Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What cartridges have taken the most NA game?

I'm having a discussion with a coworker who is a big fan of the 7mm Remington Magnum. While I personally don't care for the round I will concede it is popular and has taken a lot of North American game. He contends it has taken more NA game than any other cartridge which I know is false. I contend it probably doesn't make the top ten and definitely not the top five. I'm thinking (not in any particular order) the 30-30, 30-06, 45-70, 270, 243, 303, 30-40 Krag, 7 and 8mm Mausers and possibly even the 44-40 would best it in numbers of NA game taken since each round's inception. What say you gentlemen? Remember this is not a discussion of the merits or shortcomings of any particular round, just a comparison of numbers of game taken.

22 LR would be my first guess with the 30-30 and/or 30-06 coming in next

Bbear,

I probably should have specified centerfire, but you're right the 22 LR has probably racked up more game then any of them.

.30/30,.30/06,.270 Winchester,.45/70,.375 H&H

Rifle 3006, 30 30 shotgun, 12ga., rim fire 22lr

1. .30-06
2. 30-30
3. .270
4. .44-40
5. .308

To be even more specific, where do you think the 7 mag rates in the context of this question? My coworker is adamant that it has to be in the top five and I'm telling him it would be lucky to make the top 10 and probably would have a tough time making that.

Top 15 would be a better bet.

30-30 and 22LR... The latter being of the undocumented kind, I'm assuming...

I would bet the .30-06 passed the .30-30 some time ago. How many .30-30's do y'all see afield? Now how many .30-06's?

Be almost impossible to get an accurate read on this but my WAG would be the 30/06,270 Winchester,7 Rem Mag, 243,and 30-30,308 among the top ten in popularity and shear numbers of BG animals taken.

Depends on when we want to start.

I do think the 7 Rem Mag would make anyone's top ten list today.

If you mean big game(deer on up)and sport hunting my WAG would be:
1.30-06
2.12ga
3.30-30
4.270
5.303 British (assuming you are talking about Canada too)

Remember in some parts of the country it is slugs only and EVERYONE uses a 12Ga.
If you throw in commercial hunting in the past century this would likely change and the big black powder cartridges would take over. Those guys killed a lot of buffalo.

The 30-06 is easily the king and I agree, there isn't a more over-rated cartridge than the 7mm mag.

One that many haven't realized would be in the top 5 would be the 222 Remington Magnum. I know I have killed enough prairie dogs and gophers with the 5 I have to easily crack the shell on the top 5 killers...

The 7 mag (along with the 300 mags) likely has the record for azz shots, number of legs blown off, and gut shot animals, but I suspect it's pretty far down the list on number of animals killed in total.

In addition to the rounds like the '06, 30-30, 303, etc., I suspect that the 22 LR and 223 are likely in the most game killed category.

The 7mm Remington Magnum wasn't even introduced until 1962. While it was pretty popular for a couple of decades after that, even then I doubt it killed as much North American big game as the .30-06, because of the millions of .30-06's already in use.

Sometimes I'm convinced most hunters believe nothing existed before they started hunting.

.22LR, 12GA,30-06 in that order.

I think the 7 is too young to be in the top five. And even though they were popular for a long time, people seem to hate them nowadays for some reason.

I think it's a great cartridge and plan on owning another sooner or later.

I think for NA game the 30/06 and 270 will always hold the top two. Probably.




Travis

And I assume we meant big/medium game in NA.




Travis

I could wish the 250-3000 into the top ten cartridges, but I won't.

2:00...

Do we need to bring anything?