Looking at the other topic about "dead" cartridges, it dawned on me that there are a lot of fellas out there that still have a love affair with a so called dead or nearly obsolete cartridge.
*EDIT* For "obsolescent" I would say that my standard is if I can't find a box of ammo for it at any of the gun shops, sporting goods, and hardware stores in town. Te debate over what is better than what else is endless.


Mine:
38-55 (thanks goodness the Cowboys are keeping this gem alive)
.32 Winchester Special
40-65 WCF


Yours?

22 Hornet and 22 K-Hornet

358 Norma

.300 H&H

225 WIN

I'd like to have a 6.5x57 in a classic full-stock Mauser.



.

Swift, 300 H&H,7x57,and the Roberts....are these really "dead"?

358 Winchester

I wouldn't go so far as to call the 7x57 or the Bob "obsolescing" so much as "less popular".

I can still walk into the local Ganderbellamart and pick up more than one type of ammo for each.

some of mine are the win self loaders,32,35,351 and 401 and gotta love the 303 sav

357 Max

I don't have one but I've a strong hankering.

7x61 Sharpe & Hart.

.300 Savage.

Expat

356 Win.

222 Remington Magnum

8mm06 and 8mm06 Imp.They were both developed just post WWII to take advantage of all those used/war trophy 8mm Mausers when 8x57 ammo was very difficult to come by.
I've found them to be very useful and flexible cartridges with just a bit more "oomph" than 30.06,especially with heavier bullets.Actually ,a little closer to a .35 Whelen ,with a slightly flatter trajectory.Very easy conversion on those surplus '98 barreled actions.
Mine have been very accurate along the entire spectrum of 8mm bullets,not at all fussy about components.

Good Lord.

I would have bet this thread would be a no-brainer...shows what I know.

.30.30, hands down

Thinking the 30/30 replacements have a been ruled obsolete, all will be on this list. Bad Karma going agin the 30 W.C.F..

.358 Win ... a dandy cartridge hanging on by a thread. Hope Ruger and Browning keep on chambering rifles for it.

Damn, I just found out that I am shooting a bunch of obsolete cartridges for the last 65 or so years! My gun cabinet consists of a few oldies but goodies I guess, at least according to these posts! My 300 H&H, 30-30, 257 Robts.,7x57,250-3000 are obsolete....

But I got one past ya'll, and that is one of my all time favorites the 25-35 Win. I still shoot at least one deer a year with it.

Then again I personally could easily qualify for obsolete, so I guess its ok for me to shot those old rounds!

450/400 Nitro Express 3".

Ray,
I don't consider anything "obsolete" until I can't find a box of ammo for it at any of the gun shops, sporting goods, and hardware stores in town.

'bout the only one I see in your list might be that 250 Savage that is "nearing obsolescence". Haven't seen a box of that in a while, but I did see a 100 count bag of brass a week or two ago.

That 25-35 win on the other hand....how old are you?

The name says it all. My uncle, who bought his Model 99 in .300 about 1955 and used it till his passing in 1984, thought it was the best deer cartridge/rifle combination there was. And in his hands, it seemed to be. This was in eastern MT, not the eastern US. He did well up to 300 yards or a bit further with a steel tube K4.

I don't consider the .30-30 or the .45-70 obsolete, too many guns and too much ammo being manufactured. They ARE old, but not put out pasture, yet.

My vote would be split between .348 Winchester and .250 Savage, with the .300 Savage as an alternate. All three are very usable rounds that are much harder to support than the .30 WCF or .45-70.

My vote would have to be for the 264 Win Mag. Everyone waxes poetic about the 6.5X55 and the 260 but doesn't give the 264 the time of day. What's wrong with a cartridge that pushes the same slender bullets quite a bit faster? Just seems like more of a good thing to me.

This is a tough one. Lots of cartridges have been overcome by newer, mo better ones.
Does the 300 WSM make the 30-06 obsolete?
Does the 218 Bee make the 22 Hornet obsolete?
Does the 358 make the 35 Whelen obsolete?
And the list goes on.
If obsolete means that a cartridge is not in use today because a better one has taken its place (and not made by any company today), then we're driven to look at something like the 45-90, or the 30-03??

