{"id":300,"date":"2017-03-14T09:30:47","date_gmt":"2017-03-14T14:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.lg-outdoors.com\/?p=300"},"modified":"2020-01-30T16:37:02","modified_gmt":"2020-01-30T21:37:02","slug":"choosing-the-right-cartridge-craig-boddington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lg-outdoors.com\/blog\/choosing-the-right-cartridge-craig-boddington\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the Right Cartridge – Craig Boddington"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CARTRIDGE\u2026\u00a0Out of dozens of good ones!
\n<\/strong>(Craig Boddington)
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhich cartridge for me?\u201d is a question I\u2019m often asked. It may come from someone looking for a first centerfire rifle to get a youngster or spouse started, but just as frequently I am asked, \u201cWhat should I get next<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Niece Megan Lurvey had never shot a rifle. We started with a .22 rimfire, then, to introduce her to centerfire muzzle blast, we went to a .204 Ruger. The various varmint cartridges are great for introducing shooters to centerfires, with the .223 the most popular and available.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These are altogether different questions. In both cases, it\u2019s essential to know the intended purpose; for the second question, obviously, I also have to ask what that person already has. Either way, we have so many great cartridges today that\u2019s it\u2019s a bewildering mess! The good news is that there are few wrong<\/em> answers\u2014no \u201cbad\u201d cartridges make it to factory production, and there\u2019s all manner of overlap and redundancy in power requirements. There are dozens of good \u201cdeer cartridges,\u201d only slightly fewer great \u201celk cartridges,\u201d and so forth.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, some cartridges are more popular than others, and popularity isn\u2019t always merit-based. Sometimes it\u2019s hard to understand why one cartridge becomes wildly popular while others just barely hang on. If you want to make a personal statement on the range or in deer camp, you might choose an unpopular or oddball cartridge\u2014especially if you\u2019re a handloader\u2014but standard factory cartridges will cover any use you could imagine for a sporting rifle.<\/p>\n

I tend to recommend cartridges that are reasonably popular and thus available from multiple sources for a couple of reasons. First, using a standard cartridge increases your chances of finding ammo when you need it. Second, using standard cartridges may make it easier for you to find a particular brand that works best with your rifle.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Every cartridge is based on four components: Case, primer, bullet, and propellant\u2026and every factory cartridge is just one blend of all four. Unless you handload it\u2019s better to stick with popular cartridges because they offer a greater selection in loads.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No rifle shoots exactly the same with every load. Accuracy always varies\u2014sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot\u2014and one rifle may shoot Brand X better than Brand Y, or vice versa. All centerfire cartridges are a combination of primer, case, propellant charge, and bullet. Handloaders can vary all four components endlessly, while any given factory load is just one combination. So, for those who don\u2019t handload, the more factory loads available to try the better your chances of finding loads a given rifle really likes. With all of this in mind, let\u2019s try to give short answers to our questions.<\/p>\n

The First Centerfire<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back to the first question, \u201cWhich cartridge should I get for my first centerfire?\u201d<\/p>\n

What uses are planned for the rifle? If it\u2019s just shooting targets or maybe some varmint hunting, the answer is pretty simple: A .22 centerfire is hard to beat. We\u2019re going to assume that most shooters start with a .22 rimfire: Cheap ammo, no recoil, and little noise. It\u2019s a quantum leap to the muzzle blast of any centerfire cartridge, but at least a .22 centerfire gets there with almost no recoil. When I take new shooters to the range I start them with a .22 rimfire, then we work up to a .22 centerfire, and then, carefully, I\u2019ll let them shoot a more powerful centerfire just a few times. For this caliber, there are several choices, but the 223 Remington<\/a> is by far the most popular, most prevalent, and features the cheapest centerfire ammo.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Great cartridges for new hunters! Left to right: The old standby .243, the suddenly popular 6.5mm Creedmoor, the 7mm-08 Remington, and the .270 Winchester. The 7mm-08 is not significantly more powerful than the mild 6.5mms, but so far it is more popular and thus more available. The .270 is probably the most powerful cartridge that should be considered.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, if a first centerfire for hunting<\/em> is the goal, the situation is different. Yes, .22 centerfires are now legal for deer in most states. With today\u2019s heavy-bullet loads they are more effective than ever before, but I view them as experts\u2019 tools, requiring not only precise shot placement but also near-ideal shot presentation. I think beginning hunters are better served with considerably more powerful cartridges, though recoil still needs to be kept within modest limits.<\/p>\n

