whats your favorite rifle cartridge(s) and why?

mattL46 · March 30, 2013, 09:53 PM

Saw a similar post (what's your next rifle) and had to post this. Thought it would be a good conversation topic. I said cartridge(s) because I know we all have a select few we can't choose between. Mine would have to be the 30-06 spring. The 257 Robts and the 222 rem. I have an odd bond with the 06 its rich history and how versatile it is. The 257 again a rich unique history and such an all around number. The 222 is so accurate and so often over looked. 3 very fine very useful cartridges. One wouldn't need too many others with the 3 of these.

Ruger480 · March 30, 2013, 10:38 PM

Favorite cartridge has to be the .30/06. It has taken every animal on the planet. Plus and this is a big plus...it's the only one I have.
Next in line would have to be the. 340 Weatherby. I just recently looked at the ballistics for this cartridge.
I have to admit that even though I'll only be able to fire it once due to the cost of ammo, I still want one!!

mattL46 · March 30, 2013, 10:42 PM

Ruger I couldn't tell you how many there are I'd only be able to shoot once! Ha ha. I just bought a 308 Norma magnum. Its going to cost me a fortune BEFORE I'll ever get that one shot!!

BumbleBug · March 30, 2013, 10:58 PM

My favorites calibers in order are the .270 Win, .30-06 & .222 Rem. My druthers is any of these in a beautiful Ruger #1 or Browning 78. I feel like the .270 & '06 are the two great American deer cartridges that are powerful, accurate & easy to shoot/hit with at all practical deer hunting ranges. The .222 is just plain fun to shoot! Very accurate, easy & cheap to reload - just pretty much perfect!

Recent cartridges that have really perked my interest are the 6.5 Creedmore & 6.8mm SPC. I'd like one in either a bolt action or single-shot. I also have developed an interest in the .458 Win & I am sorry I have pasted up a few over the years.

As for wildcats, I'd build a 6mm based on an improved .30-30 case. There are a number of variations on this, but the original name was 6mm/.30/30. Of course I want the rim for building a deluxe single shot rifle!

Just what I like...

...bug

steveNChunter · March 30, 2013, 11:10 PM

6mm remington is my fave. Still depressed that nobody chambers a rifle for it anymore.

Can I pick a favorite family of cartridges? That would have to be the 30-06 parent case

mattL46 · March 30, 2013, 11:27 PM

Bumble bug I have to 2nd your opinion of the 270 and 06. Probably not a cartridge on the planet that have taken more deer. I've been drooling over a 6.5 creed more. Very interesting cartridge. Very fond of the 22khornet as well and my dad has a winchester mod85 low wall chambered in such. Been trying hard to beat him out of it! I've got a sako L46 pre vixen in 222...fine fine combination.

mattL46 · March 30, 2013, 11:30 PM

SteveN so you buy the rifle you want close to dimensions and ream it to such!!

fine cartridge and fine parent!

BIG P · March 31, 2013, 12:24 AM

Never met a cartridge in the 30-06 family I didnt like.I do favor 25-06 & 270win.Just been drinking that koolaid along time and still like it. Guess a 223 makes me smile alittle too.

tahoe2 · March 31, 2013, 12:38 AM

wide open places, 280 Remington, from coyotes to moose 120 grn to 175's
in the thick bush, 375 Winchester, a real pig & bear thumper, it's like launching a bowling ball @ 2000fps
and my personal fav, the good ol' 22

mxsailor803 · March 31, 2013, 04:28 AM

I'm surprised no one has said .308win or 30-30 yet lol. My personal favorites has to be in order .22lr, .243, .308, and .270. Granted i'm building a AR upper for the 6.8spc right now. Just ordered the bolt yesterday

. Now I need a barrel and figure out the length I want

steveNChunter · March 31, 2013, 07:23 AM

mattL46- another easy route to a 6mm remington is to buy old 7 or 8mm mauser actions to build off of. The 6mm rem case is a necked down 7x57 mauser. So is the .257 bob. Another great parent case

oldmanFCSA · March 31, 2013, 07:33 AM

50BMG

because its good for prairrie dogs to polar bears, but the biggest target its been used for is 6 foot paper targets and 4" clay pigeons at 1000 yards.

psychopuppy1 · March 31, 2013, 07:34 AM

I'm odd, and I know it! .243, .303, an 30-30!

guntech59 · March 31, 2013, 09:47 AM

Easy..... 6.5x55.

chadio · March 31, 2013, 09:52 AM

.308 - loved shooting th M60 and M14
.223 / 5.56 - velocity has magical powers
7.62 x 39 - intermediate versatility

KO3422 · March 31, 2013, 09:55 AM

Wow...too many to choose.