My dad's favorite is a .25-20 win. I have never seen much use for it- too big for small game too small for deer size game. He seems to like it none the less

.303 British

I keep reading my 30-06 is obsolete but from a reloaders standpoint its the cats meow.

I still like the .35 remington. In a single shot pistol it still hammers game. Maybe even better than ever with good bullets.

I think we can fairly declare the 30 Rem obsolete. Most had never even heard of it until the gun rags started talking about the 6.8 SPC. I don't think I have seen a box of ammo on a store shelf in over twenty years.

I grew up with a 30 Rem pump rifle and hunted with it until I was twenty something. It is really kind of useless when compared to the 260 Rem, or any of the medium range deer cartridges. But I am still kind of fond of the old girl.

About twenty five years ago, I had a really nice model 141 in the bedroom closet, but a burglar got it.

I shoot a few that are truely obsolete such as the .25-20 (Savage 23), .303 savage (Savage 99) and .30-40 (Krag) in rifles. In handguns I also shoot the 7.62 Mauser (C96) and .38-40 (SAA).

I also shoot the .375 Win. (Winchester 94) which is at least on it's way to being obsolete.

8mm Mauser, I loved finding an old mauser to clean up and shoot. .307 winchester was fun for awhile also.

My most obsolete is my 50-70. I like it so much I had a encore barrel made for it.

Not from what I can see, though some easier to find than others.

One of my most memorable photographs is one of my Step Father taken in 1939. It's a pix of him with an 8 point PA Buck, shot with an old Winchester Lever Action rifle in 25-20. (I don't recall the model number now.) The one antler of the Buck had a very visable, neat little 25 calber bullet hole through it which was his first shot at the Buck. He's standing behind the Buck with a big grin on his face...

350 Remington Magnum. I asked a 200 lb Feral Hog, and he was not convinced of it's obsolescence....

.300 H&H and 7X61 SHARPE & HART

358 Winchester and 300 Savage, although I'm not sure if the latter would be considered obsolescent.

I inherited my dad's .303 Savage Model 99. I dare you to find ammo for it. I reload, though, and hope to take an elk with it this fall. It's killed lots of deer and coyotes and wild cows (on our family's ancestral ranch when Dad was a youngster), but not yet an elk.

8mm Remington Magnum

Mine would be the Savage .22 Hi Power. Low recoil, accurate (after learning how to load for it), and capable of taking deer. It's become my favorite walking-around, deer hunting and general woods loafing rifle.

My favorite is the .25-20. I bought one of the Marlin 1894CL's when they came out with that chambering.
I've had a 3X Leupold on it, and it now wears a custom set of of iron sights.
My favorite tree squirrel rifle. Just the thing for those days when you are out after greys and you bump into something much bigger.
Have had a serious case of desire for one of the pre-64 94's I've seen lately in the .25-35. Seem to recall that Francis E Sell hunted an "improved" version of that round in his later years. BTW, locally, new .25-35 ammo runs about $50 a box. So somebody still likes it. E

With three rifles plus an AI version, My favorite has to be the .250-3000.

25-20 - I have a Savage 23B.

.303 British - I have a nice No.4 and would really like a British style sporter circa 1910.

I started to read this thread, and pretty soon realized how many rifles chambered for "obsolescent" cartridges people have cited that I own: .22 Hornet, .25-35 WCF, .303 Savage, .30-40 Krag, .300 Savage, .303 British, .300 H&H, 8x57 Mauser, .350 Rem. Magnum., .358 Win., .358 Norma and .38-55.

I have also owned rifles (often more than one) in .22 K-Hornet, .22 High Power, .220 Swift, .25-20, .32 Special, 8mm-06, .40-65 and .450-400.

I simply can't call the .257 Roberts, .264 Winchester Magnum, 7x57 and .30-30 obsolescent--especially the latter. All have been chambered in recent years in a number of rifles, and the .30-30 has never been out of production. Ammo for all four can also be found in any decent-sized sporting goods store.