Like millions of other kids, I started hunting with a 243 Winchester<\/a>. Accurate, mild in recoil, and effective, it is a very fine choice, and it remains the go-to for a first hunting rifle. To some degree, however, the \u201cperfect\u201d first rifle still depends on what you intend to hunt and under what conditions.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Brittany Boddington took her first game animal, a California wild hog, with a .260 Remington, as did her sister Caroline a decade later. Both young ladies now use 7mm-08s, not necessarily a \u201cbetter\u201d cartridge, but more popular and more available.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Both of my daughters started with feral hogs. We\u2019ve long had them in abundance here on the Central Coast, and they\u2019re now available and accessible across much of the country. The problem with pigs is they vary. Sort of like Forrest Gump\u2019s box of chocolates, you don\u2019t know if you\u2019re going to run across a perfect eatin\u2019 size 100-pound porker or a 300-pound boar, an altogether different creature. The 243 Win is perfect for the former, but very marginal for the latter.<\/p>\n

Both of my girls\u2014ten years apart, 2003 for Brittany, 2013 for Caroline\u2014started hunting with a 260 Remington<\/a>. Propelling a 140-grain bullet at about 2750 feet per second (fps), the 260 Rem is much more capable than the 243 Win, but without much more recoil. It was a good choice, as are the other \u201cmild 6.5mm\u201d cartridges, such as the classic 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser<\/a> and the newly-popular 6.5mm Creedmoor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
A Kimber Adirondack in 7mm-08 produced spectacular groups right out of the box with factory loads. The 7mm-08 is an accurate cartridge, but this is exceptional performance for any factory rifle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That said, I quickly shifted both Brittany and Caroline to the 7mm-08 Remington<\/a> and neither has looked back. The 7mm-08 Rem is more popular, which means there are more load choices available. The standard load is 140-grain bullet at 2860 fps, surprising flat-shooting, perfectly adequate for game up to elk, but still mild in recoil.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Caroline Boddington took this 500-pound wildebeest with a single 140-grain bullet from her 7mm-08. Though extremely mild in recoil, the 7mm-08 is a powerful and versatile little cartridge, ideal for beginners and not bad for veterans.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, I think the 7mm-08 Rem is the<\/em> perfect choice for beginning hunters! Perhaps the most powerful cartridge that should be considered is the 270 Winchester<\/a>, which is my wife Donna\u2019s favorite cartridge. Although not necessarily \u201cmore powerful,\u201d it is faster and shoots flatter than the 7mm-08 Rem. The 270 Win requires a .30-06-length action while the 7mm-08 Rem fits into a short bolt action, handier for shooters of smaller stature. Recoil is about the same, but keep in mind that, with cartridges so similar in power, gun weight<\/em> is a major factor in recoil. If the rifle is too light, it\u2019s gonna kick!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Photo
Caroline Boddington practices off sticks with her 7mm-08. Although recoil is mild shooting off the bench accentuates it; it\u2019s more comfortable and better practice to shoot from field positions where the body can give with the kick.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Next<\/em> Centerfire<\/strong><\/p>\n

