Lets hear everyones favorite cartridge and why?

300 rum becuase

7 x 57....because it's been the best for more than a century.

Possibly the lowly .22LR. Ive used it to kill just about anything that lives in this desert country having either feathers or fur. I have used it for a tool, sinking a pilot hole for lag bolts in big lumber, punching holes in tin, burn barrels, trimming branches to high to get a ladder to. It's abundant, available, inexpensive, I always keep at least 5K in storage. Just a great under rated cartridge with a plethora of firearms available for it, rifle,pistol or revolver.

LBP, You stirring up trouble again . I'll play along. I guess it will have to be the plain old boring 30-06. Why, because I grew up using one and had dreams of taking it to Alaska one day.

8x57JS it's sort of an underdog here in the U.S. due to the commercial loadings being inherently anemic, but handloads really bring out it's potential. And besides, I'm 2 for 2 on cow elk using my sporterized turkish mauser,and 185 gr. remmy corelokts

BSA, Not I...

I'll take the 223, I use it for about everything these days from prairie dogs to deer...

I know, I've been under that impression. Why couldn't you have asked something like, list your favorite cartridges for varmints/coyotes, deer, and elk/moose. You know I would of said .223 in one of those categories. Talk to you later,bsa.

Thats too easy my friend, pick one...

Fine I'll agree with hankmcmauser.

We should all own an 8mm mauser. I like the 175 gr. sierra's though.

For deer sized game, 257WBY. Shoots really flat and kills like a bolt of lightning with no recoil. Lots of other 'favorites' depending upon the game being sought. My rifle collection is a collection of ideal for the purpose specialty rifles. One for every concievable hunting situation, and the best I can find or build for each. Can't pick just one favorite for that reason. Shoot more 223 than anything else as far as rounds fired, largely due to several rifles in tha caliber that are used for high volume rodent blasting.

After years of experimenting (30-30, 30-06, 257Wby, 300Wby, 300WM, 338WM) I ended up deciding to just stick with a standard '06-based round and be done with it. So, that summer I bought a 25-06, 270Win, 280Rem and 30-06 and shot them all side by side one summer until I ended up with a favorite. And that favorite turned out to be the boring old 270Win!!

I really love that round now and it'd be my #1 pick as an all-around big game cartridge.

But.....

If I could only have one gun, it'd be a 22lr.

If I was preparing for SHTF, it'd be a 223Rem.

If I'm hunting in the timber or would be shooting something with teeth, it's a 45-70.

If I'm out to have some plinking fun, it's a 45LC.

If I'm going after something with feathers, it's a 12ga.

If I needed a handgun for self-defense, it's a 9mm.

Pretty vanilla but you'd be hard-pressed to top any one of 'em IME!!

Damn it, I don't think I have a favorite. I LOVE THEM ALL!!!

I think my true favorite is the .22 WMR, tremendously versatile in rifle & handgun.

Just had a chance to shoot the new Kel-Tec P-30 a 30 shot .22WMR handgun. WOW! I can hardly wait till mine comes in. It shall be my walking around the woods/family property sidearm replacing the Bearcat.

22LR is definitely the one that eats the most ammo, but in the hunting field, give me a vanilla old 30-06 with 165 - 200 grain bullets for all that walks or stalks Canada at least.

although I have several rifles.. 22 for small game 50-70 encore for big game.

I have no favourite as such, but the most fun I have had with a centre-fire cartridge was with the little Brno ZKW 465 that I had rechambered for the 22 Spitfire.
It used the original Brno barrel and shot like stink, 3400 fps with 40 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips into 3/4" at one hundred yards.
The cartridge was small enough to carry a pocket full for a days outing.....seriously, this thing was more fun than a fight.

i guess, if i have to pick, it's the .308 winchester...
it's just cool, from concept to cornfield...

i have one that i seldom use, but will never let go of...

.340 weatherby with 250 grain noslers, cause I ain't found anything yet that I can't knock on it's arse and kill with one shot.

