On this thread name your top five favorite cartridges under 30 caliber. You choose if you want to order them 1–5, or simple list them in no order. You can elaborate why you like a particular cartridge, or your reasoning behind your choices as a group, or both. This is for FUN, and to enjoy reading others opinions. So, here’s mine:

• 7mm-08 Remington
• 7mm Remington Magnum
• 6.5mm Remington Magnum
• 6.5x55mm Swedish Mauser
• .257 Roberts

My thinking in the above choices is to keep the recoil down, the ballistics VERY efficient. I’m really not a big fan of magnums, but the Remington’s Big-7 is a top choice for elk in my opinion. The 7mm STW is a great cartridge, but it really jumps up the kick so that pretty much rules it and the other HUGH 7s out.

With Hornady’s Superformance ammo the 7mm-08 is a serious performer. With just under 3,000 fps muzzle velocity with a 139 grain SST a 7mm-08 is just a prime choice for deer/pronghorn sized game, heck under 300 yards it’ll be a solid elk/moose cartridge to boot. All this from a cartridge with very mild recoil. For the vast majority of hunting situations the 7mm-08 is without question a top choice. A plus IMO is that the R-25 Remington can be had straight from the factory in this chambering. Now that combo would be a rig with wonderfully mild recoil. The down side is if it was a tack-driver you’d blow your budget on ammo because the thing would be so very much fun to shoot.

The 6.5mm Remington Magnum was a cartridge before it’s time. Now it is perhaps the perfect 1,000 yard cartridge. The 6.5 RM can be chambered in a standard length action with plenty of room for long sleek bullets of 140 grain or more. If someone (Y’all listening Hornady?) would come out with say a 147 to 154 grain spitzer boattail bullet the BC could be over .700, and maybe even over .800. With the same case capacity as the .30-06 this would be a 1,000 yard cartridge par excellence. One more thought, most bullet manufactures offer a 160 grain round nose bullet in 6.5mm. With proper construction such a bullet in the 6.5 RM would be one seriously stout round for tough animals and would be capable of taking any animal on the face of the Earth. I’m not saying it would be my first choice to take the African big 4, but with good shot placement it could take even those animals.

The 6.5x55 Swedish offers a bit more case capacity than the .260 Remington, or the 6.5mm Creedmoore. I chose the Swede because of this, and it tends to be more widely available, and I like the idea of an old cartridge still being extremely well suited for the times in terms of performance. All of the just mentioned 6.5s are excellent choices for deer class game with long range (greater than 500 yards). While I love short actions, standard length actions are perfectly acceptable especially in view of the fact that anything above about 140 grains the 6.5mm bullets become so long as to either impinge significantly on the case capacity, or to stick so far out of the neck that short actions may not be long enough to handle such a load. The Swede in a standard length action has no such restrictions. So I consider the Swede a more versatile round.

The .257 Roberts in a +P Superformance load by Hornady is just about a super whitetail, muledeer, and pronghorn cartridge. With a 117 grain SST the muzzle velocity is just a shosh below 3,000 fps. This is only 165 fps below the same bullet loaded in the 25-06 Superformance. For most hunters this could be the optimum cartridge for deer class game.

That’s my

.243
.223
.270

My top 3

.22 WMR
.22 Hornet
.223 Rem.
6.5x55 Swede.
7mm-08 Rem.

7 mm mag
22-250
223

.270
7 Mag
.243
25-06
7 -08
Plenty of knock down for most anything in Texas with proper shot placement.

Dang if you take away my 30's I am lost!

Lets see here:
#1-270 WSM
#2-7 Rem Mag
#3-7 Ultra Mag
#4-280
#5-7 SAUM

222
243
257 Roberts
6.5x55
7-08

By Size, not preference..

ones I use

.270win-next best thing to a .30cal
.257wby- Flatest trajectory with 3600fps Barnes TSX 100gr
.22-250rem-best varmint caliber ever

one is dont use
25-06 & 7m-08- plenty of power and good for people who are "recoil sensative"

1 7mm-08
2 6.5-284
3 17 Remington
4 7mm-STW
5 Tie 22 Hornet and 223 Remington

Left out the 22 Rimfires simply because they should be on any list for smallgame and FUN

In no particular order

22lr
17HMR
22-250
243
270 (as much as it pains me to say it)

1. 270 Win.
2. 257 Roberts
3. 6mm Rem
4. 223 Rem
5. 17 HMR

The 17 gets on the list cuz I just recently picked one up and have enjoyed the added range versus my 22lr on small game and its mo' betta for pigs when thats all youve got with ya.

.223
.25/06
.260
.270 (regular Winchester version, not wsm)
7mm Rem Mag

Every High Priest of North American hunting who wants one gun and to spend his money on other things knows the 30.06 was, is, and always will be the king.

I bet you guys don't know who goes last if everyone arrives at a 4-way stop at the same time either.

Sub-30 is sub

Every High Priest of North American hunting who wants one gun and to spend his money on other things knows the 30.06 was, is, and always will be the king.

I bet you guys don't know who goes last if everyone arrives at a 4-way stop at the same time either.

.223 Remington
6MM Remington
.243 Winchester
.257 Roberts
.260 Remington

22-250
243 or 6mm if you handload
25-06
257wby
7-08

7mm-08

.223 (5.56mm)

.22LR

I like long and flat shooters
7RemMag
270Win
25-06
243
264WinMag (For the reloaders.)

1)7MM-08, My go to hunting round since I hunt 150 yards and less.
2).260 Rem, Proven long range cartridge, short action is a plus
3).223 Rem, great plinking round
4)7RM, powerful and low recoil with a Limbsaver
5).222, because I shot my first deer with it.

1) .25-06
2) .270wsm
3) .17hmr
4) 5.56

My .25-06 is the go to mule deer/antelope rifle. .270 wsm is my new sub30 elk/black bear rifle, had .270 but like the ballistics of the wsm better. The .17hmr is my small game round. Due to our hunting regs up here, the 5.56 is only good for coyotes, so is low on the list. Own all of them, and will only use my +30 cal for elk, or moose. I've seen too many guys buy a caliber they can't shoot comfortably because they heard that's what you need to take a deer or elk.

264 win mag, 7mm08, 2506, 223, 22

.243, .270, 7mm Rem mag, .223, 22lr

#1 25-06
#2 22-250
#3 .270 Win
#4 22 LR
#5 .243 Rem

17hmr shoots flat and long when not too windy
22lr cheap ammo
22mag more punch than 22lr
243 just plain fun to shoot
270win. shoots flat and has enuff knockdown power to handle anything I get to shoot at.

.223

.22lr

6.8x43 (spc)

.243