Out of the mainstream hunting calibers

[choc dogs]

I frequently carry a m70 fwt in 7x57, my youngest son's favorite firearm is his m70 fwt in 6.5x55. I've got a wildcat 6.5x308 that my dad built in the late 70's, amazingly enough it's dimensions exactly mirror a 260 rem, so that's what it eats. I think that's about it for non mainstream cartridges for me, I do prefer the classics though.

 

[kiwi hunter]

Europe,,the round is virtually a copy of the 6.5 grendel but i can make the 90 gr tnt go significantly faster for some reason

 

[ShadowFast1]

.308 Winchester.

 

[std7mag]

I'm with several others, notably Lady Europe.
Stevens 200 with an E.R. Shaw 24" barrel in 250 Savage.
She really likes the 115gr Berger VLD.

Also hunt with Ruger 77 MKII in 257 Roberts.
Ruger 77 MKII in 280 Rem.
Forbes 24B in 280 Rem.
Custom Mauser wearing E.R. Shaw 1.5 contour 24" barrel chambered in 284 Win.
Stevens 200 in 7mm-08AI.
Building custom Mauser in 7X57 Mauser for my daughter.
While living in MD. I hunted with my 44 cal Colt Walker.

And i'm still in the hunt (pun intended) for several other rifles to use as donors.
257 Kimber
25 Souper
25-284
25-350 Rem Mag
6.5X57 Mauser
6.5mm Rem Mag
7mm-350 Rem Mag
7mm LRM
7mm Dakota
Just to name a few.

 

[midwesthunter]

6mm REMINGTON for me as well although as good a cartridge as it is it SHOULD BE a mainstream cartridge! You could not tell that by my user name though could you!

Well between poor Remington marketing and the gun writers not liking the metric cartridges back then, they had a lot of great cartridges, that should be around today.

I have a set of Rem 600's, 6mm, 6.5 Rem mag (will come back to me when my uncle passes), 350 Rem mag (forgot about that one) 222 still use this one, I kind of consider it main stream, still decent ammo availability.

IMO the 8mm Rem mag, Remington never loaded to its potential, maybe we wouldn't have seen some of the 338's if this one would have taken off?

 

[memtb]

My “only” hunting rifle (for all big game), .375 AI....not the most common cartridge. My wife....a “standard run of the mill” .338 WM. Same for her.....one cartridge for all big game. memtb

 

[6mm Remington]

Well between poor Remington marketing and the gun writers not liking the metric cartridges back then, they had a lot of great cartridges, that should be around today.

I have a set of Rem 600's, 6mm, 6.5 Rem mag (will come back to me when my uncle passes), 350 Rem mag (forgot about that one) 222 still use this one, I kind of consider it main stream, still decent ammo availability.

IMO the 8mm Rem mag, Remington never loaded to its potential, maybe we wouldn't have seen some of the 338's if this one would have taken off?

It was mine originally but is now my older son's rifle is a Remington 600 in 6mm Remington. My dad purchased it for me new back in about 1970. When I turned 12 a couple years later he gave it to me as my first big game rifle. Love that rifle and cartridge. The Model 600 is the Montana Territorial Centennial model and the 100th anniversary of Montana Statehood. (1964) The rifle sat on the shelf in a little mom and pop store in Nye Montana for several years until my dad finally purchased it for $99.00 I believe, brand new. I took my first antelope and deer with it and so did my son.

 

[Panda Bear]

It was mine originally but is now my older son's rifle is a Remington 600 in 6mm Remington. My dad purchased it for me new back in about 1970. When I turned 12 a couple years later he gave it to me as my first big game rifle. Love that rifle and cartridge. The Model 600 is the Montana Territorial Centennial model and the 100th anniversary of Montana Statehood. (1964) The rifle sat on the shelf in a little mom and pop store in Nye Montana for several years until my dad finally purchased it for $99.00 I believe, brand new. I took my first antelope and deer with it and so did my son.

Great story, thank you David. I know you LOVE that rifle and now I know why, beside the fact it works well for you in the field

Thanks everyone for your posts . Some VERY interesting calibers, some I had not heard of.

April, I think they might have missed your humor about the Creed and as usual I had to look uo something you said. Had never heard of that vehicle , just like I had never heard of hunting Capercaillie in Sweden

Noharley yet

std7mag. A friend of mine gave me his 250/3000 as he was headed south. Pretty nice rifle. I have not used it to hunt with however.

memtb--I also use one rifle for everything ( 348 ) unless we head south for goat and/or sheep, then I break out the 275 H & H . I have not run into one other person who uses the 348 or 275 H & H, which gives me some pause , but for me, they work very well, and of course that is all that matters. To each their own. I know that no one on this forum would make this mistake, but I have run into folks who have said. the 275 H & H wasn't that also called the 275 Rigby--ah no, different caliber and then I explain to them that the Rigby is another name for the 7 x 57. which btw is a pretty nice caliber also. I need to look for one someday if for no other reason than to have the 275==== H & H and Rigby.

