The 6.5 and 350 Remington Mags were a couple i have done some work with. They are OK in the 700 when you get past the limitations of the short action. Pretty much light bullets or seat very deep and take away powder space.It is a shame about the wonderful 280 Rem. It can do just about anything a hunter would want. I am really enjoying this thread guys. Thank you.
I kinda believe that most cartridges are under rated by most casual hunters. Witness the legion of guys claiming to use a 30-06 with partition bullets, on deer, and wanting to know which rifle and cartridge will do them better.
If you shoot game with hunting style bullets, you'll gain a lot of perspective...
And I'm on the lightweight end of the perspective spectrum as I usually shoot a deer or two each year. My younger years upped my average of game taken but my circumstances, in those years, determined that most of that game was taken with a .243...
I think everybody oughtta have a rifle. And use it to hunt. Kill 5 deer with that rifle and then maybe talk about what's better...
I'd guess if most guys used a rifle for 5 deer kills they'd never part with it.
FWIW, The center section of my primary lockup is occupied by a Sako .243, A Winchester 25-06, and an MRC .260. If I needed to hunt for food tomorrow, I'd take any one of these, for just about any game.
I'd guess if most guys used a rifle for 5 deer kills they'd never part with it.
You would be wrong for at least one of us.
I had killed right at 30 deer and one elk with a Win 670 in 30-06 and a Weaver V7.
Then I added a model 70 Classic in 264 for light stuff, so I felt absolutely no loss when I sold the '06 and used the $ to purchase a Ruger #1 in 7STW.
I do still have that V7, 2.5-7x32 which was purchased in 1980. Today it resides on a Ruger 10-22.
People who choose to brew up their own storms bitch loudest about the rain.
I'd guess if most guys used a rifle for 5 deer kills they'd never part with it.
You would be wrong for at least one of us.
when i was 14yo, i was given by my grandpap a Winchester m94TE (1972) in 30-30. i forget how many deer i killed, but it way more than 5 deer. i "retired" the 30-30 and then a Remington m700 Mountain Rifle in '06 was next. then Remington m700 A, B, Cdl in '06, Savage m116 adjustable muzzle brake in '06, Savage m110 in 270 Winchester, Remington m7 in 243 and 7-08 and so on. every rifle i shot and killed deer and a black bear just wasn't me.
somewhere in the '06 phase, i and my gunsmith (true friend, RIP) built a FN 98 Mauser in 7x57. i fell in love with it. i can't remember how many deer i killed, but i never had tag soup for 16 or 17 years. it was built for my oldest son and when he turned 16 or 17yo, he had a growth spurt, 5' 2" to 6' 1", so i gave the Mauser to him. he continues to kill deer.
i killed deer with various calibers, until i brought a 23" MGM barrel in 444 Marlin for my TC Encore. i would use 250 to 300gr cast bullets for deer. i finally settled on a 280gr WFN GC with Reloder 7 and then i quickly got bored. then i bought a 1936 Husqvarna m46 in 9.3x57 and i love that rifle. then about 5 years ago, i sent my Winchester m94 to JES Reboring and he did a 35/30-30. i put on a Williams FP aperture sight because my eyes ain't what they once were. i load up some 200gr RCBS FN GC with 2400/tuft of dacron which goes 1726fps. it's soft on the shoulder and it kills deer. i love that rifle now because of....well, i just luv it and it's me.
"Russia sucks." ---- Me, US Army (retired) 12B & 51B
Russian Admiral said, after the Moskva sank, "we have the world's worst navy but we aren't as bad as our army".
I'd guess if most guys used a rifle for 5 deer kills they'd never part with it.
You would be wrong for at least one of us.
I had killed right at 30 deer and one elk with a Win 670 in 30-06 and a Weaver V7.
Then I added a model 70 Classic in 264 for light stuff, so I felt absolutely no loss when I sold the '06 and used the $ to purchase a Ruger #1 in 7STW.
I do still have that V7, 2.5-7x32 which was purchased in 1980. Today it resides on a Ruger 10-22.
Lets make that two of us.
I had a Savage 99R in .300 Savage from 12 to 19 yrs of age. I never killed less that two deer a year with it. I got rid of it when I went in the Marines. When I got out I bought a Savage 99E in .308 Win. I kept it for about ten years during which I killed 10 or so deer and a couple of elk. I sold it and bought a bolt action .30-06. I still use a bolt .30-06 for most big game.
Most underrated cartridge I would say 7-08. My first hunting rifle, given to me at age 12-13 by my parents, was a model Seven with the Schnabel tip wood stock and 18 1/2" barrel in 7-08. I'm 46 now and still find it one of the most useful calibers ever. I have killed plenty of deer & hogs with it. I used Remington 140 gr factory ammo before I started rolling my own. Now I use 120 gr T-TSX over Rel-15.
Most underrated cartridge I would say 7-08. My first hunting rifle, given to me at age 12-13 by my parents, was a model Seven with the Schnabel tip wood stock and 18 1/2" barrel in 7-08. I'm 46 now and still find it one of the most useful calibers ever. I have killed plenty of deer & hogs with it. I used Remington 140 gr factory ammo before I started rolling my own. Now I use 120 gr T-TSX over Rel-15.
