How about the "most under-appreciated" cartridge!

[model55]

.264 magnum,.41 magnum,25-35,.8mm

[sgtgeorge]

.30-30 is, without doubt, a "most under-appreciated" cartridge. Reload it and try it in a Savage 340 or Winchester model 54 and see for yourself. It is also a great loading in a 94.

[Haycock]

I'd have to say the 8X57 is roundly underappreciated by almost everyone, but especially by American ammunition manufacturers, owing to their fear of someone putting a properly loaded round into an old Gew.88 with .318 barrel. How many people do you know who, upon obtaining a nice old Model 98 Mauser in 8X57, rush to their gunsmith to have it rebarreled to some more "useful" caliber? Please tell me what is not useful about a 200-grain .323 Nosler Partition at about 2700.

+1!

Soft-shooting 30-30 equivalents all the way up to 30-06 levels in reasonably priced (excluding Norma) and commonly available commercial loadings:

- Sellier & Bellot SPCE (Soft-Point Cut Edge) 196gr @ 2592fps = 2924fpe
- Wolf Gold SP (rebranded Prvi Partisan 8x57JS SP) 196gr @ 2461fps = 2636fpe
- Winchester Super-X Power-Point 170gr @ 2360fps = 2102fpe
- Prvi Partisan 8mm Mauser SP 196gr @ 2182fps = @ 2073fpe
- Federal Power-Shok SP 170gr @ 2340fps = 2067fpe


Haycock

[afish4570]

356 Win. great for cast bullets and terrific with 200gr. RN.....shoots an honest 2330fps and cast bullets around 2000ish, haven't pushed them any harder.Nothing like a flat traditional 94....afish4570

[2X22]

25-35

22

[MistWolf]

...Perhaps he was referring to bullets that were mostly round nose with only a tiny meplat. The Keith bullet is a puncher alright, primarily because of its large meplat...

That's exactly right. Keith figured out that the small or non-existent meplat of round nosed bullets of the day gave poor terminal performance. He discovered that the large flat spot did the trick on game

[FWiedner]

.22LR

Many folks, even gun and hunting enthusiasts, consider it to be a beginner's cartridge or a pop gun.

It can be deadly accurate to an apprecaible range and used judiciously can kill all but the largest of game.

[Old Savage]

6 mm Rem., one of the best ever designed.

[765x53]

6 mm Rem., one of the best ever designed.

+1

They had it right when it was the .244.
If you're going to shoot deer with one bullet and prairie dogs with another, which one should the rifleing twist be optimized for?

[firefuzz]

In no certain order:

.250 Savage
.300 Savage
.30-40 Krag
7x57 Mauser
.257 Roberts

All of these except the 7x57, at least I don't think so, have been chambered in lever guns at one time or another, kill like lighting and all have low recoil.

Rob

[Hankster]

For #1 I'd say the little .22's (in all it's incarnations)..... can do WAY more than most think, and it's not given much "respect" for the "damage" it can do!!! FAR from a toy!
For #2 I'd say... yes, the 30-30!!! Writers etc seem to "pimp" the bigger flame dragon rounds..... but the old 30-30 continues to march on regardless!!!! I've come to appreciate it quite a bit lately, and here in Missouri, I don't see the need for more! I don't shoot across 500yd fields at targets I "CAN'T SEE" with the naked eye, so, who needs em!!! Toys for tanglefoots who cannot HUNT n STALK!!! LOL!! Somehow, using a "laser flat" shooting mega mag, with a 40X scope, so the target could be in the next COUNTY and get hit, just doesn't seem SPORTING!!! I RESPECT the game I hunt.... the way I (and I bet most here do it) the game has a "chance".... a more "honorable" way to hunt... but that's just me.

[gak]

Amazingly long thread and I haven't read all entries, but +1
- .30-30, .
- .32 H&R Mag ("even" with factory loadings) and
- .44 Special
...In equal billing. I'll throw in 7-30 Waters,
...and to a degree 7mm-08, for good measure.

Later Edit: Btw, if not already mentioned, somebody with more energy than I summarize the top 10 or so of this thing at some point soon--it's great!

[brno602]

In the late 80s the early 90s the .280 came back big time every ''Mountain'' rifle was a .280.Now it's dead again? So that's one.
The second one is what most of us older hunters cut are teeth on in Canada the .303 British the guns are crude but they never break down a #5 Jungle carbine as it comes is the perfect Moose rifle.
I have my .375H&H but use the old .303 more for Moose hunting I do carry the big gun for long range Elk here and Grizz in Northern B.C.
But my biggest Elk fell to one shot at 275yds with a 7x57 my other fav, and it only gives up 100fps to the .280.
But the #1 under appreciated cartridge has to be the 8x57 Mauser!
Loaded like it was ment to be it is just great! way ahead of it's time = to or better than the 06.
Now you got me started the 8x68 is just as good as the 300 win or .338 right in the middle of them but it came out long before them 1939!
Just so many un-apprecated cals out there the 30/30 is not under apperecated it's taken for granted.

[madman4570]

444 Marlin

[2520WHV]

.25 Stevens rimfire..........

[bdhold]

.25 Stevens rimfire..........

no offense, but this one surprises me. I bought a beautiful Favorite sold as a 22LR from gunbroker; received it, and found it was a .25rf. I started researching the round. Original antique rounds, not made in the US since 1940, are selling for $3/. Could find a bit better deal on Canadian rounds, made until 1970, at about $.90/round. What I read about the ballistics, the bullet drops 9" at 100'.
I got a full refund and shipping on the rifle, and that's when I bought my Uberti 1885 in 22LR.