I have favorites for particular purposes but I cant pick one all around favorite. My favorite yote rifle is chambered in 22-250 but it isn't my favorite elk cartridge/rifle. I guess the 7rem mag for big game, the 22-250 for small game, and a .223 for real small game and rocks. In a light weight short barreled rifle for backpack hunting, I'm fond of the 7mm-08. Hunting elk up high where long shots are likely I prefer the 300 RUM and 200gr accubonds. .257wby with 110gr accubonds at 3550 fps and very little recoil is easy to like for deer sized critters and if I ever draw a mountain goat tag I'll probably use it.

I just turned 58 and turned a corner in my life.

I decided I would rather hunt varmits than deer. So, I sold my favorite deer rifle and am gathering funds for a Cooper 17 HMR.

I presently have a Ruger 77-17 and will soon have a BEAUTIFUL Cooper 17.

Yep, the 17 HMR is now my favorite Cartridge!

Virgil B.

338 RUM

Flat shooting hard hitting powerhouse!

JD338

.22-250, swede, .25-06 are all friends of mine

they are all easy on the shoulder and the wallet and they can do anything i have in mind to do with a gun.

.30-06 does it all

Probably .22 RFs and the 20 Ga. but the others are so much fun I schized out and started foolin' around with muzzle loaders too. Call it a 'no cartridge' aberration I guess.

Boiling it down to one....the .22 RF. Mostly they will do what needs to be done without a lot of fuss and bother. And I don't have to clean the bore all that often....sorry Hoppe's...

It's hard to pick a favorite. .221 Fireball, .204 Ruger, .223, .22 Hornet, .17HMR, they're all fun to have around, and relatively inexpensive to shoot.
My all time favorite deer cartridge is the .270 Winchester, though. Nothing against the rest of 'em, I've danced with others, but the .270 is the keeper.

Well, my all time favorite is the .45-70. Dead hogs, bear, and African plains game say so....


maddog

This is like trying to pick which of my 14 guitars is my favorite. But, I'll play along.

The 30-30. It has harvested more American deer than you can shake a stick at. My Winchester is light, handy and fits me like a glove.

It will harvest ANY game found in my state.
Easy to reload.
Low pressure extends case life.
Good for hunting, or personal defense.
You can shoot and reload without taking the carbine off target.
Cowboy assault rifle.
Ammo is available everywhere.
Lowest price big game hunting round.
You don't get tired of packing this light carbine in the field.
The Turks decimated the Russian army with Winchester levers.
Good for 300 yards with Hornady LeverEvolution ammo.

I do have to give a nod to the 7X57, 8X57, .308 Win and 357 Magnum. Perhaps tomorrow they will be my favorite.

.308 as it does most things well with a reasonable recoil.

.30-06 Springfield. Most versatile cartridge out there, and a good one performance wise too. It can shoot bullets from 100 grain plinkers to 220 grain RN's with aplomb, and will kill most game on the North American continent and some in Africa with correct bullet selection and placement. Good combat round too, especially with the AP version. I have eight of different action types and makes, and love them all.

9.3X62 just because of the look folks give when inquiring about what I'm shooting.

The 257 Roberts and 275 Rigby also are close runner-ups and I don't even currently have a rifle chambered for either. How's that for loonyism

The ought six it's done it all for me I use the 270 more now but the 06 would be the last thing to go if it came to that

223ai. 62gr tsx at 3250 and 75gr swift at 3050 drop the deer with authority. 80gr JLK at 2950, Badger DBM, 223 AICS mags make an ideal tactical competition rifle.

Burning 26-27 grains of powder, no trimming, and smoking my 308 in the ballistic department isn't hard to like.

.280 Ackley Improved. Its the best balance of power, shootability, and accuracy for most all critters found in North America that I have ever encountered.

22 Hornet. One of these days, I am going to save enough scratch for a good Anchutz.(sp?) For now, though, it'll have to be my two HandiRifles. I have the best time prowling around with them. Cheap and easy to load for, and kills all out of proportion to it's size.

Agreed
Ad family fun to the list for the 22lr
the wife and I shoot 8 to 10 boxes a week at the range without breaking the bank.
My son joins in and we have a running competition on who can make the tightest group.

