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

TexasRick , I like your story and it seemed so detailed, I felt I was hunting along side you. I am a big fan of the Marin in 44 magnum, it just gets it done on both deer and hogs at closer ranges. Same with the 35 Remington,it is a great number, provides a bit more range and has good results. As to the 358 Winchester, I have two, one a rebuilt Marlin and the other is a Browning BLR, bother my favorite for when you need more than the 35 Remington. As for good bolt action number, both the 30-06 and 308 Win, are great!

I had the bigger calibers when I was much younger and hunted, the western states, Alaska and Africa. No need for those beasts here in the Ozarks.

I plan to try some shotgun barrels for my 870 Wingmaster; it seems a good way to go here in crowded areas.

I started out with a 7 rem mag and over the years my favorite cartridge has changed many times but now I find myself useing the 7 mag again more then anything else in my safe.

Then and now:

250 Sav.
35 Rem.
308 Win.

i don't have "favorite cartridges" per se, other than the .22 RF... i do have favorite rifles...

the remington 581
the original ruger 77R
the model 70 classic featherweight
the savage 99 in just about any variety
and the sako L461 sold as an H&R ultra wildcat

then 30.06,7mm,25.06,

now 30 tc,30.06,250sav,308,243

My favorites:

17 Rem
204 Ruger
22/250 Rem
270 Wby
340 Wby
348 Win
375 H&H

Savage14, I hear the .30TC is a great round but do you think it will last?

I have always loved the Weatherby rifles and magnums... too rich for me. Now all I've got is my 870 12 guage, custom 6.5x55, .40 S&W carbine, and .22 LR.

Yes, the old 348 for the model 71 Winchester! I have one that belonged to my father. He used to hunt Elk on horseback. That was how I learned to Elk hunt. It always surprises me that so many old time western hunters used lever gun like the 30-30 and the older 1886 Winchester loads. They did not need long range then and most who had taken many Elk, would seem as if they knew little at all if they were around to post today. The Winchester model 71 was a rifleman's rifle in every sense.

Great choice! Save your brass.

Then:

17 Rem
223
22-250
243
260
7mm-08
30-06
7mm Rem
300 WBY
375 H&H
416 Rem

Now:

223
22-250
270 Win
6.5x55
7x64
358 Win
9.3x62
340 Wby
375 H&H
416 Rem

I see some fine choices. Most I have used myself. Today I mainly use the 308 Win and the necked down 260, which takes long shots like a 270 Win where I live. I have been lately using less than full loads in the 358 Win, it shoot well in both the BLR and a custom Marlin

I like Marlins, one scoped 30-30, a 35 Rem and 44 magnum, revolver also

I started out liking my 7mm-08 the best but over time, I've pretty much changed over and started mainly using my .30-06 over everything in my gun safe. The 7mm-08 is a Remington Model 7 and it is the youth model so the length of pull is too short for me now, but I'm saving it for my son to use when he is old enough to hunt. I have a .45/70, 7mm-08, 7mm Rem. mag. and a .30-06 and several shotguns to hunt with, but 90% of the time for the last few years, I grab the .30-06. I like the gun, it fits me well, I can shoot it for fairly cheap, I shoot it a lot over the summer, and when I fire a shot at a deer, there is no questions asked, there will be a dead deer on the ground. I still take the other guns hunting some and occassionally kill something with them, but I love my .30-06.

270 Winchester

Back when...I used to like 300 magnums; I still do,but I don't wanna shoot them anymore....These days,when I feel a 300 magnum "itch" I borrow one belonging to one of my younger friends;one range session reminds me why I no longer own any

But I have always liked the 270,7 Rem Mag, and 30/06,and still do...all three are exceedingly boring .....Which is perfectly OK with me....I have sorta grown outta looking for miracles when I wanna kill something...

That right there needs to be quoted




I started out with an Argentine Mauser 95 in 7x57... Went through a magnum phase (that ended after the Ruger #1 in 300 Kong) then gravitated back towards the 30-06... Then went the other way for a while, and decided that a 243 was a little too light for some game in Montana. So I necked one up 1/2MM. Now there's not much I won't kill with a 260 or 30-06... Except I got tired of packing heavy rifles and bought a Montana in 308.

If you compare the Montana 308 with one of the variations of CRF Winchester 70's in 30-06... Its basically the same thing as Protestant Vs Roman Catholic. Protestant is the same religion, with half the guilt (Catholic Light) So the Montana in 308 is '30-06 Light'

Since the divorce, I've pared down the rifle collection quite a bit. I've got a couple AR15's, the CZ452 in 22RF, a very good HK91 clone, the Montana 308, and the Remmy 700 Campfire rifle that is at the smiths. Everything else has been sold, traded, or given to my Dad or Nephew/Brother/SIL.

So for Sporters, I'll have a 308 and a 260. The "Gun Budget" is going to go into a hunting fund in the immediate future. I'm going to whack a Caribou first... Then.....

Dan:You mess with this n' that...it dawns on you eventually that killing stuff always boils down to the same equation........good placement and good bullets.......

This truism is kinda like the Democratic Election platform....it ain't changed in years....

I am not too anal over cartridge selection but I am on properly constructed bullets placed in a vital area..I like the 25-35, always have and still hunt with it...I also like some of the old calibers like the 7x57, 30-06, 270, 308, 300 H&H, 338, 9.3x62, 6x45, and some others..

Mostly just stick a rifle in my hands and say heres some ammo and I'm happy...I have hunted buffalo with a milsurp 8x57, elk with a 25-35, deer with a 22 Hornet, they all worked. I prefer to have a caliber that is accepted suitable for any of the game I hunt, but don't mind changing my hunting methods to make a sub caliber work..

Ray, could not agree more

I bought my one and only 270 when I was 16 or 17 and of course I still use it alot 16 or 17 years later. Not for sale...(grin)