I see different threads on choosing a rifle cartridge, and wonder how anyone online could ever be of any help to another in such a choice.

It occurred to me that a thread on how different guys make their choices and what the priorities are might be useful

What things do you consider when you've found a rifle that you like, and are making the cartridge decision?

I like dual purpose cartridges that I can use for about anything. I used the .243 for years and felt little reason to change.
I hunt mostly coyotes and shoot a deer or three in most years. I occasionally pick up an antelope or mulie tag and travel a bit, and the range of fast cartridges from about .24 - .26 caliber hold all of my interest.

About a dozen years ago an elderly friend who had wide experience in hunting extolled on the merits of the 25-06 and lit a fire in me.
I also remembered that a friends dad who mentored me some and who also had a lot of experience also mentioned it as being maybe the best of choices for an all around rifle cartridge.

the rifle that I liked best was not chambered to 25-06, so I had pac-nor make up a barrel for me and send it to Redneck...
It is a gem, And I don't think that I will ever need more rifle

Speed for my target projectile. Lapua brass availablility or ability to form from Lapua brass. Reputation for accuracy. Effiencent cartridge attributes. JMO...

I like fooling with rifles.. When I was about 16 I had a custom .30-06 built and put the best scope I could afford at the time.. It was a B & L 2.5-8. Still have the rifle and the scope.. For about 10 years it was my main big game rifle, and also shot lots of varmints.. But I almost always had a varmint rifle in the rack too.. When I was in my early 20's, the .300's hit the market.. I built one, and it along with others are my serious big game rifles.. But along the way I have used most calibers from the .17 Rem. though the .45-70. I have counted lately but I have small .22 center fires, hot .22's .243, 250 sav. 25/06. On up though the .45-70.. But about 40 years ago my three favorite calibers were the .22-250, 25-06 and .300 WM.. They still are my favorites.. for gophers and p. dogs I would add a .222 or .223..
I want good bullets, speed and flat traj. until the advent of turrets and rangefinders, I needed that to be successful in my hunting.. Even today, much of the game I hunt is not going to stand around while I range it, run the turretsjudge the wind, and finally shoot.. If I have time, that is great, but on public land one often does not get that chance.. Finally, I am willing to shoot to about 500 yd. on some game in some places.. But I seldom shoot beyond that distance.. So these calibers fit my needs perfectly.. There are many others that will do equally well, but these rifles fit me best..

I shoot .30-30, .30-'06, .250 Savage, and .257 Roberts. I have a .375 H&H, but I don't do much with it.

The .30-30 wasn't my choice. It was chosen for me by my father when I was 11 years old. My first rifle, which I still own and shoot 39 years later, was a Marlin 336 in .30-30.

The .30-'06 very much was my choice. I wanted a cartridge that didn't have so much recoil as to be tiresome during extended range sessions, a cartridge that had a reputation for accuracy, a cartridge supported by a good assortment of match grade and hunting style bullets, a cartridge that could do everything I ever thought I'd want to do with a center-fire rifle, having sufficient range and power to meet then-present and anticipated needs, while being reasonably efficient and easy on barrels. To me, the .30-'06 is everything my then 18 year old self hoped it would be. Boring it may be, but it works.

The .250 Savage got bought just because I thought it was cool as hell and that it, plus the Ruger M77RL Ultralight I bought that was chambered to it, plus the Leupold Vari-XIIc 2-7X I bought the same day, was kind of an ideal marriage of cartridge, rifle, and optic. I still feel that way about that combination, thirty years later. The .250 does most of what I want a centerfire rifle to do, has but a flea-bite's worth of recoil, has mild report, delivers stellar accuracy in a rifle not universally praised for precision.... It's just a hell of a lot of fun to shoot. It terms of recoil and report, it's like shooting a .223 Remington. In terms of thump, it's like a .243 Winchester, with the benefit of handling 120 grain bullets with decent SD of .260. It's a pretty efficient user of gunpowder, too, and pretty easy on barrels. I've shot the piss out of that Ultralight and still do and it still groups down to .660".

