What’s your favorite cartridge?

[Two Six Oh-Letergo]

When it comes right down two it, my favorite cartridge is the 22lr. It has given me the most joy and taught me the most about shooting. Gotta love the 260 rem as well

 

[Trm82]

I agree. My throated 30 Nosler is awesome. Especially with 215 Berger hybrid or 210 ABLR. But my lighter go to rifle is a throated 270WSM. Faster than the PRCs and plenty capable using 150 grain bullets.

This is my old load for my 270 wby
4 shots 825 yards
I played with the 110 ttsx this year at 3740 fps
My son shot a moose with it This season. It definitely is a killing machine.

 

[11Bugles]

My 270win has been my favorite for almost 40 years. 3 years ago I bought a 270wsm and created a problem that bugs. Couldn't decide which rifle to use hunting elk last year, I really like both. I stocked the WSM with a McMillan, now they both look identical. Now it's a guessing game when I reach into the safe

 

[del2les]

Favorite? Well, I guess I have spent more time carrying, shooting and having fun with a 22LR than anything else in my life, (edit: After a quick mental inventory, by far, I own more firearms in 22LR than anything else) but for CF's in a rifle, it would be a toss up between the 222's and 223's for most carried and fired with great pleasure.

For medium game and sometime varmints, it would be between my 6mm Rems and AI's and the 25-06's.

Larger game cartridge I have spent the most time and shooting with would be the 30-06. I have done so much with that old round and out to LR ranges. For me, it has always been easy to load and quickly obtain good to great groups and have enough power to anchor things quickly. Otherwise, the 300 RUM's get the nod for large LR/ELR game.

In a handgun, it would have to the the 357 Mag. I have loaded that round in so many various bullet, shotshell and power loads, I have lost count. Everything from wax, plastic, bird/snake shot, cast, jacketed, hand swaged, hand made safety slugs, monos, blanks, duplex and triplex bullets, and 50gr to 210 gr projectiles.

 

[Hunter Ohlen]

I literally have dozens of rifles for whitetail deer hunting, but my go to rifle is a custom Remington 700 in .280AI. It was built by Bill Wiseman in 1988.

 

[brian11]

It's hard to say, as I have a lot of calibers to pick from, but my 6.5-300 Wby Mag has top-notch performance. I'm also fond of my 219 Donaldson Wasp for nostalgic reasons - been shooting it, in a custom Martini my Dad built, since I was a kid.

 

[Eagleye242]

I would have to choose the 308 Norma Magnum.. Bought my first one in 1966, and have never been
without at least one rifle so chambered. Have taken a trainload of game with the 308NM, from blacktail
deer right up to Bison. Always gets the job done for me. Dave.

 

[Playtimefun]

300 Win Mag. Factory Barnes or reloads with 180 grain Barnes TTSX and go shoot EVERY animal that's found in North America. Anybody who thinks magnum ruin meat is shooting a badly constructed bullet because that's the reason I personally hate the 270 Win. Nothing wrong with the cartridge BUT was shooting poor quality bullets and ruined more meat than all the meat ruined with my 300s. Ammo is available everywhere for if someone forgets their ammo at home. Own all of the 300s and multiples of the same cartridge. 300 WBY is maybe a touch better without getting into the 300 RUM but recoil and weight start getting up there. 300 WSM can be done in a lightweight package. After that... starting to become a fan of the 7 WSM even though factory ammo is hard to find. Reload with 150 gr Barnes LRX and you can do a very lightweight gun. My lightest gun which has become a favorite on elk is a Browning mountain ti in 325 WSM. Scoped the gun is 6 lbs 5 ounces and with reloads it hits harder than my 338 win mag. I have the same gun in 7 mm WSM and scoped its 6 lbs 15 ounces. I need the mountain ti in 300 wsm now.

From lightest (top) to heaviest of the lightweight.

Browning mountain ti 325 6 lbs 5 ou

The weatherby 280 AI is 6 lbs 11 ounces

The Savage 6.5x284 is 6 lbs 12 ounce

kimber 300 wsm and it was 6 lbs 15 ounces

 

[brian11]

Different rounds for different classes of game. Used to love the BIG 30's and 338's but learned that with good bullets and good shooting smaller bullets do amazing things, but the keys are always 1) bullet placement 2) bullets quality (integrity, staying in tact and exiting) then having enough velocity at the strike to intruduce hydraulic overload/secondary misslie effect.

For varmints I love the old .222 Remington. For medium game up to and including cow elk I was a huge 257WBY fan but moved up to the .264 Win after that and liked it better. I am now using a wildcat that gives me 257WBY/220 Swift speeds with my 6.5/264 bullets and have achieved hunters nirvannah

@pistol packin preacher
What is your 6.5 wildcat?

 

[Argon Glen]

Of the cartridges I have my pick is 300 WM though, to be a contrarian to that, it could be 45-70 Gov. <shrugs>

Ironically my most favorite rifle shoots 308 Win. But being my favorite is simply about the rifle and not the cartridge.

Of the seemingly endless array of cartridges I don't have the 7mm-08 AI is sure appealing.

 

[Playtimefun]

Sorry... bottom one in the pic is the Browning mtn ti in 7 wsm

 

[tomsd]

30-06 Below - My 30-06 with my hand loads from a bench @200yds...I really do like her... I've taken elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, antelope, and a few not so lucky groundhogs, from inside 50 yds to outside 300. Most have been DRT. She's very reliable, consistent and accurate! View attachment 440235

What grain/speed ?

 

[6.5x300 WBY]

Right now it's MY Anschutz 22 wmr. Just love that rifle. AND...

MCWHORTER 45 XML. 325 gr Pittman's at 3100 fps.

Wow how did I forget my 300 Blackout. AR. Really love it.

Reserve the rights to change my mind at any time.... due to new rifles that may just show up one day.

 

[DCBenn88]

Mine has been the 6.5x55 for the past 24 years.