Why are there so many cartridges?

M

manitoba

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I'm really not trolling, but I was wondering why so many obscure and little-used cartridges continue to exist, and why people keep buying rifles chambered in them.

I'm not talking about a normal range, as I understand for example that a .223 is no replacement for a .308 which in turn won't do what a .375 is capable of. What I mean is why do some people have a preference for rounds you would never find on the shelf of a typical hunting store?

For all the hunting I might do, I'd be happy with fewer than a dozen or so chamberings, and I only actually use two for rifle and one for shotgun at present.

I think I recognize that these cartridges are introduced, adopted, well liked, and preserved even when something better comes along. Still, it seems like a fair bit of hassle if you shoot something rare, for no real benefit. It also seems like people are buying Ruger #1s in all sorts of calibers that I know nothing about.

Is it tradition?

Is it because the old guns are worth saving?

Is it just a hobby, like collecting rare comics or stamps or anything else?

Thanks.
 
Some is nostalgia, some is habit and some just to be different. I like the 280 remington and there isn't a whiskers worth of difference between it and the 270 and not much between these two and the old '06. Remember this site is gunnutz :)
 
All the new short magnum dont really add nothing but peoples who like them really do, a little thing call ...Marketing... JP.
 
History, nostalgia, many reasons. If when you see and handle a 40-50-100-120 yr old rifle or pistol, your mind should wander thinking where this unit has been or done. How many buffalo, elk, two legged foes it has dispached. For me that is what it is, also the feeling I get when I make one of my old smokepoles speak and the bullet hits the target right where it was aimed.
If you have not gotten that feeling then I guess that there is no value in these old firearms for you. You see any let me know I will take care of them for you. YMMV
 
Why so many different cars & trucks?
Why so many different types of razors?
Why so many........

Is it tradition? YES

Is it because the old guns are worth saving? YES

Is it just a hobby, like collecting rare comics or stamps or anything else? YES
 
For me, I enjoy the look of mystery when a guy says "You have a ____ in what caliber?" :D

Really though, as a reloader, the oddball calibers are fun. I guess it is kind of like collecting stamps or something - in a way we are keeping the past alive by continuing to use these different calibers.

There is also a certain sense of pride involved by using something that you have to work pretyt hard to find ammo for - not unlike the same reason why people like me also enjoy driving 1920 & 1930 vintage cars ... there's just something intangibly pleasing about it.
 
'Cause they all seemed like a good idea at the time. And yes it's fun and 'cause I don't have one of those yet. I have almost no holes from 20 cal to 50 cal and can still think of at least a dozen I would still play with.
It keeps be out of the bars, out of trouble and out of jail, and as expensive as it is, it's still way cheaper than lawyers!!

But that's just me.
 
Thanks

Thanks guys. So what I am reading mostly seems that the more obscure cartridges are fun and collectible and historically relevant. But is it fair to say that most people acknowledge that the performance differences aren't really that significant?

I got on a 6.5 Swedish kick for a while and they were some sweet shooting rifles. I read all about sectional density and such, but then it occurred to me that every deer or bear I have shot or seen shot with a 30-30, .243, .303, 30-06, and .308 also dropped really quick, and the ammo was more expensive, so I sold them and went back to .308.

I think I was fortunate that I didn't go down the .260 road, because that would have meant new rifles for sure. But I can see how new rifles wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Hmmm.
 
It goes back further than the 7 mm/8 mm Mauser family but most of us know wildcatters never saw a case that could not be improved or modified. Virtually every case has been necked up and down, blown out and up. Marketing plays a huge roll, creating something that has not hit the market, and they know there are a few that will just have to buy something because it is new and they know no one who has tried it yet. Some strive for accuracy and others for performance.

Ever Sleep with a blond . . . Sure lots of them.
Ever sleep with a brunette . . . Sure lots of them.
Ever sleep with a redhead . . . Not a wink!

Guns and guys and gals are all different. Most can't have just one gun, some can't have just one gal just like some can't have just one guy which is all part of life.
 
Are there any new cartridges, of recent years, that were short-lived,
and no company loads ammo for them, anymore?
As a youth, in the early seventies, I was fascinated by the 5mm Remington Magnum.
Don't think it lasted long and you can't reload a rimfire.
 
YOU COULD HUNT THE WORLD WITH A .22 RIMFIRE/.22-250/.30-06 AND ANY VARIETY OF THE .375. The fun starts when you get a little older and start to enjoy things like the various .22 hornets/improved /mashburn etc. the 32-20/.38-40 and the old .40 and .45 cal rifles.when i was a lot younger, a bottle of BACK SEAT wine or a local bottle of POP-SKULL was great. as i got older, a small glass of MERLOT with my meal is much more appreciated.
 
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