whats your favorite rifle cartridge(s) and why?

Hammie consider yourself partially responsible for this I'd been meaning to post this and your "next rifle" thread pushed me to it. I'm a huge fan of the 257 roberts. And your trivia is correct. I just love how versatile it is. Varmint one day deer the next!!
 
I like light-recoiling, flat-shooting cartridges.

Somewhere between .243Win and .308, I lose the fun factor. .308 (and similar) and up are more recoil in common weight guns than I really care to use. Can and will, but it's not fun anymore.

.243Win, actually mine's an AI, is a lot of fun.

.22-250, like a laser. Very low recoil, fun all day. 35gr bullets at 4,450fps have to be seen to be believed.

.204 Ruger, tons of fun, no recoil, almost as flat as the 35gr 22-250, with less muzzle blast and recoil.

Do I have to have a favorite? They all make me :).
 
I'd have to go with the 308/7.62 Win. It'll do anything the /06 will do but just doesn't have quite the range of the /06 which means little to me. I'm not against the /06 but the short action is more agreeable to me for several reasons.

In 2nd place...I'm leaning heavily to the (wait for it)...45/70 Govt. This cartridge is so easy to load and cast for that it's just amazing. In the Marlin LA it is a supreme brush gun, and with the 155 gr collar button mould is fine for small game as well as larger game with heavier boolits. It can take anything on earth and has even been used to take Cape Buffalo by one of our own members (Rich).

It can also be loaded with BP so it's actually a very versatile cartridge. It carries like a 30/30, shoots like a rifle, yet has the stopping power of a 12 Ga with slugs. What's not to like about the 45/70?
 
@Mattl46: I have a pretty extensive gun collection and another game to play is to ask yourself:

If I had to pare my collection down to 5 rifles, or 3 handguns, or some other arbitrary number, what guns would be kept and what guns would go.

@Pfleuger: I hear ya. My .300 winchester has not been fired in about 15 years. .308 win is about my upper limit and I love my 28 gauge shotguns.
A savage model 14, chambered for .250 savage, might be on a short list for purchase. A pretty rifle and a classic cartridge.
 
I know others have more experience with the cartridge, as I've only been shooting it 40+ years, but I must say the .270 is my favorite. You could say I grew up with it. Not a big fan of Elmer's preferences and, in fact, I like what Brian has to say. 6x55 is sweet. I do like the 30-06 fired out of a Ma Deuce. ;)
 
Way too many great cartridges. Again why I said "cartridge(s)" @ hammie I can't say my collection is extensive but I can say its diverse...which would make that question all the harder to answer...
 
My target/fun-shooting cartridges are .22lr, 6.5x55, and .243 Winchester.

For big game: .308 Winchester and 7mm Remington Magnum.

For small game: .17 HMR

For self-defence: 12 ga, 10mm, .308 Winchester.

Cartridges I like but have no guns for: .222 Remington, 45-70, .44 Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum, .375 H&H.
 
6.5 Swede

Kind of a niche cartridge in this Country.
Accurate, mild recoil, deadly effective, sexy ballistically efficient bullets. Perfect for almost all north american game.
 
.22 LR for its thriftiness.

.17 HMR for range fun factor, accuracy, and no recoil.

.260 R as best fit for the .308 brass in short action.

.280 AI as best fit for the .30-06 brass in long action.

.300 RUM as the overall king of the .30s in magnum extra long action.

.50 BMG, because!
 
In no particular order;

.30-06 - Because it's the most versatile game cartridge in history. Period.

.22 LR - Because you would be at the range all day if you bought $50 of ammo.

.50 BMG - Because there isn't anything, anywhere, that can hide from it.
 
22lr, 7.5 Swiss, 6.5 Swede.
30/06 is what I hunt with though. I can walk into any gun shop in the country and they will almost certainly have good hunting ammo in 30/06.

I would really like to get more experience with some flat shooting cartridges like the 204 ruger.
 
.308, .223 and .17 HMR. Nothing I need doing that can't be done with these. Accurate, versatile and easy to reload and components are easier to find. I'll throw in the 6mm Rem. and .260 as close.
 
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned 22-250 Remington yet.. I've been a fan for years, ever since the first time I shot my Dad's Model 70 Featherweight Carbine chambered in it when I was 16ish. There's something about sending a round out at 4000 fps (or near it) LOL, that is handy for knocking down coyotes on the run.

I wouldn't mind finding a nice rifle chambered for it's parent 250-3000 Savage and comparing it to my .243, which I have taken to carrying more due to the versatility of everything from light speedy loads to heavier loads for more punch.
 
My favorite is the .30 M1 Carbine, it's just fun to shoot. Second is .30-30. .30-06 is a bit on the heavy side for me, not something I'd plink with for fun.
 
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