We are so privileged to have many, many cartridges to choose from, those from antiquity to the ultra modern.
IMO there are 2 cartridges that certainly qualify as "Most American Cartridges".
1. the 30-30 Win. It's not a fav of mine but I recognize it's history and qualifications.
2. the 30-06 is in MY opinion the MOST American Cartridge we have.
I'm not dismissing the 270, 250-3000, 300 Savage, et.al., et.al.
The 06 deserves high esteem for its Military beginning and usage PLUS it's hunting heritage.
I don't count ANY of the foreign cartridges > they don't have American ROOTS!
What do you think would be The Most American cartridge.
Jerry
jwall:
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope this finds you and yours well, warm and dry on this second last Saturday of February.
While it's most likely breaking several written and unwritten 'Fire rules, I have indeed read all the posts in this thread and have what I believe is a slightly different take on a few of the origins of the cartridges mentioned. Please understand as well that I'm not a professional historian, more like a serious student of it and all things arms related along with that.
Great Britain adopted the .303 British in 1888 and since they were at that time the "empire whereupon the sun did not set" they got to use it in many far flung corners of the globe. As was common practice in those times, US military observers were present at a few of the dust ups, went home and made reports on same and that gave input into the US developing a repeating rifle for it's military.
One doesn't have to look very long at a .30-40 Krag cartridge beside a .303 British to see the lineage - or at very least admit the similarity.
Of special note I would say would be the Spanish American war of 1898 and the Boer Wars beginning in 1899 where both armies found the rimmed cases of the .30-40 Krag - for the US troops that had one and still didn't have a .45-70 Springfield - and the .303 British came up lacking when compared to the 7x57 Mauser cartridge which the Spanish and Boers used in 1895 Mausers with deadly effect.
The British were in the throws of developing their own 7mm cartridge with a more Mauser than not Enfield rifle and the US lengthened and blew out the 7x57 in order to keep the same diameter bullet as the .30-40 had, but in the 1903 Springfield which again was Mauser if you said it fast, more or less...
When WW1 broke out the British abandoned the experimental cartridge and eventually the Enfield Pattern 14 as well, but the US of course had the powerful, albeit a bit long .30-06 up and running and the rest is history.
Therefore - I'd say that to answer your question, I'd likely nominate either of the .45 military rounds - .45-70/.45 LC as most American martial round or as Brad noted the .270 Winchester for a sporting round as it wasn't really something seen elsewhere.
As always, it's just a few random thoughts from a Canuck and nothing more sir, but thanks for generating some interesting opinions on this thread.
All the best to you and yours as the days get longer.
Dwayne
