Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Most underrated cartridge?

The 256 Winchester - you never hear anyone say nice things about the cartridge and grizzly bears in the same sentence. Never!

Truth be told, a 222 (not 3) will handle all varmint/paper to 300 yds, and deer/hogs to 200, with good bullets.

A 6BR will handle all else in North America to 400 yds with good bullets thru vitals, save the large bears.

If I started over and were a handloader, I would build one each in a 8 twist. If factory ammo, I'd substitute a 223 and 243.

Large Bears would get a nine three.

Right now a 6.5x47 is my best tweener - though JB would say a 29 JB Express would be closer to the middle of the triple deuce and nine three.

I must say with new bullets, the latest powders and twist barrels, a 243 from 55 to 105 covers all but the great bears, again with Rule #1 applied.

I'm right there with you. I'm in the process of getting rid of rifles I don't shoot to buy ones that I will. When all is said and done I'll have four fun rifles. Two Kimber Montanas and two Win Coyotes. One each in .223AI and .243AI

I'm hoping to shoot similar loads in them both but unless I send them off to Pacnor, the twist issue is gonna kill that dream.

MojoHand: I think the most underated cartridge is the wonderful 280 Remington.
I have used this round on and off for decades and it never disappoints.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

300 savage.
6.5x54 ms.
I shoot both to good effect, and people have no idea what I am talking about when I tell them what I shoot. It's a shame because both are simply outstanding, and shine when hand loaded. Too many people want the next, newest biggest thing and ignore things they see as 'inferior' even though they have, and continue to, get the job done.

I just reread this entire thread again, and wonder who in the hell is supposed to be doing the "underrating"? Your cousin Frank who's hunted with the same .30-06 since 1965? The local meth-heads who can't pawn the rifles they steal? Barack Obama?

I hang around with rifle loonies a lot, including on the Campfire, and in my entire life cannot recall anybody bad-mouthing the .223 Remington, 6mm Remington, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Mannlicher, .260 Remington, 6.5x55, 7x57, .280 Remington, .30-30, .300 Savage, .300 Weatherby Magnum, 8x57, .358 Winchester and most of the other cartridges mentioned so far.

I have heard some nitwits (mostly aspiring Elmer Keiths) bad-mouth the .243 Winchester, and once heard an ignorant dipschidt who never handloaded a round in his life, much less chronographed anything, say "the 7mm Remington Magnum makes the .30-06 look sick." Used to hear some Montana hunters degrade the .270, but that was mostly back in the 1960's and 70's when the 7mm Remington Magnum was the answer to every personal problem from stammering to erectile dysfunction.

But other than those exceptions, and a few Campfire members or gun writers who're trolling, where are these legions of under-raters? Can somebody point me to another website, or a Cabelas full of 19-year-old clerks?

You really need to get a life........

"when the 7mm Remington Magnum was the answer to every personal problem from stammering to erectile dysfunction."

John,

I think we could scoop the big pharmaceutical companies and make our billions. All we need is a good PR firm.

To look at the used rifles for sale and the price asked, one would think there is something wrong with a 7mmRemMag.

But take 20 different commonly found cartridge rifles that weigh 10 pounds with scope to a 500 yard range, and the 7mmRemMag can beat the rest [with adult loading] for minimum elevation and windage correction, as well as put a lot of power down range.

Hunting with anything else for the average guy is a handicap.
Sure, David Tubb can lob 240 gr 308 rounds into the 10 ring on a windy day. You and I are not him.

It seems to me the old .44 Henry Flat is poorly respected these days.

Sure wish someone would resurrect that trick.

Did it come with a 3 position safety?

2muchgun,

The rereading didn't take long, once I figured out this was really one of those "What's your favorite cartridge?" threads!

I wasn't wrong on the 43 Egyptian...

No, that was one of the very few exceptions. I've even heard it badmouthed in Egypt.

You're right. We're a bunch of idiots...

you are so brilliant!, and alot of us Vietnam Vets, yes, laugh at you for wanting a peeshooter over a real cartridge, the 308 Win..................

Higbean,

Rifle idiots united! That's us.

Here! Here!

Bad mouthing, or underrated?

What are we talking about again?

.243 and the .308, Also have heard quite a few disparage the .264 Win Mag.

Half the idiots here in TX think you gotta have a 7 Mag or a .300 Win Mag