Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Rifle cartridges - "It is time to cull the herd" Article by C. Boddington

C. Boddington proposes to thin out the factory offerings - and carefully avoids treading on toes of any majority.

http://www.rifleshootermag.com/ammunition/cartridges_without/index.html

Opinions represent market spectrum. This is a stupid approach. We should be concerned with what works, not what sells.

As "nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the public" commercial success is rarely a mirror of practical usefullness.

Cartridges to be culled:

6mm Remington
.257 Roberts
6,5x55
7x57

The .358 Winchester would have gotten the axe, too, if it had not been taken out of the line already.

He's right, but I'm not ditching my 257R and 7x57 just yet.

95% of us could do just fine with a 30/06 or 270Win and a 223.

I recall similar articles about "thinning the cartridge herd" being printed every year for two decades. It's as inevitable as the annual articles that praise the .30-06 and 375 H&H.

The ammo market thins the cartridge herd when it stops producing ammo for cartridges that have little customer demand.

Ammo companies don't care about whether two or more cartridges have redundent ballistics. Look at how many different 300 magnums there are! If the demand is out there it'll be filled!

Many companies would enjoy better success and profits with a smaller lineup as long as the volume stayed the same. Take GM for instance.

i say we ditch everything but ...
.17 Remington
.17 Remington Fireball (based on the wildcat .17 Mach IV)
.17-357 RG
.204 Ruger
.218 Bee
.219 Zipper
.20 Tactical
.20 VarTarg
.22 BR Remington
.22 Hornet
.22 PPC
.22 Spitfire (MMJ-5.7, 5.7mm MMJ)
.220 Russian
.220 Swift
.221 Fireball
.22-250 Remington (.22-250 Ackley Improved)
.22/30 (T65 Duplex)
.221 Remington Fireball
.222 Remington
.222 Remington Magnum
.223 Remington (.223 AI)
.223 WSSM
.224 Weatherby Magnum
.225 Winchester
.240 Weatherby Magnum
.243 Winchester (.243 AI)
.243 WSSM
.244 H&H Magnum
.244 Remington (6 mm Remington)
.250-3000 Savage
.256 Winchester Magnum
.256 Newton
.25-06 Remington
.25-20 Winchester
.25-35 Winchester (6.5 x 52R)
.25 Remington
.25 WSSM
.257 Roberts (.257 Roberts +P, .257 Roberts Ackley Improved)
.257 Weatherby Magnum
.260 Remington
.264 Winchester Magnum
.270 Weatherby Magnum
.270 Winchester
.270 Winchester Short Magnum
.270 Sabi
.276 Pedersen
.280 British
.280 Remington (a.k.a.7 mm Express Remington)
.280 Ross (a.k.a.280 Rimless Nitro Express)
.284 Winchester
.30 Carbine
.30 Newton
.30 Remington
.30 Remington AR
.30 TC
.30-30 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
.30-40 Krag (.30 Army)
.30-378 Weatherby Magnum
.300 H&H Magnum
.300 Remington SA Ultra Mag
.300 Remington Ultra Magnum
.300 Ruger Compact Magnum
.300 Savage
.300 Weatherby Magnum
.300 Winchester Short Magnum
.300 Winchester Magnum
.303 British
.303 Savage
.307 Winchester
.308 Marlin Express
.308 Norma Magnum
.308 Winchester
.32-20 Winchester (.32 WCF, .32-20 Marlin, .32 Colt Lightning)
.32-40 Ballard
.32-40 Winchester
.32 Remington
.32 Winchester Self-Loading
.32 Winchester Special
.325 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum)
.33 Winchester (.33 WCF)
.338-378 Weatherby Magnum
.338 Federal
.338 Lapua Magnum
.338 Marlin express
.338 Remington Ultra Magnum
.338 Ruger Compact Magnum
.338 Sabi
.338 Winchester Magnum
.340 Weatherby Magnum
.348 Winchester
.35 Newton
.35 Remington
.35 Whelen
.35 Whelen Improved
.35 Winchester
.35 Winchester Self-Loading
.350 Remington Magnum
.351 Winchester Self-Loading
.356 Winchester
.358 Norma Magnum
.358 Winchester
.375 H&H Magnum
.375 Ruger
.375 Remington Ultra Magnum
.375 Weatherby Magnum
.375 Whelen (.375-06)
.375 Winchester
.376 Steyr
.378 Weatherby Magnum
.38-40 Winchester
.38-55 Winchester
.40-60 Remington
.400 H&H Magnum
.400 Tembo
.401 Winchester Self-Loading
.404 Jeffery (10.75 x 73)
.405 Winchester
.408 CheyTac
.416 Barrett
.416 Remington Magnum
.416 Rigby
.416 Weatherby Magnum
.417 (High velocity cartridge for the M82, M93, M95 and M107 Barrett Firearms Company rifles)
.43 Mauser
.44-40 Winchester
.44 Remington Magnum
.444 Marlin
.45-70 Government
.45-90 Sharps
.450 Bushmaster
.450 Marlin
.450 Rigby
.458 Express
.458 Lott
.458 Sabi
.458 SOCOM
.458 Winchester Magnum
.460 Weatherby Magnum
.465 H&H Magnum
.470 Nitro Express
.50-110 Winchester
.50 Beowulf
.577/.500 Magnum Nitro Express
.577 Nitro-Express

