[winbag338]

How many calibers are a "must have" vs " i want". Im of the oppinion the gun industry has gone way overboard with too many redundant calibers. What say you?

 

[MontyF]

I for one am happy with the choices we have. If it was true a case of need, guess all we would need is a pistol and rifle. Well maybe a shotgun, a muzzleloader, need a .22LR, wow that 06 is too big for prairie dogs......

 

[fritz1]

I agree, they have went overboard. The gun companies have came up with these new, latest, greatest cartriges that actualy dont do anything more than what has been on the market for years. They are pushing all these new cartriges in order to sell more guns, they havnt improved on anything that has already been done. This in turn is causing the ammo manufactures problems keeping up with the demand of all the new cartriges as well as the old standard cartriges, thus making it harder to find ammo and reloading components. JMO.

 

[winbag338]

I do think you can make the case for a fair number of calibers, but the companies are being stressed haveing to support the "the story that never ends".

 

[StretchNM]

I don;t know if any of mine are must haves or not, but I have a couple of redundant* calibers.
- 22 LR*
- 22-250
- 223*
- 25-06
- 7.62x39*
- 30-06
- 35 Rem
- 44mag

I know for sure that I don;t need any more calibers, but I think I want a 30-30. D)

I wonder if, at some point in the future, we'll see cartridges like "270 RXLM" (Remington Extra Long Magnum).

 

[Davers]

How many calibers are a "must have" vs " i want". Im of the oppinion the gun industry has gone way overboard with too many redundant calibers. What say you?

I agree!! The Firearm & Ammo Industries have way too many of these "New Age" loads that are more expensive & no more effectiveness then the older well established loads.

 

[BKeith]

It depends on where you live, what you intend to do or hunt. There are a whole lot of big time shooters that don't hunt at all, so their's would be different than a hunters. Then you have many that deer are the largest game they hunt so they would only need a couple. Others may not hunt anything smaller than deer, then some my hunt everything from squirrel to elephant.

The ONLY reason the firearm industry makes so many different calibers and style guns, people buy them. If regulations said you could only hunt a particular critter with a particular cartridge, and you could only use one specific cartridge to target shoot, those would be all the manufactors would produce.

It all boils down to economics 101, supply and demand. They also have to come up with ways to keep the shooters interest in buying new stuff. Gotta make them think what's out today is way better than was available last year.

A whole lot of it is people doing the same thing I do. I decide I would like to try this specific gun for this specific hunting/shooting, even though I may rarely do that but I get a gun to do it with. Then, a few years later, I think maybe this one may be better and get that one. Prime example, I mostly shoot a 7mm Mag for long range shots on deer etc. A while back I got the idea a 280 might be better, built one and tried it, while good, I still liked the 7mm mag better. Now I'm thinking the 280AI might be better and considering building one of those. That's three rifles that will basically do the same thing and very little difference between all three. Since I don't get rid of guns after I get one, it kinda makes them seem to multiply around here.

 

[Gil Martin]

It depends what you prefer

Some of the new cartridges were the product of marketing hype that seemed to fill needs that did not exist. Look at the number of new cartridges that had very short lifespans. I prefer the traditional .30-06 family of cartridges (.25-06, .270, .280. .30-06 and .338-06). They have worked well for me for decades and I will keep them. So it depends. All the best...
Gil

 

[GMFWoodchuck]

Hey. Quit it. Some of us have fun shooting these "new-fangled" calibers.

 

[broom_jm]

Aside from Ruger's addition of the 204, there are no new "calibers" out there. Ironically, the 204 is doing quite well and is a pretty cool cartridge for varmint hunting. The common calibers we have available are as follows:

.204
.224 (rimfire and centerfire)
.243 (6mm)
.257
.264 (6.5mm)
.277 (6.8mm)
.284 (7mm)
.308
.311
.323 (8mm)
.338
.348
.357/.358

And the list goes on, but nothing "new" or particularly redundant from there on up. Yeah, I probably missed one or two obscure calibers, but those are the common options.

