Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The day your not fascinated with new rounds

Maybe it's me approaching 50, maybe it's just playing around with every rifle and chambering I can, but at this point I'm very, very practical about rounds and what they can do.

Never thought I'd learn enough about them for them not to hold magic, but not to worry -the magic's still remains in the shooters ability.

Same things kind of happening with other stuff, I'm starting to appreciate good workmenship, but realize what can be fixed with workmanship vs. what can't. Same where where you hunt, and how you hut. I used to hunt until I dropped, now I hunt when I know the conditions are good for game to be out.

Spot

That day for me was a long time ago, I have not been impressed with any cartridge designed within the past 40 years or so, I have discovered the 222 Remington mag and I am excited about it though...

I'm liking the .204 JB introduced me to. Otherwise Im very impressed with the .222

Shrap: you say there is a .222 Mag?

What about all those magic short magnums that can do it all better than .308 Win, .30-06 Springfield, .270 Winchester, 7mm Mauser, and on down the line? New rifles in all the short magnums are a must.

I bought a new 300 WSM about a year after they came out. I can say that's taken quite a few deer and elk but it hasn't done anything that couldn't have been done with the old 30-06 or 300 WM.

Whut have ya been smokin' boy?

I lost mine when brass is a buck or two per piece on the " new" chamberings. Can barely afford to load and experiment with my stuff now

the only thing that has got my attention since the 204 came out is the 17wsm. Too bad the rifle it comes in is so [bleep] ugly.

New rounds are neat and always something to look forward to, But in the February issue of Woods and Waters News there is a story of a young lady taking the third largest black bear in Michigan by a female with a 99 Savage using a 150gr 300 Savage with a 3X to 9X Tasco. OUCH!! Dressed weight was 424lbs.

Savage 99's are where it's at for hunting guns. My fascination with 99's has led me to try and get the most out of them I can performance-wise. I think the best you can get is a 284 or derivitive, 338 federal, or 358. Pretty cool stuff.

I have only tried a one new cartridge in the last 35 years, however I get a little excited about trying new components in an old cartridge.

I get a great deal of satisfaction from shooting and loading for the old time cartridges. Yes, I have a .270.

44-40, 32-20, .357 mag, .33 Winchester, 45-70 all in lever guns.

.30-06, 257 Roberts, .222 Remington, .22 Hornet in bolt guns.

If I cant get it done with these, no sense trying to do it.

I like the old school classics because it makes people stop and wonder what they are. "What's a 250 savage?"

I will have a 204 in a Hawkeye at some point though.

I know what you mean. I used to think I had to own 4 shotguns with 2 barrels each to hunt everything I hunt. Now I use a semi with a 26" barrel 50% or the time. I am just starting to get into centerfire rifles and I'm gonna stick with popular calibers and like 223 and 308 and not worry about all the wildcat stuff. All my obsessions about that stuff does is seperate me from my money. I would like to own a 220 swift though.

I also used to hunt till I dropped but like you I have learned to hunt when its not going to be a bust. No point in going out and sitting in a duckblind when the lake has only got a handful of ducks on it and everybody in 5 counties are hunting the same 50 birds, unless you know where the X is.

Shotguns used to make me crazy but now I pick up a new browning A5 and think how could they have f'ed it up any more! I'm content shooting 2 guns that are all but identical. That makes you a better shooter. Shotguns now look more like nerf guns, its sickening.

Not if I don't get a .223 in you first.

As you get older, you should get smarter and handier (when you are awake).

As Solomon aptly noted a few years ago, there is nothing new under the sun, just different packaging (paraphrase mine).

I think that gunsmithing course ruined me .

I caught on to the 204 ruger before John's article, but I didn't try the 9.3x62 until he recommended it. I haven't checked out the 222 Mag yet, I'm still poking around with the 220 swift - all good.

I was damn near turned off by a knucklehead writer (not MD) on the 300 WSM, I bought one based on engineering design principles and asked a writer what he thought about it in a PM - I can only imagine him spitting out food as a yelling nut given what he wrote back in alphabet soup mode. Luckily enough practical experience taught me enough that I learned what that guy should have told me about BC, case capacity, and what critters I was chasing... BTW the 300WSM has racket up some benchrest records just like i asked mr. spitting soup about...

I haven't checked into your 222 yet shrap - but your persistence has put it on my research list.

My wife's gay cousin Marc has 222 Remington Magnum.

The queer part don't bother me near as much as his damn lisp but he does love his Thako 222 Remington Magnum.

i have the 204 ruger.It's the newest of mine i don't see the need for the super short mags but each to his own but then i do still take a winchester 401sl out deer hunting once in awhile.Most see that see it said they never seen or heard of it.

Right, except I don't have that problem 'cause I shoot 223 and 308, pick the brass up off of the ground, for free, and have five-gallon buckets full of it.