Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters The other end of the spectrum.......

Hey, I am hoping that some gunwriters (and all others who have an opion to offer) that read these threads will see this one and be intrigued. Reasoning is, there sure are alot of great cartridges that aren't getting much press lately. I was thinking about this while out turkey hunting Saturday. Man, there are so many "hot" whiz-bang/Gee-whiz super magnum cartridges out right now that I would think that the game would die from sheer fright, if not concussion, from the mere triggering of these ultimate behemoths, and I have had a few individulas with none to very little gun-knowledge look at me askance for not having one of these in the safe or at least lusting and secretly pining for one.

See, being that I hunt in SC for Whitetail deer, and am not as young as I used to be, so I am beginning to think about cartridges that get the job doen without so much "excitement," as it were. I mean some unsung greats like 7x57, 30-40, .257 "Bob", 8x57 and even the venerable old 30-30, given a new lease on life via the Leverevolution ammo now available. Now I happily subscribe to Rifle & Handloader too, so I have seen these recent article regarding handloading for these and other greats, but I am wondering why there aren't more HUNTING stories of these great cartidges and the guns that shoot them in magazines these days.

Y'all's thoughts?????

As far as personal preference goes, I presently have three custom jobs in progress; one is a 9.3x62, another is a 7x57, and the third is a 30-06. The next one after these three will be a G33/40 action, barreled by Danny Pedersen, chambered for the 25-06. I don't own a single WSM or WSSM, SAUM or RUM, and am not apt to anytime soon.

As far as the "old" standard cartridges getting much play in the magazines, I suppose the editors and publishers figure that there isn't enough "sizzle" in them to devote article space to them. I do have a story on the 9.3x62 pending publication.

Tom

between JB & scovill, there is at least one such article per month in wolf, it think...

You'll find quite a few of us here who don't need belts and 1/4 pound of powder to down North American game. The writers who post here are pretty much of the same opinion. Several articles have appeared recently about the 7x57, '06, .260 Remington, and others. I have nothing against big cases and a lot of powder. I just don't have any desire for them, except for my .375 H&H. I load a soft point in the chamber and back it up with solids, in case I wound a woodchuck and have to break down a charge .

My all time favorite round and the one that I have owned the longest and will always own is the 30/06. I have an old 93 Mauser actioned rifle chambered in 7X57 with a ghost ring and it is a joy to shoot and carry.I have never wieghed thie rifle but it feels like a feather. One can do surprisingly well out to 300 yards or so with this setup.........

It seems to me the old classics get quite a bit of press, but it is usually in a feature or column praising the great old cartridge rather than a mention of its use on a recent hunting trip. The reasons are simple.

#1 Writers often go on sponsored hunts to test new cartridges, so that is what we write about.

#2 Even when we hunt on our own dime we tend to want to test new things just so we can write about it from real experience rather than speculation.

I've decided to go into old Winchester leverguns - they're something I'd like to hunt with, just to feel what hunters of a century ago felt, how they hunted, the whole experience, the history. They also were successful in getting game with these guns. Old milsurps are another interesting field to get into as well as hunt.

The new WSMs, WSSMs, SAUMs and RUMs just don't do it for me.

Those cartridges aren't new anymore, so they don't get the attention they deserve. Personally, I'd like to see more new rifles offered in these chamberings, especially 7X57 and 257 Roberts (I could name many more), and I'd like to see more articles about them.

I was out shooting my 270 Win. yesterday, and it didn't take long to recall why I've loved that mild-kicking, flat-shooting, classic western hunting cartridge for the last 29 years.........

AD

I couldn't agree more...

Last year after deciding to hunt again after many years of not hunting I decided to get a Savage 99 in .300 Savage for many of the same reasons... My grandad helped feed his family (including my dad) during the depression of the 1930's with a Savage 99 takedown in 250-3000 Savage (1st centerfire rifle I ever fired)... I wanted to hunt like my Grandad had some 70-80 years before... I got a .300 as I want to hunt larger stuff than the Whitetails he did (Elk and Black Bears) as it has a little more thump than a .250-3000...

Bottom line is; Light Recoil, Adequate power (handloaded it's damn near a .308 win), Great looks and sleek lines...

Nothing like stalking in deep timber with that sweet levergun in my hands! I can almost feel Grandad lookin over me and smiling...