OK, You asked for it ... What are the most overrated RIFLE cartridges?

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The Kurgan said:
Yes, 308 still produces better energy, but is much less efficient in shorter barreled rifles.
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What barrel length are we talking about? At 18 inches it is 70% more energy. How much shorter you think you can go with our laws? What are we comparing really? Abstract 8 inch 308 vs an abstract 22 inch 7.62x39?

Realistically speaking we have sks (20 inch), cz 527 (18.5 inch) ruger american ranch (16.1), savage axis II scout (20 inch).

The shortest common 308 factory is probably Ruger Scout 16.1 inch barrel, are we going any shorter than that? I don't think so. We still have 26 inch overall length limit to keep it legal. Would it be better to go with 20 inch 308 - absolutely. Would it have advantage in both ballistics and energy over 7.62x39 - yes. Does that advantage matter all the time - no. Is cz 527 light handy and neat? Yes. Would you ever choose 7,62x39 if the price of ammo per shot was the same as 308 and price on sks was $1k... very unlikely.
 
The Norma factory 7x57 156 grain Oryx (bonded soft point) has a muzzle velocity of approximately 2641 fps and 2416 ft lbs of muzzle energy. However, I wonder what the loss would be out of a 16 inch barrel? The sweet spot seems to be 22-24 inches.
 
owlowl said:
Is cz 527 light handy and neat? Yes. Would you ever choose 7,62x39 if the price of ammo per shot was the same as 308 and price on sks was $1k... very unlikely.
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Absolutely. Where I hunt, I rarely shoot beyond 150 metres on deer or blackies. 7.62x39 in factory Prvi PSP and Hornady 123 SST puts them down just as well as my 308's and less meat damage. 9/10 I don't need my 308 or 7x57. What do I prefer? 7x57 by a country mile, but that's for another thread.

Also, I don't hunt with my SKS's.
 
The Kurgan said:
Absolutely. Where I hunt, I rarely shoot beyond 150 metres on deer or blackies. 7.62x39 in factory Prvi PSP and Hornady 123 SST puts them down just as well as my 308's and less meat damage. 9/10 I don't need my 308 or 7x57. What do I prefer? 7x57 by a country mile, but that's for another thread.

Also, I don't hunt with my SKS's.
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:)Good choice, and a favorite of mine for the game you've mentioned. So,;) looking forward to that other thread.
 
MiG25 said:
The SKS and the short 308 worked about the same. Never hunted the short 7x57, but Federal ammo didn't even break 2000 fps.

You should have keep the #5, it would outperform the Shorty 308 feed with either the expensive $75 Nosler Trophy Grade (2450fs) or the $42 Remington PSP (2496 fps)
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Laugh2
 
todbartell said:
You should try hand loading your own ammunition for superior performance in your short barreled rifles.
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Not everyone is capable of understanding this it seems.

Camp Cook is getting 2740 FPS from a 125 gr bullet in a 308 with a 12" barrel. I get 2850 FPS from a 125 gr bullet in a 16" barrel. That's 200-500FPS more than a SKS with 123gr bullets in a 20" barrel.

Moaning about factory ammo performance is only relevant if you are limited to factory ammo.
 
Nice, so handloading is required for the Overrated Shorty 308 not to suck. There are 30-30 loads that outperform the Shorty 308 as well.
 
While we're heading into horse flogging territory here, and we don't all share the same tastes, and I personally detest "SBR" modern plastic and aluminum junk as hunting tools (sorry tod and gate), it's clear you can ring the neck out of 308 to get it to perform. As credit to MiG, there is no doubt that average factory 308 vs. x39 fodder in an SBR shows similar lackluster results, with an obvious efficiency advantage to x39. My opinion still stands, if you want a plastic and aluminum SBR toy and like to experiment with hansloading 308, have at it. I reload for 308 and can achieve some pretty impressive accuracy and energy results in a 24 inch barrel. The truth remains, x39 is a pretty versatile cartridge, and I don't need, nor want, to post photos to prove that. If SHTF, and I had to grab only one rifle, however, it would still be my trusty SKS--I can shoot it WELL, I can carry more ammo, and I can also use it to hunt with if need be. Second on that list would be my pretty little CZ 527, for the same reasons.

This forum is all about variety and differing opinions and viewpoints. It would be a pretty dry place if we all marched to the beat of the same drummer.

Perhaps the annoying laughing emoji can stop?
 
MiG25 said:
Nice, so handloading is required for the Overrated Shorty 308 not to suck. There are 30-30 loads that outperform the Shorty 308 as well.
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I don't recall the last time I used factory ammo to hunt with but it has to be decades ago. If I ever stumble across a box of 125/130gr 308 ammo I will be sure to pick it up to run the velocity on the Labradar. Getting an optimum load for any rifle I hunt with makes sense to me, but not everyone feels that way.

Seems like you have found an optimum load for your SKS hunting rifle so you can be a happy camper! :dancingbanana:
 
MiG25 said:
There are 30-30 loads that outperform the Shorty 308 as well.
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which ones? The most potent that I am aware of, is a 160gr Leverevolution load, that Hornady claims does 2400 fps from a 24" barrel. Speed / energy at 100 yards is 2150 fps / 1643 ft lbs energy, and it gets much worse downrange. That's well behind what even a neutered, blunt 150gr Core Lokt factory will do from a 16.1" 308

The 30-30 is a wonderfully effective round within it's distance capability of around 200 yards
 
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