List of Most Popular

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HARV6

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Does anybody know where I can find a list that ranks the popularity of rifle cartridges? Perferably based on something like # of rifles sold to the public? I can't seem to find anything other than lists of opinions on what is most popular.
 
You'll find lists but with many contradictory opinions. Also, popularity varies depending on geographic region/needs/laws. I've researched this quite a bit and will offer my opinion, if you still want it, based soley on articles, lists, posts in threads, etc. but it won't be 100 calibers deep... maybe 20 or so. Also, the "ranking" will be approximate... not accurate by any means.

Are pistol cartridges acceptible given that many rifles are chambered for them? What about shotguns?
 
Everybody's got 2...

Harv 6--IMHO (There we go right off the bat, with an OPINION!) Opinions is all you'll ever get on this subject. I see ratings based on the # of a given cartridge of reloading dies sold, but that limits it to people who reload (and who buy the particular makers' dies.) # of rifles sold, you'd have to get that from each of the manufacturers, and I doubt that you'd get complete information from all of them. Likewise volumes of ammunition of any given cartridge sold.

There are probably opinions on this to be found in various gun related magazines, too, based on whatever criteria the writer was using for that particular article.

I suspect that there's a doctorate or 2 to be had, in the finding out of the most popular cartridges, but (a) it'd take years of study and (b) many bucks in grants to find it all out, and sift and evaluate and publish the data. And whatever was discovered would immediately be challenged, that being the way of academia.

I'm pretty certain myself, that at the A#1 top of any list except centerfires only, you would find the lowly and ubiquitous .22 Long Rifle cartridge.

Other than that, there probably is no definitive listing. If you find one, please let us all know!

Good hunting! :)
 
My WAG off the top of my head is...

1. 22LR (Still what the majority first learns on.)
2. 30-06
3. 223
4. 270
5. 308
6. 22-250
7. 243
8. 7mm Rem Mag.
9. 30-30 (been taking a nose dive w/ newer generations)
10. 300 Win mag
11. 22 Mag
12. 25-06
13. 7mm-08
14. 220 swift
15. 280
16. 44mag
17. 357mag
18. 300wsm
19. 6mm rem
20. .45-70

With the new trend to hunt with AR's, I think 223 and 308 would push to the top if all states allowed hunting with semi-autos.
 
I read Mr. Hawks' article a couple times prior to posting. I googled this question a number of ways and there isn't much that comes up other than his "reader's choice" What I'm looking for that might not exist is something like a list published by say Field & Stream with info on sales they gathered from big companies like Reminging, Ruger, Savage, and the like.
 
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What is the 10 most popular cartridges. I think it is
1. 308.
2. 30-06.
3. 270.
4. 30-30
5. 7mm. mag
6. 243.win
7. 300. win mag
8. 338. win mag
9. 223.
10. 22-250. rem
 
1. 22LR Everyone has one
2. .30-06 Garands, Springfields, and most mid-age hunting rifles
3. 308 Most new hunting rifles, SCAR-H, Assault rifle clones
4. 7.62x39 AK, SKS, CZ's hunting rifles
5. 223 AR, Mini14, etc
6. 7.62x54R The Mighty Mosin Nagant, PSL, SVT40
7. 8MM mauser Mausers
8. 5.45x39 AK-74s
9. .30-30 Lots of them around still
10 7mm Rem Popular hunting cart
 
i think chuckhawks has it right.

1. .22 Long Rifle
2. .223 Remington
3. .243 Winchester
4. .260 Rem. or 6.5x55 SE
5. .270 Winchester
6. 7mm Remington Magnum
7. .30-30 Winchester
8. .308 Winchester
9. .30-06 Springfield
10. .338 Winchester Magnum
Click to expand...
 
gotigers said:
i think chuckhawks has it right.
Click to expand...

that might be his list for his favorites....certainly is not a list of most popular...

Remington doesn't even carry a 700 in the .260 Remington...so that can't be one of the most popular, it is hard enough finding a gun chambered for it.


.338 Winchester Magnum certainly doesn't belong on a list of most popular either.
 
The chuckhawks list is close. I think the top 2 are dead on. I would move .308 up to the top 5.
 
RCBS yearly publishes a list of the 25 most popular loading dies. I know this list isn't of the 25 most popular rifles, but it is a good indicator. I did forget to mention that this list is combination of both rifle and pistols, but it is still useful.
 
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