Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What cartridges have taken the most NA game?

There seems to have been a demographic shift in 7 Mag shooters over the past 5 or 10 years. Many of the older hunters who used to shoot 7 mags now use smaller cartridges. Whether their experience has taught them a Magnum round is simply not necessary for deer sized game, or possibly because they grew weary of chasing down paunch shot deer and switched to a round that wouldn't kick them out from beneath their fancy new Stetsons.

Instead, the typical 7 Mag shooter I see these days is often a younger fellow, who watched a few episodes of a long range hunting show, bought a laser rangefinder and a Vortex scope with turrets, and now fancies himself a shooter (not to be confused with the guys who actually go out and shoot). He likely drives a lifted diesel pickup with loud pipes, has some combination of big buck/bull euro mount or Browning stickers in the back window, or perhaps a "Riggers make better lovers, just ask your wife" sticker if he's spent some time in the Patch (Don't laugh, I saw this sticker on a pickup in No Dak).

Basically, what we're seeing is a changing of the guard with regards to Magnum Testosterone Syndrome, which usually manifests itself in human males between the ages of 14 & 50, and is characterized by the psychological need to have bigger faster more of everything.

It would be a shame to muck up this erudite discussion with the introduction of actual facts. But since those are not available, conjecture and guesswork will have to do.

Uh-oh. Tanner's gonna be pissed when he sees this. Probably sell his diesel truck.

Haha! Tanner actually shoots, plus I think he drives a Toyota.

If Canada is part of NA , don't forget the 303 British.

Yeah, I know. But the 7 Mag fits, so I ran with that.

Interesting.. Since the .45-70 has been around so long it would have to merit a spot..
from there: .30-30, 30-06, maybe the .303 British due to Canada, maybe the .44-40.. Both old timers were in use in the late 1800's when much of the game was killed off in the U.S.

As far as crippled game, the poorest shot and crippler of game I every knew used a 6mm or .243.. He managed to cripple a couple deer and elk every season..

+1

Now that's super funny and a lot of truth in this. You forgot the small weiner to fully round out the picture, lol.

The 30-06 would come in first followed by the 270 Win. After that I'm not sure but the 30-30 and 303 British have to still rank way up there.

+2 and in that order.

JD338

I don't think the 7 Rem Mag has taken "more NA game than any other cartridge", but no doubt it has taken a lot,given the fact that it's been very popular since it was introduced in 1962.

RCBS die sales for 2011 show it ranking 7th. Since hand loaders tend to be the kind of guys who shoot a lot,and hunt as well, I suspect they are killing a lot of game with the cartridge. And since they are the kind if people who post here we know they shoot constantly and are not the types likely to gut shoot and blow legs off critters......right?

Federal data that I saw,also for 2011, has it listed as 6th in terms of factory ammo sales.It must be getting used on a lot of animals.

Since the 223 is also listed in the top 5 of both lists, we can knock it out of ranking since the 223 was never conceived as a dedicated BG cartridge. In that case, among BG cartridges, the 7 Rem Mag would rank 6th and 5th respectively.

It makes sense that a dedicated BG cartridge that has a 50 year head start over another would have killed more game than one that came 50+ years later.

I think it's enough to say the cartridge is very popular and is used on a lot of animals everywhere,continent wide.Quantifying how many BG animals have been killed by such and such a cartridge is impossible.You can make educated guesses but that's all. I'm not aware of any data bank keeping track of such things.

As to te effectiveness of the cartridge,even debating it is ridiculous this late in the game. The cartridge has BTDT world wide since 1962,and its wildcat predecessors for years before that. There's only a singular degree of dead and anyone who has a problem killing animals with a 7 Rem Mag probably should take up another hobby.

I would think the 30-06 and 30-30 would be tied neck to neck for most animals killed in NA.

The .30-30 ruled the first half of the 20th century but the .30-06 has taken over since then. And there is a lot more game in North America as a whole since 1950 than there was from 1895 to 1950. I think the Aught Six has WAY surpassed the Thutty Thutty.

30-30 still takes a lot of game every year.
No one brags about using their 30-30, they just kill with it.
I also suspect many 30-30 users are NOT handloaders, and fire just a few cartridges a year.

I've never met anybody that hunts with a 30-30.




Travis

Since 1972 I've only known/met less than 5 who hunt with a 30-30.





My opinion is that AFTER WW II the 06 left the 30-30 in the dust.


Jerry

Lots of folks still use the .30-30 here in NY. I still run into hunters carrying them fairly often in the Catskills. It wasn't until the 1960's that the '06 overtook the .30-30 as #1 in ammunition sales. The .30-30 is still in the top 5 in ammo sales today.

We've never met!
I don't carry mine often - but have on occasion.
While carrying it in the truck, I've seen my son hit a trotting+ coyote @ 230, and a moving badger @ 85 at dusk (Hard to make out the future victim:) )
I just didn't have it handy on my most recent kills, but it does the job, when available.

Those 2011 figures from Federal for factory ammo:

30/06
223
30-30
308
270
7 Rem Mag
243
22-250
300 Win Mag
25/06