Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters underrated cartridge ??

should we all start a list on underrated cartridges ?? i`ll start

1. 22 Hornet
2, 257 Roberts
3. 300 Savage
4. 250 Savage ?
5. 22 BR
6. ???

i disagree as a Loonie who loads for many old and new cartridges for fun and for accuracy also . no its not a waste time if your a handloader,hunter and a benchrest shooter its just fun !

I think the most underrated cartridge in North America is probably the 8x57. GD

22WMR
221FB
250-3000

From "10 Most Underrated Cartridges"




[quote=MuleDeer] The 8x57 is great round, but the variations in groove diameter, older actions, etc., prevent factory ammo from equaling .30-06 ammo in pressures and hence velocities--at least in the U.S. I have chronographed 170-grain factory ammo from more than one American maker, and the real-world muzzle velocity just about matches Winchester's .32 Special. There's nothing wrong with the .32 Special--I've owned two, a Winchester 94 and Marlin 336--but the .32 Special is NOT equivalent to the .30-06.

If easily available, "modern" factory ammo isn't available, then any cartridge is severely handicapped on the market,. This is exactly why the .30-06 tends to be more popular than the variations of the 8x57, even in Europe. I have hunted in several European countries with dozens of local hunters, and have seen exactly one 8x57 used by my hunting companions.

[/quote


For comparison

in a big way, the 223 is underrated

what it does with 77gr tmk and 75gr eld-ms to deer in the sage brush is spectacular.

and yet over and over on here guys claim 243 is minimum..

i don't get it.

until i have to for legal reason it's the only cartridge i use

I have the first four but would add the 6.5X55

There is no question that US 8x57 ammo is ridiculously underloaded. The American ammunition companies were aware their customers would be unable to make a sensible choice if different loads were offered so they went the cautious route. I can't blame them for that. With the appropriate European ammo, it's a fine cartridge. I wish there were more bullets available but it only takes one. GD

Agreed. The Swede is a great round that many have no experience with.

The 303 British, 6.5x55mm, 7.62x54r, 6.5×50 Japanese Arisaka and the 7.62x39mm.

Anything else is just burning powder for no purpose - especially French rifles and cartridges. La merde aux yeux!

Yep. If I were limited to one clambering make it this one, as much as I like the .30-06.

.35 Remington. Shot my first deer with one this boast season. I was pretty impressed with the blood trail. Not even my short mag makes me bleed like that. Perhaps I hit it just right?

7-08, & today, 30-06, as most think it's obsolete.

MM

The my mother hunted into her 80's with a 250 Savage I use to cringe at the shots as a lot were on the fringes , but we recovered the deer. I was always amazed how well it killed.

The old 35 just works. They make beautiful blood trail.

I am relatively new to the Swede but it has proven itself to me.
Win 70 XTR FTWT, 22” bll..... 120 NBT @ 3000 fps gives me excellent accuracy and
flat trajectory.
2012 was my first year to hunt & kill with it.
2019 & 2020 were successful years too. Both Doe s &. Bucks killed all 3 years.

I’ve always liked the rifle & now the Swede is Sweet !!!

OTOH - I have experience with the 303 B and 308 Win, both do not impress me.
YMMV, I’ll take diff roads.


Jerry

I vote for 6mm Remington and .41 Remington Magnum

The ones I own (or have owned* but don't now) that have done wonderful work for me, but are not very popular (I guess that makes them "under-rated") are these:

221 Fireball* (from rifles)
257 Roberts*
6.5 Mannlicher
6.8 SPC
300 Savage
303 British
7.5 Swiss*
8X57 Mauser
338-06*
35 Remington
9.3X57 Mauser.
32-20 (from handguns)

The 7.65 x 53 Belgian/Argentine Mauser is by far the most underrated cartridge there is.

Making its debut in 1889 as the first rimless bottleneck smokeless powder cartridge, it's amazing it did not get more traction than it did.

It is still relevant today with ballistics right between the .308 and 30 06. Ken Waters wrote a lot about this cartridge.