Most widespread CF rifle ammo?

Probably 30-30, 308, and 30-06

My FIL has only one centerfire rifle, the one his parents gave him when he graduated from High School. It's a .30-06.

Funny, his father owns a .308, and his brother owns a .25-06.

I'm guessing that the most common rifle caliber in the country is .30-06. But it would not surprise me if it has changed to the .223/5.56. 30-30 probably used to have the throne, but I doubt that it still does.

My guess would be 5.56/.223. It seems that AR15 and other similar rifles shooters seem to shoot more rounds, and keep more on hand than many other CF rifle shooters.

I've never meet someone who buys 30WCF by the case.

My bet would be on .30-06, by a landslide.

There are three types of gun owners:
The (#1) "I love guns" type, the (#2) "I use guns to hunt" type, and the (#3) "Yeah, I've got a handgun up in the attic just in case" type. Type #2 owners probably have a shotgun and a rifle, and that's it. These are people who own guns for practical use only, not because they enjoy blasting away at targets or they fear an uprising.

Type #1 people most certainly have a rifle in .223/5.56, but most of us (ofc I fall in this category; most of us do) also have hunting rifles - and even here on THR, .30-06 seems to be among the most commonly recommended hunting rifle caliber. It's North America's big game rifle.

So while tens of thousands of people likely own an AR15, countless more must own a .30-06. Makes sense to me anyway. And yes, I do know several people in each category... even #3 :banghead:

As popular as the AR is, it still has a LONG way to catch up for all the households that have been and continue to use '06.

9mm, .45 ACP, 12 Ga, 30-06, .223 most likely.

30-30 or 30-06 in a neck and neck race!!

I would also guess '06 in America. Funny enough I do not currently own one. I have sold or converted every one I have ever owned. Just took the barrel off a bubba'd 1917 to do a magnum conversion of some flavor.

Interesting thought..

I would lean toward the .223 Remington, but I agree also on the .30-06 and I suspect you might see the 7.62x39 in the top 5. Worldwide, I know the .30-06 has been in the top 3 for ages. Also, don't forget us Mosin owners - 7.62x54R rocks!

9mm, .45 ACP, 12 Ga, 30-06, .223 most likely.

Click to expand...

The OP asked about CF rifle ammunition, so that rules out the first three. 30-06 wins again.

I understand the reasons everyone is saying 30-06. But I have to wonder about it, because while gun ownership is on the rise, hunting is not. More and more people are buying for other reasons -- home defense, target shooting, TEOTWAWKI -- and 30-06 is not a common choice for those uses. So if it hasn't happened yet, it must be coming soon that 30-06 will be replaced as the most common caliber found in any given household.

In that case, .223/5.56 is probably the replacement.

About 35 years ago, I would have said 30-30. Now I would guess it would be 30-06.

I agree that back in the day it would have been .30-30 and .30-06 but today I wonder if .223 and .308 have made enough inroads to edge out the old standards. They certainly seem to be far and away the most sold calibers today. For that matter, I suspect that a lot more 7.62 x 39mm rifles have been sold in the last 20 years than .30-30, but I doubt that the SKSs and AKs have caught up with the previous 100+ years of lever action deer rifles.

As cheap as Mosin Nagant rifles are selling for, Id think that they are rapidly climbing the charts. I know more people who own one or more $80 Mosin's than I do folks who own 30-06's, and most of the guys I know who have a 30-06 also have a Mosin!

If we have a few more years of ~$100 Mosin's and relatively cheap 7.62x54r ammo for em, they may end up at #1.

Popular Ammo

One of the indicators is loading die sales and 30/06 is right at or near the top of die sales. I would say 308 Win, 30/06 & 223/556x45 are at the top but not in any particular order.Personally my list is much different but that is just me.

.30-06 because of all the hunting rifles.

.22 lr - even with the shortage you know everyone still has some laying around

And yet, the .22LR is not a centerfire rifle cartridge.

Definitely got to be the '06 - myself alone, I've got 7 of them.

Don

I would be willing to bet a cup of coffee, that the 223 Rem-5.56 Nato has overtaken just about all other center fire rifle cartridges.

I have three center-fire rifles--one 30-06, one 30-30, and one .223. Yes, I do put more rounds through the .223, but I usually take them all to the range every time I go. I just like shooting center-fires!

The one that's still most commonly sitting on the shelves here in Indiana (which I realize is not the question) is .270...boxes and boxes of it just about everywhere I look. I figure .270 is a dedicated big-game cartridge that is just that much less popular than 30-06 so that here in Indiana where you can't hunt with either, more people have a 30-06 either "just because", they've got a milsurp, or maybe they hunt elsewhere. Varmits people hunt with .243. Nobody hunts anything with a .270 in Indiana...legally anyway.

Just an observation.

My guess would be 30-06 by a landslide. Virtually everyone I know all over the country has at least one 30-06. "Gun people" have .223 but I don't know of a single gun person that does not own a 30-06. How many safes out there with a 223 also have a 30-06 as compared to those that have an 06 but no 223? The .223 is a relative newcomer to the centerfire world and will probably surpass them all as less people are getting into hunting. When did the .223 round come into common use for civilians? By common I don't mean just the gun lovers but the average household.

30-30 is probably next because they have been around for so long and .308 and 270 may have surpassed them by now.

The only long gun that I think is more prevelant than the 06 is the 12 ga shotgun and I bet that has them all beat and then some.