Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Do you like the new 'modernized' cartridges?

I have really been enjoying some of the new offerings. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a fantastic round. Fun to shoot, accurate, easy to load for, low recoil, etc. The 6 ARC seems to be of the same vein - light recoil, optimized for longer sleeker bullets, accurate, etc. I fully understand that they overlap existing cartridges (some wildcats) but the idea of standardizing the round, being able to purchase ammo or components (brass) without making it or needing special reamers, or custom guns is very appealing to me. I'd never get around to owning a 6 Dasher or 6 PPC, but a 6ARC off the shelf followed me home a couple weeks ago. There is a plethora of others that don't really do anything new. But, they are more efficient in case size/shape and are chambered and twisted for longer high BC bullets. Good ideas? You like them or are you good with the old standbys? What say you?

I like all of em!

I want a few true Modernized cartridges. That is, I want old cartridges to have a PSI increase to factor in modern actions, and twists updated

No... i rather wish they updated some old cartridges & rifles... how bout a 6.5x57 AI on a long action with updated twist and precise machining...

I agree. I have one now, but will probably get a new barrel, sometime, with a tighter twist. The one I have is 1:10" and is fine with the lighter-weight bullets, but I would like better results from the longer,, high BC bullets.

I’m an old “stand by” guy that likes the more traditional rifles and cartridges. The real innovation that set the world ahead is already over 100 years old.

Smokeless powder, bottleneck cases and copper jackets were really a landmark change in rifles and shooting. Since then, we have improved, but not to the extent that we witnessed in the 1890’s and early 1900’s…

I think you hit the nail on the head. I have 30-06, 222Rem., 6.5CM, 6ARC, 22lr, 17HMR and a few others. They all have a place and are fun to shoot.

I have been an old long established cartridge kind of guy, .270, .30-06, 8 mm etc, but just recently bought a 6.5 creedmoor to try out, time will tell.

Mostly an old standby guy but the Grendel/Arc group holds some interest for me. Especially in a bolt gun. Seems like a lot of performance available in a tiny action. I have a lefty mini Mauser 7.62x39 that’s begging to become a switch barrel in the Grendel/Arc group.

Old standby types for me. Have no issue with belted cases and long sloping shoulders! Since I’m not a LR hunter all of this new stuff is really not that important to me.

Most of mine are chambered in old timers, but I am a big fan of some of the newer ones, too.

6.5 Grendel is basically 250 Savage in a smaller package with a much better selection of bullets.

300 Blackout is a slick little pop gun... low recoil, low noise, and works great at short range. It's also a powder sipper, which is a big plus these days.

I like 327 Federal a lot, too. Essentially 32-20+p with the perk of being straight walled, so there's no fiddling with case lube.

I don't do any LR shooting, so none of the modern shoulder fired arty rounds hold any appeal for me, but neither do any of the classic magnums. 🤷‍♂️ I had a 308 Norma for a short spell once upon a time, and it firmly instilled in me the desire to never own another magnum chambered rifle.

THIS!

Last range trip I had my Seekins PH2 in 6.5prc and Night Force right next to a Win 1895 in .405 with a Williams receiver sight

I have a fair number of rifles chambered for old established cartridges ranging from .223 to .375 H&H and like them a lot. However, in the past few years I have acquired a couple of rifles in 6.5 Creedmoor and recently bought one in 6.5 PRC. I haven't started dialing in the 6.5 PRC yet, but I like the Creedmoors a lot as they are accurate and provide a lot of performance for the amount of recoil they generate. I probably won't replace my 7mm and .300 magnums with the PRC versions because I'm not a real long range hunter and don't see that much benefit over my current rifles, but if I didn't have any 7mm or .300 magnums I might be looking at the PRC versions.

Also, I've been meaning to put together a suppressed SBR AR-15 in .300 Blackout but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Bottom line: they're all useful and interesting in their own way.

I like taking older cartridges and tweaking them. I guess that would be the best way to put it. These are a few that I've modernized. I know that others have done this in the past. These days, almost anyone can order a different twist barrel or special dies and combine them with a better selection of bullets and powders.

I built a 225 Winchester with the proper twist barrel. The One-Two punch that killed the 225 was Remington coming out with what they called the 22-250. The other thing was Winchester not using the proper barrel twist. The 225 Win is almost as fast as the 22-250, but Winchester made them with 1 in 14 twist barrels. One of their promised loads used a 60 grain bullet, but the twist was wrong. Shooters only got a 55 grain load. Had the barrels been 1 in 10, they would have stabilized the longer (and heavier) 60 grain bullets. They might have done okay with a commercially made 60 grain bullet load. I built one with a 1 in 9 that shoots pretty much every 224 bullet weight. Back then, I doubt having a "semi-rimmed" case would have bothered too many people. Especially if they had a few more commercial loads available.

The 7.62x39, 303 British and 7.62x54r can be modernized by using 308 barrels in conjunction with easier to find (and cheaper) 308 bullets. I did that with some of the rifles chambered in those cartridges.

I like the idea of the 22 K-Hornet, the 20 Practical and 300 HAMR. Improving on a previously created design. The brass exists and is powder stingy, but with improved performance.

The age of experimentation isn't dead.

No, I'm something of an anachronism. Most of the stuff I prefer predates WW1

I have tried a few of the newer chamberings and still use the old standbys too.

I used a custom 6.5 PRC last year and a plain 7600 in 30-06 this year.

I grab whatever I feel like using out of the safe that meets what I feel is the need for where I’m hunting that year and practice with it till I feel confident.

Absolutely love them. I don’t really believe there is any “efficiency” in the new case design, but they are twisted right, chambered right, and SAAMI and factory supported with the heavy bullets I want to shoot.

My three most recent rifles are in 6cm, 6.5cm, 6arc - all outstanding. Zero dinking with load work up with any of them, they all shot great right out of the gate with the first loads I’ve tried. I think Hornady is really onto something with their chamber design approach, and everything else. They are killing it.

Steve,

Winchester has a history of that.

Now I am experimenting with the 4 Gauge.....Russian Bbls...........

That's how I roll as well. Might be the Sharps right next to a glass stocked gun. I have room for them all.

If it helps people considerably as far as shooting
accurately and clean kills, I'm happy.

Myself, my "newest " would be 444 marlin rifles.