Rifles: cartridge and scope trends?

Handloader

tikkat3: your humor aside, there may be more substance to your post that you intended. For example, the 45 Colt will outpenetrate the 454 Casull when both are loaded to max and using hard cast bullets. For example, the 45-70 with big meplat bullets are surprising many in Africa with their effectiveness on game such as cape buffalo and the old 45-70 continues to do yeoman service in Alaska on big bad bears. Of note, both cartridges are over 100 years old. Imagine!

WSSMs and RSAUMs are nearly history having had their brief flare in the limelight. RUMs are being traded back in more frequently than kept, it seems, as their owners see the luster of flat trajectories and mega ft/lbs tarnished by recoil, muzzle blast, the cost of ammo and the needless destruction of good game meat. But, 06s, 308s, 270s, and a host of other cartridges, including (heaven forbid) that old obsolete 30-30 continue to lead sales on an annual basis.

We who love the standards of cartridges and fixed power scopes are neither Luddites nor members of the Flat Earth Society. Just older and, perhaps, wiser. IMO, of course.

Dimitri · Super Member Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 5946

Handloader,

About the "Short Mags" I think only one will survive, and thats the 300RSAUM mainly because it has its abilities in the AR-10 series of firearms. But thats just my opinion. Smile

Dimitri

tikkat3 · Super Member Joined: Jul 30, 2006 Posts: 800

How many cases do I need for my 'short mag' to live forever?

Dimitri · Super Member Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 5946

How offen do you shoot it Tikka ??

Dimitri

tikkat3 · Super Member Joined: Jul 30, 2006 Posts: 800

Not often enough, only about 500 rounds in 2 years.
Have around 150 cases that I have reloaded a few times and am looking at buying another 100 cases.
I think the only trouble I will have is if they stop making 30 cal projectiles.

English Mike

Dimitri wrote:

Handloader,

About the "Short Mags" I think only one will survive, and thats the 300RSAUM mainly because it has its abilities in the AR-10 series of firearms. But thats just my opinion. Smile

Dimitri

Oh, I dunno: .300WSM seems to be pretty popular, as in all six of us who hunted together last year had one (two as back ups to more "exotic" rifles) & plenty of the other hunters we met seemed to be of a similar mind.

Coyote_Hunter_

tikkat3 wrote:

How many cases do I need for my 'short mag' to live forever?

Essentially the same as you would need for a standard cartridge or a long mag.

When I get a new rifle I generally work up to 500 cases.

Dimitri · Super Member Joined: Nov 25, 2005 Posts: 5946

Mike,

The 300WSM is popular yes, as well as the 270WSM from what I've seen at gun shops, but the 300RSAUM has a small specific market with nothing else to compare itself to.

You can get a bolt action rifle in all of the Short Mags or in the Long Mags, but you can't get a AR-10 style firearm to feed a long mag, and since the 300RSAUM can work in that style of firearms for use as a long range semi-automatic precision rifle it does give itself a little bit of a edge.

Dimitri

BigBlue

I'd like to see more fixed power scopes. They seem to have mostly faded from sight in the last 30 years or relegated to cheap .22 scopes. There are still a few available from higher end manufacturers. I have an old Leupold 3X that was discontinued a number of years ago and a really old Bushnel 2.5X and love them both. I may be wrong but I think they are much stronger than the variable power scopes and are more than enough for hunting in the heavily wooded areas of the East.
As for trends, of my last four rifle purchases were a 7mm-08, .270, .308 and a .30/06. Probably all four are in the top ten sales for reloading dies.
Don

Handloader

BigBlue: a number of hunters have been pressing Leupold to bring back the 3X in an FXII version. It's advantage of having a longer tube allows more latitude in mounting on rifle actions of differing lengths.

That said, the FXII in 4X and 6X are absolutely outstanding fixed powers. Given the benefit of MultiCoat 4 and the absence of added lense systems needed for variables, the FXII has far better light transmission and is, as you said, far more rugged.

One of the best ways to evaluate optics is during the time of the setting sun. With great optics, an added 15 to 30 minutes of hunt time is often the case. Superb resolution, baffling and clarity characterize the FX series and they cost a whole bunch less than comparable quality variables.

Back to the Future.