The Cartridge Hunger Games

[Refugium]

Is it performance, marketing, or modern day mythology that drives cartridge adoption and longevity? Some of the early cartridge designs such as 6.5x55 and 30-06 were designed explicitly for performance and practicality. These should be antiques but persist to this day. The .308, .223, .243, and 7mm Rem Mag continue to outlast potential modern replacements. How can the modern rifleman navigate the maylay of marketing and mythology and push the industry forward?

 

[taskswap]

We're doing this again? I thought we did "what cartridge is best?" a few days ago.

 

[Refugium]

We're doing this again? I thought we did "what cartridge is best?" a few days ago.

That's not a cool title.

 

[Refugium]

We're doing this again? I thought we did "what cartridge is best?" a few days ago.

Plus it is more interesting than the Superbowl right now!

 

[3325]

Is it performance, marketing, or modern day mythology that drives cartridge adoption and longevity?

For adoption, I believe it’s marketing. You have to be convinced that you need something you don’t have, or at least convinced that there’s a big advantage to you getting something you don’t have.

For longevity, I believe it’s performance and mythology. The .30-06 is a solid performer, and it’s the caliber that won wars. The .270 is a solid performer, and it was designed purely as a hunting caliber in 1925 and Jack O’Conner slayed pretty much everything with it.

Speaking of that last one, bet .270 Winchester will still be common when .270 WSM and 6.8 Western are hard to find.

How can the modern rifleman navigate the maylay of marketing and mythology and push the industry forward?

What do you believe you could benefit from that isn’t available to you now?

 

[3325]

We're doing this again? I thought we did "what cartridge is best?" a few days ago.

Well, it’s been a few days.

 

[taskswap]

Well, it’s been a few days.

Oh right...

 

[displacedtexan]

Speaking of that last one, bet .270 Winchester will still be common when .270 WSM and 6.8 Western are hard to find.

I'll check tomorrow, I bet you're right.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

All modern cartridge development could have stopped in 1892 with 7x57 Mauser, and no hunter would be negatively impacted by it. Are other cartridges fun? Sure, they are, I have a bunch of different ones, from 22LR and 223 up to 45/70, great fun, all of them, love them all, would fight you if you tried to take one from me, LOL.
But the 7x57, developed in 1892, will huck any one of a number of modern high BC bullets out to ranges far beyond what 98% or more of hunters have any business shooting at animals.

Bullets on the other hand, those have come a long (long) ways since 1892. But you can shoot modern bullets in 134 year old cartridges, and the animals don't know the difference (ask me how I know).

 

[fshaw]

Pretty sure everything posted on every hunting/shooting forum has been discussed before other than introduction of new components.

 

[fshaw]

Just looked at “new posts” and saw Form’s “Flintlocks and patched round ball performance.” Pretty sure that’s been covered before. That should really get the forum police wound up.

 

[RME]

Is it performance, marketing, or modern day mythology that drives cartridge adoption and longevity? Some of the early cartridge designs such as 6.5x55 and 30-06 were designed explicitly for performance and practicality. These should be antiques but persist to this day. The .308, .223, .243, and 7mm Rem Mag continue to outlast potential modern replacements. How can the modern rifleman navigate the maylay of marketing and mythology and push the industry forward?

Avoiding marketing is easy, don’t spend so much time in front of a screen. The levels of precision available off the shelf at Academy would be jaw dropping to shooters 30 years ago, let alone 50 or 100 years ago. The industry is moving forward quickly, it’s those stuck in the past that aren’t moving.

 

[Rich M]

Stuck in the past!

Ive got a 3006 and a 243. They work fine.

Why should i buy something for some “industry”?

 

[Jpsmith1]

Is it performance, marketing, or modern day mythology that drives cartridge adoption and longevity? Some of the early cartridge designs such as 6.5x55 and 30-06 were designed explicitly for performance and practicality. These should be antiques but persist to this day. The .308, .223, .243, and 7mm Rem Mag continue to outlast potential modern replacements. How can the modern rifleman navigate the maylay of marketing and mythology and push the industry forward?

It's simple, really. Evolution is driving animals to become ever more bulletproof, necessitating a new rifle (bow, arrows, broadheads, sights, scopes, release, etc) each year and anyone using last year's model, let alone something more than 4 or 5 years old, risks losing animals or having their projectiles bounce back at them causing serious injury as we mere humans haven't been able to evolve such abilities.

So, the easiest way to navigate this is to immediately upon returning from a hunt, unload ALL of your gear from that hunt, successful or not at a minimum of a 50% loss, just to be safely rid of it. Then, buy the newest offerings from your manufacturer of choice.