But talking game the all American 30/06 has to be the most useful and widely used.
I can cast a tiny bullet for it and load it down and use it for head shots on turkey.
Or use a 220 gr literally "loaded for bear"

Run out of ammo in bfe? chances of finding a box of '06 in a gas station, or general store are better than any other obscure round

308 norma mag it does what ever you ask of it

For big game hunting in the Rockies--the "30-06 Improved"..AKA the 270W.........with 150gr bullets...weighing in at 6 1/2 to 7 lbs complete...22 inch bbl......



Casey

IMHO, everybody needs a good .22LR.
My little modified Ruger 10-22 see's more range and field time than all the others.

When the kids all gather here for Thanksgiving, we'll find the time to go out to the range and bust a lot of caps!

For everything else, there's my .270 Winchester.

Hard to pick just one,..but I have a special fondness for the 30-30 when it's loaded to its potential.

6 lb lever action carbine repeaters which are capable of producing 2000 ft lbs of energy are fine devices.

I like the .223 very well, also. About any appropriate type of propellant will do 1.5 MOA out of my bone stock synthetic/stainless Ruger .223 with 55 grain surplus FMJ's.

One of these days soon I'm going to put a good trigger on it and do some load development with match grade components to see what it's really capable of.

Sure, and I like 'em all too, that's why I'm a certified (certifiable?) rifle looney. But, if I had to choose just one, I'd still go with the '06.

.257 Weatherby mag.

A low recoiling death ray with lazer beam trajectory.

It's my 30/06 as it's my go to gun with a 165 grain bullet it's good to go for anything I want to hunt from deer to elk, but my little Ruger in 7mm/08 is catching up fast. I've had other calibers but they've come and gone over the years.

I want one of those too! Can I trade you out of your Bearcat? wifey wants one. Let me know. (Have a COLT frontier scout as bait.....)

Now that's more like it Jamie. I told LBP it should read more like that. Since you listed off a few, I will follow suit:

1. Light varmint = 22 lr
2. Medium range varminter = 22 wmr
3. larger varmint up to coyotes = .223 rem
4. Deer = good ol '06
5. Elk/Moose sized critters = 338 win mag.

Does that mean I should sell the others? Hell no!!!

Mine is the one I use the most hunting and the one I have the most confidence in. 6MM Ackley. Low to hardly any recoil, flat trajectory, very high mortality rate, easy to carry and as lethal with an 85 grain TSX as anything in my safe on deer sized game.
If a guy want to play at higher speeds just switch to a 75 grain V Max Moly and shoot varmints or paper or gallon jugs full of water. Again no recoil and not much muzzle blast and fun to shoot.

Dave

30-06. everything dies when i pull the trigger. right the [bleep] now...

When NOT sitting in the blind with a hi-power (scoped) rifle ...

But, walking across CRP land through trees and brush carrying a (light) Marlin lever-action carbine ...

My Favorite Caliber, is the straight-walled .35 Remington cartridge / 200 grain slug ...

It Knocks 'Em Down. (Deer)

Would love to find some of those "straight-walled" .35s as all the ones we have around here are bottle neck models.

Thank's I don't know WHAT I was thinking ... ???
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(In my mind) I always associate the .35 Rem. as a "Little Brother' to the "straight walled" 45-70 cartridge.

Due to a recurring C-6 issue in my neck, I had to give up shooting my Marlin 45-70 Guide Gun. (But I won't sell the gun ewither.)

338 Win Mag...

If I said only one could exist, it would be the 338. I don't use it a lot, but do some.

It will kill anything adequately anywhere in the world, close or far. It is also exceedingly efficient and well designed.

Thank God I don't have to choose and give up my 30-06s and 375s...

It really depends on what mood I am in & what I am hunting. I like to use the .375 for everything. But if pinned down to one rifle for all of my hunting I would take a .270 on one of the commercial mauser actions & call it good.

Another vote for the .257 Wby- fast, accurate, low recoil, it just kills stuff!

another vote for the .30-30 it doesn't do anything great but it doesn;t do anything bad, and lets be honest who doesn't have a great memory involving a .30-30

7mm STW

From right here to waaaay out yonder, it'll pound whatever needs pounding.

Welcome to the Campfire Yoder409.

I have to side with luv2safari on this one. 338 Win Mag because it works for anything.

