The cartridge for the next 30 years….

[3325]

"heirloom rifle" in a cartridge conversation = Rifle that isn't going to be shot enough to need a new barrel.

I'd have a hard time thinking of a rifle I'd want that I would plan on shooting so little over 30 years that it still has the same barrel on it.

I have two '94 .30-30s. One with a 20" barrel and one with a 26" barrel. Both have an octagonal barrel and a saddle ring. They will be shot. They will not be shot a lot.

 

[wind gypsy]

I have two '94 .30-30s. One with a 20" barrel and one with a 26" barrel. Both have an octagonal barrel and a saddle ring. They will be shot. They will not be shot a lot.

Fair alternative view to my post. I wouldn't picture those as a primary hunting rifle for the next 30 years for deer, bear, elk as mentioned in the OP.

 

[mdp22]

When the doctor told me I had to reduce recoil on my "new" prosthetic shoulder, I stayed with .277" bullets!
AR in 6.8mm Rem SPC!
View attachment 698327
Handloads, believe it or not, with Sierra 90 grain HP bullets.
Both 1 shot kills.
My first hog kill with the rifle was a sow of about 300 pounds. I wasn't sure it would be enough bullet.....but she dropped at the shot!

Love my SPC, it likes 110 gr V-Max.

 

[DangerRanger]

"heirloom rifle" in a cartridge conversation = Rifle that isn't going to be shot enough to need a new barrel.

I'd have a hard time thinking of a rifle I'd want that I would plan on shooting so little over 30 years that it still has the same barrel on it.

Why?

I mean it seems you’re correct, I just don’t get it

 

[wabash503]

Not sure what the rules are... If modern cartridges are allowed or we're supposed to pick an older chambering... So I'm throwing out one of each.

Older - 7 Rem Mag

Modern - 7mm-6.5 PRC

 

[wind gypsy]

Why?

I mean it seems you’re correct, I just don’t get it

It just seems a primary premise of this thread is what cartridge will have acceptable performance but be available in the form of ammunition and components for the next 30+ years. If a barrel isn't going to make it to 15 years, why does ammo/component availability in 30 years matter?

 

[Dos Perros]

A 308 will allegedly last 5000 rounds, over 30 years is 167 shots per year. That doesn't seem unreasonable, IMO.

 

[DangerRanger]

It just seems a primary premise of this thread is what cartridge will have acceptable performance but be available in the form of ammunition and components for the next 30+ years. If a barrel isn't going to make it to 15 years, why does ammo/component availability in 30 years matter?

I assumed we would still have gunsmiths or take off barrels for rebarreling in the short term future I guess. I think maybe I missed the direction the thread vibe went and it became kind of prepper-esk. From OPs post it seemed like just what would you be happy to shoot for the rest of your life

 

[ozyclint]

This is what I did, but it was a mistake. If I were to start over, I'd go with something that can take advantage of modern bullet designs.

I get what you're saying however I do almost all my hunting with a recurve bow and I have no interest in shooting stuff at long range. The Whelan would be my bang flop gun.
If the .270W is the finger of God then the Whelan is the hammer of Thor.

 

[Teamleader]

30-06 ….. 110g through 220g…… success for well over a hundred years and still going strong!

 

[Rich M]

"heirloom rifle" in a cartridge conversation = Rifle that isn't going to be shot enough to need a new barrel.

I'd have a hard time thinking of a rifle I'd want that I would plan on shooting so little over 30 years that it still has the same barrel on it.

I have a Model 70 SS all-weather kind of version 30-06, purchased new in the mid-80's. Makes it about 40 yrs old and it will still shoot an inch outside to outside w 150 gr loads at 250 yards - you can probably do better than that with it, that's me shooting off a rest. I don't like shooting it and have ammo.

Does it qualify as an heirloom?

 

[atmat]

There are hundreds of discussions about this cartridge vs that cartridge. There are new cartridges coming out every year it seems. But if you were going to buy one heirloom type rifle for the rest of your hunting days, what would it be chambered in? This would be for elk, deer, maybe a moose or bear scattered in the mix.

To me, it doesn’t really matter what cartridge it is. No rifle I own will make it thirty years without a re-barrel anyway, at which point I could choose a different cartridge anyway.

That said I’d love a nice Blaser in any cartridge.

 

[S.Clancy]

I've shot and killed everything for 25 yrs with a .270 Win, no sense in changing now.

 

[Rich M]

It's really interesting in how people approach this thought experiment.

Ammo availability seems to be the most frequent justification for choosing a particular cartridge, usually one of the more traditional cartridges.

We saw during the pandemic that availability is sort of a weird thing. Some of the less common cartridges were available much longer than the common cartridges, but the common cartridges were the ones that "came back" with the most volume as ammunition returned to the shelves.