Perhaps the most obsolescent cartridge I've ever owned a rifle for is the 6.5x54 Mauser (NOT Mannlicher). It apparently wasn't chambered by anybody any time after the 1930's, and even factory ammo ceased being produced in the 1960's.

I would love to own a clamshell double in 9,3X65R Brenneke or in 8X65RS.

noone picked the sweet swede????

It ain't obsolescent, by any stretch of the imagination.

I'm thinking about acquiring one of the M1885 Creedmoor 50-90 Sharps from Gunbroker. Why? Just because...and even though it's been obsolete for many years, everything I need to get it up and running is easily available. I betcha it ain't too obsolete to slay an elk...

How about the 284 win?

Don't know if it's "officially" obsolete or not, but that would be my pick.

7x61 Sharpe & Hart, .308 Norma

now THAT is what i wanted to hear about my swede

i figured most people would think of it as obsolescent.

-Matt

Perhaps we need to define obsolescent. My Webster's unabridged states the primary meaning as "becoming outdated or outmoded."

Of course obsolescent is all about becoming obsolete: "no longer in general use; fallen into disrepute."

All of which is why I can't apply obsolescent to cartridges like the .257 Roberts, 6.5x55, 7x57 and .30-30. All are currently or frequently chambered in factory rifles, and ammunition it widely available. The same might be said for the .35 Remington.

I would even challenge the notion that the .300 Savage is obsolescent. Not with at least a million Savage 99's in the caliber still out there, not to mention some other rifles, and ammunition being made by all of the Big Three ammo-makers.

Mule Deer: what cartridges would you place in the second category of that definition; that is, which have "fallen into disrepute?"

Mine would be the .256 Newton...jim

6.5x54 Mauser, 11mm Egyptian, 9.3mm B-S. Rounds like that....

Looks like I can end my search for a 350 Rem Mag donor...

Are you actually looking for a .350? I am thinking about selling one. But not my "donor" 9.3!

Sure am, PM sent.

My vote for a cartridge that has fallen into disrepute, particularly around here, is the 3.5" 12ga.

6.5x54MS

brno cz 22f 8x57

And if my memory is any good at all it seems to me that you have one the sexiest rigs ever made chambered for that right?

Dober

What, this old thing?

Yepper, that one for darn sure makes my all time top 10 Campfire list!

Thx for sharing

Dober

It only took forever for that rifle to fall into my lap. Thinking that's the way it should be.

Very nice, Scott.
I like that bolt handle and engraving muchly...

gotta be 160's...

Dober

Naturally

A few years ago Winchester Ammunition placed several calibers on their "obsolescent" list; those that would be made on an occasional or sporadic basis as determined by market demand: some I remember (as I own them) are the .225 WIN, .284 WIN, .458 WIN MAG (there were quite a few others).

The "obsolete" list contained those cartridges that Winchester would no longer manufacture at all.

I have no idea if these lists are updated, published regularly, etc., but I have accepted their definition as they are the only ones I obtain the .225 or .284 brass from (I have stocked up). I also would guess that R-P does the same thing, drop some items with small demand to occasional manufacture when you have the machine time available.

Mule Deer - that might be an idea for a future Rifle Loony News article - "the obsolescent rounds of the ammo manufacturers".

There are a few obsolete or obsolescent cartridges I like but I think my favorite would be the 30/40 Krag. I've had 30/40's in various rifles including a Krag carbine, a Ruger M77, a Siamese Mauser, and a Lee enfield. I still hunt with the Lee Enfield and am in the process of building a P14 based sporter. Of course, if one wants 30/40 performance in a modern package, he can use a 308 but I just like that old case!
In Lucian Carey's stories featuring JM Pyne, Pyne's hunting rifle was a 30/40 on a Hi-Wall. Sounded like the perfect rifle to me. GD

.224 Wby Mag.

greydog,

I had a high wall in .30-40 for a while, and hunted with it some, largely due to the influence of Townsend Whelen.. It worked!

