No more new cartridges

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High Plains

High Plains

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Ammunition and reloading components are at the least hard to find in retail stores and through on-line dealers. Development of new cartridges and components should stop. Why research, develop and build what you can’t sustain? The amount of components saved by NOT making new stuff means more of the existing rifles and ammo can be made-----and sold instead of being kept back “for later.” News Flash: Later is here.

The latest cartridge to come from the necked down or shortened 404 Jeffery isn’t going to change the hunting or target shooting world. We have had almost every caliber get a new version of a cartridge with a higher SAMMI-approved pressure limit than something of same caliber. A 416 Rigby Short Magnum isn’t going to change the dangerous hunting arena. A 264 Nosler Fireball won’t make squat for the long-rangers who seek “a perfect” solution to ringing steel at 1600 yards.
Your thoughts???
 
While your comment makes logical sense in regards to manufacturing efficiencies. It will never happen, American's like new, different and updated.

Money is to be made by getting one more angel dancing on the point of a needle.

I say the below, not to be condescending or attacking you but as a point to think about.

The sheer number of cartridges out there and the like within other industries, technologies and society, is what is great about America. We are free to invent, recreate, improve and ultimately make money off of such ventures. I could go on into more of a philosophical discussion about the above as it relates to freedoms but I will not for respect to THR scope of discussions.
 
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Making guns and ammunition is a BUSINESS, the purpose of which is to make a profit. Just as there are those that have to have the latest and greatest computer equipment or smart phones, there are those always looking at how to spend their money on something new in the gun business. Coming out with new cartridges and new guns to fire those cartridges can be, but are not guaranteed to be big money makers.
 
Agree to disagree with the OP. Innovation and freedom to improve on existing products is what makes America great. Without wildcats we wouldn't have excellent niche cartridges like 6.5 Grendel, 224 Valkyrie, 300 AAC, 6.8 SPC, etc.

Also, the supply chain issues are temporary. Things will normalize again eventually, and you'll be able to buy all the components you can store. Use that opportunity to stack it deep.
 
“Also, the supply chain issues are temporary. Things will normalize again eventually, and you'll be able to buy all the components you can store. Use that opportunity to stack it deep.”

This sums it up nicely.
 
Well we could have stopped "development" at 45 Colt, 45-70, 30-06, 30-30, .22, and 38 SPL. To a lot of us there is not really a need for more than those to be well equiped. What a booring world it would be if that had happened though. I agree that the manufacturers should concentrate on the most sold (and therefore used) cartridges for now until they catch up but variety is the spice of life as they say.
 
The desire to innovate and improve is part of the American spirit. A temporary supply chain issue won't and shouldn't stop this process. Most of these new cartridges will not come to market or be successful but through the process the industry as a whole will continue to learn and to grow.
 
These new cartridges will use a minimal amount of resources. Diverting an hours worth of production off one manufacturing line to a new cartridge isn’t going to have a meaningful impact on the shortage.

New cartridges sell guns and more guns means more ammo sales in the long run.
 
Look at all the "new" rifle and handgun calibers that have been developed over the last 20 or 30 years. Every single one of them graced magazine covers and dominated the "gun news" as the "latest greatest" with impressive reviews, and at some point, all were talked up as The One. The caliber that would be the "game changer", etc. Then take an honest look at the few that did NOT fade into obscurity, or at best become a "specialized cartridge" to fill a specific niche. Where are all the short mags? 30 AR? 6.8 SPC? 357 Sig? 41 AE? 45 GAP? I could do this all day.
 
FL-NC said:
Look at all the "new" rifle and handgun calibers that have been developed over the last 20 or 30 years. Every single one of them graced magazine covers and dominated the "gun news" as the "latest greatest" with impressive reviews, and at some point, all were talked up as The One. The caliber that would be the "game changer", etc. Then take an honest look at the few that did NOT fade into obscurity, or at best become a "specialized cartridge" to fill a specific niche. Where are all the short mags? 30 AR? 6.8 SPC? 357 Sig? 41 AE? 45 GAP? I could do this all day.
Click to expand...

You said that just to insight me to post a picture of my newest rifle didn't you!!?

VuCzkhCl.jpg
30 Remington AR, the scrape bin rifle built early last year, likely the last 30 Remington AR ever assembled...
Q7oryHcl.jpg
Such a cute little cartridge in such a funky magazine.

Almost every cartridge I have use in the past few years was designed new enough to make 40S&W look a little old. I hope the new cartridge never stop coming there is always some new niche to fill or technology to exploit to make what was old new and better if only incrementally. Variety is the spice of life.
 
At one point in this cycle, folks were gleefully pointing out that those oddball cartridges were still on the shelves, while the classics had sold out right away. I suspect the oddballs are now mostly gone as well, but may take longer to restock. But this is the land of the better mousetrap, and we have been buying "new and improved" for a very long time.
 
A barrel that last longer or a powder that burns with greater efficiency will do more for factory rifle and ammunition sales as well as a reloader than a new cartridge will.
 