The .375 is something I thought I needed for a trip to Africa. I wound up shooting my entire bag with a .30-'06. I started using it when guiding pig hunters, mostly because if I did have to shoot when guiding, I'd likely be dealing with poor shot angles but also an immediate need to stop the pig in its tracks. Overkill for recreational pig hunting; not so much under the circumstances I'd have to use it when guiding. It's not something I have much of a use for nowadays. On my annual California birthday bash pig hunt, I usually just use my old Marlin 336 or the .250 Savage Ruger Ultralight and call it good.

The .257 Roberts got to me in the form of a Browning A-Bolt II than I won as a raffle drawing prize. I decided to keep it because I like the rifle and, like the .250 Savage I've had long association with, it has all the power and range I need, while having really mild recoil. It's "just enough more" than the .250 Savage that I could (and did, this past fall) use it on everything from cow elk down to smallish local whitetails.

Sometimes, I choose a cartridge. Sometimes, they've found me. Lots of 'em out there do the same thing, pretty much the same way. Some, like the .250 Savage, are just cooler than others.

What do I plan to kill with it.
Where, do I expect to carry it, and under what conditions do I expect to be shooting.

Of course, this all leads in to matching bullet and glass to the purpose as well.

I like pinpoint accuracy above all else. That's a factor of quality rifle and components.
2nd to that I like massive amounts of energy. I prefer that as a by product of mass over velocity.

What cartridge would fit your comments?

Depends on the want at the time.....

Another fan of the .221 fireball!!!

I try to use whatever happens to trip my trigger at the moment. It ain't marriage.

We differ...

I'm in a minority here in that I really don't care for shooting that much and consider it the means to the end. I'd rather spend more time in the woods or on the water than at a bench or shooting from other positions. While I do not go out and shoot a 1000 rounds a day or even a week, I do shoot more than a little bit to stay fresh and proficient.

Being primarily a white-tail hunter with black bear and moose thrown in for good measure, I gravitate to the 270, 308, 30-06 class of cartridges. because they preform and are available everywhere.

I saw a M64 Winchester carbine today in 32 WS. I wanted it.

But I left the store with a 375H&H.

How's that for an explanation of priorities?

JDK I can understand why you feel that way living in Maine!! Not being jerk, but when I visited there, I saw much fishing, good hunting in season, but really very little varmint hunting.. I have thought of living other places, and I am sure my collection would diminish considerably as I would not have the shooting opportunities I do in the west.. I don't do a lot of bench shooting, only to sight in and develop loads.. I do shoot a lot of game and varmints, and lately long shots at plastic jugs.. But I do like to shoot, and hunt, especially varmints.. Fishing is ok, but just ok.

Bob, what plans for the .375???That carbine would have been really unusual.. Not many 64's around.

WCH: No plans for the 375 at the moment.......but you never know.

Nice thing about a 375 is no plan required. The clerk at the store asked...."What are you going to use it for?"

I replied, "Anything I want".


True not many 64's out there...this is the first 64 carbine I have ever seen!

Shot my elk with the .375 this fall.. Impressive, but it was a luck hit.. Not out of reason, but with the .375 a long shot.. No problem once the 260 grain hit.. I am going to use mine soon on deer, just haven't got to it yet.

Usually just a present fancy. Might occur at a pawnshop, gunshow, on the net, 2AM and trying to fall asleep..

Rancho isn't that how a lot of important decisions are made?




WCH: Like I said...."Anything you want."

This is why I limit myself to .338's

I prefer the least recoiling cartridge that will effectively kill what I'm hunting. The largest game I hunt is elk so for me the 270 fits perfectly.

The reason this is a priority in my selection is because I am much more likely to shoot a rifle of tolerable recoil far more than a heavy recoiling rifle.

For instance my 270 Tikka that I bought last year fired in the neighborhood of 400+ rounds at the range with plinking ammo and probably 150 rounds of hunting ammo at distances to 500 yds before I ever hunted the rifle. Had my rifle of choice been a 338 mag it likely would have seen less than 50 rounds.

