What are the BEST rifle cartridges?

[1st cav sgt ret]

worst cartg 30carbine love the rifle hate the ctg

[slammy]

HMMMN...,

Well, I don't own that many different calibers although I have a nice selection of my favorite calibers. I sometimes get the opportunity to shoot others' rifles in different calibers than my own, but I've yet to be motivated to stray from these calibers...

1. .308
2. .223
3. 30-.06
4. .22 rimfire
5. Open to suggestion...

I don't reload. I've purposely stayed away from it. I know I'd get hooked and I don't have the time to devote to it. I do enjoy reading about all the hot rod guns yall build.

[slammy]

Ok, now the worst.

I totally agree with 1st cav sgt ret. .30 carbine is a piece of junk. The gun is neat, the cartridge is gutless. Had a possum six feet over my head in a tree and it took six shots to dispatch him. Also had a few one shot kills of course on various critters, but the cartridge overall seems useless for normal hunting purposes..

[Mohawk]

Slammy & Sarge,
I gotta tell you guys a d**n funny story with a scary twist to it: Dad used to work for a large petrochemical firm that maintained a real nice (as in expensive) lease down along the road between Hondo and Uvalde, and in the last years before he retired, he'd somewhat covertly get me onto the lease and I would fill all the game tags that he drew. (This lease had lots of nice exotics and whitetail on it and the company members who got to use it drew lots from what was made available each year by the ranch owner, determining exactly which species they would be hunting.) At any rate, dad carried this old M1 caliber .30 carbine when we went out to find a specific animal and kill (it was too easy to be legitmately called hunting) and I carried any of three rifles (all of which were way over-power for this kind of hunting). So in the last year when we were out there, I shot this real nice 8-pointer with a 7mm Rem. Mag. at a distance of over 400 yards. Unfortunately, a group of other hunters was close by, stalking some hogs, and heard the report and then the hit. So when dear 'ole dad did his ususal: "Yeah, I killed it!" This one much older gent siddles up next to me and whspers in my ear: "Ain't no way in hell that a man armed with an M1 .30 carbine killed a 150-175 lb whitetail buck over 400 yards out." Trying hard not to smirk, I turned to him and asked: "Now how do you know?" And he says: "'Cause the US Army issued me one when I went to Vietnam and then I almost when AWOL after my first firefight, where I hit this little VietCong trooper in the his center of mass 5 times at almost point blank range before he stopped charging!!!" I thought; "Yikes!!!" And later I gave him the carcass for not sayin' anything to anyone about it.

Peace,
Dave

[slammy]

Hey Mowhawk,

That's a funny story. Good thing you were among freinds and he kept his mouth shut. I would have given him the meat too. Hard to BS someone who knows the story on those little guns.

You also had to be careful to check that the bolt is locked foward. Sometimes they'd stop just shy of locking, creating a no fire condition. I really liked the gun it just had no power.

[Jeff in TX]

My vote goes to the .308.

From PD's and Ground Hawgs, deer and pigs, to my moose hunt in Alaska this coming fall, my .308 takes very good care of me.

With hand loads I can match the ballistics of an 06 or load down to shoot PDs.

That's my vote and I'm sticking to it!

[LouisianaHunter]

Well I have owned a few different Caliber rifle's.

1. 22 long rifle for Squirrel's and plinking
2. 243 just a sweet shooter
3. 30-30 deer, hogs and yotes
4. 30-06 deer and hog's
5. 260 Momma LH's deer gun
6. 270 deer
7. 280 TC My newest deer/yote gun

Over all I have fell in love with the TC in 280, I have put a limb saver on it and now it's just a sweet heart to shoot.

Here in Louisiana most shot's are really close (20 to 100 yards) but there is exceptions to the rules with the clear cut's the timber companys are making.(longest killing shot 389 ranged yards) so the 280 is as flat a shooting as I need. ;D

Just my .02 cents worth.