oh and we should keep " a few" europeans around just for flavor. let drop all but...
4.6x30mm
5.45x39mm
5.56x30mm
5.56x45mm NATO
5.6x50mm Magnum
5.6 x 52R (.22 Savage Hi-Power)
5.6x57mm
5.6x57Rmm
5.6 x 61 SE (5.6 x 61 Vom Hofe Super Express)
5.7x28mm
5.8x42mm DBP87
6 mm BR Remington
6 mm PPC
6 mm Musgrave
6 mm Remington (.244 Remington)
6.5 Jonson
6.5-284
6.5 mm Creedmoor
6.5 mm Grendel
6.5 mm Remington Magnum
6.5x50mm Arisaka
6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano
6.5x53mmR Mannlicher
6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer
6.5x55mm
6.5x57mm Mauser
6.5x68mm (also known as the 6.5 x 68 RWS, 6.5 x 68 Sch�ler or the 6.5 x 68 Von Hofe Express)
6.8 mm Remington SPC
7 mm caliber
7 mm-08 Remington
7-30 Waters
7 mm BR Remington
7 mm Express Remington (a.k.a. .280 Remington)
7 mm Remington Magnum
7 mm Remington SA Ultra Mag
7 mm Remington Ultra Magnum
7 mm STW
7 mm Weatherby Magnum
7 mm WSM (Winchester Short Magnum)
7x33mm Sako
7x57mm Mauser (.275 Rigby)
7x61mm Sharpe & Hart
7x64mm Brenneke
7.5x55mm Schmidt Rubin
7.5x57mm MAS mod. 1924 7.5x54mm MAS mod. 1929
7.62 mm caliber
7.62x25mm Tokarev
7.62x38mmR
7.62x39mm
7.62x45mm vz. 52
7.62x51mm NATO
7.62 x 54R (rimmed) (7.62 Russian)
7.63x25mm Mauser
7.62 Jonson
7.65x22mm Parabellum
7.65x53mm Argentine (7.65x53mm Mauser)
7.65x53mmR
7.63x54mm Greek Mannlicher-Schoenauer
7.7x58mm Arisaka
7.92x33mm Kurz
7.92x57mm Mauser (8 mm Mauser or 8x57 JS)
8 mm Lebel
8 mm Remington Magnum
8x50mmR
8x56mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer
8x56mmR
8x58mm RD (rimmed danish)
8x60mm S
8x68mm S
9x39mm
9x45mm
9x56mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer
9x57mm Mauser
9.3x57mm
9.3x62mm
9.3x64mm Brenneke
9.3x66mm Sako
9.3x72mmD
9.3x74mmR
9.5x57mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer (.375 Rimless Nitro Express x 2-1/4")
10.75x57mm
11x60mm Mauser
And since people have spent the extra money on dies we should probably hold on to a couple of wildcats like...
.14/221
.14-222
.14 Walker Hornet
.17-223
.17 Ackley Bee
.17 CCM
.17 Hornet
.17 PMC/Aguila
.17 Mach IV (now commercialized as .17 Remington Fireball)
.17 PPC
.17/23 SMC
.17-357 RG (.172" Wildcat based on the 357 SIG)
.19 Calhoon Hornet
.19 Badger
.19-223
.20 VarTarg
.20 Tactical
.219 Donaldson Wasp
.22 Cheetah
.222 Rimmed
.22/303
.22-243 Middlestead
.223 AI
.240 Apex (.240 Belted Nitro Express and .240 Magnum Flanged)
.25/303
.275 H&H Magnum
.30 USA
.30-03
.309 jdj
.30-06 JDJ
.300 Dakota
.300 ICL Grizzly
.300 Lapua Magnum
.300 Whisper
.330 Dakota
.338-06 A-Square
.338 Whisper (Series 1)
.338 Whisper (Series 2)
.338 Voschol
.338 x 57 O'Connor
.375 Dakota
.375 Whisper (Series 2)
.40-65 Winchester
.40-70 Sharps
.408 Chey Tac
.416 Barrett
.416 Taylor
.416 Whisper (Series 2)
.425 Westley Richards
.44 Henry
.45-90 Sharps
.45-110 Sharps
.45-120 Sharps
.450 Watts Magnum
.458 SOCOM
.470 Capstick
.475 OKH
.475 Ackley