Sorry friend but it is a 4 digit no letter one, it be staying here for a grandson.

Thanks fer the welcome, 76!!

The .338's a good choice, too.

My real feelings on this type of thread are "DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE!!!!!"

I could, maybe, live with a 5-rifle battery if I had to.

Maybe.

But one?????? DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE!!!

Agreed! Too many to choose from You think 5 is enough? I might have a hard time narrowing it down.

I did say "MAYBE".

welcome to the fire you already have a good strong mind keep it and enjoy the fire

40 S&W ?
----------
I'm shooting MORE ".40 S&W's" in my pistols, including a couple of un-catalogued .40 CZ's and a Belgian .40 Hi-Power - (Also, a Ruger PC-4, .40 semi-auto Carbine Rifle with factory ghost-ring sights. - than I am shooting in ALL my 9MM, .357 Mag/.38 Spl, .45 ACP, 45 Colt - handguns (and rifles) combined.

I have really come to MUCH appreciate and utilize the (high-pressure) .40 S&W round, and find myself always restocking it ... But somehow, I still 'hesitate' to call the .40 S&W round a "FAVORITE" ???

MY FAVORITE'S: include the 45-70 Govt, 35 Rem, 45 (long) Colt, 32 Mag (Even the animic 32 ACP), and the 17 HMR cartridge, which has been just been a 'BLAST', in one new Rifle and one new DA Revolver.

My FAVORITE ceartridges, even if they're OLD, have only been (relatively) NEW to me.

I do appreciate the folks here - who have ACCLAIMED the 'taken for granted' every-day-standard Cartridges ...

They got their heads screwed on straight.

+1 -- I certainly want to hear your range report on the Kel-Tec!

after thinking about it a bit, I guess I'd better say .308 Win, since I own three rifles in the caliber. Pistols? hands down the .45 ACP.

Weatherby 30-378 AI; if'n your gonna be a bear, be a GRIZZLY bear!

My go to gun is a 30-06. The one I love to play with is my 22-250AI.

6.5x55 swede

little recoil and muzzle blast.
accurate, deadly, and versatile

My favorite cartridge is the one that fits the rifle I'm carrying.

Bruce

And here I thought that your preferred weapon was a Bowie Knife. Little recoil or muzzle blast, accurate, deadly, and versatile, at least in the right hands.

We can vouch for him with a bowie knife...grin

308. Powerful, accurate, thoroughly developed, easy to use, eay to hit.

BMT

thirty - ought - six

1. IMHO, it is the most balanced combination of killing power, trajectory and recoil.

2. Its history.

Expat

338WM becuase

My favorite is the 444 Marlin although I'm shooting the 300 Savage more these days. The 300 doesn't beat me up so much.

25-06AI 'cause it's in my favorite rifle.

6mm Rem, because I killed a deer with one yesterday.

But could be (likely be) something else when the moon changes phase...

20 duster and 6.5 x 47 Lapua

ML

I love my Colt Sauer in 06, but my favorite deer cartridge has become the 280 Remington over many years of use. I went from the 7 mag to the 280 as there is more of a shove than a sharp kick with the recoil. I have found that I am much more accurate with the 280, and it has done a lot of killing for me. I also like the 270, 223, 308, 7X57, 6.5X55 swede, 8X57,...heck, I even like the old 303 Brit. I've been through scads of 22...Long Rifle and magnum, and i think the 17 HMR is a blast. I wouldn't take anything for my Ruger Standard (pre-MKI) or Browning A-5 Sweet Sixteen, as they were bought for me by my grand fathers on the day I was born. I like the 10 1/2" double barrel Colt 45 that also shoots 3" 410 shells as well. All that I really want/need right now is that Kel-Tec 22 mag 30rounder, and a dedicated 22LR upper for the AR. I have a old Kel-Tec P11 in 9mm, and they really stand behind their products. That little 9 will shoot circles around my Glock in 45, S&W 10mm, XDm in 40. That looong and hard double action trigger taught me more about trigger control than any other weapon ever, and made me a better shot with all weapons. I love them all, as long as they are pointed away from me. It don't take long to get tired of having them shooting in your direction!