Cartridge Comparison

[AJ]

I got to thinking about different cartridges and how they would compare in trajectory and which ones have enough energy to get the job done. I compared 10 different cartridges and plotted the results. I used Remington factory ammo in popular deer cartridges/loads for the data. Here are the cartridges I used:

.243 Winchester 100 gr
.25-06 Remington 115 gr
.260 Remington 140 gr
.270 Winchester 130 gr
7-08 Remington 140 gr
.280 Remington 150 gr
7mm Remington Magnum 160 gr
.308 Winchester 150 gr
.30-06 Springfield 165 gr
.300 Winchester Magnum 180 gr

To be fair, I zeroed all the cartridges to be sighted in 2" high at 100 yards. I was a little suprised to find out there is only 3" of difference in drop between all the cartridges. Here are the trajectories:




Ok, so they travel similarly. How about energy? It has often been written that the minimum for whitetail deer is 1,000 ft/lbs of energy. We know this number has a big buffer as many cartridges kill just fine with less than that amount. But what the heck, its a nice round number. Here are the energy levels for the same loads:



Hmmm, all of the loads have at least 1,000 ft/lbs of energy at 300 yards. Will the big guns with double that amount kill a deer any deader? Nope, I didn't think so.

[OJR]

Great post AJ!

That is the same thing I have been saying for years!

Who needs the recoil, expensive ammo, noise and more ruined meat with the magnums?

[Jeramie]

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Who needs the recoil, expensive ammo, noise and more ruined meat with the magnums?

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Not to mention the bruised shoulder and detached retina! Great post aj. Ive never seen them lumped together like that.

[Swamphunter]

Thanks AJ!

[J_Owens_66]

Well my magnum shooting friends.....take a look at that chart guys, my ole .243 is gettin the job done just as good as the rest. Nice post AJ.

[huntinsonovagun]

WOW!!! You went through a lot of work, but really cleared up a bunch of thoughts!!

Here is a question for you.....with all your newfound information, what is the smallest gun you would take elk hunting??

[AJ]

I would say the .260 Rem. It is the ballistic twin to the 6.5x55 Sweede. That round had been popular in Europe to shoot moose. The Europeans have not really gotten the magnumitis like Americans have. A properly designed bullet in a .260 will do an elk in big time.

[huntinsonovagun]

Wow. Sounds like, with different "loads", a .260 is probably the most verstile rifle on the market, generally speaking of course thanks for the diagrams!!!

[Modillo]

i still will take my 7mm rem mag. and an .06 anytime. because i know how to shoot them.

[robk]

i have shot and owned the 270 and 25/06 and still shoot the 06 but am in the middle of getting my ducks lined up to build me a 308 in turkish mauser action. my friend just finished his in 243 and it is one shooting machine a four bullet groups was inside 1/2 inch with a turk mauser action and i decided since i have my light weight guns and the 06 is an excellent deer gun or could even go with bear but for elk or bigger i am workng on my first custom 308 and looking forward to shooting it at target and critter
rob k

[AJ]

First off, welcome to the forums.

Dealing with wildcats can significantly reduce the resale value of a gun. Not that many people want them. Because they don't shoot factory ammo, they are not as desirable to some. So that is one thing to keep in mind.

I have and shoot a 30-06 AI. I really don't see much improvement over the standard cartridge. Definately not enough to make it worth while. It gets a couple fps increase but not enough to really make a difference. It does slow the brass flow though. Trimming cases is dramatically reduced. you can still shoot factory ammo in a properly chambered Ackley Improved cartridge gun. There should be .001" - .002 crush fit with standard ammo.

The 30-338 is pretty much the same (very slight differences only) as the .308 Norma Magnum. Its slightly slower than a 300 Win as the shoulder is not as far forwards, giving the Norma Mag a longer neck. This round was somewhat popular with 1000 yard target shooters as it gave better neck tension than the .300 Win Mag. Some shooters say it is more efficient than the 300 Win Mag and can equal the same velocity with less powder. While this is true, it does not have the same pressure. When they are both loaded to the same pressure, the 30 Win Mag wins. The 300 Win Mag or 300 WSM will do anything the 30-338 will, and a little bit more. As far as power, look at the chart above, each of the cartridges provide adequate power to over 350 yards to cleanly take deer sized game. Most of them will provide enough power at over 500 yards to cleanly take game, but there are very, very few hunters that can make that shot under hunting conditions. Its easy to shoot long range frm a benchrest, but take away the bench and it just got a whoooole lot harder.

Forming 30-338 brass is easy, and you have a few options. You can neck up a 7mm Rem Mag, neck down a .338 Win Mag, or just run 300 Win brass in a 30-338 sizing die. It will push the shoulder back enough to allow headspacing off the shoulder (belted magnums headspace off the belt) and the case will fireform to the chamber when it gets shot.

If you are trying to build a one gun for deer, elk, moose, etc, the standard 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag, etc will do what you want.

[superguide]

Was talking to a guiding buddy and now the big rage amongst the American guys coming up is the (sacro-cranial shot) danged if I know where that is-there are times you could shoot a fawn with an elephant gun and it will run a few steps. A shot through both lungs will KILL any animal in a very short distance-it's the biggest easiest target and you don't need to hit them there with a rocket launcher. From what I've seen 99 percent of guys-me included-can't even push the accuracy limits of the equipment they are using. You see guys spend thousands of dollars and obsess about shrinking their groups when for most hunting situations they are already shooting more than good enough. The biggest thing I feel is to know your limitations and shoot and hunt within them. If you have trouble shooting deer at 200 yards don't spend gobs of money trying to shoot one at 600.

[AJ]

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... A shot through both lungs will KILL any animal in a very short distance-it's the biggest easiest target and you don't need to hit them there with a rocket launcher.

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I don't hunt with guys that take head shots on big game. I have had to go after too many that had jaws and noses blown off that were not going to die anytime soon, to condone those shots.

[ QUOTE ]
From what I've seen 99 percent of guys-me included-can't even push the accuracy limits of the equipment they are using. ...The biggest thing I feel is to know your limitations and shoot and hunt within them. If you have trouble shooting deer at 200 yards don't spend gobs of money trying to shoot one at 600.

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You hit the X-Ring with this post! A gun that shoots 2 MOA in teh hands of an expert is better than a gun that shoots 1/4 MOA in an amateur.

[shotupdeer]

I still like my '06. Cheap ammo, a wide bullet selection, the ability to kill every living creature in North America, and many other factors have always made it my favorite, and will make it my favorite for the rest of my life.

[SavageTaylor]

I used my T/C Encore in .260 Rem last fall to harvest my Bull Moose & my Cow Elk. The .260 Rem has proven itself to me for sure. My Moose was harvested with a single shot @ 165 yards, the Cow Elk took two shots @ 275 yards, it was dead on it's feet & unable to run off with the rest of the herd, but took it's time going down, had I been more patient the first shot would of been enough.

--Ken