Best Caliber That Never Took-off

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In North America

6.5x55, 257 Roberts+p, necking up a 300WSM case to .458, 10mm Auto, 45 Super... There's a few others out there I'd like to see... Mainly some 9.3 calibers. Classy.

MOST OF ALL: SABOTED ROUNDS. SABOTS = WIN. We need to make good sabots that let people throw little bullets really damn fast without running into problems like throat/neck erosion within a thousand rounds. Seriously if they were well made enough and if the barrel twist was just right, you could easily have a big case throw a HEAVY 6 to 7mm bullet past 4kft/s with good barrel life, compared to necked down super magnums.
 
Effengee said: "The 8-gauge shotshell
Perhaps not everyone would like their shoulder meat tenderized???"
Sign me up! The pain would be worth the joy of shooting such a massive shotgun.:evil:
 
Alright, I'll bite because I can't seem to get this out of my mind: the .307 Winchester.
I know the cartridge came about 20 years too late, but combine .308 performance with classic Winchester lever action, and I gotta admit you've won over my heart. I know the 308 Marlin is based off of the .307, but the case capacity of the .307 Winchester is greater than that of the .308 Marlin due to a longer OAL. My mind can't help but boggle over what a combination of the .307 Winchester fueled with the new Super-Performance powder from Hornady combined with a 160 grain bullet would be on everything from Elk on down.

My vote also goes for the
.348 Winchester,
.25-20
.17 HMR
.17 Mach 2 (because I think it's interesting),
.22 Magnum (seems to be an afterthought to those with convertible single action rimfire revolvers), .35 Remington (I know it's mainstream, but it's pretty overshadowed by the 30-30)
7mm-08 ( I can't think of a job the 308 Winchester can do that the 7mm-08 can't do just as well less recoil and muzzle blast)
6.5X55 Swede (The only people who ever seem to shoot the Swedish round are those who enjoy the history of the Swedish Mauser or K38, but the round is perceived as being attached to ONLY those firearms. On paper, the ballistics definitely give you a lot of bang for your buck!),
.41 Magnum
.38 Super (I think the only reason it doesn't the following the 9mm Luger has is because the 9X19 is a NATO round and extremely abundant)
.257 Roberts
10mm (I blame the .40 for it's demise)
45-70 (The only people who shoot this one are those who shoot period pieces or hunt in states that only allow straight walled pistol cartridges in handguns that want a little more "oomph")
 
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Technically not a caliber... but - 16 Gauge.

I learned as a kid on a 16 gauge at camp I was a little guy (still am) and the 12 was just too big, but the 20 gauage just didn't have the power I needed to break the clays at trap. I feel the 16 gauge is a great happy medium.
 
32 WCF AKA 32-20 which is now been revamped as the .327
With modern steel and bullet/powder combination it could shine again.

The bottle necked 38/45 pushed a .357 pretty fast out of a 1911

The .300 Savage did shine for quite a while. I still hunt with it. Mainly because the .308 in a Savage is more recent and the cheap wood plus poor stock design changes made it UGLY.
 
Another vote for the “ideal combat round”, the 10mm Auto and for long range flat trajectory shooting, the .257 Weatherby.
 
10mm Auto and 6.5 Grendel.

Both of these cartridges pack about as much firepower into a platform of their size as is possible to fit and offer a lot of performance without a lot of extra guff. The 10mm Auto is bar none the most useful and versatile auto pistol cartridge ever created, and the 6.5 Grendel smokes anything else you can put in an AR-15 for long range accuracy and lethality.
 
I used to own a 44 Automag so 44 AMP.
Glad to see the 300 Savage in there I still load for several rifles.
Yep I also have and reload 257 Roberts. Love it!!
These are my contributions.
 
Can't believe I haven't responded to this thread yet :). Time to fix that.

My favorites:
.45LC
.41 Mag
10 mm

Note: I guess the .45 LC "took off" about 100 years ago, but in today's world, it's still a boutique/handloader's cartridge.

Happy Thanksgiving. Rich
 
.276 Pedersen, .280 British, 7.92x33. By the way, MCACE in Alaska does have chamber adapters to shoot 7.92x33 in 8x57 Mausers. Instead of e-mail, use usps for best results contacting them...
 
I can't believe the .350 Rem Mag isn't mentioned more in this thread. It beat the other short magnums by 35 years and matches or betters the .35 Whelen. It's actually very popular in my zip code. Great moose and bear round and fine for deer with the 200 grainers.
 
6mm Remington? Boy Ain't that the truth - that's why I own two of them.
And I have a beautiful Ruger M77 in .257 Roberts.
 
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Well this may be a bit premature, but I am going to say .375 Ruger. A quick look at Midway shows only Hornady manufacturing the cartridge. I carried a Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan in the bush for a while and I really liked the rifle and cartridge. The shorter action and 20" barrel made it a much handier rifle than a comparable .375 H&H bolt action rifle (of which I have had a few).

I am a huge 10mm fan, but I think it is doing pretty well and not in any danger of disappearing any time soon.
 
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