.30-06
.308
6mm
.223

I'd have to give it some thought.

SR420 · March 31, 2013, 09:55 AM

This, plus the .45-70

Quote:

chadio .308 - loved shooting th M60 and M14
.223 / 5.56 - velocity has magical powers
7.62 x 39 - intermediate versatility

the jigger · March 31, 2013, 10:03 AM

Most things .257:
250/3000
250AI
257 Roberts
25/06

Drue · March 31, 2013, 10:05 AM

For me it would be the .30-06 for hunting, the .260 for silhouette and the .223 for conventional high power.

The .30-06 is good for anything in the lower 48 and I don't see myself going to Alaska or Africa in the foreseeable future. The .260 knocks down the CPT reliably with 107 MKs and the Rams with 142MKs, both with less recoil than similar, heavier bullets in larger calibers. The .223 is competitive in Match Rifle and the .223 AR-15 rules the roost in Service Rifle for conventional high power shooting. With the heavier bullets the .223 can get the job done at 600 yards. (Whether or not I can get the job done at 600 is another story. . .)

There are many other cartridges that will provide similar service but these are the ones that work for me.

Drue

hammie · March 31, 2013, 10:38 AM

What a fun thread!

I'm surprised so many named the .257 roberts. That is one of my choices also. (As a bit of trivia, I think the cartridge was commercially called the .257 remington roberts to distinguish it from the wildcat. The original .257 roberts, designed by ned roberts and chambered in the griffin and howe rifles, had a slightly different shoulder angle. The remington case is simply the 7 x 57 mm necked down to .25 caliber.)

My second favorite would be the .22 hornet. It was the first centerfire rifle I fired. Many of our shooting areas have become more populated. Distances are less and less noise is often desirable. And, at a 10 grain powder charge, a pound of powder goes a long way.

mattL46 · March 31, 2013, 10:58 AM

Hammie consider yourself partially responsible for this I'd been meaning to post this and your "next rifle" thread pushed me to it. I'm a huge fan of the 257 roberts. And your trivia is correct. I just love how versatile it is. Varmint one day deer the next!!

Brian Pfleuger · March 31, 2013, 11:04 AM

I like light-recoiling, flat-shooting cartridges.

Somewhere between .243Win and .308, I lose the fun factor. .308 (and similar) and up are more recoil in common weight guns than I really care to use. Can and will, but it's not fun anymore.

.243Win, actually mine's an AI, is a lot of fun.

.22-250, like a laser. Very low recoil, fun all day. 35gr bullets at 4,450fps have to be seen to be believed.

.204 Ruger, tons of fun, no recoil, almost as flat as the 35gr 22-250, with less muzzle blast and recoil.

Do I have to have a favorite? They all make me

.

Water-Man · March 31, 2013, 11:06 AM

The 6.5x55SE is my favorite.

One of the best and better than most.

Edward429451 · March 31, 2013, 11:21 AM

I'd have to go with the 308/7.62 Win. It'll do anything the /06 will do but just doesn't have quite the range of the /06 which means little to me. I'm not against the /06 but the short action is more agreeable to me for several reasons.

In 2nd place...I'm leaning heavily to the (wait for it)...45/70 Govt. This cartridge is so easy to load and cast for that it's just amazing. In the Marlin LA it is a supreme brush gun, and with the 155 gr collar button mould is fine for small game as well as larger game with heavier boolits. It can take anything on earth and has even been used to take Cape Buffalo by one of our own members (Rich).

It can also be loaded with BP so it's actually a very versatile cartridge. It carries like a 30/30, shoots like a rifle, yet has the stopping power of a 12 Ga with slugs. What's not to like about the 45/70?

hammie · March 31, 2013, 11:21 AM

@Mattl46: I have a pretty extensive gun collection and another game to play is to ask yourself:

If I had to pare my collection down to 5 rifles, or 3 handguns, or some other arbitrary number, what guns would be kept and what guns would go.

@Pfleuger: I hear ya. My .300 winchester has not been fired in about 15 years. .308 win is about my upper limit and I love my 28 gauge shotguns.
A savage model 14, chambered for .250 savage, might be on a short list for purchase. A pretty rifle and a classic cartridge.

March 30, 2013, 10:38 PM	#2
Ruger480 Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2013 Location: Central Iowa Posts: 720	Favorite cartridge has to be the .30/06. It has taken every animal on the planet. Plus and this is a big plus...it's the only one I have. Next in line would have to be the. 340 Weatherby. I just recently looked at the ballistics for this cartridge. I have to admit that even though I'll only be able to fire it once due to the cost of ammo, I still want one!! Last edited by Ruger480; March 31, 2013 at 02:23 PM.

March 30, 2013, 10:58 PM	#4
BumbleBug Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2013 Location: Near Heart of Texas Posts: 870	My favorites calibers in order are the .270 Win, .30-06 & .222 Rem. My druthers is any of these in a beautiful Ruger #1 or Browning 78. I feel like the .270 & '06 are the two great American deer cartridges that are powerful, accurate & easy to shoot/hit with at all practical deer hunting ranges. The .222 is just plain fun to shoot! Very accurate, easy & cheap to reload - just pretty much perfect! Recent cartridges that have really perked my interest are the 6.5 Creedmore & 6.8mm SPC. I'd like one in either a bolt action or single-shot. I also have developed an interest in the .458 Win & I am sorry I have pasted up a few over the years. As for wildcats, I'd build a 6mm based on an improved .30-30 case. There are a number of variations on this, but the original name was 6mm/.30/30. Of course I want the rim for building a deluxe single shot rifle! Just what I like... ...bug Last edited by BumbleBug; March 30, 2013 at 11:12 PM.

March 30, 2013, 11:10 PM	#5
steveNChunter Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns Posts: 1,520	6mm remington is my fave. Still depressed that nobody chambers a rifle for it anymore. Can I pick a favorite family of cartridges? That would have to be the 30-06 parent case __________________ DEO VINDICE

March 31, 2013, 07:23 AM	#11
steveNChunter Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns Posts: 1,520	mattL46- another easy route to a 6mm remington is to buy old 7 or 8mm mauser actions to build off of. The 6mm rem case is a necked down 7x57 mauser. So is the .257 bob. Another great parent case __________________ DEO VINDICE

March 31, 2013, 07:33 AM	#12
oldmanFCSA Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2010 Location: WISCONSIN Posts: 283	50BMG 50BMG because its good for prairrie dogs to polar bears, but the biggest target its been used for is 6 foot paper targets and 4" clay pigeons at 1000 yards. __________________ OldmanFCSA = "Oldman" at www.fcsa.org FCSA Member, SCSA Member, NRA Member, & AMA Member "Oldage & Treachery will overcome Youth & Skill"

March 30, 2013, 09:53 PM	#1
mattL46 Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2013 Posts: 656	whats your favorite rifle cartridge(s) and why? Saw a similar post (what's your next rifle) and had to post this. Thought it would be a good conversation topic. I said cartridge(s) because I know we all have a select few we can't choose between. Mine would have to be the 30-06 spring. The 257 Robts and the 222 rem. I have an odd bond with the 06 its rich history and how versatile it is. The 257 again a rich unique history and such an all around number. The 222 is so accurate and so often over looked. 3 very fine very useful cartridges. One wouldn't need too many others with the 3 of these.

March 30, 2013, 10:42 PM	#3
mattL46 Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2013 Posts: 656	Ruger I couldn't tell you how many there are I'd only be able to shoot once! Ha ha. I just bought a 308 Norma magnum. Its going to cost me a fortune BEFORE I'll ever get that one shot!!

March 30, 2013, 11:27 PM	#6
mattL46 Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2013 Posts: 656	Bumble bug I have to 2nd your opinion of the 270 and 06. Probably not a cartridge on the planet that have taken more deer. I've been drooling over a 6.5 creed more. Very interesting cartridge. Very fond of the 22khornet as well and my dad has a winchester mod85 low wall chambered in such. Been trying hard to beat him out of it! I've got a sako L46 pre vixen in 222...fine fine combination.

March 30, 2013, 11:30 PM	#7
mattL46 Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2013 Posts: 656	SteveN so you buy the rifle you want close to dimensions and ream it to such!! fine cartridge and fine parent!

March 31, 2013, 12:24 AM	#8
BIG P Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 1,679	Never met a cartridge in the 30-06 family I didnt like.I do favor 25-06 & 270win.Just been drinking that koolaid along time and still like it. Guess a 223 makes me smile alittle too.

March 31, 2013, 12:38 AM	#9
tahoe2 Senior Member Join Date: August 13, 2011 Location: Seattle area Posts: 661	wide open places, 280 Remington, from coyotes to moose 120 grn to 175's in the thick bush, 375 Winchester, a real pig & bear thumper, it's like launching a bowling ball @ 2000fps and my personal fav, the good ol' 22

March 31, 2013, 04:28 AM	#10
mxsailor803 Senior Member Join Date: February 8, 2010 Location: SC Posts: 1,344	I'm surprised no one has said .308win or 30-30 yet lol. My personal favorites has to be in order .22lr, .243, .308, and .270. Granted i'm building a AR upper for the 6.8spc right now. Just ordered the bolt yesterday . Now I need a barrel and figure out the length I want

March 31, 2013, 07:34 AM	#13
psychopuppy1 Member Join Date: December 28, 2011 Location: weedsport,N.Y. Posts: 64	I'm odd, and I know it! .243, .303, an 30-30!

March 31, 2013, 09:47 AM	#14
guntech59 Junior Member Join Date: March 15, 2013 Posts: 5	Easy..... 6.5x55.

March 31, 2013, 09:52 AM	#15
chadio Senior Member Join Date: June 29, 2011 Posts: 931	.308 - loved shooting th M60 and M14 .223 / 5.56 - velocity has magical powers 7.62 x 39 - intermediate versatility __________________ Ex - Navy, Persian Gulf Veteran. Loved shooting the M14, 1911, M60, M2

March 31, 2013, 09:55 AM	#16
KO3422 Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2011 Posts: 124	Wow...too many to choose. .30-06 .308 6mm .223 I'd have to give it some thought.

March 31, 2013, 10:03 AM	#18
the jigger Member Join Date: May 26, 2012 Location: Central Florida Posts: 78	Favorite? Most things .257: 250/3000 250AI 257 Roberts 25/06 __________________ GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!! If you're gonna get old you better be tough;Gettin' old ain't for sissies!!

March 31, 2013, 10:05 AM	#19
Drue Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 2002 Location: New Orleans, La Posts: 154	For me it would be the .30-06 for hunting, the .260 for silhouette and the .223 for conventional high power. The .30-06 is good for anything in the lower 48 and I don't see myself going to Alaska or Africa in the foreseeable future. The .260 knocks down the CPT reliably with 107 MKs and the Rams with 142MKs, both with less recoil than similar, heavier bullets in larger calibers. The .223 is competitive in Match Rifle and the .223 AR-15 rules the roost in Service Rifle for conventional high power shooting. With the heavier bullets the .223 can get the job done at 600 yards. (Whether or not I can get the job done at 600 is another story. . .) There are many other cartridges that will provide similar service but these are the ones that work for me. Drue

March 31, 2013, 10:38 AM	#20
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	What a fun thread! I'm surprised so many named the .257 roberts. That is one of my choices also. (As a bit of trivia, I think the cartridge was commercially called the .257 remington roberts to distinguish it from the wildcat. The original .257 roberts, designed by ned roberts and chambered in the griffin and howe rifles, had a slightly different shoulder angle. The remington case is simply the 7 x 57 mm necked down to .25 caliber.) My second favorite would be the .22 hornet. It was the first centerfire rifle I fired. Many of our shooting areas have become more populated. Distances are less and less noise is often desirable. And, at a 10 grain powder charge, a pound of powder goes a long way. Last edited by hammie; March 31, 2013 at 11:07 AM.

March 31, 2013, 10:58 AM	#21
mattL46 Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2013 Posts: 656	Hammie consider yourself partially responsible for this I'd been meaning to post this and your "next rifle" thread pushed me to it. I'm a huge fan of the 257 roberts. And your trivia is correct. I just love how versatile it is. Varmint one day deer the next!!

March 31, 2013, 11:04 AM	#22
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	I like light-recoiling, flat-shooting cartridges. Somewhere between .243Win and .308, I lose the fun factor. .308 (and similar) and up are more recoil in common weight guns than I really care to use. Can and will, but it's not fun anymore. .243Win, actually mine's an AI, is a lot of fun. .22-250, like a laser. Very low recoil, fun all day. 35gr bullets at 4,450fps have to be seen to be believed. .204 Ruger, tons of fun, no recoil, almost as flat as the 35gr 22-250, with less muzzle blast and recoil. Do I have to have a favorite? They all make me .

March 31, 2013, 11:06 AM	#23
Water-Man Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 2,126	The 6.5x55SE is my favorite. One of the best and better than most.

March 31, 2013, 11:21 AM	#24
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	I'd have to go with the 308/7.62 Win. It'll do anything the /06 will do but just doesn't have quite the range of the /06 which means little to me. I'm not against the /06 but the short action is more agreeable to me for several reasons. In 2nd place...I'm leaning heavily to the (wait for it)...45/70 Govt. This cartridge is so easy to load and cast for that it's just amazing. In the Marlin LA it is a supreme brush gun, and with the 155 gr collar button mould is fine for small game as well as larger game with heavier boolits. It can take anything on earth and has even been used to take Cape Buffalo by one of our own members (Rich). It can also be loaded with BP so it's actually a very versatile cartridge. It carries like a 30/30, shoots like a rifle, yet has the stopping power of a 12 Ga with slugs. What's not to like about the 45/70?