The great rifle cartridge debate.

[m.c.farmerboy]

I buy Black hills ammo when you could get it and I love my 308 shot a model 700 bull barrel in the Army and have loved it ever since 270 and 280 also but to each his own 

A good shot with hand loads is a dangers Man!! no mater what he is shooting

[MacAR]

I'm a 30-06 guy for the most part, and my old 700 has felled a many whitetail over the years. But I built a little 243 on a 110 Savage this summer and have taken it out a few times with an 85 grain hand load. So far no deer have fallen to it, sadly. I also really like my old savage 222; really gets the job done on crows and groundhogs. And of course, the old 30-30 comes out on walking days; its good enough for the woods I wander in, but I don't wander much anymore. This is a great thread by the way, I'm enjoying it.

Mac

[sandhiller]

1 hour ago, MacAR said:

And of course, the old 30-30 comes out on walking days; its good enough for the woods I wander in,

Correct me if I am wrong but I think the venerable .30-30 is still credited with taking the most deer of any cartridge out there. 

Mainly because it has been around so long. 

Doesn't take away from it's effectiveness. 

I always enjoyed hunting with mine with open sights, takes me back to simpler times.

I always shot 150 gr round nose. I am sure the new lever evolution ammo would add distance to the accuracy. 

If I am going to walk hunt deer down in Medicine Creek canyon, I will leave the 7mag in the pickup and grab the model 94.

[DT Fan]

1 hour ago, sandhiller said:

Correct me if I am wrong but I think the venerable .30-30 is still credited with taking the most deer of any cartridge out there. 

Mainly because it has been around so long. 

Doesn't take away from it's effectiveness. 

I always enjoyed hunting with mine with open sights, takes me back to simpler times.

I always shot 150 gr round nose. I am sure the new lever evolution ammo would add distance to the accuracy. 

If I am going to walk hunt deer down in Medicine Creek canyon, I will leave the 7mag in the pickup and grab the model 94.

Hiller, I've read that same quote my whole hunting life. Could be true, how could anyone prove it one way or the other. Guessing the 30/06 is close in the running. Piles of deer killed with them. I would think one of those two is king. Personally, never killed a deer with either. .44 Mag. has killed WAY more for me than anything else. Of course, that's what I use year after year. With no changes in sight. When you get used to carrying a four pound gun that can go in a holster crossing ditches, fences, etc. and is really easy to get through the brush with, hard to go back to a long gun.

[MacAR]

1 hour ago, sandhiller said:

Correct me if I am wrong but I think the venerable .30-30 is still credited with taking the most deer of any cartridge out there. 

It wouldn't surprise me. I'd say it's true if you leave 22lr and 22mag out of the running. The '06 would be a close second if not tied. Like you, I use a 150gr hand load in mine; works a treat, but my Marlin seems to like 170's better. Mine wears a peep sight, easier for me to see vs buckhorns. Killed a lot of critters with it from groundhogs to deer. No complaints with it, but I'd really like to own a 94 Winchester again.

Mac

[Steve C.]

On 11/25/2021 at 12:56 PM, oleman said:

I like the 5" 54 but the 5" 38 is ok too.

How you doin' on finding ammo?  Do you like to shoot the prox fuse?

Like to know what a box costs.

[606 diesel]

Most hunters around here that I know use either 30-06, 308, 300 Win Mag,270, or 243. I think the most popular around here is 30-06 I know several hunters that use one. We have some pretty decent open areas around here. I have both a 300 Win Mag and a 30-06 my uncle has a 30-06 and my other uncle has a 300 Win Mag. My 300 Win Mag is a Remington 700 long range which weighs 9 pounds alone it kicks the same as my 30-06 Remington 7400. But the 7400 is a lot easier to carry for hours on end.

[vtfireman85]

I am a .308 fan through and through, it is capable enough to do the job in most applications without a lot of stipulations attached, you are hard pressed to find a more readily available cartridge on ammunition shelves or one with more variety in factory loads and it is hard to beat the price. Short case length lends itself well to a lever gun, and almost any rifle you take a fancy to has it as an available option.

[mike newman]

5 hours ago, MacAR said:

It wouldn't surprise me. I'd say it's true if you leave 22lr and 22mag out of the running. The '06 would be a close second if not tied. Like you, I use a 150gr hand load in mine; works a treat, but my Marlin seems to like 170's better. Mine wears a peep sight, easier for me to see vs buckhorns. Killed a lot of critters with it from groundhogs to deer. No complaints with it, but I'd really like to own a 94 Winchester again.