[hunter9850]

i have a .22lr for the small stuff and a .300 win. mag. for the big stuff and a .280 rem. for anything in the middle. what more could a man ask for? maybe a .223 or a .260 or maybe a 7mm-08 or a .308 or a .30-06 or maybe a .25-06 or maybe a wildcat. this subject is so confusing how is anybody supposed to pick just five. maybe a .257 roberts or a .22-250 or a 6.5 rem. mag. or something really big like the new .450 marlin or the old .444. if you guys cant guess im trying to decide what new caliber barrel to buy for my encore. i am leaning toward the .223 simply because of availablity of inexpensive ammo so i can do lots of shooting. hopefully before long i will have my new room finished and can start reloading my own soon.
HUNTER

[MarkA]

You aint lived until you own the 6.5X55 Swede! This is one Terrific cartridge!

[1st cav sgt ret]

MarkA were going to get along great,I have two 6.5x55 swedes,fantastic cartridge isnt it supprising what itl do

[okcoyote]

let's see. the top five for me. this is really tough. how about this...

22lr or how is this 22mag
22-250 223
25-06 270
30-06 300 win mag
338 win. mag 375 h/h

this really is hard to nail down 5. it makes for interesting conversation. as far as the five worst....
the 30 carbine is as useless as any. i do not see much use for the 6.5 mags. (remington or win.) (sorry for some toes) the 30-378 i have no use for. ( might be a 300 lb.weenie when it comes to recoil) and for # 5 it would be.....a ny of the lazeronies. i cannot see what niche they fill. please remember, this is one fools opinion.

ya'll have a good one.

[okcoyote]

dear MARK A and 1 ST CAV SGT.

WHAT IS SO SPECIAL WITH THE SWEDE 6.5.? I H AVE READ THAT IT AN EXTREMELY ACCURATE ROUND. I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH IT. IT LOOKS LIKE THE 260 REM BEATS IT BALLISTICALLY. I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT ONE IN THE EAA OVER/UNDER COMBOS IN 12 GA. OVER THE 6.5 SWEDE AS A CALLING GUN WHEN I MIGHT NEED A SCATTERGUN. SELL ME ON THIS CARTRIDGE.

ya'll have a good one

[1st cav sgt ret]

ok Ill make a feable attempt at this,first off the the reason for the 260 rem is because of the swede,In that the swede is held down to 46000psi and the 260 runs at 55000psi this is in differance to the many old(and maybe weaker)mdl96 rifles out there. This is in differance to Norma which loads to 50000psi.You really dont realise the potentual of this ctg unless you reload for it.It is a mild recoiling round even in very light rifles,it may be the rate of twist Im not sure but it is very accurate(supprisingly so)and it is absolutely and positevly DEADLY beyond what most would ordinally think it also(because of its fast twist)will handle much heaver bullets(normas 156,hornadys and sierra 160).If I were carring it and not my 30-06 I still would not feel I didnt have enough gun(except for bears and lion then I would want a 458).Most of my handloads are rather warm but I also have a Ruger m77mk2 in this cal which is a much stronger action and I use it for varmits with a 100gr nosler bt at 3056 which is HOT and I do not recommend for anything else but is safe in this rifle.It can be hotrodded in modern and strong rifles

[MarkA]

What Sarge said and check the link bleow.
www.chuckhawks.com/6-5x55.htm

It is a killer king kong little do it all. From 85gr varmint to 160 gr round nose, from yotes to Mooses it does it all. It is kinda what the 270 is hyped to be but is not. It is also cool to be shooting a weapon made in 1917 on an 1896 design and shooting 1 inch at 200 yard, not 100 but 200. It really loves the heavy stuff more 'n the lighter stuff. You can shot anything but dangerous game in NA with it and not spend a fortune!

[1st cav sgt ret]

thankx Mark I had seen that article and had forgotten about it,it describes it better than I ever could