Most Worthless Rifle Caliber

[greg531mi]

Most Unneeded Rifle Caliber

I was thinking about unneeded rounds that are still made, I thought we could make a poll to see which is the most unneeded!!!
My reconmendations:
22 Mag and 17 HMR- $7/$8 a box, 22 LR is cheaper for targets, 223 is a better round for varmints
30 Carbine,- costly Plinking round, not enough power for deer, too much drop for varments, would have been obsolete without the gun
7.62x39 -Inaccurate, 30/30 power, short range, barely a deer caliber, problem with bore diameter and ammo
ALL MAG loads- Too much recoil, most people cannot hit the broadside of a barn with them, because they kick like a mule, they flinch like a semi coming head on at you, also a price per box that would make you bankrupt if you shot it every week. I would put 458, 375 H&H, 7STW, 7mm Ultra Mag, Winchester Short Mags, Weatherby Mags and others in this category, good only for big bear, elephant, and rhino, and anything else over 1000 lb critter
204-What kind of niche this is supose to have? between the 22 mag and 223?
What is your opinion?

 

[armoredman]

Anything with Carcano in the name....

 

[McCall911]

I don't think it was exactly worthless, just unnecessary, but my vote is for the .32 Winchester Special. After all, why did we ever need another deer cartridge that duplicates the .30-30? For a time I owned a very neat mid-1950's Winchester 94 in this caliber, but kept wondering: WHY?

 

[kaferhaus]

30 Carbine,- costly Plinking round, not enough power for deer, too much drop for varments, would have been obsolete without the gun

Seen a lot of deer killed cleanly/quickly with carbines (at ranges under 100yds of course)

30/30 power, short range, barely a deer caliber, problem with bore diameter and ammo

The introduction of the 30/30 insured the collapse of the american buffalo herds as they once were, I've personally taken more than 1 Elk with it.

22mag is plenty for most varmints out to 100yds or so

17hmr I would have to agree is pretty worthless/redundant. 22mag will do anything it will.

7.62x39 is effective deer medicine out to 150yrds.

Most deer killed in this country are at ranges of less than 100yds, not everyone (most people don't) live on the prairie or in canyon country where shots over 200yds ever present themselves.


The Magnums with the exception of the 7MM Rem, are pretty much overkill for anything on this continent. A well placed 30-06 will kill anything just as dead.

If I could only ever have one rifle, it'd have to be an 06 because of the ammo availability.

Down here even many hardware stores sell 06 and 30-30 ammo.

 

[R.H. Lee]

Agree with most of what you said. Exception is 7.62 x 39. I can keep it within a 4" circle from my SKS (on a really good day), and it's cheap cheap cheap. Don't even have to pick up the 'brass'.

Never liked the .22 mag, and am not a hunter, but the big bore magnums do have a place for large (especially large and dangerous) game. Mostly, though, I think the belted magnums are an ego trip more than anything else.

 

[jefnvk]

I'd argue with you on the 7.62x39. Probably the world's most popular caliber, heck, it probably IS the .30-30 to much of the world.

To me, there really wasn't anything since the 50's that was necessary, that I can think about.

 

[greg531mi]

But, doesn't the 308 do a better job than the 7.62x39?

 

[Wildalaska]

.223/5.56.......doesnt kill anyhting and the rilfes that shoot it suck

WildcontroversialAlaska

 

[Gewehr98]

Regarding the .32 Winchester Special...

I don't think it was exactly worthless, just unnecessary, but my vote is for the .32 Winchester Special. After all, why did we ever need another deer cartridge that duplicates the .30-30?

Duplication wasn't the intent. See here:

According to Barnes' Cartridges of the World, Winchester developed the .32 Win Spec as a cartridge that was more powerful than a .30-30, yet not as powerful as the .30 Army (that would be the .30-40 Krag). And the ballistics seem to bear it out -- a slight edge over the .30-30 over the typical lever-action shooting distance (ie. out to 150 yards).

 

[Marshall]

Although I disagree with much of what you said, not all, I voted 7STW.

 

[jefnvk]

But, doesn't the 308 do a better job than the 7.62x39?

I personally would classify them in different categories. .308 as a battle rifle category, and 7.62x39 as an Assualt Rifle category.

 

[McCall911]

Gewehr98, now that you mention it, it did seem that my .32 WS 1894 Winchester had good bit more "kick" than the .30-30 that belonged to my neighbor. I didn't realize it was that much more powerful, though, because I was under the impression that it was intended for the same game as the .30 WCF. (Namely, deer.) But I agree that the .32 could have had a bit more downrange oomph ballistically.
Anyway, thanks for the info.

 

[rbernie]

I can justify ALMOST anything on the list except the WSM's, so that's my vote.

 

[Magnum88C]

There's quite a few on that list that I can do without, but for most worthless. . .I look at the .204 Ruger and ask "Why?". The only reason for that cartridge is to have another cartridge with "Ruger" on it.

 

[wally]

Tough choice, Toss up between .22 Mag and .17 HMR, with .30 Carbine and .204 Ruger close behind. I voted .17 HMR because of itty bitty little holes it makes and cost of the ammo.