I am far more a proponent of shot placement and good bullets than head stamps. Because I shoot mild recoiling cartridges practice with my big game rifles is well into the thousands of rounds every year.

Lots of practice makes for accurate shooting and shot placement. Good shot placement results in meat on the table.

Shod

I find a rifle I like, and if I'm buying a factory rifle, I'm not too picky on cartridge as long as it has enough snort to wack whatever I'm buying the rifle for with a minimum amount of fuss. If I'm having one built, I want something that I can get factory ammo for in a pinch, but not everybody and his brother has in the cabinet.

I pick out a bullet diameter or caliber first, such as maybe a 25 caliber for deer or perhaps a 338 something or other for Elk, Black Bear etc... Then I pick out a good Controlled round feed, fixed ejector action that I want to use to house the round. Lastly, I pick the cartridge that will fit and feed through my action of choice with the largest case and case capacity I can get in that caliber. Speed and velocity, even with a higher BC bullet is always a good thing and in my world, faster is always better.

This is how I ended up with a custom Mauser in 220 WBY Rocket fast twist, a pre 64 Model 70 in 257WBY, a pretty Mauser in 7mm Mashburn Super (7mmSTW and RUM won't QUITE fit the Mauser action, but the Mashburn does nicely, with a significant powder/power increase over a 7mm Remington or WBY) a highly tweaked and cleaned up 1917 in a wildcat 338/8mm RemMag (very similar to a 340WBY, and 340WBY ammo will run in it just fine) and a CZ 550, again much tweaked and tuned, in 416 Rigby which I can - and do - load to 416 WBY velocities.

I am exceedingly happy with my choices, others like their choices for their reasons. Not everyone has to be a speed slut like me

All that and you still shoot a bear in the ass and leave it all night.

EXCELLENT !!

If anyone addresses YOUR points for THEIR needs, they're certainly headed in the right direction.

Priorities:

1. What am I using it for?
2. Who's using it? (me or kids)
3. What's the expected shooting volume?
4. Based on #3, how much recoil is tolerable?
5. What are the accuracy requirements, can I buy a used rifle at a great price, do I need a new factory rifle, can I re-barrrel something, or do I need a full-on custom build?
6. Is there an acceptable projectile that fills the intended use, volume, and recoil requirements?

Me too! But of course I don't always limit my self to the above criteria. I've been known to use a 375H&H on coyotes and blacktails.

This mode accounts for all the other rifles in the cabinet...
The jonesing never stops...

1. Does it fill a need or want? Wants are never to be underestimated, regardless of other usefulness. Needs are arbitrary as well. �I [ want | need ] , therefore I shall have.�

2. Can I get it for a reasonable price? New is nice, like new for less is better, gently used for even less is just as good.

3. Is it redundant with other rifles I have? Doesn�t matter. See #1 above.

4. Cost and availability of factory ammo and brass? If $70 per box or $2 per case, no thanks.

5. Availability of good bullets? Can�t buy .375g jacketed bullets for my .375 Win right now, when/if they become available, I need to stock up.

6. Is it a collector item, fancy grade, commemorative or other special rifle? Forget it.


Last year I sold one of four .30-06�s, a Ruger American, to purchase a Ruger Scout in .308 Win. Didn�t need the .30-06, and had sold my .308�s a couple years previous to fund a ARs in .223/5.56 and .300BLK. didn�t need the .308W Scout, either � it was a case of want.

Also sold a beautiful, nickel-plated, tack-driving Ruger #1 in .280 Rem to purchase ... a Ruger All-Weather in ... .280 Rem. The #1 had scratched an itch and was lots of fun but really didn�t suit my hunting needs. The All-Weather is mo� betta.

Any more I find myself gravitating toward the .308 or '06 family of cartridges, and the odd AI version thereof. I find that speed is not everything, and isn't needed for most of what I do. These have good brass availability and interchangeability if needed, mild recoil, will fit in common actions., and so on. And if you neck size you can get away with a handful of sizing dies and just buy different bushings.