Obviously this is a different question, dependent on what you already have and why<\/em> you think you need more or different capability. Here in America, we crave velocity and demand accuracy, but if you\u2019re a deer hunter in much of the U.S. you may not need<\/em> more capability than what your Grand-dad\u2019s 30-30 Win<\/a> offers. That doesn\u2019t matter, though\u2014wants<\/em> and needs <\/em>don\u2019t have to coincide!<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Although we Americans crave velocity and accuracy not everybody needs it; millions of deer continue to fall every autumn to good old .30-30s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you want a really versatile rifle that you can use for almost anything, I\u2019d take a hard look at a fast .30-caliber. For decades, many hunters and shooters \u201cstepped up\u201d to a fast 7mm, with the 7mm Remington<\/a> being the most popular. Even the fastest 7mm’s kick less than the fast 30’s, but in my experience Jack O\u2019Connor was dead-right 50 years ago when he wrote that the magnum 7mm’s didn\u2019t do much more than his beloved .270 would do. There is only .007-inch difference between the .270 (.277-inch bullet) and 7mm (.284-inch bullet).<\/p>\n

\"Photo
If, like millions of us, you have a .30-06, then you need to think hard before \u201cupgrading\u201d to a faster .30-caliber\u2026there isn\u2019t much you can\u2019t do with a .30-06. This Montana elk was taken at 350 yards with an inexpensive Savage M116 in .30-06.
<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The .30-caliber delivers much more in both bullet weight and frontal area, and a fast .30-caliber delivers a lot of energy \u2018way out there. Keep in mind that magnum .30’s also produce a lot of recoil. There are ways to mitigate it, such as gun weight, good recoil pads, and muzzle brakes, but not everyone will be comfortable with this level of recoil, and not everyone needs<\/em> that level of performance. But if you want<\/em> it, the fast .30-calibers deliver.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
The fast .30s are extremely versatile cartridges. This eland, Africa\u2019s largest antelope, fell to a single 200-grain bullet from a .300 Winchester Magnum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As with any caliber, there are many options for .30-caliber cartridges. I\u2019m personally a 300 Weatherby Magnum<\/a> fan, although I concede that the 300 Remington Ultra Mag<\/a> is a slightly better cartridge. The extra-short 300 Winchester Short Magnum<\/a> also has appeal. But the most popular cartridge in the group, and in fact the most popular \u201cmagnum\u201d cartridge in the world, is the 300 Winchester Magnum<\/a>. There are dozens of good loads, and with newer propellants, the velocity gap between the 300 Winchester Magnum and the faster .30-caliber magnums has narrowed. Accuracy is usually very good, and while we can theorize that any .30-caliber is marginal for our biggest bears, there\u2019s nothing in North America that can\u2019t be done with a 300 Winchester Magnum.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
This is a Kenny Jarrett .300 Winchester Magnum. Jarrett\u2019s rifles are famous for accuracy, but even a good rifle like this varies with loads. This one like Hornady\u2019s 180-grain SST, center group and, top left, a 200-yard group, both just over one-half Minute of Angle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Photo
With newer propellants factory loads for popular cartridges continue to advance. This was chronograph reading for a first batch of Hornady Superformance 165-grain .30-06 ammo, at over 3000 fps this is well into .300 WSM or Win. Mag. territory.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like millions of Americans, do you already own a .30-06? Then I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d recommend abandoning it in favor of a faster .30-caliber. There also isn\u2019t much in North America that you can\u2019t do with a .30-06, and some of our newer loads (like Hornady\u2019s Superformance) upgrade velocity into .300 magnum territory. Instead, consider dropping down the scale a bit. Consider the efficient, mid-recoiling cartridges we talked about for beginners, or maybe something extra-fast and flat-shooting, like a fast .25-caliber or 6.5mm?<\/p>\n

Or perhaps you have a hunt for larger game in mind and you want something of larger caliber, with heavier bullets and more power? That\u2019s best left as a question for another time.<\/p>\n

\n

Craig Boddington<\/a> is one of today\u2019s most respected outdoor journalists. He spent the\u00a0past forty years exploring our natural world as a hunter and sharing his knowledge and experiences in dozens of books and through thousands of published articles and essays. He\u2019s a decorated Marine, an award-winning author, and continues to be a leading voice for conservation and ethical hunting around the world.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

For autographed copies of Craig’s books please visit www.craigboddington.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

LG Outdoors Caliber Dictionary<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n