30-06 and derivate...can they be considered "almost magnum" cartridges?

[saturno_v]

The goold old -06 and its derivatives (25-06, 270 Win, 280 Rem, 338-05, 35 Whelen) are the highest intensity "standard cartridge" out there..at least it seems to me that way....just breathing on the neck of similar calibers with a Magnum label attached to it.... the 270 Win or 280 Rem are close in performance to the 7mm Rem Mag, as the 30-06 of nowdays is close to a 300 Win Mag and the 338-06 is close to a 338 Win Mag....


Could we call them "Quasi Magnum", "Almost Magnum" or "Half Magnum" cartridges?

 

[Gryffydd]

How about we call them "Just right" cartridges?
The word magnum has been so overused to be practically meaningless these days.

 

[stubbicatt]

They are really good cartridges, perform well, are not powder hawgs, and I agree w/ Gryffydd: "Just Right" cartridges.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I tend to think of such cartridges as in all but name magnums. But I agree with the above post that in my mind "magnums" aren't anything special anyhow.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

I'd love to see you define what Magnum means without 20 pages of argument following.

 

[WardenWolf]

I tend to think of any tapered casing as "Magnum", since they're intended to allow a greater powder charge behind a bullet of that caliber than would be allowed with a straight casing. In this sense, virtually all modern rifle cartridges are "Magnum".

 

[dakotasin]

i would also like to see a definition of magnum, with or without the 20 pages. let's start by 'splaining why a 25-06 is not a 'magnum', but a 338 win mag is a 'magnum'...

to answer the original question, i would argue the 25-06 is a magnum and the 270 win is an almost magnum, while the 30-06, 338-06, 35 whelen, etc are 'not-magnums'.

 

[R.W.Dale]

But compare 35w to 350 rem mag and tell me the former isn't a magnum

or 30/06 to 300h&h mag as well fir that matter

 

[Gryffydd]

So a .30-06 isn't a magnum, but neck it down a bit and it's almost a magnum, and neck it down a bit more and it is a magnum?

 

[ArmedBear]

"High efficiency" cartridges, perhaps?

.300 WinMag does offer about 7% more velocity than .30-06, but in return for 20% more powder.

"Sane distance" cartridges?

The same .300 WinMag's performance edge isn't exactly necessary on most game until you get out to what, maybe 400 yards?

Also, there's the proportion of case volume to bullet diameter and weight. I'd say the .30-06 case makes the .25-06 a "magnum" class cartridge, but the .338 and larger rounds can really use the extra volume of a magnum case (although the .338 A-Square turns in some surprisingly good numbers). The .270 and .30-06 seem to be very well matched to the standard .30-06 case.

So a .30-06 isn't a magnum, but neck it down a bit and it's almost a magnum, and neck it down a bit more and it is a magnum?

Well, yes. A .30-06 case holds a lot of powder for a 90 grain .25 caliber bullet. It's hard to argue that a 3400 fps centerfire round isn't a "magnum" of some sort.

A .17HMR case holds a lot of powder for a tiny .17 caliber bullet, too. It's really that ratio that counts, not whether the case has a belt on it. Of course a .257 Weatherby is even faster. "Weatherby" in the cartridge name has a whole other set of implications...

 

[Arkel23]

As I can see the only thing that can define a magnum is if they manufacturer puts magnum behind the name!
.243 WSSMagnum
.300 Weatherby Magnum, two totally different calibers, but both magnums.

 

[Runningman]

Does it really matter? Magnum is more or less just a American marketing tool taken from Latin language, meaning large. Cartridges such as the 375 H&H Belted Rimless Nito Express didn't have the Magnum name till it was chambered in Rifles made in America.

Can't really blame the marketers, 7 mm Remington Large does not sound as sexy as 7mm Remington Magnum does it? Yet we have examples such as the 7mm STW that is larger than the 7mm Remington Magnum. Or the 222 Remington Magnum is smaller than the 220 Swift.

 

[50caliber123]

You really can't ignore the handgun magnums when discussing the term "magnum" (.357, .44, .454). I always thought that "Magnum" referred to any cartridge that was dervived from and otherwise lengthend to hold more powder than the standard caliber, as chambering it in the parent cartridge's firearm might be unsafe.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Magnum is a marketing term. It was applied to cartridges during prohibition when people missed a "magnum" of liquor or wine. Likewise, "Express" was an earlier marketing term borrowed from express trains when those were new and had a public image of being powerful.

The older distinguishing features that might be called "magnum features" are now largely antique, like a belted case.

Figure out how much bullet does the job and how fast it has to go do that job with a trajectory you can use, then pick an appropriate case to hold the bullet and powder in place. The name applied is just marketing.

 

[atblis]

For me and rifles

Magnum = excessive recoil, less barrel life, less brass life, added expense, larger heavier rifles = Totally not worth the hassle

30-06,270, 280 = works, no premium bullets needed, affordable = just right

 

[JimmAr]

By todays standards magnums are measured by crazy recoil/eroding barrel overbore cartridges..almost a "Tim the tool man Taylor" philosophy, remington ultra mags.. weatherby cartridges, 204 ruger are a perfect examples alot of them still going strong.

Mainstream however? No.

 

[achildofthesky]

The vast majority of folks are MUCH better off with an '06 ,270, 280 that they can hit with rather than the magnums they are flinching with and can't hit crap with. See it all the time.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Magnum = marketing

 

[Redneck with a 40]

Hornady's light magnum loads add about 150 fps to the standard 30-06 loads, that's plenty of power for all North American big game, short of the massive Alaskan brownie's. You get manageable recoil and a rifle that is not overly heavy = ideal.