[Markbo]

.41 Magnum in revolvers - it is all that and a bag o' chips!
.25-06 in rifles. I have killed a mountain of deer with the .25-06 (80-100 I reckon) and never had a single animal walk more than about 3 steps. But in Texas it is an ugly cousin to the 'vaunted' .270, which for me has been far inferior as every deer I have shot with one (10-12) has run 75-100 yards.

[bdhold]

..25-06 in rifles. I have killed a mountain of deer with the .25-06 (80-100 I reckon) and never had a single animal walk more than about 3 steps. But in Texas it is an ugly cousin to the 'vaunted' .270, which for me has been far inferior as every deer I have shot with one (10-12) has run 75-100 yards.

the Texas Scrub factor.
For some reason, they have placed the dividing line between .25 and .27 as the former gets deflected by scrub while the latter magically forges its way through.

[Old Ironsights]

.45-70, .30-30, .22LR & 1oz 16ga

[buckeyeshooter]

got to be 30-30.

[1894cfan]

I'd LOVE to see a modern bolt action chambered for ...... .30 Remington! does everything a 30/30 will do and is RIMLESS!!! Not that I have anything against a Win 94 30WCF!

Better yet, how about 35 Rem necked down to .30 cal in a bolt action!!!!!!

[1894cfan]

308 win/ 7.62 nato and 38/357 mag

+1

[Canuck Bob]

303 Brit is a well balanced cartridge with historical roots.

444 Marlin still the best big bore for most shooters.

[C. Cash]

I'll second the 356 Win. One heck of cartridge with alot of versatility, in the short, light Mod. 94 platform. Many writers poo pooed it before it had a chance.

[L_Kilkenny]

Some great answers here and not many that I can argue against. My personal favorites that are not only adequate for certain tasks but are down right great and to me, for a cartridge to be under appreciated it has to be GREAT. Someone mentioned the 16ga. I can't count the number of folks around here that are dismayed over the demise of the 16. Many many folks would choose it over any other shotgun. For birds and deer. Another is a couple of my personal favorites, the .260 and it's bigger brother the 7mm-08. For anything except the large bears in NA I can't think of a couple better cartridges. Personally I believe that if it had a little bit better bullet selection the .260 would have it all over the .243. Another vote for the .250 Savage too. For varmints to deer I believes it's great.

The .22LR has been brought up a time or 2. IMO, under-appreciation is more of an age thing. Everyone I know starts out with a .22LR and for good reasons. Soon they hit a time in life where only the biggest and baddest will do and they scoff at the lowly little round. Then for various reasons they get the ol'22 back out and rediscover the joy of rimfires again. This same analogy goes twice for the .30-30 and three times for motorcycles.

LK

[Buck Elliott]

Having no valuable information to add to this point, I refrain from any further addition...

[Van Morgan]

By the questions parameters, 30-30 followed by 45/70. Both are far underappreciated.

[dr walker]

Yep, .30-30 is one that is under-appreciated.
I just heard a story at the range by an 'expert'. He told why he no longer uses a 30-30 for hogs. He shot and hit a hog 3 times and the bullets all bounced off. The bullets didnt even leave a mark on the hog. He watched them bounce off the hog. He then killed the hog with a 6 inch barrel 357 magnum revolver. He was using hollow points, and that was why they penetrated to kill the hog.
I wanted to laugh at this 'expert, but I was just upset and could do nothing but shake my head and pack up my stuff and leave.
I have a few friends that view the .30-30 as a short range cartridge, and therefore prefer to use their 300 mags and 270 win's to shoot deer at 60 yards year after year.

[Ben_Rumson]

30 Carbine

[Old Time Hunter]

30 Carbine

Notice how he shot the eyes right out of those bruins!

[tman]

30 Carbine

Notice how he shot the eyes right out of those bruins!

bet that HUNTER don't read gun rags. he would have been eaten if he did

[Ben_Rumson]

Old Time Hunter wrote:

"Notice how he shot the eyes right out of those bruins!"

Yup the carbine accurate too... In this case fast accurate double taps on both...

[gak]

L_Kilkenny wrote:
"...Someone mentioned the 16ga. I can't count the number of folks around here that are dismayed over the demise of the 16. Many many folks would choose it over any other shotgun. For birds and deer...."

---
+1 ...But don't know about the deer part as I've never shot slugs with mine. For all else, great.

[willygene]

Buck sounds worn out from this, heck i am just from trying to read it all.

[gamekeeper]

L_Kilkenny wrote:
"...Someone mentioned the 16ga. I can't count the number of folks around here that are dismayed over the demise of the 16. Many many folks would choose it over any other shotgun. For birds and deer...."

---
+1 ...But don't know about the deer part as I've never shot slugs with mine. For all else, great.

+ 2

[Lawyer Daggit]

22 hornet fills a useful gap between the .22 magnum and the .222 / .223
heck, with sensible reloads you do not need a .22 magnum as reloading for it is a lot cheaper than shooting the 22 mag.

25/20 is a useful small game round that did not destroy much meat.

30-30 and 7x57 - both hangovers from a Victorian world, are capable of great hunting feats without excessive recoil, and because of sensible velocity and bullet weight do not need an expensive premium projectile to perform.

35 Whelen and 350 Rem Mag- will do what a heavy magnum will do without excessive barrel wear

[Thunder50]

There are alot of under-appreciated cartridges. Could make a long list, but I think 30-30 and 35Rem are near the top. Will say the 356/358/35Whelen are up there also, along with the 260Rem/7-08/7-30Waters and 308. Come to think of it, the 308 might be at the top. I never hear of people hunting around here with a 308 and pawn shops hate to have one in stock. Do see 30-30's at sight in days at the range, but never a 308 in the 10+ years I have been helping.

I think differences between the top 20 are so small, that its really hard to say which one is on top.

Just my 2 cents

[86er]

I'm voting for

28 bore (aka 28 gauge)

300 Savage

221 Fireball