Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Favorite cartridges, then and now

My favorite, is the 270 Winchester, since I got my first Model 700 Remington in 1968. I have shot more stuff with it from elk to prairie dogs. Like some of the other guys, I didn't care for the 30-06 then, now I think it is great.

Then 270 win, 220 Swift, 35 Whelen, 375 H&H.

Now all those, the 30-06, add a 223, and I guess if it goes bang, I like it.

Jerry

.270 can do just as good on varmints if you use varmint bullets.

7mm-08

Then- 300 win mag


now-
257 Roberts
338 Federal

30 years ago I thought the .308WIN ruled the deer woods. It happened to be the chambering of the only centerfire rifle I owned.

I still own a .308 but the 7X57 and .270WIN go in the woods more than any other caliber. They all work, I just use these more.

Terry

.308 for deer, 7mm Rem Mag for anything bigger, .243 and .204 for coyotes and other varmints.

When the Remington 8mm Magnum came out, it seemed not to well received. I got a good deal on one and had it barreled to 338. Later, I built one as a 308 and hoped to get a bit more accuracy then one usually finds in the Weatherby. Then Kenny Jarret started building this on the Remington action and it was a big hit, Now most call then a Jarret, even though many of us began making these wildcats earlier. I think they are both great magnum cartridges.

I sold them both and now have just an original 375 H&H, which I will pass on to my son. I hope he finds the time to hunt with it.

When I was younger; 270 Win, 6.5x55, 257 Roberts, 30-30, 35 Rem.
Now its 6.5x54 MS, 303 Savage, 38-55 Win, 300 Savage

22 Hornet
6mm Remington
.257 Roberts
7mm/08 Remington
.280 Remington
.300 Savage
.358 WCF

Then....
22 Gebby Varminter - Custom VZ24
250-3000 - Savage M99
257 Roberts - Remington 722
270 Win - Pre-64 M70
7x57 - Custom VZ24
300 Savage - Savage M99
30-06 - Pre-64 M70
338 Win - Pre-64 M70 Alaskan

Now...
22-250 - Ruger 77V
250-3000 Savage M99
257 Roberts - Ruger M77
270 Win - Pre-64 M70
7x57 - Ruger M77
30-06 - Pre-64 M70
358 Win - Savage M99
35 Whelen - Ruger M77

Then:
280 Rem
30-06
22-250
243

Now:
223 - Rem 700LVSF
7mm-08 - Rem 600
257 Roy - Win 70 Classic (Kind of a crush since Redneck is still building it)
338Fed - Rem 600
375H&H - Rem 700XCR

With the 223 as the only exception, all are modified quite a bit with better triggers, stocks etc. With that battery, I can hunt the world.

For the 270 fans, I can understand your logic. I have one that tends to be my loaner/beater rifle. I've never had a sweet spot for it though. I am always thinking of rebarreling it to something...

RH

In my early days, East Texas deer hunting was mostly running deer with dogs. The shooting was most often fast and close, so the traditional "brush" rounds were mostly used......and shotguns!!

My favorite "deer" cartridge in those days was the 12 ga. double shotgun (tight choked to place ALL buckshot in a 30" circle at 40 yards). The group of older hunters I grew up with were all "working men" and didn't have a lot of money, but never skrimped on firearms....so a lot of what are now considered "classic" firearms were used. My "dream" was a 12 ga. L.C. Smith, like the ones used by my father and several family friends.....but I got by with a J. Steven's 5100 which would outshoot all the higher priced guns in our group (would place EVERY pellet of a load of #4 Buck in a 20" circle at 40 yards.....EVERY TIME!!).

As far as rifles, they had to work at fast and close shooting, but also for "stand" hunting. The group I grew up with were sort of ahead of the curve in the mid-60's and would sit in trees over mini-food plots in the early morning and late evening when no one else was doing this....then chase with dogs in the middle of the day.

Even as a pre-teen I learned that buckshot really wasn't too effective at much over 25-30 yards and a "rifle" gave much better performance at 50-75 yards (which was the longest range "normal" for our area.

For some reason I never really liked the .30-30.....probably because one of the best hunters in our group mentored me and swore the .32 Special was head-and-shoulders better than the .30-30. Call me crazy, but watching him and using a .32 Special myself......I DID see a significant difference in killing power and bloodletting. He always told me he used the .32 Spl. because he liked the Winchester 94 and it didn't come in a .35 caliber. Guess that's why I grew to love the .35 Remington so well in a Marlin 336!!