I see Aussie Hunter has the Rigby. I need to go to Australia and we can hunt those two rifles together

Also Std7mag. Now THAT is a bucket list of calibers. hope you get therm all

was hoping to hear from Brent

 

[44hunter45]

It is just a flash in the pan and wont be around long. However, I thought the Nash Metropolitan would be a huge success when it was introduced, so I wouldn't put much stock in my opinion LOL !

For me, I guess the 6.5 x 55 Swede is the oldest caliber I used regularly, but if we moved up into the early 1900's then the 300 H & H and 375 H & H. When in Arizona, used the 250 Savage a lot . I just remembered I also have a 6.5 x 54 M.S. that my son still uses regularly

Brent and Ben Lamb have some really nice old rifles/calibers

Kiwi hunter. Are the ballistics of the 6.5/204 anything like the Creedmore, Swede, and 260 ? ( I guess I could just try to find information about it because as of right this second I am not recognizing it, but my memory is not what it use to be for sure )

Plus one on the 6.5x55. Also 45 Colt. Both loaded with the heaviest bullets that will fit. I still carry a 1916 production Model 1894 in ".30WCF" aka .30/30 regularly. I'm having a 35 Whelen built right now.
I recently won new production Winchester 1886 in 45/70 at an RMEF banquet. I was so excited until I saw the lawyered up tang safety on it. It's the only gun I've ever sold in my entire life. It went to a good home with a collector in Texas.

The "newest" cartridge I shoot in the woods is .264 Win Mag. I dream of owning a .358 Norma Mag on a Montana Rifle action.
All these "Needmoor" shooters seem to think my calibers are obsolete these days. The antlers on the wall disagree with them.

Getting back to the OP. I would love to own those older guns. I've loved the .348 since I first heard of it. Also the .38-55 and .405. I know several round about who started their kids deer hunting with 25/35 and other Winchesters. It teaches them to GET CLOSE.
I started my three boys on the 6.5x55. All made Dead Right There kills.

 

[88man]

I'm with several others, notably Lady Europe.
Stevens 200 with an E.R. Shaw 24" barrel in 250 Savage.
She really likes the 115gr Berger VLD.

Also hunt with Ruger 77 MKII in 257 Roberts.
Ruger 77 MKII in 280 Rem.
Forbes 24B in 280 Rem.
Custom Mauser wearing E.R. Shaw 1.5 contour 24" barrel chambered in 284 Win.
Stevens 200 in 7mm-08AI.
Building custom Mauser in 7X57 Mauser for my daughter.
While living in MD. I hunted with my 44 cal Colt Walker.

And i'm still in the hunt (pun intended) for several other rifles to use as donors.
257 Kimber
25 Souper
25-284
25-350 Rem Mag
6.5X57 Mauser
6.5mm Rem Mag
7mm-350 Rem Mag
7mm LRM
7mm Dakota
Just to name a few.

Who built your 7mm dakota?

MCR built mine

 

[BrentD]

I have a 30-40 Craig I get out of the cabinet every now and then.

not to be a picker of nits, but that's a Krag, not a Craig. I try to spell it wrong all the time too

I have one of these. It might be my most modern caliber. Cool, weird rifles.

 

[std7mag]

Who built your 7mm dakota?

MCR built mine

When it gets built, i will be doing the work.
Still on my cartridges to get list.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Ya whatever. I never won a spelling contest. lol

 

[Blaser270]

I have a Winchester 1892 in 25-20 hanging on my wall. I’ve never fired it, much less hunted with it, but I’ve always wanted to. That one will teach you to get close too. I bet it could tell stories!

 

[Jeremyc_1999]

I shot my first deer with a 32 winchester special. My dad still has it. Hopefully I'll get it and my son can shoot his first deer with it.

 

[deer_shooter]

I started hunting with a 30/30 that occasionally gets to go for a walk and later a 45/70 that I like to hunt with here and there. While both calibers have been around awhile, both are still pretty mainstream. I've always wanted something obscure so I may have 250 AI built in the next year or two.

 

[deer_shooter]

I have a Winchester 1892 in 25-20 hanging on my wall. I’ve never fired it, much less hunted with it, but I’ve always wanted to. That one will teach you to get close too. I bet it could tell stories!

Thats a pretty cool one. IIRC, the Jordan buck that held the world record for whitetail was killed in 1912 (or thereabouts) by a meat hunter shooting a 25/20.

 

[Dougfirtree]

I have a 6mm Remington that I break out every now and then as well as a 8mm Rem mag, those are the only non main stream cartridges I use beside wildcat rounds.

I found some 8mm Rem Mag brass at the range the other day. Looks pretty fearsome!

 

[come2elmo]

Picked up a ruger #1 in 6mm rem for my boys to start on. Also run a German Mauser 98 in 25 Souper my dad and grand dad built in the 50’s. Might just have to break it out for Texas whitetail opener this weekend. Now that you guys have me thinking about it.

 

[Blaser270]

Thats a pretty cool one. IIRC, the Jordan buck that held the world record for whitetail was killed in 1912 (or thereabouts) by a meat hunter shooting a 25/20.

I read that once. I can imagine the thought going through that deer’s mind when he got shot. “Seriously, a 25-20?. I thought maybe they’d get me with an -06, but never a 25-20”.
At 1400 fps, he must have shot him at like, 8 yards!