By The Numbers
As the days tick away, it is hard not to think about the upcoming hunting season, especially with so many daily reminders. If you are a deer hunter you may be instantly be transported to the blind if you happen to glance at the clock at 2:43, 3:08 or even 7:08. If you are tactical shooter, 2:23 or 5:56 may get you daydreaming about your next range session. If you are a predator or prairie dog devastator then 2:20 or 2:04 may be your desired dial settings. But shooters and hunters face all kinds of reminders at least twice a day. Below are some cartridges that help pass the time.
.204 Ruger – This little speed demon is the one of the fastest commercially available rounds. It is based off the .222 Remington Magnum.
.220 Swift – is another speed demon with a mystical power to punch above it’s weight limit. P.O. Ackly used the swift to cull burros out west.
.222 Remington – The parent case for the 222 Remington Mag, and therefore the 2.04 Ruger, the .222 was the initial prototype for the AR-15 rifles developed by ArmaLite. It was popular into the 1980’s but was eclipsed by our next round.
.223 Remington – is based off the 222 above, and has become one of the most commercially successful rounds. The primary round used in Modern Sporting Rifles like the AR15 styled rifles, it can be used for target, predator and with heavier grain bullets is also an option for whitetail deer.
.224 Valkyrie – The .224 was introduced in 2017 and is based off the 6.8 Remington SPC (covered in our Midrange Munition blog post back in 2020). The Valkyrie is like the .223 on steroids pushing 60 – 90 grains bullets at comparable speeds and still fits in an standard AR platform.
.243 Winchester – The .243 is the ultimate dual purpose round suitable for both predator and deer sized game. It is based on a necked down .308 and has been one of the top sellers for over 60 years.
.257 Roberts – The Bob is one of only a few of the quarter bores that had any kind of success. It is based on the 7MM Mauser and developed in the 1920’s. It was was the dual purpose option before the introduction of the 6MM Remington and .243 Winchester.
.308 Winchester – The .308 is a military round developed in 1952 for the M14 rifle. It was designed as a short action, magazine fed version of the M1 Garand which used the 30-06 cartridge. The M14 was quickly supplanted by the M16 using the 5.56, but the .308 lives on as one of the best all around cartridge ever developed.
.338 Win. Mag – Is one of the most popular big game cartridges in North America, especially where dangerous game are concerned. It is based on the 375 H&H which was developed back in 1912 and both have stood the test of time.
350 Legend – Introduced in 2019, this cartridge has lived up to it’s name in a very short time. It is basically a straight walled .223 Remington case designed for deer hunters in midwestern states that restricted bottle neck cases for hunting. It has also found a strong following in some Southern states that have primitives weapon regulations of single shot rifles in .35 caliber or larger.
.357 Mag – Most people consider the 357 Mag a handgun round, but there are also gun manufacturers who chamber the 357 in lever action and single shot rifles. Either way the .357 has been in use since 1935 and makes a great option for deer hunting for short range handgun hunters and those who like to stretch it out a little bit with a rifle.
.358 Winchester – This may not be as popular a cartridge as it once was, but the .358 Win has been around since 1955 and is the .308 Win necked up to 35 caliber. I have used this cartridge for whitetails with great success, but it is capable for so much more. For comparison, it is more powerful than the 45-70 and is capable for all North American game animals.
.444 Marlin – The 444 Marlin was introduced in 1964 and is essentially an elongated 44 Mag. While it was initially developed for Marlin’s lever action rifles, it has also found favor in single shot rifles and for straight walled hunters in the Midwest.
5.56 Nato – If you are familiar with the .223 Remington, then you are probably also familiar with the 5.56. It is essentially the NATO standardized .223 and any rifle chambered for 5.56 can also fire the .223, however it is not recommended to shoot 5.56 rounds out of a rifle chambered for .223.
.7-08 Remington – The 7mm08 was introduced in 1958 and is actually .28 caliber round. Both it and it’s smaller sibling the .260 Rem. are based off the .308 Win. The 7-08 is often thought of as a youth round, but is capable of so much more. The Alaska Fish & Game actually suggest you bring a 7mm08, .270 Win, .308 Win or 30-06 Springfield over a big magnum round. That is a pretty definitive suggestion that the 7mm08 is more than just a youth whitetail round.
If you enjoyed this timely blog post and want some additional options to kill time, then I suggest you browse our On The Hunt blog entries, specifically The Timeless Caliber Debate.
