RCBS 2012 Top 10 Rifle Reloading Die Sales - By Chuck Hawks
Curious about the popularity of centerfire rifle cartridges among reloaders? There usually isn't a dramatic change from year to year; it is more like a glacial movement. Regardless, here is RCBS's 2012 sales list (first published in 2013) for their top 10 best selling rifle reloading die sets: 1..223 Remington 2..308 Winchester 3..30-06 Springfield 4..243 Winchester 5..270 Winchester 6..300 Winchester Magnum 7..22-250 Remington 8.7mm Remington Magnum 9..30-30 Winchester 10..25-06 Remington
Although missing the top 10, .338 Winchester Magnum remains the best selling of all medium bore cartridge reloading dies. The most interesting changes on this RCBS die sales list are the .308 surpassing the .30-06 as the number one big game hunting cartridge among reloaders and the .300 Win. Mag. passing the 7mm Rem. Mag. Since all .300 Magnums indisputably kick too hard for most hunters to handle without flinching, the latter is particularly deplorable.
Less surprising in this magnum oriented hunting climate is the decline of the .30-30, which has slid in reloading die sales over the last decade or so. (Of course, the .30-30 has always been a better seller in factory loaded ammunition than in reloading dies.) I regard this trend as unfortunate, as the .30-30 is all the cartridge most hunters will ever need and it kicks much less than the magnums, allowing more precise bullet placement.
This is one of the reasons why I hate reading stuff from this Chuck Hawks guy. He doesn't even know what a medium bore is!
To the Op: Nah, I'm not seeing a trend of small calibers for hunting. But, I see more and more Assault Style rifles at the range. Which is probably why 1 & 2 are where they are at. The 223 & 22-250 is used here a lot by the varmint hunters. 243 is the smallest caliber allowed to hunt big game here & I see mostly kids & women shooting them. The 270, 7mm's, 06, 300 mags still rule here.