Mac

Mac...let me get this right.....You own   a Marlin Lever Rifle......and you are talking about wanting   a   94    Winchester, again ???   Why would you want a  Japanese    built   '94 when you allready have an American  built Marlin.....If you were talking about an 1894  Winchester...that would have alarm bells going..but a 94 ??   Good grief Man......

Mac..I know this is getting a bit personal.....but is there a history of insanity   in your family ???.........Did Great, Great Grandpa  MacAR  get  run over by the British in the late 1700's......

What model is your Marlin ??....Have you accidently run over  it ??....dropped it down a canyon ..??    ..used it for a drawbar pin..like they do in Vermont ...??     ....is it malfunctioning  in any way.....??..... I think  you need ...in the Vermont Firemans    words.....""Straightening    out ""......

Mike

[sandhiller]

6 hours ago, DT Fan said:

44 Mag. has killed WAY more for me

That is my favorite pistol caliber.

I have a Redhawk and a Super Blackhawk.

I foresee a week moment in my future where a Henry in .44mag comes to live and work with my pistols.😃

 

[MacAR]

47 minutes ago, mike newman said:

Mac...let me get this right.....You own   a Marlin Lever Rifle......and you are talking about wanting   a   94    Winchester, again ???   Why would you want a  Japanese    built   '94 when you allready have an American  built Marlin.....If you were talking about an 1894  Winchester...that would have alarm bells going..but a 94 ??   Good grief Man......

Mac..I know this is getting a bit personal.....but is there a history of insanity   in your family ???.........Did Great, Great Grandpa  MacAR  get  run over by the British in the late 1700's......

What model is your Marlin ??....Have you accidently run over  it ??....dropped it down a canyon ..??    ..used it for a drawbar pin..like they do in Vermont ...??     ....is it malfunctioning  in any way.....??..... I think  you need ...in the Vermont Firemans    words.....""Straightening    out ""......

Mike

Too funny Mike! I suppose I ought to clarify a couple things. My desire is for a pre 64 1894 Winchester like the one I foolishly sold a few years ago; I have a few pre 64 Winchesters and would just like to add one back to the fold. 

The Marlin is a 336, born in 1974. A finer rifle no man could ask for. It has served me well and will continue to do so for many years to come unless it gets used for a pry bar or a  drawbar pin...  but fear not, it won't suffer a fate such as that in my possession.

In regards to family history: Great, great, well a lot of greats Grandpa MacAR was "politely" asked to leave Galway by the Crown around 1770 and so came to America; he then had a chance to "straighten them out" six years later.... 😉 His brother wound up transported to Australia a few years after that, so we understand... Suffice to say our clan doesn't much cotton to the English. But luckily, we aren't -too- crazy... Well, at least not by Arkansas standards. 

All in good fun now, of course. But my two favorite songs are "I'm a Good Old Rebel" and "The Rising of the Moon"... old ways die hard... 😃

Cheers mate,

Mac

 

[606 diesel]

Which Winchester model 1894s actually said 1894 on them, my great grandfather's one from 1939 only says model 94 on it not 1894 did they change that at some point or is 1894 just insinuated?

[Diesel Doctor]

Back in the day I was looking for a long range bell ringer.

I was getting ready to buy a Sako action and then having it barreled in 22-250.

But I sat down with the Speer Reloading Manual and a beer one night.

I got to comparing ballistics between the .223, 22-250 and .220 Swift.

I finally decided on the black rifle in the .223.

I was fine with getting a few hundred less ft/sec for the more economical round to reload.

It is what you want and you only.

They are all made to work and will do the job in the hands of man with the skills.

I agree with the "Snake Oil Salesmen" of yesterday and today, but what a neat job those people have.

Where do I sign up?

 

[oleman]

19 hours ago, Steve C. said:

How you doin' on finding ammo?  Do you like to shoot the prox fuse?

Like to know what a box costs.

[B.B.]

Great thread,  I have enjoyed everyone's responses.    Like many of you I enjoy several calibers, and they each have a job but there is some crossover.   

Favorites include a .30-06, 22mag, 22LR and of course a 20GA shotgun.  I used to prefer a 12, but the older I get the more I understand why a 20 is more gooder!