Many of the older cartridges were developed far before modern rangefinders (probably the biggest technology advancement in shooting in the last century?), modern ballistics (all types) understanding, etc.

Do we mainly defend what we already have rather than choosing the best currently available? Emotional attachment is probably a bigger factor than we recognize.

Regional differences in terrain and available game animals also a major factor.

Interesting discussion overall.

I do find a certain attachment to the thoughts and lessons learned over the years and disagree with some of the new stuff, based off what I've experienced.

Do miss the old gun shops.

The newer designs are awesome - faster twist and longer aerodynamic bullets have changed the industry.

As favored the .223 is on here when folks ask about a hunting cartridge - .308, 30-06, 270, 300 mag, 7m-08 pop out of the woodwork.

Great topic.

 

[coloradodrifter]

"heirloom rifle" in a cartridge conversation = Rifle that isn't going to be shot enough to need a new barrel.

I'd have a hard time thinking of a rifle I'd want that I would plan on shooting so little over 30 years that it still has the same barrel on it.

So if you go buy a new car you don’t drive it because the tires are going to wear out?…..My definition of “heirloom” isn’t an investment rifle but one to pass down because of what it helped accomplish, memories and meat in the freezer. As much as I would like to have a rifle in a cartridge for every need, I can only afford to have a few, like a plinking rifle (223) and a hunting rifle. My thoughts are to have my hunting rifle chambered in a cartridge that is economical and efficient in ballistics and fun to shoot. I have been shooting 300 win mag and 300 wsm for the last 10+ years. I love the power of a magnum other than the punishment on the shoulder. I have always handled recoil well but I know I shoot better with a less recoiling rifle. Not a fan of brakes and haven’t dove into the suppressor world yet. So I sold my 300 wsm and all reloading components for it. My “forever” rifle will probably be a non-magnum.

 

[wind gypsy]

So if you go buy a new car you don’t drive it because the tires are going to wear out?

That is the opposite of what I was saying. More along the lines of a cartridge choice now hopefully wouldnt matter in 30 years because it would need a new barrel well before that and a new barrel is a chance to change cartridge to whatever fits your current desires. I can acknowledge that how I was looking at it only applies to a small percentage of hunters.

 

[Boarmaster]

6.5 CM is my answer if I was starting out today.
I’m old enough to remember 30 years ago. 40 years ago I bought a 30-06.

It was a wood stocked Ruger tanger. It came with 2 boxes of green box remington 165
coreloks. Thats what I used for 17 years. Killed everything I shot at so I never even bothered to learn about other calibers or bullets or weatherproof stocks.

I eventually got bored did some research and bought a 270 win with a factory plastic stock then put in a Tmney trigger and bought a Mc Millan edge stock.

My original 30-06 was still a game killer but I was evolving.

7 years later I bought a 7mm08. I was looking for a lighter rifle with lower recoil but wanted good performance. If I would have waited a few more years on that 7mm08 I would have ended up with a 6.5 CM.

While a great discussion I doubt its realistic to think you can forecast whats going to make you happy
over 30 years. 10 years maybe more realistic. Any of the 3 calibers I own that I consider all all arounders
have worked for 30 years and with work great for next 30.

Its all about you really.

 

[Amos Keeto]

I have two '94 .30-30s. One with a 20" barrel and one with a 26" barrel. Both have an octagonal barrel and a saddle ring. They will be shot. They will not be shot a lot.

Read up on John "Pondoro" Taylor. He moved to Africa as a young man with aspirations of a life of adventure. He and a friend finally got work culling lion for a cattle operation. Having no idea WHAT they were doing, their original "lion culling" rifle was a Win M94 .30-30 Win!
They killed several lions with it before earning enough money to afford a more substantial rifle!
Taylor became known in Africa as "The Last Ivory Hunter"! His book by the same name is an excellent read.

 

[wyosam]

I have two '94 .30-30s. One with a 20" barrel and one with a 26" barrel. Both have an octagonal barrel and a saddle ring. They will be shot. They will not be shot a lot.

Mellow loads with cast bullets, shoot them all you want- doubt you could shoot one out. My 30-30 was made in ‘48. It was well used before I got it from my dad (the bluing was pretty much all worn off when I started using it at 12 (I’m 50). I shot it a bunch in my teens, then it became a secondary that saw a couple boxes a year. I’ve killed a ton of game with it, as it has always been my favorite in the timber in the rain, which has long been one of my favorite ways to hunt. It has been seeing several hundred a year for quite a while now, as I’ve found I really like shooting steel with it with mild cast loads. I stuck a bore scope in it a few years ago and the throat actually looked really good. Found a low round count ‘94 to compare to, and it really wasn’t much different, despite being 40 years newer.


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[ptmn]

I'm recoil sensitive when it comes to magnums, so 338-06 for me