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From the .243 to the .458, Ed Cartier makes the case that the classic seven cartridges still outperform today’s trendy newcomers. Proof that true hunting power never goes out of style.
By Ed Cartier
Over the last twenty-five years or so, we hunters have been bombarded with a tidal wave of new cartridges. We have been short-magged, super-short magged, ultra magged, Creedmore’d, ARC’d, PRC’d and SPC’d. All fine cartridges for sure. But could they all be a bit superfluous?
I would posit that we have had all we need for decades. Winchester, Remington and Holland & Holland created ground-breaking cartridges and calibers seventy years ago or more that have stood the test of time and have accounted for an untold number of trophy animals. There are seven of these cartridges that stand out, and which, comprised as a battery, can take a hunter anywhere in the world. I, for one, question the need to re-fit my rifle cabinet with newcomers when the standards have worked so well for so long.
These cartridges include the Winchester .243, Winchester .270, Springfield .30-06 (or Winchester .308 for short action fans), .300 Winchester Magnum (or 7mm Remington Magnum for 7mm fans), .338 Winchester Magnum, .375 H&H Magnum and the Winchester .458 Magnum. As an added bonus, ammunition is generally available where the cartridges are in common use (not too many .458s in Walmart or .243’s on safari). Now, before you skip this article, write the editor or complain on social media, hear me out.
Introduced in 1955 for the Model 70 bolt action rifle and Model 88 lever gun, the .243 is a necked-down .308 that may be the first “super 6mm” to come on the market. The cartridge can handle bullet weights from 55 grains up to 100 grains, with published muzzle velocities between 4060 FPS and 3110 FPS from factory loads. Zeroed at 200 yards, that puts projectiles between 3.9 inches low at 300 yards and 6.6 inches low at 300 yards, depending on the weight. Retained energy at 300 yards ranges from 1280 to 1481 foot-pounds.
That makes the .243 an effective caliber for everything from prairie dogs to whitetails and pronghorns, not to mention impala, springbok, India blackbuck, duiker, and other small African antelope. Yes, the new 6mm and 6.5mm rounds can handle heavier bullets, but they pale in comparison to the .243’s versatility.
My guide on Anticosti Island told me, “There is no better whitetail cartridge in the world.” One man’s opinion for sure, but not far off. The Winchester .270 turns 100 years old at this writing, and it still performs well despite its age. A necked-down .30-06, the .270 has been adopted by virtually every bolt action rifle maker and is available (on the used/collector market) in the Remington pump and the Remington and Browning autoloaders.
The cartridge can be handloaded with bullet weights from 90 to 180 grains and is commercially available in 100 to 150 grains. Commercially loaded 100-grain ammunition has a muzzle velocity of 3320 FPS, with 300-yard energy of 1066 foot-pounds and a drop of 6.6 inches (200-yard zero). The 150-grain loads leave the muzzle at over 2800 FPS, drop less than 8 inches at 300 yards, and still carry 1500–1700 foot-pounds of energy. Need an all-around whitetail/antelope/sheep cartridge? Look no further. The short-lived .270 WSM performs only marginally better and has limited ammunition and chambering availability. The ballistics of the new 6.8mm SPC don’t even come close.
There are more .30 caliber cartridges than you can shake a stick at, but none have the versatility of the .30-06 or the .308. Both are ballistically similar and widely available. For North American one-gun hunters, the ’06 has been the cartridge of choice for over a century, and nearly 75 years for the .308. Both have been successfully used on everything from varmints to brown bears. My PH of 25 years, Johnnie Johnson, once noted that more African plains game have been taken with a .30-06 than any other caliber.
Dangerous game is also vulnerable to the ’06 or .308. My leopard fell to a 220-grain Hornady round nose launched from my Model 70. Moreover, both calibers have been chambered in bolt, lever, pump, and autoloading rifles. The new 30’s are certainly faster, but kick harder—both on your shoulder and in your wallet.
Sometimes a .30-06 just isn’t enough. Long-range hunting (elk, sheep, goats, and some plains game) requires less drop and higher energy at greater distances. Two cartridges fit that bill—the 7mm Remington Magnum (introduced in 1962) and the .300 Winchester Magnum (1963). Both are standard chamberings for many rifle makers.
Few newer cartridges offer more than marginal performance improvements, and none have the range of commercially available ammunition. Shooting nearly identical bullets (175 grains for the 7mm and 180 grains for the .300 Win Mag), both carry between 1500 and 1700 foot-pounds of energy at 400 yards and don’t drop below 1000 foot-pounds until 600 yards. That’s sufficient for excellent penetration on most big game species. These cartridges will take game at long distance as effectively as anything else on the market, with a wide selection of loads available.
Some big game animals “just require more killing,” as Ab Lawrence, my mentor of many years ago, counseled me. For those purposes, we have the last three cartridges on my list.
Not many can match the versatility of the .338 for big-boned or distant animals. Winchester marketed it in 1958. When I was planning my Brooks Range sheep and bear hunt, David Petzal advised me to “bring a .338 with 225-grain bullets and smile.” I did, and the trophies now adorn our home. My last elk was taken at 630 yards with a .338 using that same load. Alaskan guides have relied on the .338 as a bear stopper for decades. On my first safari, I took a dozen animals—all one-shot kills—with the .338. Ammunition is not as widely available as for smaller calibers, but it’s still far more available (and less expensive) than some newer competitors.
Many gun writers, Finn Aagard and Craig Boddington among them, have identified the .375 H&H as the single rifle to have if you have only one. Yes, it’s a bit heavy for whitetails and in the mountains, but it does the job wherever you take it. The cartridge dates back to 1912, making it just junior to the .30-06.
With 250-grain bullets it drops a shade over seven inches at 300 yards (200-yard zero) and carries over 2800 foot-pounds of energy. With a 300-grain bullet it’s ten to twelve inches low, still pushing around 2000 foot-pounds. No wonder it’s the listed minimum caliber for African dangerous game and a favorite for brown bears. More Cape buffalo have been killed with a .375 H&H than any other caliber. It’s also one of the few big-bore cartridges widely available overseas. The .375 Ruger is a fine competitor, but with ammunition availability what it is, that rifle stays home most of the time.
Hopefully most of you reading this will have the opportunity to venture to Africa for dangerous game. Among the powerful options, the .458 Winchester stands out. It’s enough for anything that walks, is chambered by several rifle makers, built on a standard-length action, and—most of all—ammunition is available even in Africa.
The .458 Winchester debuted in 1956 and is still commercially loaded. Hunters can choose from solid or soft-nose bullets in 400, 465, and 500 grains, or handload down to 350 grains for bear. Most African PHs carry a .458 as a backup rifle. If your ammo doesn’t arrive but your rifle does, you can still hunt. With today’s ammunition, the .458 Winchester will put down anything—assuming correct bullet placement.
To be clear, I am no opponent of innovation. Rifle and ammunition makers strive to bring us the best equipment. Full disclosure: I did acquire a .270 and .325 WSM, but didn’t replace any existing equipment. They work fine, but I could have skipped them and still had amazing hunts. I question the value of a few hundred feet per second or half an inch less drop at 400 yards when we already have so many tried-and-true chamberings. Thousands of outstanding trophies have been taken with cartridges older than I am. The new generation of rifles and chamberings shouldn’t be ignored, but in the right hands, a bit of a performance edge isn’t going to make any game animal any deader.
Author’s note: All historical and ballistic-related information has been researched from either Cartridges of the World by Frank Barnes or Ammo and Ballistics 6 by Bob Forker and can be verified by referencing those books.
Caption: Don’t let this happen to you.