In 1967 my father bought a Ruger Carbine in .44 Magnum and it became an almost immediate "legend" in our hunting group. It hit harder at close range, killed better and could reach out to 150 yards easily.....perfect for East Texas!!! Much as I loved my .35 Rem., I truely lusted after that short .44 carbine. So much so that I eventually traded for a 336 chambered in .44 Magnum.

Even as much as we loved the short, quick rifles......the "need" for a longer range weapon (at times) was understood in our group. THE gun of choice was always the Winchester Model 100 in .308. Now here was a "DEER" rifle!!! Fast and deadly at close range dog hunting (particularly with a swing-off scope mount) and could reach out to LONG range (200-250 yards in East Texas of the day).

Some of our group used other rifles (a couple of .Model 100's in .243....and a single .270 Remington 700) but they just didn't seem to kill as well at close range and gained nothing in longer range (remember, we considered 250 yards to be really long range). The .308 ruled the roost.

When I finally bought a rifle to be used as a dedicated "stand" rifle......I ended up with a .30-06, not because it was "better" than the .308.....but because it was what was available and was "almost" a .308.

Sooooo..... my favorites of "then" included the 12 ga. double, the .35 Remington, .44 Magnum and the .308/.30-06.

Since those days I've hunted many more places and found a use for many more rifles. The big magnums have always been a sort of "specialty" rifle for me. I love my .338 Magnum for Elk size game, but I am still primarily a "deer" hunter. As far as "long" range, I seldom take a shot at much more than 350-400 yards....so the .30-06 still is my choice. I own rifles in .25-06, .270 and 7mm Magnum......but find myself going back to the '06 when things are on the line.

East Texas is still mostly a fairly close range type of hunting and though I've tried almost everything.....can't find a better round than the .35 Remington or .44 Magnum at under 200 yards (I "like" the .45-70....but really can't say I prefer it). The only exception is the .358 Win. for a combo short range/semi-long range rifle.....it's the .35 Remington on steroids!!!

Sooooo... for the "now" I'd say my favorites are the .44 Magnum, .30-06, and .358 Win. I would add the .308 because of the rifles it's chambered in (which makes it maybe the "best" deer round of all time).....but I really like the .358.

The one "new" addition to my favorites is basically a small game rifle.....the .25-20. It is, to me, a reloadable .22 LR that can be used in a pinch for deer and hogs (with VERY careful shot placement). I love this round!!!

Not much change over the years.......guess I tend to find what works and stick with it.

Then: Many big magnums

Now:

250AI
.308
30-06
356 Win (M94)
Will add a 223AI

I have decided that if a company comes out with a new rifle that I absolutely must own, I will pick it up in either 308 Winchester or 30-06.

I started deer hunting with a 300 Savage (still have the rifle) in the 1960's. I liked the cartridge then and still like it today, only a 700 Classic is nestled in the crook of my arm these days. Of course, many others have been tried along the way. The 257 has been a favorite for a long, long time as well, and it has accounted for more different rifles than any other caliber.

I made it through so far without much of a case of magnumitis:

.22 LR
6.5x55
.270 Win
.30-06
.375 H&H
.44 Rem Mag

I'd like to round out the collection with a 6mm Rem, a .444 or .45-70, and a .338 Fed or .358 Win.

Aileinduinn - my suggestions are the .45-70 and .338 Federal as I have used both. Like the 6 mm Remington over the .243 Win. but difficult to find either new rifles and factory ammo for it.
Can't speak to .444 Marlin or .358 Winchester as I've no experience with them. Regards, Homesteader

Used to use (borrowed) 300 Savage, and 270 win.

Have mostly used 7 RM

Now have 270
30-06
300 WSM

I still like magnums smaller than 300 Win because they are just exciting, but I still enjoy the polite 270!

From 1982 through 2002 all I had was a 7mm Rem Mag. I guess you could say it was my favorite.

These days my favorite rifle is my .257 Roberts, but that is a general statement. When it comes to elk hunting, the 7mm RM and .300 WM reign supreme. For clay pigeons at 600 yards its the heavy-barrel 6.5-06AI. For prairie dogs its the heavy-barrel .22-250. The .308 Win is fun and the .30-06's are indispensible.

Then there is a thing you can't get from a bolt gun called "Lever Action Satisfaction"...

But that's just me...

Then-7mm mag

Now-280AI

.375 Ruger or H&H
.30-06
.243
= anything, anywhere, anytime.