Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Magnum calibers loosing favor?

I quit using magnums after Puberty.

To keep with the economy car analogy...
My oldest, in his early/mid 40's, looks like he finally grown up at least a little. Told me yesterday the Ford CMax gas/electric Hybrid commuter car he recently bought is getting 161 MPG on his 48 mile round trip to work....over the last 2000 miles.

His employer has a pair of generic charging station on site, and he plugs the car in at home overnite. Sez he has spent about $60 in gasoline to drive that 2000 miles, plus of course the nominal electricity expense. His last lease car trade in was a 2012 V6 Mustang that got about 20-22mpg in North Dallas traffic and cost him about $200 a month in gas driving in North Dallas stop & go traffic. So $15 bux a month or $200 bux a month in fuel is looking real good to me. But I ain't moving back to town and fight North Dallas traffic everyday for love or money.

I put $60 in the '10 Crew Cab and got 3/4's a tank Saturday that'll last me mebbe 7-10 days and the 37 month old truck only has 22k on the clock... so I ain't exactly wearing it out in retirement.

How does that relate to the OP's ???'s ...Everything relates to usage and real life NEEDS and not ego or peer driven desires.

I've dropped, or am dropping all of my bigger calibers, except for a lone 300WSM Fwt that might go away too if I can find/rechamber a 280AI, and have begun to concentrate on 6.5's & 270's over the last 10 years, and not missed killing anything with the mid bore's and under 150gr bullets. My bud's keep yelling at me to get a 243 or a .25 cal something, promising me that they'll kill 300lb hogs & other bigger stuff reliably DRT out to past my self imposed 3-350 yards....umm I ain't ready to go THAT far yet....but could trust a 7x57 or 7-08 and run 120gr TTSX's & NBT's hard to take care of a 300lb porkers bidnizz.
Lots of choices NOW days in more comfortable shooters that were not available in the late '60s when I started this journey. JMHO & YMMV
Ron

CFVA has the correct perspective. Both on the personal preference aspect of rifles and on the Prius. I do think some of the seeming growth in the use of smaller cartridges may be due to bullet performance but that would mean using those bullets on hunts not just at the range. Once I make up my mind as to what is adequate for certain game it would be a poor second-guess to risk a hunt on something in which I did not have 1000% confidence. Some leanings toward smaller may be due to availability/expediture of powder. In my case, while my .338 WM is my #2 all-time game-getter I only use it rarely now as I do not hunt game in that size class. The .375 H & H gets spoon fed .375 Win recipes just so I can keep the dust out of the barrel. I know that .243/6mm, 7-08, 6.5 X 55, .25-06, .308, 7 X 57 and even the old relic .30-30 will kill deer and pronghorns as far as I can confidently shoot depending on the area. Besides, it's a lot more fun going to the range and making noise, shooting well and still being able to focus and raise my arms when I leave the range. Jm2cts

Only comment I can make is to quote a member of the board of directors of the private range I'm a member.

Just prior to last deer season here in Texas, the board director was at our range, checking the zero of scope on his 7mm-08 rifle. During the brief chat we had I had asked him how long he'd used the 7mm-08 for deer hunting. He replied it would be the first time to use it for deer hunting....that he'd used a 300 win mag for years. Then he commented, finally convinced myself I didn't need a 300 win mag to kill Texas whitetail, a 7mm-08 would do just fine. I chuckled and agreed with him.

I suspect geography and game type availability will still be the driving criteria for any hunting rifle choice. It's that easy really. There will always be those that want to hunt speed goat with 375 Hollands and brown bears with 223 Ackleys.

Yep-Got two of them and thinking about a Sako Finn Bear.

They never really were needed.

Guys don't need AR's either. Just fire 2 shots off the back deck.

Funny......that's when I started using Magnum

They fell out of favor with me. I never owned many though. Just a .257 Weatherby, 7mm Remington, and a .308 Norma. They all shot well for me but I never hunted any of them. I took the 7mm along on my NH moose hunt but ended up using my .450 Marlin instead. I took the .257 along on an antelope hunt but let my stepson use it while I used a .308 Win. I don't think I've hunted a day in my life with a magnum in my hand and I don't see that changing?

I've been pondering this very thing about downsizing and keeping only short action rifles in non-magnum chamberings.

The only long action I'd keep would be a fave 257Roberts which would do most of what my 270s would do and a 358Win would replace my 375magnum. A 223, 22/250, 7/08 & 308 would do everything else.

This is so true! Here in the east, anything over 100yds is "long range".

I often contemplate going the short action direction myself. I get all hung up between the 7mm-08 and .308 and can't make up my mind.

Sometimes, I think we think too much!

Jumbo's are bigger and more comfortable.

I look for excuses to hunt with my 375 H&H magnum.

223AI = stunt shooter
243 = tricks are for kids
260 = tweener
7-08 = Stick wanna be
270 = gay
30-06 = boring
7Mag= macho man

My dad can kick your dad's ass......

I've often felt magnum cartridges were gimmicks. That's probably harsh but I just could never buy into them. I know they serve a purpose for those who hunt beyond 500 yards, but I think that is moot for 99% of hunters.

Not with me. I load for every rifle I shoot (except rimfire of course) and I shoot my magnums a bunch at the range-- just as much as my non-magnum rifles. I carry them all hunting as well. I may deer hunt with a 243 win one outing, and take a 300 win mag the next day. I've taken Black Bears with everything from 25s to a 338 win mag. I've shot more crows with a 300 win mag than probably any other rifle in the safe. I've taken several hogs and various varmints with a 375 H&H. I will not mention all the game that has fallen to my various handguns, but I have witnesses to a running coon catching a 350 grain XTP from my 500 S&W revolver (sometimes it's better to be lucky than good).

In the end, bullet technology has made a better cartridge out of any rifle you shoot, but a 338 Win Mag is still better medicine for Moose, Elk and big bears than a 243, IF you can put the big bullet where it needs to go.

As said above, the only way to be truly proficient with each rifle is to shoot them all. Often. Isn't it more fun that way?

Good post, exactly the way I see it too..