Cartridge Rankings

P

Picher

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FYI - Data from RifleShooter Magazine (March/April 2014) article by Layne Simpson et/al:

The top ten rifle (Federal) factory cartridge sales (2011) are:
1. .223 Rem (No surprise here)*
2. .243 Win*
3. 30-06
4. .308 Win
5. .270 Win*
6. .30-30 Win
7. 7mm Rem Mag
8. .22-250 Rem
9. .300 Win Mag
10. 25-06 Rem

*I presently own rifles using these cartridges and owned a couple of .30-06s and .22-250s in the past (re-barreled one of the .22-250s to .243 Win).

RCBS 2012 Die Sales Ranking:
1. .223 Rem
2. .308 Win
3. .45 ACP
4. .30-06
5. 9mm Luger (Parabellum)
6. .40 S&W
7. .243 Win
8. .270 Win
9. .300 Win Mag
10. .38 Special/.357 Mag

The article mentioned other cartridges that made the lists the first year or two when introduced, but have faded since, including .260 Rem and 7mm-08 Rem. (I happen to load 7 of the top 10 die sets sold.)

Layne noted that the most popular deer/big game cartridge is the .243 Win, apparently to the chagrin of many gun writers, and so-called experts.

Note that the order of ammo die sales has changed considerably since the 1980 listings.
 
The differences in ammo rank versus die rank are interesting. Probably not particularly significant considering that both are from only one maker, but interesting.

Picher said:
Layne noted that the most popular deer/big game cartridge is the .243 Win, apparently to the chagrin of many gun writers, and so-called experts.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes. Reality versus the internet. Ain't it grand.:D
 
I'm hoping the popularity of 243 Win reflects a surge of new hunters.
Click to expand...
It wouldn't be a bad thing. But... every new .243 Win sale that I've seen first-hand in the last 5 years has been a shooter/hunter wanting to expand their options, rather than a new shooter/hunter just getting started.

I don't know why its popularity has spiked, but even some die-hard .243 'haters' in my family have bought new .243s in the last year, or plan to soon.
 
Hunters as a group are getting older, and wiser. They are starting to realize that the 300 magnum they bought 30 years ago, (just in case they ever get to go elk hunting), is way more than they need for deer. They are getting tired of the recoil and are discovering a 243 kills deer just as dead.
 
Sort out Zombie (they don't exist) from possible purposes and you have the .243as the most popular pratical cartridge for hunting/shooting. My favorite on the list is 10'th place, that's a suprise to me, that it's there at all. 30-30 will never die, I hope.
 
I am also surprised that the .308 is not second. Very surprised. I would tend to believe that there is some form of sampling error.
Where the second poll illustrates popularity among people who reload (more specifically people who reload with Hornady products), the first poll would indicate that it is across all shooters. I'd like to understand the basis for the data in that poll.
B
 
Federal may have been filling a DOD contract for 308, so that might have skewed the data away from the civilian sales. I know they were sole source for Mk316 Mod0, just don't know what the total round count was for the fiscal year.

Jimro
 
I don't so much try to buy ammo locally (N. CA is not a perfect environment for having a wealth of choice) but I never seem to have any problems ordering .308 via that inter web darpa thing. Other than the price of course.
So perhaps this poll came just at a time when there was a sharp dip in availability but I'd like to understand who generated the numbers. And not that it should matter but the data is labeled as of 2011 which is pre-Fed big buys (I think) and the more recent school disasters.
B
 
interesting

+1 to all the .243 comments

I think many of the .308 shooters are reloading. What is carrying .308 "die sales" is likely competitive shooters, who won't be buying much factory ammo. Same same, 9mm and .45 acp

The 25-06 is a surprise.
 
Too bad the 6mm Remington can't work it's way up in the standings- it wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit to be able to find some Winchester brass.

Yeah, I dig seeing the old .30-30 way up there on the list too.
 
public range

Back before ALL brass became so valuable, I used to scavenge brass at a nearby public range. Nice set up really. One of the more common cases frequently found was indeed .30-30. Lots of Marlin 336's sold as affordable, easily scoped deer rifles before the poly bolt rifle splurge.
 
You wrote:

"Layne noted that the most popular deer/big game cartridge is the .243 Win, apparently to the chagrin of many gun writers, and so-called experts."

The reasons may be:

1. Considered adequate (by the buyers) for deer.
2. Low recoil.
3. Use on varmints off season.

I ordered and got my first 243 (M70) in 1957 and used it for target competition and varmint hunting.

I use larger cartridges for deer.
 
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