 

Oh who am I kidding a .22-250 gets me all excited too, and one of these day's I'm going to take a deer with my .375Ruger, and maybe break out the .338Lapua for a little sit on top the barn and reach out kind of deer hunt lol 

 

[hardtail]

Man you guys use some heavy artillery on deer, a small percentage must be scared to death...lol

I'm at the point now where I think I have too many different calibers, my buddy said that years ago and went back to military issue and said he'd strayed and was going back to the beginning,  starting to see some sense in that as I likely will soon embark on yet another oddity acquisition...lol

[vtfireman85]

1 hour ago, hardtail said:

Man you guys use some heavy artillery on deer, a small percentage must be scared to death...lol

I'm at the point now where I think I have too many different calibers, my buddy said that years ago and went back to military issue and said he'd strayed and was going back to the beginning,  starting to see some sense in that as I likely will soon embark on yet another oddity acquisition...lol

acquiring oddities is fun, just not going to go rattle off 500 rounds in a weekend. I look at the places I visit vs the places I have to hunt and the different calibers make sense. I don't have more than a 2-300 yard shot anywhere, and even that would be rare. really limits the need for long flat shooters with lots of powder. also as a few of those shots exist it also rules out a lot of closer range weaponry. all depends where you are hunting. 

[sandhiller]

4 hours ago, vtfireman85 said:

4 hours ago, vtfireman85 said:

don't have more than a 2-300 yard shot anywhere, and even that would be rare. really limits the need for long flat shooters with lots of powder. 

 

Ya know Seth, they do sell out of state permits.😉

Even heard of people from back east traveling out here to hunt😃

You could burn some big powder lobbing pills at a western mule deer, antelope or elk🤠

Much better to have that Magnum smoke pole sitting in the safe ready to go when uncle Mark says let's go out west and kill sumpin'😄

[Steve C.]

On 11/25/2021 at 12:56 PM, oleman said:

I like the 5" 54 but the 5" 38 is ok too.

This guy explains the fire control computer on the Iowa class ships - fascinating what they did with what they had to work with.

 

[ihrondiesel]

Gee, thanks, Steve, now I want a 5” gun!!

Seriously, though, what caliber .30+ has been the easiest to find ammo for in the last year?  I know it’s not my .450 Marlin!

Edited December 14, 2021 by ihrondiesel
Added

[MacAR]

7 hours ago, ihrondiesel said:

Seriously, though, what caliber .30+ has been the easiest to find ammo for in the last year?

Unfortunately, none of them. The only thing "easy" to find right now is .223, 9mm, & .308. In our area, other rounds are virtually non-existent. Been looking for some 25-06 for my dad, none to be had. Same with 270 and 30-30. On the off chance you find some, it'll be so outrageously priced you won't buy it. Saw some 30-30 the other day at a gun show for $70/box! Ridiculous! I remind myself daily of how thankful I should be that I got into reloading. Can load for all my rifles and pistols, for a long while yet. 

Mac

[acem]

Thanks for sharing.

Dad was a sailor in the pacific during WWII. He sailed landing craft. Spent more time making smoke screens around these big ships than landing marines on the shores.

Thx-Ace 

[sandhiller]

Wandered into one of the local gun shops by mistake the other day🙄.

He just got a shipment of ammo in.

Some calibers had been on order over a year.

Picked up these little hot rods for $32.75 a box.

 bout $5 over my distributor (who is OOS) cost.

Fair markup, when in Rome............

Only took two boxes cuz I didnt want to be a  d I c k.

[Dasnake]

I have a lot of your talked about calibers, but the one round that has killed more deer in my bunch, Marlin's 44/40, manufactured circa 1896, my old man got it in the late 20's and being the oldest he filled the family larder with many a hunt at their home in cache creek, bc. As for me my 30.06 is my goto, but I love my pre 64 30/30, and then there's my other faves.................................????????

 

[Lazy WP]

3 hours ago, sandhiller said:

Wandered into one of the local gun shops by mistake the other day🙄.

He just got a shipment of ammo in.

Some calibers had been on order over a year.

Picked up these little hot rods for $32.75 a box.

 bout $5 over my distributor (who is OOS) cost.

Fair markup, when in Rome............

Only took two boxes cuz I didnt want to be a  d I c k.

 

Casey or ? My mind went blank 🙁

Salina got a new Atwoods, and they had quite a selection of ammo. Got Lisa a box of 9’s and picked up a box of Cowboy loads for my 44. 
A guy donated a dualing tree for Lisa’s gals and we took a few handguns out to try it. 22mag will move them if you hit the very outside. 380 and 9mm, you don’t have to be quite so accurate. 357, 38 and 40, make it go pretty well. 44, as long as you are close it works!!