High Plains said:
Ammunition and reloading components are at the least hard to find in retail stores and through on-line dealers. Development of new cartridges and components should stop. Why research, develop and build what you can’t sustain? The amount of components saved by NOT making new stuff means more of the existing rifles and ammo can be made-----and sold instead of being kept back “for later.” News Flash: Later is here.

The latest cartridge to come from the necked down or shortened 404 Jeffery isn’t going to change the hunting or target shooting world. We have had almost every caliber get a new version of a cartridge with a higher SAMMI-approved pressure limit than something of same caliber. A 416 Rigby Short Magnum isn’t going to change the dangerous hunting arena. A 264 Nosler Fireball won’t make squat for the long-rangers who seek “a perfect” solution to ringing steel at 1600 yards.
Your thoughts???
Click to expand...
I like that you noticed the increased pressure limits.
Those are probably the original pressure limits the old standbys used to be loaded to before better pressure reading equipment came along.
But instead of upping the pressure to match what the ammo was safely loaded to. They drop the load data to match the "safe pressure" designed for the CUP measuring process.
This opens the door for new "better" cartridges.
I'm saving my components for the old ones.
 
I can remember when the introduction of a new cartridge was a fairly rare event and was followed by much press and general hoopla, both good and bad. Recall the excitement following the advent of cartridges like the 7mm Magnum and the .44 Magnum. Yes, I agree that there's been a lot of redundancies and false claims when comparing the newcomers to the old-timers but I am absolutely in favor of "the more the merrier"-if you don't like change, don't invest in it. You'll always be able to buy a 30-06 :).
 
New cartridges are developed to sell more firearms, not because they're better at much of anything that's been around forever. Case in point. How much *better* is 6mm CM than .243 Win. I suppose it has a bit more effective range but who shoots past 500 yds. Maybe some comp shooters but that's about it. If someone didn't have a 6mm rifle and wanted to buy a new one, 6mm CM would be the choice most likely. I think it's just cartridge evolution by tiny increments but that's how anything evolves. I built a precision rifle (.223 Rem) around a Howa barreled action 3 years ago. .223 Rem has been around for 57 years. It suits me just fine and it's easy on my bank account.
 
SwampWolf said:
I can remember when the introduction of a new cartridge was a fairly rare event and was followed by much press and general hoopla, both good and bad. Recall the excitement following the advent of cartridges like the 7mm Magnum and the .44 Magnum. Yes, I agree that there's been a lot of redundancies and false claims when comparing the newcomers to the old-timers but I am absolutely in favor of "the more the merrier"-if you don't like change, don't invest in it. You'll always be able to buy a 30-06 :).
Click to expand...

Yep, I was in high school and wanted one in the worst way. I bought one in 1970 while in the Navy. Hunted with it a few years and shot a few deer with it. Eventually gave it to my brother who used it to hunt elk in WY. Didn't really care for it that much as a deer rifle. :( A 308 Win, or even a .243, would have been better for my needs.
 
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I've said it before...many of the "new" cartridges are actually re-badged or slightly tweaked older cartridges from folks who are probably not around anymore. Marketing is important and keeps the industry alive for sure...but to be honest they don't interest me greatly. I passed up 6.5 CM for making my 6.5 Swede and I think it was a much better choice of the two (of course because I built it lol) and most of my handloads for my AR in 300 Blackout are actually 300 Whisper loads.

I say bring it on...I'm waiting for someone to come up with the awesome idea that you can take the 357 Maximum brass and run it into the 221 Fireball die and get a rimmed 221 for use in a singe shot or a revolver! (Please...I am kidding here...most TC fanatics have been doing this for a bit...the rimmed case is easier to deal with)

D
 
Some of the last stuff I noticed disappear was obscure stuff, common stuff was the first to be depleted. Why .22 seems to always be the first to go.
 
jmorris said:
Some of the last stuff I noticed disappear was obscure stuff, common stuff was the first to be depleted. Why .22 seems to always be the first to go.
Click to expand...

I think a guy could buy 20 cases of that stuff when it's cheap, sit on it until the next ammo shortage, and beat the stock market handily without any worries. I might just do that if it ever goes back to 2018 prices. I can store 20 cases no problem for as long as I need to. I purchased 5K in 2018. I should have purchased 100K. 20/20 hind sight.
 
Sometimes a new cartridge comes along not to improving on performance but to bring a certain level of performance to a particular platform that has become desirable in a particular segment of the market. The AR is the quintessential example of this: How many cartridge have been created specifically to bring a particular level or type of performance to this highly successful platform? Lots!

224 Valkyrie
6.5 Grendel
6.8 SPC (II)
300 AAC Blackout
300 Ham'r
30 Remington AR
350 Legend
450 Bushmaster
458 SOCOM
50 Beowulf

There are heaps of others I have left out but the above partial list is some of the more successful (except 30 Remington AR but I like it so I included it :p) cartridges designed for the AR platform.
 
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I'm happy to see new cartridges being introduced. But I'm slow to jump on anything new. So many of the new ones won't do anything that something that I already have won't do just as well. I think the youngest cartridge that I have is a 300 WSM.
 
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