Favorite uncommon calibers

[txaggie1]

I was thinking of building a 338-06 or a 35 whelen. But can't decide between the 2. How do like your 338-06 and do you think it's worth it over the reg 06 using 200 grain pills?

338-06 is a contender in my book, I purchased one in mark V LW for my wife to hunt plains game type animals. 185 TTSX are deadly, 210 partitions shoot very well also - have no kills on them but no doubt in my mind what they will do.

No personal experience with the whelen,

If i were shopping now, i'd consider the 338 rpm with more availability for ammo and components - that's the only knock on the 06 IMO. But true to the thread it's considered odd now!

 

[Rotten]

With the rise of all the new latest and greatest cartridges coming out year after year, I feel this list will include some that are currently being marketed hahaha. We have seen the fall of 224Valkyrie, though you can still buy it on the shelf. Will the 360Buckhammer, 6ARC, 6.8Western, 350lgd, 300spectre, Any Weatherby RPM, etc.... be on this list in the next 20-30 years?

Yup the 270 wsm is pretty much dead along with 6.8 Western. A lot of good cartridges just don't make it in the long run. As much as I like the odd balls I will never be with out the standard 270 and 30-06,308 even in the worst of the ammo shortages I could still get ammo for them.

 

[lyle2231]

The un- popular ones that I favorite
41 mag
414 supermag - looking for a longer encore barrel
444 marlin
257 Robert
7x57
338-06
404 jeffery- Ruger #1
16 gauge- Winchester model 12

I've been shooting a model 12 16gauge for doves a few years now. My favorite bird gun!

 

[del2les]

I've been shooting a model 12 16gauge for doves a few years now. My favorite bird gun!

You sound like my deceased brother, for he was a devout 16ga guy for birds and small game. Though he preferred his Rem 1100's.
He must have taken up that gauge from our dad's love of an old 16ga single barrel, and I have to admit, as a youth, I owned a 16ga single Winchester 37A for a few years.

 

[lyle2231]

You sound like my deceased brother, for he was a devout 16ga guy for birds and small game. Though he preferred his Rem 1100's.
He must have taken up that gauge from our dad's love of an old 16ga single barrel, and I have to admit, as a youth, I owned a 16ga single Winchester 37A for a few years.

"A wise man is determined by the degree that he agrees with you "
Won Hung Lo. (Confuscious Cousin)

 

[Alibiiv]

I do not have any stories about "gramp's ole gun", but... I do have two favorite "not so common" cartridges. The first is the .270 Ackley Improved. This cartridge does not get the respect or acknowledgement that it deserves. P.O. Ackley wrote in his book that he did not find the .270 Winchester worth modifying due to the cartridge being already overbore. Boy ole P.O. ought to be around today to see what they are pumping out for cartridges and overbore. I'm getting around 3100-3200fps with Nosler 150 ABLRs and not using a half a pound of powder. Put those numbers up against the "new", "modern" and "latest" designer cartridges. I do not understand the reason that one of the ammunition/gun companies have not picked this one up, and I wonder the why this one hasn't seen a SAAMI approval. Thank you FEENIX for this one!!! My second favorite, not so common cartridge, is the .35 Whelen. Again yet another cartridge that does not get the recognition it deserves. It is hurling 225 grain bullets at around 2700fps, and 250gr bullets at 2500fps, and it doesn't separate your shoulder while you are shooting it; or... use a half-pound of powder getting there. Brass is a little short, but... in a pinch 30-06 brass can easily be run up into a .35 Whelen full lenght resizing die and you have brass. Another cartridge that is becoming obsolete is the .358 Winchester. I do have one, it is a great mid-bore cartridge, again no one hears about it. My .358 Winchester is in a Ruger 77, tang safety rifle that is mint, so it doesn't get out of the safe too much. This round fits in a short-action rifle and it carries a lot of energy for what it is. Brass is scarce but around, but again resize .308 Winchester in a .358 Winchester full length resizing die and you have brass.

 

[Morrison]

I have an amazing old Classic, 240 Cobra built on a 98 Mauser action.

 

[nwhunter]

Well, I have read through 8 pages of this, so I guess it's time to add to the list.
My favorite oddball calibers:
400 Corbon
6.5/257
250 Souper
257 Roberts
30 Gibbs
338/06
35 Whelen, any variant, Ackley or Brown.

 

[Rflshootr]

308 Norma Mag.

 

[memtb]

I guess that it would be the .375 AI, fairy rare among shooters/hunters. My favorite and only hunting rifle/cartridge.

However, I live in an area where there is probably less than 50/60 people in a 10 sq. mi. area……there's two that I know of. My neighbor about 1 18 mile "as the crow flies" also has one. memtb

 

[vern.284]

Sounds like the place to live

 

[unclecroc]

I agree! Both are great cartridges. The 225 Win. is nearly impossible to get brass for. Winchester used to make an annual run of what they used to call heritage cartridges. I used to buy whatever amount that I could get every year, however I haven't seen a run of this brass in quite a few years. The 220 Swift is arguably the king of Chuck calibers, it will do pretty much anything the new calibers will do, and it has a heritage and nostalgia value to it that they don't. Keep em shootin unclecroc!

I have a bit of it hoarded back thankfully. The 225 is such a sweetheart of a round. Long live the swift, it was doing creedmoor things before the creedmoor was cool.

 

[vern.284]

I was thinking of building a 338-06 or a 35 whelen. But can't decide between the 2. How do like your 338-06 and do you think it's worth it over the reg 06 using 200 grain pills?

Is it worth it over 200 gr 30-06, probably not. I built it for an elk hunt many moons ago cause I like to be different lol. I tailored it around the 210 sirroco, I have to look back at load books but I had it cruising good. Never made contact with anything but paper and pumpkins. They were DRT though. I don't own a 30-06 and wanted a 338 for the hunt just didn't feel the need for a 338 WM.

 

[Rotten]

Is it worth it over 200 gr 30-06, probably not. I built it for an elk hunt many moons ago cause I like to be different lol. I tailored it around the 210 sirroco, I have to look back at load books but I had it cruising good. Never made contact with anything but paper and pumpkins. They were DRT though. I don't own a 30-06 and wanted a 338 for the hunt just didn't feel the need for a 338 WM.

Hahaha. Yup I shoot more milk jugs and vegetables & fruit than game for sure. I always liked the odd ball cartridges. I think that comes from just wanting to irk my father. He was always telling me I don't need anything more than a 308 or aught 6. So 1st chance I had money I bought a 7mm mag. Not that that's an odd ball by any means but to him that just wasn't normal.