Sometimes simple is better, and less is more. But I still have a wildcat or two on the WSM case and a hankering for a 7 SAUM. Just because I've never had one.

Performance

^^^^^This^^^^^

Classic!

I just rotate through them changing from hunt to hunt for no reason other reason than I have not used it in a bit.

Right now I gots the itch for either a .375 Wby,.458 Win and finally a .450/400 3". No logic,need,it's just want. And Most likely that'll change in about 20 minutes.

This. Lately it's old rifles for deals that I work on, re-finish, etc.

Starting to get an itch for a SA Kimmy Montana. Need it like I need a case of crabs.

These days my advice would be simple. Get a 223 in a rifle that fits you well. It's the only thing you can get brass for at a reasonable price and they make some pretty good bullets in that caliber. Just kidding....kinda.

Well, a bunch of hog hunters are proving that with the Barnes TSX bullets and similar, the 223 is capable of doing a lot more than many of us gave it credit for all these years. It is going hunting in places and for game that used to be the realm of a 30/06 or a 270 and similar.

My first serious big game rifle when I was 13 was a 30/06. And the only game I hunted for was 120lb Blacktailed deer. No way would I saddle a kid with something so large these days for a first deer rifle, unless larger game was on the near agenda or available where we lived.

As to this thread, Fotis put my thoughts with just one word. Performance. Efficiency, barrel life etc. count for very little for me. Give me mach V speeds with the bullet that is needed to get the job done.

Priorities?

long proven track record

plentiful factory ammo availability

Call me old fashioned.

.22LR
.30-30
.30-06
12-ga

EdM, Many years ago I had the fantasy that I would hunt Africa and Alaska. I wanted a rifle that was plenty adequate for what may be required. I'm also stuck with the opinion that if you use one(1) rifle exclusively(I know, boring)that you may have a slight edge when making a shot in less than desireable conditions. I wanted something that had some horsepower, ammo availability, legal in Africa for dangerous game, relatively flat shooting, and maybe just a little history(romance). I bought my first .375 H&H around 1982. While I still have it, it's retired. Upon moving to Wyoming, and still wanting to use the .375, I decided that a lighter, flatter shooting rifle would be pretty handy hunting and hiking steep, big country around here. So in'89 I had a semi-custom (less than 9 lbs.,scoped,loaded, and slung).375 AI built. Still haven't, and probably never will see Africa or Alaska, but that .375 AI is my only hunting rifle. memtb

Me too. The only problem with the one-word response is, people define "performance" differently.

Some would put accuracy at the top of the list. Some consider the availability of ammo or components. Some consider the track record on the game to be hunted.

And those who have nothing else to hang their hat on tend to cite "speed."

I'm thinking that speed is the easiest aspect of performance to adjust...
Drop in a bigger motor and rock on...

I like something that can be fun to shoot, kill well at reasonable ranges, and is a little different (although I like to have one rifle chambered to a common cartridge to bring on out of state hunts as back up).

Generally that means non-magnum "classic" cartridges or their modern equivalents: .257 Rob/.25-06, 6.5x55/260, 7x57/7-08/.280, .308/.30-06, etc.

Accuracy and enjoyability trump speed every time, and massive blast really messes with my ability to shoot well.

I like sharp shoulders, very little case taper enough neck and no belt. The brass should come from Lapua, Norma if possible.

Size the capacity to speed/bullet weight needed. In fact I like a little extra capacity so I don't need to lean on it to hard to get where I want to be.

I like a case short enough that there will be a lot of COAL lee way and still fit in the Mag box.

Cartridge popularity means nothing to me. When I have something put together I will usually get enough brass to last quite a while.

Some of my favorties currently in the safe are 223AI, 250AI, 6.5 CM, 7mm-08AI, 7mm SAUM, 300WSM, 338RCM and 375 ruger.