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You
can download an Adobe Acrobat pdf
file of the table here:
Ballistics-Classic-Cartridges.pdf Classic Rifle Cartridges  “Classic”:
a work of enduring excellence, of
historical significance, balanced, refined, restrained, proven,
traditional, being a model of its kind. When it comes to hunting with a rifle, myself and many of my customers here at Lone Star Armory have a fondness for the classic cartridges. What is a classic cartridge? Well, there is no precise definition but most riflemen have an idea of what it means. Generally, it’s those cartridges that have been around for some time and have earned an excellent reputation in the game fields of the world. They seem to posses a combination of velocity, bullet weight, and bullet diameter that has proven to be effective on game and their capabilities have withstood the test of time.  The
period from
roughly 1888 to
1917 (the start of World War I for the United States) saw the
introduction of many cartridges that are now considered to be true
classics. This was the beginning of the smokeless powder
revolution
and cartridge development was occurring at a rapid pace. The British
and the Germans especially were at the forefront of smokeless powder
cartridge design and development during this period. We have better
bullets and powders available today, of course, but many of the
cartridges from this period are still in use today. Some examples of
cartridges introduced during this period are
the .250 Savage, 6.5x55, 7x57 Mauser, .275 Rigby, 7x64 Brenneke,.30-40
Krag, .30-06
Springfield, .303 British,
8x57JS, .318 Westley
Richards, .333 Jeffery, 9x57 Mauser, .350 Rigby Magnum, 9.3x62, .375
H&H Magnum, .405 Winchester, .404 Jeffery, and the .416 Rigby to
name just a few.The 1920s and 30s also saw the introduction of many cartridges that are now thought of as classics. 
The 1920s was a period of relative post-war prosperity in America and
many people had the money to spend on new rifles. Examples of
cartridges introduced during the 1920s are the .270 Winchester, .300
Savage, .300 H&H Magnum,
8x60 Mauser, .35 Whelen, and
the 10.75x68 Mauser. (The .35 Whelen
was introduced as a SAAMI standardized cartridge in 1988 by Remington
but,
it was
originally developed and introduced in 1922 and loaded ammunition
was available from Griffin & Howe.) The Great Depression in the
1930s
slowed the introduction of new cartridges but some were introduced
during this period that are considered to be true classics today. Good
examples are the .22 Hornet, .220 Swift, .257 Roberts, and the
.348
Winchester. After the end
of World War II,
the late 1940s and the 1950s again saw the introduction of new
cartridges many of which are now considered to be classics. Americans
were experiencing another post war period of prosperity and many
Americans were starting to hunt in more distant lands thanks to
advances in air transportation. Hunting in faraway lands was no longer
just for the wealthy. The prospects of hunting in such places as
Canada, Alaska, India, and Africa also spurred the development of new
American cartridges. Examples of cartridges introduced in this period
are the .243 Winchester, .264
Winchester Magnum, .280 Remington, .308 Winchester, .300
Weatherby Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum, .358 Winchester, and the .458 Winchester Magnum.Of course, new cartridges continued to be introduced in the 1960s, and 70s and continues to this day. But, I’ll stop with the 1950s for defining classic cartridges. Why? Well, just for the simple and admittedly arbitrary reason that I think a cartridge should have been around for at least fifty years to be considered a classic! My personal hunting battery consists of rifles chambered for the .257 Roberts, 6.5x55 Swedish, .270 Winchester, 7x57 Mauser, .30-06 Springfield, .300 H&H Mag, 8x57JS, .35 Whelen, 9.3x57 Mauser, 9.3x62 Mauser, .375 H&H Mag, .416 Rigby, .45-70 Govt, and .458 Win Mag. A customer and good friend of mine, Bob, has a hunting battery of rifles chambered for the .280 Remington, .30-06 Springfield, 8x57JS, .338 Win Mag, .35 Whelen, 9.3x57 Mauser, 9.3x62 Mauser, .375 H&H Mag, .416 Rigby, and .458 Win Mag. Yeah, I guess you could say that we're rather fond of the classic rifle cartridges here at Lone Star Armory. -Todd Below
are links to some
articles that you may enjoy.
(Links will open in a new window.)
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 Harry Selby (L) and Robert Ruark (R) on Ruark's first safari to Tanganyika in 1951. This safari resulted in Ruark's book, "Horn of the Hunter". |
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