Gaillo
14th April 2011, 01:45 PM
What cartridges are you a fan of that just aren't quite there... either didn't catch on in the first place, or are too new and haven't hit the "big time" yet?
For me:
6x45 (6mm223) - This cartridge (a .223 Remington necked up to 6mm (.243")) was popular among bench rest shooters before the 6mm PPC and 6BR cartridges arrived. It has a huge and loyal following in Africa among bush hunters, but is relatively unknown in the U.S. It allows for a 6mm AR-15 solution without changing magazines or bolt, only a barrel change is required.
.260 Remington - A .308 Win. cartridge necked down to 6.5mm (.264"). This cartridge is the ballistic double of the famous 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser cartridge - one of the greatest cartridge designs of all time. Using plentiful .308 Win. brass as a parent case, I continue to scratch my head as to why this cartridge never took off... I've done a lot of ballistic analysis on this one and come to the conclusion that it is probably THE most efficient .308 Win. based cartridge yet devised.
6.5 Grendel - Basically a 6.5mm (.264") version of the PPC family of benchrest cartridges (the others beign the 22 PPC and 6mm PPC), this cartridge was designed to be a "be everything, do everything" small arms cartridge for the military. In that role, it truly DOES do everything, offering excellent short range performance and long-range accuracy out to 1,000 yards. It uses long, streamlined 6.5mm bullets, that typically stay supersonic past 1,200 yards. Outperforms the .308 Win. in terms of trajectory and long-range energy delivery, in a package small enough to fit in a standard AR-15 action (with different bolt, magazines, and barrel). This one's still too new to see if it will really catch on, but there are several rifle, barrel, ammunition, and magazine manufacturers so far... so it's looking like it might succeed.
.284 Winchester - A nice 7mm cartridge with a unique "rebated" rim that is smaller than the cartridge case. Excellent external ballistics. Unfortunately, bolt-action variants of rifles are rarely chambered in this cartridge, and it's benchrest "wildcats" (including the 6.5-284, probably THE most popular long-range benchrest cartridge) have become far more popular than the parent case. This cartridge is headed for obscurity and obsolescence - which is unfortunate considering how much it offers.
7mm WSM - The ballistic king of the WSM (Winchester Short Magnum) cartridge family - this unbelted magnum is short and fat for accuracy, and outperforms just about every other magnum class cartridge of .30 caliber or smaller. However, the continued popularity of the belted 7mm Remington cartridge continues to eclipse all other 7mm Magnum designs that come along, leaving most of them in the "obsolete cartridge" trash can.
.222 Remington - For some reason I just LIKE this little cartridge - popular among benchrest shooters and among shooters in countries where .223 Rem. is not allowed due to bans on military ammunition... this one just doesn't seem to have much of a following any more in the U.S.
Well... those are my picks - what are yours?
For me:
6x45 (6mm223) - This cartridge (a .223 Remington necked up to 6mm (.243")) was popular among bench rest shooters before the 6mm PPC and 6BR cartridges arrived. It has a huge and loyal following in Africa among bush hunters, but is relatively unknown in the U.S. It allows for a 6mm AR-15 solution without changing magazines or bolt, only a barrel change is required.
.260 Remington - A .308 Win. cartridge necked down to 6.5mm (.264"). This cartridge is the ballistic double of the famous 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser cartridge - one of the greatest cartridge designs of all time. Using plentiful .308 Win. brass as a parent case, I continue to scratch my head as to why this cartridge never took off... I've done a lot of ballistic analysis on this one and come to the conclusion that it is probably THE most efficient .308 Win. based cartridge yet devised.
6.5 Grendel - Basically a 6.5mm (.264") version of the PPC family of benchrest cartridges (the others beign the 22 PPC and 6mm PPC), this cartridge was designed to be a "be everything, do everything" small arms cartridge for the military. In that role, it truly DOES do everything, offering excellent short range performance and long-range accuracy out to 1,000 yards. It uses long, streamlined 6.5mm bullets, that typically stay supersonic past 1,200 yards. Outperforms the .308 Win. in terms of trajectory and long-range energy delivery, in a package small enough to fit in a standard AR-15 action (with different bolt, magazines, and barrel). This one's still too new to see if it will really catch on, but there are several rifle, barrel, ammunition, and magazine manufacturers so far... so it's looking like it might succeed.
.284 Winchester - A nice 7mm cartridge with a unique "rebated" rim that is smaller than the cartridge case. Excellent external ballistics. Unfortunately, bolt-action variants of rifles are rarely chambered in this cartridge, and it's benchrest "wildcats" (including the 6.5-284, probably THE most popular long-range benchrest cartridge) have become far more popular than the parent case. This cartridge is headed for obscurity and obsolescence - which is unfortunate considering how much it offers.
7mm WSM - The ballistic king of the WSM (Winchester Short Magnum) cartridge family - this unbelted magnum is short and fat for accuracy, and outperforms just about every other magnum class cartridge of .30 caliber or smaller. However, the continued popularity of the belted 7mm Remington cartridge continues to eclipse all other 7mm Magnum designs that come along, leaving most of them in the "obsolete cartridge" trash can.
.222 Remington - For some reason I just LIKE this little cartridge - popular among benchrest shooters and among shooters in countries where .223 Rem. is not allowed due to bans on military ammunition... this one just doesn't seem to have much of a following any more in the U.S.
Well... those are my picks - what are yours?