 338 but a 338win mag is a little too much gun then the Fed is a solid choice. I have wanted one for ages. Ammo and brass hard now to get. I reckon that if they did more than neck up the 7.62x51 case to 338 and it had a case length 1-2mm longer, it would be been a fraction more of a good thing and performance would have been just that much better with all other things being much the same. Again just IMO but who knows but I reckon it would have got even more attention. I don't recollect but a handful or articles even back when it was released. Answer to a question no one was asking perhaps?
7mm-08 Rem - I'm out of order as this is a late inclusion. Love this calibre but again I hear buggar all about it from any magazine. The majority of commentary comes from those who already own it. I wonder if it is in decline for the same reason the Roberts is? Factory ammo still available but variety of choice is decreasing and brass is hard to find for it. It was also released in a time when the 270win was king of the 7mm's (and possibly still is), plus you had the 6.5x55 about and 25-06 and stepping up to a 308 wasn't a big step, so where really did the 7mm-08 fit in if you had one or two of any of these? Key point of difference was similar to 270win effectiveness with slightly less recoil and and short action.
Sorry for the long winded response but that's my list and reasoning. Different people from different countries may see it different which is fine. Diversity of thought and opinion is one reason I love discussing firearms.
300WSM
Handloader
- Dec 24, 2011
- 877
- 515
To each their own but I have to say your friend must be shooting little itty bitty baby pigs.
You smoke a pig here right between the eyes with a 22wmr and they'll stand there just looking at you
Lazy Bushman
Beginner
- Apr 17, 2022
- 139
- 190
neck shots mostly and behind the ear. As I said he is a proficient hunter, not a shooter. I once hit a medium sized pig (~60kg) with my 30-06, and it took his skull off and you could see down to his brain as he lay there trying to get back up. Hunting isn't only about the calibre size but equally bullet placement
nhenry
Handloader
- Feb 7, 2022
- 609
- 1,060
I don't necessarily think it's pushed to the side, but 280 AI ought to be a more popular cartridge for ammo manufacturers. Right now it's only supported (barely) by Federal, Hornady, and Nosler in the big mfgs. Other than them it's just boutique mfgs.
300WSM
Handloader
- Dec 24, 2011
- 877
- 515
I don't disagree that bullet placement is always the ultimate threshold but still...as I said he must be trying for small pigs. Extremely smal.
- Oct 30, 2004
- 24,298
- 3,053
Behind the ear??? Take a look in Youtube. Even 22 LR's and 17 HMR's do that under 100 yards. Distance is my personal choice (under 100)
Bruce Mc
Handloader
- Oct 26, 2005
- 1,257
- 578
Townsend Whelen called it the most useful cartridge for north American game. Jack O'Connor spoke favorably about it in several articles. Bob Milek used it a bunch and wrote some about it. I've killed more critters with it and all my other rifles combined. The good ol' 257 Robert's or affectionately called "Bob" is the most under rated cartridge today.
Lazy Bushman
Beginner
- Apr 17, 2022
- 139
- 190
Completely agree. at short ranges The 22WMR can be quite effective on a number of species. Hence it's on my list of calibres that don't get much love. It's mostly forgotten.
clearwater
Handloader
- Feb 5, 2005
- 470
- 255
My Grandpa Sam had only one rifle. Montana homesteader, it was the new flat shooting sensation. Kept varmints out of the vegetables and hemp. Also brought home plenty of elk! 25/35 Lever with long octagonal barrel.
cloverleaf
Handloader
- Sep 10, 2006
- 4,382
- 1,017
Just glancing at the latest posts in this thread....25-35, 257 "Bob", Hmmm maybe the .257 shouldnt be so ignored. And then there's that other .25 ( 
) well..... you know..CL
) well..... you know..CLA buddy dropped off a Tikka T3X in 7mm-08 to work up some loads for. Wood stock and attractive enough rifle that feels decent to shoulder and I bet it will shoot. But that magazine???? Good grief. If you removed it empty and dropped it on a windy day you would have to chase it down the hill through the woods. A lighter flimsier feeling piece would not be possible.
Does every rifle have to have a feature or features that proves they can out do China by producing the cheapest piece possible that still works?? I'll pay the extra, but at least on pieces that are not hidden and I'm able to handle and feel, make me appreciate quality by not issuing something that if it were something else of similar size and construction I could pick up at Harbor freight for $1.97 a piece.
Does every rifle have to have a feature or features that proves they can out do China by producing the cheapest piece possible that still works?? I'll pay the extra, but at least on pieces that are not hidden and I'm able to handle and feel, make me appreciate quality by not issuing something that if it were something else of similar size and construction I could pick up at Harbor freight for $1.97 a piece.
nhenry
Handloader
- Feb 7, 2022
- 609
- 1,060
Say what you will about Tikka mags, but those things feed like they have eyes and I have never had a hangup or failure to feed.
hunter24605
Handloader
- Apr 30, 2016
- 2,532
- 4,177
I you asked my departed uncle, the answer would be a 300 Savage. More specifically a Model 99 in 300 Savage with some sort of Spitzer soft point. And for an east coast deer combo, I'd agree in its usefulness.
I don't doubt it, I've never heard anything to the contrary. But if I'm going to lay out $900-$1000 depending on the configuration, they could at least make the appearance of effort towards quality to match the rest of the rifle.
The acceptance by the public of sub standard effort and quality as standard and normal in modern rifles is a baffling trend. I gotta work with it if I'm going to buy and shoot a lot of the modern rifles, but I don't have to like it or applaud it. Nice rifle, especially if it shoots. That mag is disappointingly cheap feeling.
nhenry
Handloader
- Feb 7, 2022
- 609
- 1,060
I tend to agree, but if they added a metal bottom metal and a metal magazine it'd increase the price to 200 more than what it is. A lot would be willing to pay that, however. They shoot like they're in the next price point anyways.
