The 3 most underrated hunting calibers.

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I notice a lot of people are naming cartridges that have a very rich history but have just gone out of vogue in modern times. I would say there was a time these cartridges were not underrated at all. Being a bit of a history buff, they are honestly the only cartridges that really interest me these days. That leaves more Creedmoores and 300 Blackouts for everyone else.
 
My favorite cartridge for many reasons is the 30-30. Can't hunt deer in Illinois with it but I can shoot chucks, Fox, yotes, crows. Likes cast, cheap, and in my TC and 788, fantastically accurate for a 125 year old design. I overenjoy it. Same with 223. Creeds, no use at all. (My 77 243 is just fine.)
 
I always think the 410 shotgun is under rated. Taken everything from dove to deer with mine.

Historically the 410 would have been a lot more popular if it wasn't for the high cost of the ammo. We could always buy a box of 12 or 20 gauge a lot cheaper. People who were familiar with ammo pricing would steer away from the 410 and as a result the ammo companies priced it out of the market.
 
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The 410 would have been a lot more popular if it wasn't for the high cost of the ammo. We could always buy a box of 12 or 20 gauge a lot cheaper. People who were familiar with ammo pricing would steer away from the 410.
True but if you reload you can reload 410 for half the cost of 12 gauge.
 
I agree with alot of the posts above...the 8x57 is way underrated, solely because it is a European cartridge.
Actually I'd say the 8mm Mauser was "underratted" because it has in the United States, been under loaded. Fears about the S vs. the J bore, caused liability conscious ammo makers to download it and thus..., it didn't perform well compared to the American .30-06, plus the use by the losers in WWII didn't help it much either. ;) Reloaders, though could get excellent results with the 8mm Mauser, and thus it has "hung around" a while.

LD
 
How about 3 lever action rounds.
32 special
444 Marlin
375 Winchester
35 Remington
Ok that's 4:D


☆ My 2 sentimental Favorites are included here.
The .35 Rem. Is almost a relic of the past... but I have never recovered a .358 slug from any animal that I have shot with it.
444 Marlin is more useful in Pa. Woods ... than the 45-70 Govt. as it is not an overkill caliber. ( just right for it's intended purpose)
I make .375 JDJ ammo from the empty and resized cases of the .444 Marlin ☆ now fading in popularity.
 
I've been participating in various internet gun forums for about 15 years now. Every few months on each of them there is a "most underrated" and "most overrated" thread. Most end up being locked.
Ok? I just thought it was strange that a writer locked in 3 "calibers". Posted as a legitimate article on my Google homepage. Does this writer make money? Idk.

I was just more curious what you all thought. Its interesting to read what gun owners believe the cartridge to them gets the shaft.

I respect THR members opinions more than any other site. Just thought it'd be an interesting read.
 
Well... here's my 3.

6.5x55mm Swede. Underrated. Creedmoor became more special along the way. No clue why. Marketing?

30-30 Winchester. Good out to 200 yards or better depending on your setup. But...its not a super cartridge so I believe its underrated these days.

257 Bob is an honorable mention. Along with the 8mm Mauser. But my third will be the 7x57.
 
The 300 BLK deserves to be underrated. It's good if you wish to shoot 220 grain subsonic bullets through an AR-15 and I have no doubt it's lethal
Its definitely a "niche" caliber, and even the best subs (Hornady sub-x) are limited in effective range, but in my 300 BLK (suppressed Ruger American bolt action) it is ideal for white tails for Mrs. Fl-NC on the small food plots we hunt from a ground blind.
 
Many of the “those that came before” cartridges are being overtaken by the new breed mostly because of developments in bullets and the perceived need to shoot at longer ranges. The old cartridges can do it but to shoot the heavier and higher ballistic coefficient bullets, the older rifles will generally need a rebarrel. Hence the opening for rounds like the 6 and 6.5 Creed when rounds like .243 Win and .260 Rem already existed.

Further, AR15s have become popular to the point of ruining all other types of firearms. (hyperbole). The development of new rounds to fit varying interests and needs within this specific platform has created an almost burdensome amount of overlap in cartridges.

What’s more is that you can generally find ammo for all these cartridges in varying quantities at any decent sized sporting goods store. This makes for an overwhelming experience for someone who just wants “a hunting rifle”.

When there are dizzying arrays of cartridges to choose from and use, very few of us will be able to use them all and if we don’t use them all then how are we to know which ones can ever possibly hold the highly subjective title of “overrated” or “underrated”. We mostly just use what we use and assume it’s better because it has worked for us. We find out only a few others use it so it must be underrated.

Nonetheless these threads are still fun because every time I learn a little bit more about what’s out there and the reasons people like what they do.
 
If we're talking about rifles for North American big game, I'd say the 300 Blackout shouldn't really be considered.
I shoot a 300BLK for hog hunting, and for that purpose it's quite adequate. It's not a long-range firearm, but I hunt at night with a thermal sight, so for me 150 yards is a pretty long shot.
I certainly wouldn't take it on an elk or moose hunt, though.
 
Marketing?
More than likely - at least as far as I can tell.;)
30-30 Winchester. Good out to 200 yards or better depending on your setup. But...its not a super cartridge so I believe its underrated these days
I'm with you on the 30-30 (I've used mine for a couple of close-range (under 100 yards) mule deer. But I believe the 30-30 fits just as well in the "overrated" cartridges category too - particularly by eastern deer hunters who don't seem to be able to conceive of the fact that there are places where deer hunters can actually see farther than about a hundred yards. Besides, there aren't nearly as many deer out here in the west as there are back east. In a good year, only about 1 in 3 Idaho deer hunters even get a deer. So regardless of what some eastern deer hunters seem to think, out west, carrying a scoped deer rifle that's "sighted in" for 250 yards is not "cheating," nor does it necessarily mean the hunter carrying it is not a good hunter.
257 Bob is an honorable mention. Along with the 8mm Mauser. But my third will be the 7x57.
I wholeheartedly go along with you on that. The 7mm08 is a great cartridge too - it will pert-near do anything a 7X57 will do. But it's not nearly as "classy.";)
 
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No calibers to add, but I think there are so many choices today and new levels of “hotness” coming out more and more, that a lot of capable calibers seem to fall by the wayside.

The “Creedmoor 6’s” are certainly taking the hunting market by storm, but they didn’t make the .243/6MM/25-06/.257 Roberts guns and rounds any less effective!

Fun seeing the resurgence in the 45-70 but .444 Marlin is still a dang good round.

.300BO is fine, but so is the venerable 30-30 and .35 Win.

And I still think the .220 Swift can kill groundhogs and coyotes out to 400+ just as well as the .224 Valkyrie

YMMV.
 
Its definitely a "niche" caliber, and even the best subs (Hornady sub-x) are limited in effective range, but in my 300 BLK (suppressed Ruger American bolt action) it is ideal for white tails for Mrs. Fl-NC on the small food plots we hunt from a ground blind.

I can see where it might work for some. I even have one but where I hunt, a deer needs to be put down fast or it's going to go where it would be difficult or impossible to retrieve. I don't trust the 300 BLK enough to try it for deer under those circumstances.
 
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