[edit] Metric
4.5mm mkr
5mm Craig
5mm/35 SMc
6-06
6-284
6 mm BRX
6 mm Dasher
6 mm XC
6x45 mm
6 x 47 Swiss Match (6mm/222 Mag)
6.5 Grendel
6.5 x 47 Lapua
6.5 x 57
7 mm Dakota
7.82 Lazzeroni Patriot
7.82 Lazzeroni Warbird
10 x 35 Vetterli
everything else? TOAST!!! dump em.
but leave the big bore stuff...
at least a few. get rid of EVERYTHING BUT...
.50-70 Government
.50-90 Sharps
.50-110 Winchester
.50-140 Sharps
.50 Alaskan
.50 Beowulf
.50 BMG
.50 Peacekeeper
.500 Black Powder Express
.500 Jeffrey Nitro Express
.500 No. 2 Express
.500 Nitro Express 3"
.500 Nitro Express for black powder 3"
.500/450 Nitro Express
.500/465 Nitro Express
.505 Gibbs
.505 Jeffery
.510 DTC Europ
.510 Fat Mac
.510 Whisper
.550 Magnum
.550 Nitro Express
.577 Nitro Express
.577 Tyrannosaur (.577 T-Rex)
.577 Snider
.577/450 Martini-Henry
.577/.500 Magnum Nitro Express
.585 Nyati
.600 Nitro Express
.600/577 REWA
.600 Overkill
.700 Nitro Express
.950 JDJ
All the rest can go.

With a 257 Roy in the safe, I've never had a need for the Bob version but find it an interesting cartridge that I would certainly hunt.

Ringworm
Why limit yourself needlessly?

Randy

Hah!

This article is every year's business, and the 6mm makes it every year. It will stay around like the .220 Swift from now on.

Great list, I shoot a .257 Roberts, kicking the idea around of buying another, have dies on the shelf for a 6.5x55 in case I ever run across one I really want, and plans are to build a 7x57 in the next couple of years, after I finish my .300 H&H that has a barrel on order.

Until I've owned 5 or 6 rifles in each of the calibers that Ringworm posted, how would I know which ones to dump?

LOL.

What if we all said "it is time to cull the herd" on gun writers?

I do quite well with a 308, 223, 12 ga, 44 mag, and 22 LR.

Though I lust for a 35 Whelen . . . .

And a 257 Roberts. . . . .

And a 9.3x74R . .

And a . . . oh well, you get the picture.

BMT

Gee, don't forget the .458x2 American which does nicely in the Remington XP-100.

All I really care about are the .223, .243 Winchester, .30-06, & the .375H&H.

I'd hate to give up my .30-030 & my .45-70.

Hell why not, they already culled our shot shell choices down to the 20 gauge and a half dozen different length 12 gauges.

I still believe a light weight 16 gauge makes the best upland gun and a good 10 gauge load would beat any 12 gauge for water fowl.

And if forced to have only one center fire rifle, it would be a 220 Swift....

CB needs to take a basic product development class and see why the grocery store shelves are stocked with flocks of merchandise just slightly different from the stuff just down the shelf. More choices, more sales.

To reduce it to absurdity we would only be able to buy an '06, a 12 ga and a .38 Special revolver.

jim

I really don't care what he shoots. I like the 257 Roberts, the 6.5x55, and the 7x57 and intend to continue shooting them for a long time. These sort of articles are like a fellow once told me, "sawdust in the stuffed moose head, just fill material."

Who gives a s*** what C. Boddington is paid to think and write?

Bullshnott to the whole idea for the article. A much better thesis would have been "Why Cull Anything". Not to be confused with the male approach to romance. Cartidges such as the various 6.5, 7, 8, 9 & 9.3mm mausers, maybe even the Newtons, should always & forever be offered in factory chamberings just to remind us Looney's, along with the unclean/uninitiated, that cartridge design perfection was just as nearly attainable in 1895 as in 2009 and beyond. Any mfg can make money on special limited run chamberings in older calibers as can mfg of limited runs of specialty caliber ammo. If shooters are limited to only the chamberings of recent history, then how does shooting history grow? It is true that successful marketing, and therefore successful capitalism, require new products. But what newer than the old and overlooked?? So bring on the old to sustain and support the new. None should ever be culled.