Will the classic magnums see a renaissance?
- Thread starter buckchaser
- Start date
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I'm pretty sure it's related. In a similar article, I read that a man's testosterone level is exactly equal by volume to the amount of powder that fits into the case of the largest cartridge he regularly shoots
No. There are much better and more modern magnums to choose from.
Then you haven't been paying attention. There is nothing modern nor new about the old belted magnums. There are better options these days.
Interesting thoughts. I haven’t been in the market for a factory rifle In a while. The last one I did buy was .340 Weatherby for moose hunting and my group fizzled out that year and it’s never been to the woods. That was quite a few years ago. Then I put together a .240 Weatherby, not sure if that counts as magnum? Then my last two have been a .223 and a .243 win So I guess I’m following the smaller cartridge route. I do love the big magnum cartridges but they sure eat up the powder quick and that s**t ain’t getting any cheaper. Never really thought much about it but it will be interesting to see what’s popular in 10 years even.
I bought a Sig Cross in .300WM to buddy up with the .308 I already had. Aside from powder, it’s not really a cost chore to reload the .300WM. I’m already using the same CCI military large primers for both and I can use the same projectiles, but don’t. With a modern muzzle brake, it is isn’t a chore to shoot either. Huge fan of anything with .308 projectile. Still relevant in the 6.5CM .300PRC world we’re in.
- Location
- Port Edward BC
So it was right after the five rounds your avatar pic was taken?
I think that the 300 WMag is good enough when it's a 300 WSM which seems like the recoil is slightly less but good power to similar distances. Whereas the 7mmRM is a rifle that is appreciated by those who have learned how effective it is. There is some recoil felt when one shoots the 175 grainers. But when one shotts the lighter bullets it's recoil is less. And the recoil of the 30-06 is decently acceptable with a 165 grain bullet. And... the 270 is the just right caliber for most game animals. The 140 grain bullet is the sweet spot for larger stuff, and recoil isn't too bad at all. So my point is that the weight of bullet (and the load) in a given caliber can make a difference in how one feels the recoil in a given rifle cartridge.
Don’t think they will no. Cartridge development although slow, is progressing from what it was 50-60 years ago. Many will claim the new chambers don’t have anything on the belted mags but they are likely hunters not sport shooters, hunters who have probably been shooting .308, 30-06, .270 this whole time anyway.
Headspacing on the shoulder, less body taper, sharper neck angle, designs that suit heavy for caliber bullets are all improvements that a reloader and a sport shooter should care about. Kind of before my time but I would imagine the belted mags were targeted at the same segment of the sport that are now buying PRC, Noslers etc. Not saying that that group aren’t also hunters, I think they are, but they also like the small details and the progression.
Headspacing on the shoulder, less body taper, sharper neck angle, designs that suit heavy for caliber bullets are all improvements that a reloader and a sport shooter should care about. Kind of before my time but I would imagine the belted mags were targeted at the same segment of the sport that are now buying PRC, Noslers etc. Not saying that that group aren’t also hunters, I think they are, but they also like the small details and the progression.
Belted magnums aren't going away but they aren't getting more popular, either. Long range shooters have gone to modern cartridges and rangefinders while hunters have been gravitating towards stuff like the 6.5 CM because mostly they hunt deer and they don't need a 300 Winchester to kill a deer.
If I was to get another 300 magnum hunting rifle it would be a 300 PRC. If I wanted a 7mm it would be 7PRC or since the 7 PRC needs a standard action anyway maybe a 7-300 PRC. More likely I will just rebarrel my 300 WSM. After 1800 rounds or so it's not the tack driver it used to be.
If I was to get another 300 magnum hunting rifle it would be a 300 PRC. If I wanted a 7mm it would be 7PRC or since the 7 PRC needs a standard action anyway maybe a 7-300 PRC. More likely I will just rebarrel my 300 WSM. After 1800 rounds or so it's not the tack driver it used to be.
