List your favourite underrated cartridges

SHELL SHUCKER

The 5mm mag was always pricey to shoot even back in the 70's but a great round and fun to shoot. I still have 7 white box and 5 green box 5mm mag ammo from the late 70's and the prices on the boxes is from 5.99-7.99 and that was the price back then. Now 5mm ammo, when you can find it, is around 40 bucks for 50 rounds. Me and the old man shot many Yotes in the 70's with our 5mm's and thousands of Gophers.
 
7.62mm said:
6.5 Grendel
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Grendel for sure, although it's becoming more popular and appreciated.

It's got plenty of great attributes including low recoil and excellent ballistics for a cartridge the same length as a .223- Much better ballistics than it's parent cartridge the 7.62x39 via 220 Russian

I can't think of a better "beginners" or youth cartridge. The modest recoil makes it easy for small people to shoot while it gives up little if anything to larger more traditional youth cartridges like the .243.

The Grendel is a solid 350-400 yard deer killer and good for larger animals like moose at more modest ranges. Perfect for close range hunting with a handy carbine, too.

Definitely fits into this underrated cartridge thread better than most of the suggestions here.
 
FreedomIsn'tFree said:
SHELL SHUCKER

The 5mm mag was always pricey to shoot even back in the 70's but a great round and fun to shoot. I still have 7 white box and 5 green box 5mm mag ammo from the late 70's and the prices on the boxes is from 5.99-7.99 and that was the price back then. Now 5mm ammo, when you can find it, is around 40 bucks for 50 rounds. Me and the old man shot many Yotes in the 70's with our 5mm's and thousands of Gophers.
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If ye need ammo, then Aguila has ya covered. I had a good time With me Rem 591 back then. Put meat in the freezer & pests to rest.
 
sigarms226 said:
I think the 7mm-08 is underrated at least around where I hunt/shoot. It offers mild recoil, good ballistics and if you reload a wide variety of bullets in 7mm/.284. I've heard so many discussions over the years that all it does is wound, I've never experienced this be it coyotes/deer/elk.
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I wouldn't say that the 7mm-08 is underrated. It seems at least on AO, every time someone is looking for a mountain rifle, or a first rifle for their kid or rifle for the wife, that cartridge comes up several times. Seems to me, to have had slow but steady growth over the years.

I kind of lean toward different cartridges as what I think or feel as ideal, but it keeps on going.
 
Gatehouse said:
It's surprising how many people think that some of the most popular cartridges of all time are "underrated"

270, 3006, 4570, 30-30, 7x57 etc?
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I agree with Hoyt, and Jiffx. I'll pretty regularly recommend the 30-30 as a good gun especially for younger and smaller shooters who want to go after big game. It has that 170 gr. bullet that's just more suitable than anything in .224 or .243, at normal ranges assuming we're actually talking "big game". Pretty regularly, there's a few people who start disagreeing loudly, about limiting someone with an "antique" cartridge. Kind of funny when they start mentioning stuff that is 70, 80, 90 years old as not antique, though.

How many people do you know off hand that have a .275 Rigby in their closet? I'll bet not a pile, but probably a bunch have the 7-08 and think it's way, way better...

.270, and 30-06 have been less popular for a few decades. Everyone started getting the 7mm Remington Mag, then the .300 Win Mag, and then all the short mags... I still think the 30-06 is one of the best balanced cartridges out there, and there is a still an audience for it, but the faster cartridges have stolen it's thunder for a long time. So in that regard, yes, it absolutely is underrated. Should be near the top of the pile, but if I was to guess, there seems to be a lot less people picking up new guns in it. It's funny if you mention the 30-06 as an all arounder, you can almost hear the eyes rolling, but the .308 which is less gun in every way usually gets a big thumbs up. Totally weird. Not a big fan of the .270...

The 45-70 has enjoyed a real resurgence in popularity. But as was mentioned, there are quite a few non ballistically inclined people that figure that the old Government hits a magical wall at just past 100 long paces and then hits the dirt. I'll agree that it's not a laser, but it still is totally underrated.
 
bushawg said:
Have a takedown BLR as takedown 18" 358 as a back up and a win 88 carbine 243 for the smaller stuff . 358 is the choice for all situations , motorcycle , 4 wheeler , canoe , light aircraft and of course all spacecraft including catamarans hosting climate idiots
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I don't know. While I think the BLR 358 is a great package, I think I'd have a hard time using it one handed off a bike or 4 wheeler. Unless you meant stopping power, where I think I'd like something beginning in ".40", as quads are pretty tough!
 
Also the .40 S&W. When it was introduced, it was the best thing ever. Then when this law enforcement agency or that didn't adopt it, or dropped it, then it was a bust. Terrible.

In my eye it seems to push a higher sectional density bullet (the same weight) than the .45 ACP just as fast. And the flat nose .40 seem to feed better. And it's pushing a bullet with about 33% more mass than a 9mm. Increased capacity over a .45 ACP, and possibly performance (depending on how you measure) that seems to eclipse both, seems like a win to me.
 
Another vote for 9.3x62 here.

Also think 257 Roberts isn't appreciated enough. Soft shooting like a 243W but with added heavy weight bullet performance

Scrummy
 
Any of the 308 family of cartridges except for 7-08 as its still a hipster.

The amount of Joe Hunters who never shoot a deer further then 50m but think their 3006 is doing anything different then a 308 is astounding. Why not have a lighter, shorter, cheaper gun to shoot?
 
If you tell yourself something enough times, pretty soon you'll start to believe it.
I recall several years ago a guy who developed a powerful proprietary line of cartridges to chamber in his custom rifles, he stated on an online forum that the 308 Winchester wasn't powerful enough to kill a white tail deer... I think there was scotch involved though.
 
Falconflyer said:
If you tell yourself something enough times, pretty soon you'll start to believe it.
I recall several years ago a guy who developed a powerful proprietary line of cartridges to chamber in his custom rifles, he stated on an online forum that the 308 Winchester wasn't powerful enough to kill a white tail deer... I think there was scotch involved though.
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cheap scotch , i'm sure..... lol
 
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