The only thing I couldn't get out of my mind, however, was Townsend Whelen's descriptions of trying to cock the hammer again one cold, wet day in British Columbia when he was after a mountain goat, as I recall. That didn't encourage me to keep the rifle....

My present .30-40 is an O/U double rifle built on a Ruger Red Label shotgun frame. Dunno who made it but it shoots pretty well.

7 STW

Naturally

Unlike terms like "dead" obsolescent and obsolete have precise definitions. A cartridge is obsolescent when none of the major manufacturers are making production rifles for it.

Examples would be 348 Win, 250 Savage (My two favorites).

A cartridge is obsolete when none of the major manufacturers are making ammunition for it.

Examples would be 256 Winchester, 25 Stevens.

Even by the most casual definition, you would have to live WAAAY out in the boonies not to be able to buy 30-30 ammo, not to mention that thousands of 30-30 rifles are sold every year.

It's seemed to me like the further out in the boonies you get the more likely 30-30 is going to be one of the 3 or 4 boxes on the shelf along with 30-06, and 22LR.

The only cartridge I shoot that hasn't been mentioned yet is 6.5 Japanese. Not my favorite but a good round none the less.

Although I don't shoot it I've been considering getting a barrel chambered for my Encore in 6.5 Rem Mag. That's not too common.

Umm.. the 250 Savage is currently in production in Savage's models 14 and 16. So don't write it off as obsolescent yet.

Just an FYI..

You beat me to it Calhoun. Savage revived the twins chambering them in a couple of rifles this year. Im trying to figure out a way to get my hands on one of the 16's in 300 so the ol 760 will have some company. The 250-3000 and the 300 are awfully good rounds that I cant see evr going completely away. At least not in this house :grins:

I'm not throwing any of these out!

My favorite obsolete cartridge is the .22 Velo Dog. My favorite obsolescent: the .32 Winchester Special.
John

Sure enough, Savage has just brought the 250 back this year. I have rarely been more delighted to be corrected!

Dont really see how the .358 win could be called obsolete when two companies are currently producing rifles, and winchester is still making ammo. Now the 7-30 waters comes to mind as well as the 25, 30 and 32 remingtons.

How about 30 Herrett? One of my favorite Contender cartridges.

Has anyone mentioned the .25 Remington? I have three rifles so chambered: a Standard Arms Model G, a Stevens lever action, and a Model 14 Remington. With a Lyman receiver sight, the Remington has printed sub-MOA groups with the Hornady 120 grain RN. Have shot prarie dogs and one mulie with this gun.

My favorite obsolescent cartridge would have to be the 318 Westley-Richards. Tremendous history, pedigree, and performance. Has a certain "snobbiness" that I find appealing as well.

What about once-obsolescent cartridges that come back? 9.3x74R, 450/400, .375 Flanged, .450 No.2?

And then there are a bunch of obsolete rimfire cartridges: .25, .32, .56/50 Spencer, .22 WRF, etc.

Another vote for the .30-40 Krag. Great-Grandad's old sporterized (shortened) Krag. Seven notches in the stock, and I see why. Yes, that's a 100 yard group...

If I said the .30/06, would you hate me?

Nope...just mock you behind your back.

glad to see so many people here have a 300H&H. i am having one custom built. all though saying it is an "obsolescent" cartridge in Africa is stretching it. over here it has reach somewhat of a cult status.so much so that our only local cartridge manufacturer has a full time production line for the 300H&H cartridge.

when a 300wm owner asks me why i am having a H&H built instead of a 300wm, i always like to stir up some trouble just for the hell of it . so i always reply that am having the 300H&H built instead of the 300wm because i was looking for a faster caliber that uses less powder with less recoil. this normally gets the sparks flying. though i am actually a huge fan of the 300wm.

LT Dan I have a model 70 300 H&H that was made in the same year that I was born. I've used it for well over 4 decades. If the 300 H&H is obsolete, then I guess that I am too!

mjc, i guess you are as much obsolete as the 300H&H. i am of the opinion that if any of the big ammo and/or rifle manufacturers start manufacturing the 300H&H and ammo tomorrow it will be a best seller before end of 2009.