Chris
my dad (RIP) would be right by your side saying that. in the early '90s i bought two (mine and youngest son) Remington m7 (18.5" barrels)and my dad bought one m7 (18.5" barrel) and the calibers are 7-08. a 139gr Hornady FN and IMR4320 (both are discontinued) would make venison. i'm asked what caliber my daughter/son/wife/any other person should have? i say 7-08 for factory loads and 7x57 for handloaders. i handload all of my cartridges, so i'll say the 7x57 (3 of them). i would say 4, but i gave the custom FN '98 Mauser in 7x57 to my oldest son.
my dad didn't like the wood (too short), so he built a black walnut stock to fit him. he retired the Remington m760 in '06 when he shot a deer with the 7-08. he was a died in the wool '06 fan and 180gr Remington RN factory load goes along with it. he shot alot of deer with that rifle, but after the first time using the 7-08, he was gotten bit by the bug.
"Russia sucks." ---- Me, US Army (retired) 12B & 51B
Russian Admiral said, after the Moskva sank, "we have the world's worst navy but we aren't as bad as our army".
I thought it would prove to be VERY popular, due to its rising trajectory! But no....
While the concept was sound, we as a nation of expert rifleman, (just ask us, we’ll tell you how expert we are)have come to be proficient at holding over. The idea of holding under is too foreign a concept to grasp and put into practice. 😁
All BS..
Somehow missed this during the flurry of opinions:
Yes, of course it's BS! Apparently you missed the fact that the article was a fictional parody of the often too-glowing BS spouted about many wildcat cartridges.
So did a lot of Handloader readers also apparently didn't have a clue, despite several pretty blatant indications, such as Monica Lewinsky making the reamers....
John
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
I thought it would prove to be VERY popular, due to its rising trajectory! But no....
JB
I am disappointed in you. You of all people know that most misses are from shooting over a deer, elk, moose. Why would a round that exacerbates things become popular? B29s just fly too high.
Hunt with Class and Classics
Religion: A founder of The Church of Spray and Pray
Acquit v. t. To render a judgment in a murder case in San Francisco... EQUAL, adj. As bad as something else. Ambrose Bierce “The Devil's Dictionary”
Agreed. I love and use mine whenever I have a chance. Buddy just picked up a Rem 700 350 Rem Mag. Another great , underrated rig. Perfect under 500 yard hammers
22 mag. - death wish to game in small package 6.5 Rem, mag. - does anything any 6.5 does and it was doing it 30 plus years ago - just needed a longer barrel at introduction 8X57 mauser - in a modern gun as pleasant of shooting high power rifle one can shoot, with the bullets of today it will handle whatever it is pointed at in north america.
22 mag. - death wish to game in small package 6.5 Rem, mag. - does anything any 6.5 does and it was doing it 30 plus years ago - just needed a longer barrel at introduction 8X57 mauser - in a modern gun as pleasant of shooting high power rifle one can shoot, with the bullets of today it will handle whatever it is pointed at in north america.
Well said... Now who can argue with that?
Last edited by luv2safari; 08/05/23.
Hunt with Class and Classics
Religion: A founder of The Church of Spray and Pray
Acquit v. t. To render a judgment in a murder case in San Francisco... EQUAL, adj. As bad as something else. Ambrose Bierce “The Devil's Dictionary”
22 mag. - death wish to game in small package 6.5 Rem, mag. - does anything any 6.5 does and it was doing it 30 plus years ago - just needed a longer barrel at introduction 8X57 mauser - in a modern gun as pleasant of shooting high power rifle one can shoot, with the bullets of today it will handle whatever it is pointed at in north america.
Evidently, like many who comment on this thread, you're a handloader. Though the .22 Magnum is an exception.
Will make these comments:
The .22 Magnum is a great round, and have owned at least one since 1966. But today's wide variety of "other" bullets than the original 40-grain Winchester HP often results in .22 Magnums being ammo-particular,. And if your rifle doesn't "like" every load, then it can be a problem, since there have been many shortages of .22 Magnum ammo.
On the other hand my current .22 Magnum is a "cheap" Ruger American Rifle--which shoots just about any ammo accurately. But the .17 HMR is generally more accurate, and shoots a LOT flatter. It will also do for a bunch of game, due to various loads.
The 6.5 Remington Magnum was/is a fine round, but finding brass is just about impossible. Yes, it can be made from any "standard" belted-magnum brass, but that's a PITA. So why bother, when so many other 6.5 rounds do pretty much the same thing--as you essentially admitted?
Please explain why anybody would buy an 8x57 when they can buy a .30-06 which does the same thing, and factory ammo is widely available? This doesn't mean I don't own an 8x57, and in fact I own two, a German custom rifle AND a Sauer drilling for the rimmed version...
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
John, I also think the new crop of Nimrods here also underrate the 30-06.
True about both. But one of the points I've made more than once during this thread is that 90% of hunters aren't handloaders. I don't think the average hunter underrates the .30-06. Instead it's underrated by handloaders, who often tend to prefer the latest/greatest/most "advanced" cartridge.
.30-06 factory ammo is still among the top sellers in the U.S., though probably .308 Winchester ammo probably beats its numbers.
Have also pointed out that the .308 is far more common among European hunters than the 8x57 these days--despite so many Americans still claiming the 8x57 is "the .30-06 of Europe."
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
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