I'm actually shocked by the positioning of a couple of those calibers.

Remember that’s ammo sales.

Blk out caught me off guard but it’s an AR platform caliber so it makes sense since ranking is based off ammo sales.. it’s bulk buy like 223 or 22LR, And bulk trigger pull mag dump like 223.

Roger that. No surprises with the .22s or the BO, but the 6.5 PRC being that high is shocking to me. That, and I expected .308 to be way higher as well. Makes me wonder what effect reloading/reloaders have on that list? Maybe that's why .308 is so low...after the 2008 and later ridiculousness of .308 shortages, maybe lots of folks started reloading .308, or moving away from the .308 platform? I expected .30-06 to be lower as well, and .270 isn't even in the top 10? What in Hades is this world coming to?

.308 (and 7mm-08 too) is obviously way more popular here on THF.

I really don’t put much stock in Backfire TV and his secret sources, I watched a few of his videos and found him ridiculous.

.270 has been/is big in TX, wonder if so much in other states, maybe not.

All this arguing over rifle calibers, y’all need to put your faith in a 450 grain arrow flying 280 fps tipped with a sharp broadhead.

IDK about sales but ive killed a S pile w 223 and 22-250 here in the homeland

No need for to go big here, unless you just want too...although ive got this itch for a 7mm Hells Canyon myself...

Been itching for weeks just hoping it would pass, lol but it hasn't

He is annoying but he did pretty good research on this one.

Custom rifle chambering was no surprise

6.5 PRC
300 PRC
28 Nosler
6.5 Creedmoor
300 Win Mag
7mm Rem Mag
7 SAUM
300 RUM
6 Creedmoor
300 WSM

That chart is based off ammo sales. Most 270 shooter probably go through a box every 5 -10 years. I haven’t shot my 270 probably in a decade.

This list is a little deceptive because it’s only two qtrs of data

Bolt-Action Rifle Cartridge Popularity (Ranked by USA Rifle Sales)

This data comes from rifles sold in the USA during Q4 of 2021 and Q1 of 2022.


6.5 Creedmoor
22LR
6.5 PRC
30-06 Springfield
300 Win Mag
308 Winchester
6.8 Western
7mm Rem Mag
7mm-08

Anything from .223 to .300 mag.

Have yet to see a caliber that will kill them deader than my 6.5 CM or my kids 7mm08 which are fun to shoot.

Nor will these calibers kill them any deader than a .243.

There is no wrong answer.


Those that believe you need a 300 mag for Texas sized white tails are over compensating………….

If going after Nilgai, Aoudad, or other similar game I would consider one of the mag rounds.

Funny you say that...I'm still on the same box of Hornady that I was 10 years ago.

I shot a doe with my .270 year before last and a Coyote earlier this year (because that was the gun I had in the truck) but haven't hunted with it in earnest since I took it to Colorado in October 2015.

Damn Skippy!

It is the caliber that gets a ride to the stand more often than not with me.

Mine is sighted in with a 130 Serria Gamekings by PMC. So that box is probably late 90’s

My 270 is my loaner gun. Been on the same box of 20 hand loads since 2013. Other than to the blind and back it has t left the gun rack in the camp house since then either. In that last box I think 5 people have killed deer with it, two cousins, my wife, a friend, and myself. Wife got a doe with it this weekend 2 bullets left in the box.

I think more hunters are in love with the rifle rather than the caliber it’s chambered in.

For me, my .270 is a mid 90’s Ruger topped with a redfield 3x9. Very accurate rifle but I pretty much stopped hunting with it when I got a sexier rifle and and a clearer higher magnification scope, not because I got a better caliber.

A lot of hunters have upgraded rifles over the years and stopped shooting the .270’s and .30-06’s chambered in 700 BDL’s and Model 70’s

When hunters are tell others “I love my 6.5 cm” many are really saying “ I love my new modern rifle with a clear, bright, high magnification scope.

Agree, X100

I agree there's some truth to that. If my Model 70 270 wouldn't have gotten stolen 25 yrs ago, it would probably still be my go-to. All animals taken with that rifle were one shot kills, but then I bought an old ugly used Savage 243 that does the same thing.

The 6.5 Creed fad is the biggest fad that I've ever witnessed in my life, and for that reason alone I've never gotten on board....but that's me.

Hudbone will label this post as being sensible.

I have a friend who says that.
A. He's much younger than I am.
B. He didn't grow up hunting.

He's finding his way and will be a great hunter.

I like the older stuff. Fine with me if the youngsters go after the new-fangled stuff and leave the dinosaur ammo for us old farts.

It's happened before but most here are too young to realize it. The 30-30/Winchester 94 is a good example. For a period in time 8 out of 10 whitetail hunters used one.

Then came the .30/06 and then .270. Then came the 7mm Remington mag in the 1960's.....lots and lots of western hunters shot 7mm's.

I remember in the early 2000's every hunter had to have a .300 WSM and it was one of the most common calibers in camp. Now you can hardly find ammo on the shelves for them.


Common denominator is that in most cases, the RIFLES chambered in these rounds were an improvement over what hunters were trading it. No longer did the hunter have to carry his heavy and long barreled Model 73 or 1886,, he got a slim and light Model 94 that packed a punch ( by 19th century standards ). After that the hunter could buy a Bolt action Model 54 in a .270 with a Lyman peep and kill deer at twice the range as his old saddle carbine. The 1960's-1970's hunter could upgrade to a shiny new model 700 in 7mm mag with a nice Leupold on top, and leave his older Model 54 in the safe. You can see the cycle and we are in an ever-evolving state of hunting weapons.

I remember the short magnum and SUPER-short magnum craze.

You CMDRS sufferers shouldn't be butthurt because the 6.5CM is a better mousetrap.

Ok I’m slow what’s CMDRS

did you just make that term up sir?