If you go lurk on some of the social media platforms that cater to younger shooters, you see a whole lot of talk about ar platform cartridges and a few other darlings like Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 308, a very few others. What you don't see is much talk about anything else, and there's a pretty strong undercurrent of derision towards "fudd guns" and "boomer lore" and the like.
Unless the consumer patterns of the younger shooters change as they age, there will be a bunch of chamberings that are going to dwindle into obscurity.
This is 100% accurate. The only cartridges the younger generation (my generation honestly) has any interest in are the .308, 6.5cm, .223, 7.62x39 and 300blk. A couple fringe cartridges are popular as well...think 6.5 Grendle and 450 bushmaster.
Im into these...but also love my classic guns. I can't tell you the last time i saw someone under 30 shooting a 270 or 30-06 at the range. I have some friends who shoot the more classic chamberings but its because they were guns passed down them. They aren't the shooters at the range pumping ammo downrange...just hunters who fire maybe 5 rounds a year.
Seems like if anyone in the Gen X, Y, or millennial category buys a gun...its an AR or Ak.