Except for 7.62x39, I don't own any of these on the list and it'd take a lot to get me to do so -- like give me the gun for free

7.62x39 has the virture of being cheap to buy and cheap to buy guns for -- SKS & AK.
--wally.

 

[mustanger98]

I didn't vote the poll because "anything that kicks too damn hard" wasn't an option.

As for .30-30 vs. .32WS, I have both. I like both. Don't ask me why. And I couldn't tell a difference in recoil.

As far as that goes, I can do without .17cal's and .204 Ruger. I've shot a .17HMR, but really don't feel a need for one. If I need smaller than a .22LR I'll get out the pellet gun. If I need anything between .22Mag and .243Win., I'll get out the .233/5.56mm in either a Mini-14 or a bolt gun. I don't figure I need any WSM or WSSM either.

 

[Detritus]

something i came across regarding the .32 WS. As factory loaded (originally) it filled aforementioned niche of "more than 30-30, less than 30-40" but supposedly b/c winchester understood the existing market for the gun they knew that their customers would want a reloadable round, would want data to be able to do so, and that at that time that BP was about the only "readily available" powder to most people who wanted to re-load, so they published said data, and yes that reload data b/c it was BP basicly made the 32WS into a 30-30 with a slightly wider bullet.

maybe that's where the perception of the round being a 30-30 near clone come from??


Almost forgot, voted for 17HMR (and by extension the 17M2 ) since i find them to be a good summation of the "we'll make some new weird round tell em it'll kill skunks from outer space and they'll eat it up" marketing driven R&D that seems to be going on at the gun and ammo companies right now

 

[Quintin Likely]

Out of that list, I voted for the .17 HMR. But if it were on there, I'd vote for the Winchester Super Short Mags before that. A barrel burning answer to a question no one asked, IMO.

 

[artherd]

7.62x39 gets my vote.

Dosen't kill people well, dosen't kill animals well. .223 and/or .308 are better. .223 is lighter AND better.

The only advantage 7.62x39 has is price, and wolf .223 at $120/1000rounds about blows that away.

 

[litman252]

Well, I own three on the list,
7mm STW, model 70 clasic LTD. Out the door for $500. I would not have bought it for full price but plan on using it for elk if I ever get out there. Shoots nice and flat with enough weight for " bigger than deer" animals.
I would trade it for a 25-06 in same gun though.

.22 mag, When living on a farm and not having much money a Marlin 882SSV is a nice addition to the battery when a .223 can not be purchased. It is also a good light gun to practise shooting at longer,125-175yards, distances when crows and pigeons (sp) are the targets. The gun weighs approx 5lbs w/scope. One of the best parts is that you can shoot all day, with out breaking the bank and you do NOT have to wear hearing protection.

7.62-39, very simple. I can't afford a EBR and WA said they suck IN a SKS
I have a good rifle and a few thousand rounds for what, the same as a lower cost????


TETO,
YMMV,
Tony

 

[goon]

The story I got on the 32 Win Special is that it was originally meant to be loaded from the factory with smokeless powder and reloaded with BP. The factory supposedly sold a higher rear sight that could be installed to account for the loss of velocity encountered with the BP reloads. I will agree that today it is essentially a useless round.
The only thing is that all the guys out there who own guns chambered for this round would strongly disagree.

I am going to say that the .17 caliber rimfire rounds are pretty much useless, or at the very least, unnecessary. Same goes for the .204.

The 7.62x39 is one that shouldn't be on that list. It is cheap to shoot and the guns that fire it are generally cheap and durable. In addition to that, the AK is the physical representation of what the anti gun people and the forces that wish to disarm us hate the most.
Anything that gives Schumer and Fienstein a case of the squirts is good enough to hang on my wall.
To me, that is reason enough to keep the '39 around. Add in that you can have 1K worth of clay pigeon/pop can/milk jug/old fruit blasting fun for about $90 delivered and it is well deserving of being kept around.

 

[Onmilo]

Any caliber that will burn out the barrels throat and lead in 2000 rounds or less and there are a bunch of them.

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

.223/5.56.......doesnt kill anyhting and the rilfes that shoot it suck

There's alot of Iraqis/Somalis/Grenadans/Vietnamese/Panamanians/Afghans/Palestinians (just to start the list) that would disagree with you on that, if they were still alive after getting hit with that M16 round that "doesn't kill anything"

 

[stevelyn]

I can only vote once so I had settle on the 7mm STW. What this is supposed to do, I have no idea. I have no use for WSSMs, belted cases (.375 excepted) or Lazzeronis. With the .204 Ruger now available the .220 Swift can disappear.
I like the concept of the WSMs, and would be interested in a WSM either in .338 or .35.
However, everthing I need to do can be done with a variety of .30-06 based calibers. If I want magnums, I'll Ackley Improve them.
Everything else on the list has its place.

 

[oneshooter]

"The introduction of the 30/30 insured the collapse of the american buffalo herds as they once were, I've personally taken more than 1 Elk with it."

The Buffalo was already in numbers too small to hunt well BEFORE the 30-30 was introduced. It was not hunting, either for hides or sport, that killed them off. It was the introduction of cattle and thier diseases, namely brucalosis, that doomed the buffalo herds.

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas