Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Which are the top 5 best selling Cals in the U.S?

I'm talking long rifle rounds here;
If you want my opinion on best pistol round, it's the 38 super;
got one from R.I A., and I will bet you that you cant find a better round out of an auto; faster than a 357, flatter than a 45, and more penetration than a 9mm;

Great question, but small pet peeve:

Which...cals? Cals=calibers; therefore, answers should be something like: .223, .308, .277, etc.

Which...carts? Carts=cartridges; therefore, answers should be something like: 223 Remington, 308 WInchester etc.

Which...rifle? Rifle=Rifle; therefore, not handgun, not shotgun etc.

Why is it that we continue to propagate these errors?

Because we don't come here to be grammar/terminology nazis. For instance, I'll bet it is not one guy out of 50 that uses the correct common name of the deer that populates the eastern two thirds of the country. But it doesn't cost me any sleep.

Thanks for posting that before I did...

utah, are you referring to the white-tailed deer? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

And yes, it does make a difference. Caliber is a designation of the diameter of the bullet, therefore if we're discussing "caliber" ,.308" covers .30-30, .30-06, 7.62x39, .308 Win, .300 Win. Mag, .300 WSM, etc. ad nauseum. Specific cartridge designation is a different story, .30-06 Springfield, .308 Winchester, etc, are all different cartridges, but propel the same caliber projectile. And BTW, yes, the .22 rimfires are legal for shooting game and I'm sure account for more trigger pulls per year than any other cartridge.

If just talking generic "rifles sold in said calibers" in the U.S., I'll guess:
22lr
.223
7.62X39
.308
30/06

Three ways I can think of to measure this:
1. Ammunition sales - to my way of thinking, this is probably the best measure. This way you're measuring what's being shot, including guys with older guns. Yes, it eliminates handloaders, but they are in the minority.

2. Reloading dies - not bad, but only measures what handloaders are shooting. Would be interesting to compare #1 and this one to see if there's a difference. Wouldn't be surprised of the 30-30 was included above and not in this list.

3. Gun sales - this is not particularly accurate, because it is a measure of what's currently "in style," not the total inventory of what's being shot in the woods. It eliminates all of the shooters using guns/cartridges they purchased years ago.

22 short
264 Win Mag
35 Whelen
350 Rem Mag
416 Rigby

30/06
.270
.308
30/30
.300WM

It is a popular for new rifle sales, most of the sites that carry them are often sold out of this caliber. I have two at the moment and love them both. In velocity and recoil, they are in between a 30-06 and a strong hand loaded 300 WM.
Which means a lot of people can stop trying to push a 30-06. Which also means they are and always will be established and available.

Mike Walker----223's are used for game...lotsa prairie dogs, coyotes, foxes, bobcats have been killed with a 223. Deer too!!!!! Maiming ???? Yer gonna get it handed on a platter.......22's are legal for game---squirrels, rabbits, prairie dogs, coons just to name a few......Shooting golfballs outta trees at 150-200 yds.?????Where the hell do ya think those bullets are goin if ya miss the ball??????

Cheeeeezzzzzzz!!!!!
And ya need to go back and check the BC of yer bullets.....Lotsa 7mm bullets are higher....


Sorry for the hijack!!!!


George

Nothing official as one would likely have to call Winchester, Remington, or Sierra or Speer.

My guess would be in order of sales:

22, 30, 24, 27, and 28.

I would guess

.223
7.62X39
.243
.300 WSM
7 Rem Mag


I cant think of a single guy I know that hunts with a 30-06 anymore.

The 300WSM has really caught on because of clever marketing, nothing else IMO. but I know a bunch of guys that hunt them.

7 Rem Mag is the 'big gun' for 'serious' hunters around here.

From "Readers Choice".


1. .308 Winchester - The .308 is one of the best selling cartridges in North America and the world (#5 on most lists), so it is no surprise that it interests many readers. It is the premier all-around cartridge for short action rifles.

2. .270 Winchester - The thousands of page views garnered by my article "The Great .270 Winchester" shows that interest in this classic all-around cartridge remains high. It is #3 on most North American sales lists, and it is popular all over the world. The .270 has been the standard of comparison for long range hunting cartridges for three quarters of a century, and it may be the best balanced all-around + long range hunting cartridge ever devised.

3. .30-06 Springfield - In sales, this is the most popular hunting cartridge in North America, and it is one of the elite worldwide cartridges. Many experts regard it as the best all-around hunting cartridge in the world. The .30-06 is in use on every continent where big game is hunted, so it is no surprise that its article gets a lot of page views.

4. .45-70 Government - The interest shown in this cartridge by the readers of Guns & Shooting Online came as quite a surprise. My article "The Good Old .45-70" must have been well named, as it has gotten a great many page hits. The .45-70 is, indeed, a very good old cartridge, and the most popular big bore in North America.

5. .30-30 Winchester - The .30-30 is one of the top selling rifle cartridges in North America (#1 to #4 on the sales lists, depending on which list you read). Interest in the cartridge remains high, probably partly due to its romantic association with the Old West, and partly because it is one of the best 200 yard deer and medium game cartridges ever designed.

6. 7mm Remington Magnum - The 7mm Rem. Mag. is the most popular belted cartridge in North America, number 7 on most ammunition sales lists. It is a fine all-around cartridge, deserving of its world-wide popularity. So it is not surprising that my article "Long Range Power: The 7mm Remington Magnum" regularly gets thousands of page views.

7. .223 Remington - This cartridge owes its popularity to its adoption by the USA and NATO as a standard military round. But it is also a fine, accurate, varmint cartridge and a pleasure to shoot at the range. Ammunition is widely distributed and inexpensive. The .223 (5.56mm NATO) is #2 on most sales lists and the top selling .22 centerfire rifle cartridge in the world.

8. .270 WSM - The .270 WSM has apparently taken the lead in the short magnum sweepstakes, at least among the readers of Guns and Shooting Online. This is not a surprise, as it is probably the most useful of the breed, and the only one that isn't simply a duplicate of another cartridge.

9. .300 Win. Mag. - The world's most popular .300 Magnum is the Winchester version, which is in the top 10 on most sales lists. This popularity is evidenced by the strong interest shown in this cartridge by Guns and Shooting Online readers.

10. .243 Winchester - The .243 is one of the lightest recoiling, long range, medium game cartridges in the world. It is also a capable varmint cartridge. The .243 is a very popular cartridge worldwide (number 6 on most lists in North America). It deserves the interest that its article receives.

223
30-06
270
308
243
300 Win Mag
7 Rem Mag

Maybe I've been out of touch, but, if we are talking rifles, I can't see the 45-70 in the top 5.
I think a clue to the top 5 rifles would be to look at what the major manufacterers are chambering rifles for, Rem, Win, Ruger, Savage, etc.

I'd be betting on your listing.

Certainly the top 4 spots have to be
22LR
.223 Rem
.270 Win
.30-06

and the 5th spot could easily be taken by 308, 7mm Rem Mag, or .30-30 depending on location .

None of these I own except 22 LR. If it's popular I want nothing to do with it.

In center-fire rifle calibers, I think the 7.62X39 may actually be the best selling caliber at the moment. Either that or owners of rifles chambered in this caliber expend far more ammo with those 30 and 40 round banana mags than owners of more traditional calibers.
My list would be: 7.62X39, .223, .30-06, .30-30 & .308

here in Canada in the Boreal forest, I see the proponderance of hunting rifles as 30-06, 300WM/ 308/ 7mm mag. The 270 would probably make #5. Most everyone uses the 30-06 and if you don't, it is considered you are suspect in your choice.

I don't agree with that sentiment, but have faced it often enough to know how prevalent it is.

Randy