I suppose what you meant to ask is, are there too many cartridges out there and that's a fair question. Objectively speaking, yes; there are way more cartridges out there than we "need" and many of them are highly redundant. It's what is known as an embarrassment of riches, but I'd much rather have lots to choose from than be limited to just one or two cartridges, in each caliber.

In fact, I am one of those nut-jobs who likes to dream up and shoot wildcat cartridges that add even MORE redundancy to the picture. We could have just one magnum cartridge in each caliber and load that up or down, depending on our need, but that just isn't American! Look at the huge variety of 4-door sedans if you want another example of how many redundant choices we have.

 

[William Iorg]

Exactly, we cannot stifle new thinking. If you don’t like a cartridge look in a different direction.
If manufacturers stop looking at new ideas then we will miss out on the 1 in 100 good idea.
What is a shame is “we” have our minds closed to new ideas. The market place will decide if a new product is a good idea.
While not a cartridge look at the reaction to the Ruger Scout rifle. I remember the same reaction to the Remington 600 - and I know from experience just what a fine rifle it is. Just because we don’t like it does not mean it is not exactly what someone else is looking for.

We could discuss new cartridges such as the 204 Ruger. I have seen more 204 Ruger cases lying on the range with leaking or blown primers than any other cartridge. It appears handloaders are having a few difficulties with this cartridge. Most owners I have spoken with are enthusiastic about accuracy and performance on critters. A few have commented about pressure problems on hot days.

I am still having trouble trying “everything” that is already on the market! I am just getting around to the 25 Souper and it came out in 1952! I will get to the super short things later!

 

[landroverking]

Here we go.
22lr
223
219DW
22-250
6mm ppc
243
25-06
270Wby
7-30 Waters
30-30win
30-06
300H&H
32-20
45 Long Colt
These are all Rifles. Now what do you need? That all depends on what you hunt. If had piced five it would be the 22-250, 243, 25-06, 270Wby and 300H&H. Pick four pull out the 25-06 or 270Whby. Pick three
243, 25-06, 300H&H, pick two 243 & the 300H&H. Now if I could only have one it would be the 30-06.

 

[hailstone]

New chamberings are traveling down the same path as all the new powders. There basically nitch products that maybe do something better than another product. When one stands back and observes the full picture it becomes evident the new product isn't much better than existing products.

 

[winbag338]

22lr, 5.56 or 7.62, 243, 270 or 3006 or 7mm, 7mm or 300 rum, 338, 375, 458. These are the ones i think complete the range of cartridges one may need. Of course you can sub lesser known cartriges with anyone of these, but i dont see anything past 8. This of course does not include the military

 

[Range Junkie]

Must have?
1, 22lr for same game
2. 12 ga for birds
3. Something between .24 cal and .34 cal for all the other critters (my choice would be 270 or 30-06)

 

[Tnhunter]

I say they're all good! Just that some are better than others......

 

[Davers]

The ONLY reason the firearm industry makes so many different calibers and style guns, people buy them. It all boils down to economics 101, supply and demand. They also have to come up with ways to keep the shooters interest in buying new stuff. Gotta make them think what's out today is way better than was available last year.

True, I think many people buy these newer cartridge because they think the cartridge looks "Cool" or has some extra knock-down power. Almost all the old stand-by's have the same ballistics and are capable of taking game just as well or better than the "New Age" cartridges.

 

[big dan]

often times people think that newer is better and thats a shame because so often new is simply redundant! the new short mags are a joke in my opinion, they offer nothing in the way of true improvement over the std. magnums. but they sell rifles and help to keep the industry fresh so i guess i can tolerate 'em, but i won't buy one unless it's a screaming deal!

 

[Davers]

I say they're all good! Just that some are better than others......

.......And more expensive.

 

[tuck2]

Its fun to try out various cartridges. The .224 diameter bullet can be fired from : 22 Hornet, 221 Fireball, 222 Rem, 222 Rem Mag, 223 Rem, 223 WSSM, 22-250 Rem, and 220 Swift. I may have over look some, but who would wont to give up their favorite 22 varmint cartridge ?