For many of us, the old-school magnums don't need a "renaissance" because they never stopped being loved and used in the first place.
I literally just last week bought (traded+cash for, actually) a beautiful Winchester 70 Super Grade Classic in .338WM, because: A. I have never owned a "nice" model 70 and I wanted one, and B. my gunsafe purging the last few years was going so well that I was down to a single .338 (which is what I traded). So now I have the delightful Super Grade rifle I always wanted in the delightful .338WM cartridge which I have used and loved for decades. Win/win. If I get drawn for an elk this year, it's likely coming with me.
These guns aren't intended to be used for high-volume plinking or target shooting. They're hunters, plain and simple, and they do the job as well as they always have, while also serving to harken us back to treasured-memory hunts from past years. If two guns do exactly the same job, but one makes me smile just looking at it and thinking about using it...that's the "better" one.
A new gun shooting a new cartridge, that has a wee bit less recoil or a trajectory that is flatter only by a non-practical margin or uses 2 grains less powder...is "better" only for the gun and ammo makers. These aren't only tools; many of the things that make one "better" than another aren't built in by the factories.
I literally just last week bought (traded+cash for, actually) a beautiful Winchester 70 Super Grade Classic in .338WM, because: A. I have never owned a "nice" model 70 and I wanted one, and B. my gunsafe purging the last few years was going so well that I was down to a single .338 (which is what I traded). So now I have the delightful Super Grade rifle I always wanted in the delightful .338WM cartridge which I have used and loved for decades. Win/win. If I get drawn for an elk this year, it's likely coming with me.
These guns aren't intended to be used for high-volume plinking or target shooting. They're hunters, plain and simple, and they do the job as well as they always have, while also serving to harken us back to treasured-memory hunts from past years. If two guns do exactly the same job, but one makes me smile just looking at it and thinking about using it...that's the "better" one.
A new gun shooting a new cartridge, that has a wee bit less recoil or a trajectory that is flatter only by a non-practical margin or uses 2 grains less powder...is "better" only for the gun and ammo makers. These aren't only tools; many of the things that make one "better" than another aren't built in by the factories.
- Location
- WMU247 near Edmonton
I like my 300WM, reloads driving 200grn Nosslers at 2960. Just a little hard on deer but great for any moose when I get a draw.
25-06 is my go to for deer, 110 Nosslers at 3100. I can see the desire for lighter recoil if your just shooting smaller game or paper but I will keep my 300WM, 7mmRM, 338WM, and the newest 325WSM for hunting.
Handloading is a must for anyone that shoots more then a box or 2 of rounds a year.
25-06 is my go to for deer, 110 Nosslers at 3100. I can see the desire for lighter recoil if your just shooting smaller game or paper but I will keep my 300WM, 7mmRM, 338WM, and the newest 325WSM for hunting.
Handloading is a must for anyone that shoots more then a box or 2 of rounds a year.
I agree, handloading is a must, and I’d rather not have to worry about trying to thread the needle of making a belted mag headspace on the shoulder instead of the belt. I can’t see them being able to re-market a belt on a case, which has long been known to not add any strength to the case whatsoever.
The 6.5x55 and the 7x57 both have to much body taper and not enough shoulder angle. I’m not sure they were so much designed for heavy bullets, or not in the way we speak of it nowadays. A 220 in a 30-06 is not seated at the neck shoulder junction.
Again, as a reloader these are not attractive attributes. I’d rather shoot and reload cartridges that were designed to minimize brass flow, maximize powder column etc.
The 6.5x55 and the 7x57 both have to much body taper and not enough shoulder angle. I’m not sure they were so much designed for heavy bullets, or not in the way we speak of it nowadays. A 220 in a 30-06 is not seated at the neck shoulder junction.
Again, as a reloader these are not attractive attributes. I’d rather shoot and reload cartridges that were designed to minimize brass flow, maximize powder column etc.
