I love anything that shoots and everything has a place. This has been hard to read.

3030
30-06
7mm mag

Dang, have you also started using the American flag as a doormat?

Trapper, I am with you - 100%

308 - I know it is popular but I never liked it. I still have one in an AR-10 but rarely shoot it.

I have a love hate relationship with the 7 mag. I like everything about it performance wise. I like it's speed, energy, trajectory, availability and flexibility of bullets........ It does almost everything right but............I just don't like shooting it! Everyone gun I've had in 7 mag has been a lightweight hunting focused rifle so that's been a big factor to the enjoyment of shooting. But I struggle taking a gun with me hunting that I don't like to shoot a bunch.

30.06, 7mm mag, 41 mag.....

+1. There's some one's I like more than others. But everyone of them serve a purpose and they all have some kind of history. Some more than others.

Here is my list in relation to my particular needs:
* 308 Win: Never understood the love fest on it especially for Western hunting. Runs out of steam way too quickly (500-650 yards) when using commercial ammo. There are better options available (ex: 7mm-08). I will keep the 7# "all in" rifle that I currently have and continue to mostly use it chasing black bear in one specific area in AZ. This is due to the rifle and not the caliber.
* 30-06: Versatile but really does not do anything for me. If I am chasing deer-sized game then I'll grab a 6.5 (CM/PRC). For larger game, I'll grab my 300 Win Mag as I get more range and that particular rifle is a tack driver. I do have a 30-06 and will keep it as it was my first hunting rifle. This rifle very rarely gets pulled from the safe.
* 45 ACP: I shoot it too slowly for me to consider carrying the one that I have. I'll keep the one that I have but will stick to carrying one of my 9s.

Have to be a 270 for me. Have one, its never done me wrong and in fact i still love it, its my first centerfire rifle and i will never part with it, but if i could go back in time it would be a 30-06 or a 280.

I had a .22 WMR & sold it. I just seemed like too much for what a .22LR could already handle & not quite big enough for anything else. Very loud & shells too expensive for volume plinking. JIMHO...

That's some real interesting logic right there. Just sayen.

The .22-250 has lost its luster to me.

I don’t hunt coyotes or other predators, and while I used to think it was a great culling round for deer ( I’ve killed no telling how many deer with a .22-250 ) it just doesn’t do as good a job as I expect anymore.

I’m more than likely gonna re-barrel mine to a 7mm-08 after this year to use as a loaner/kids gun with a suppressor.

I don’t know why we were always taught it was a great culling round, it does have negligible recoil, but when you get down to it, it’s a 100 yard gun that you have to be real selective on shot placement. More of a handicap than anything when hunting for deer

And it should!

I've reached the point where it's any caliber that no longer does it for me. It seems to be something that happens to many folks eventually over time. Not sure I'll ever reach the point where I'll begin selling some of my firearms but must admit I have prioritized in my head two or three I really don't need. I've seen several posts on these forums from guys who have admitted to reducing their collection to just a few firearms they feel they really need.

I briefly got into hand loading before the first panic started, and loaded mainly .454 Casull .45 LC, 38 Spc. and .357 Mag.
The .454 Casull was not pleasant to shoot, and if you don't mind you teeth fillings jarred loose it was OK, but I lost interest pretty fast. I rarely shoot it, but my favorite is the .357 Mag. to which you can get very good results with and a pleasure to shoot.
.270 wasn't a favorite and seemed like to me it didn't do anything my 7mm-08 or .308 couldn't do, and better with a short throw of the bolt.
30-30 was my first and holds a special place, and, the 45-70 I love because mine was just so darn accurate, and you could load it mild to wild.
I've never hunted bear or moose, but if I decide to I'm covered!
.22's are like potato chips, I have collected so many over the years, and same with ammo. I just never shoot since the panic a few years ago.
I've been using my .243 the last couple years, but that's what happens as you age I guess?

The key word in your question there was MOST. I fully agree that MOST new stuff gets created just to sell itself. But either due to expanded understanding of ballistics, development of better materials or new mechanical designs, there are legitimately BETTER options for everything on my list. deciding what those optionsare is the where the "educate themselves" part comes it. If 75% of new stuff is snake oil, guess what? that means there is still 25% that contains some damn good stuff.

OK, I'll bite. Tell me something legitimately better than any of those cartridges, not just different, but overall better, and why. And to really be better, it would have to be better in all circumstances. Also I don't care if you don't like them, that is cool, it is the "better" I am curious about

270 for me,I've owned several and ended up getting rid of all of them. Went to a 6.5 CM and never looked back,not because it's the hottie but because my Bergara is the most accurate rifle I own

Better than .30-06, what are we doing with it? Better, .280 A.I., same action.

Better than .45 ACP? 10mm (I own several 45's, and always will)

Better than .300 Win Mag? .300 PRC, and .30 Nosler

.40 S&W, I'd rather have a 9mm with more ammo in the mag.

.50 BMG, .416 Barrett, .375 Chey Tac

Problem is this is all subjective.

45 has bullets available that expand reliably to 1 inch, 10mm don't do that, shoving something the size of a quarter through something could definitely be described as better

280 AI, limited factory ammo, and can't carry the bullet weight of the 06, so maybe not better after all

300 PRC and nosler, limited ammo, and factory rounds available. Interestingly enough i watched a video of a guy who does ULR shooting and with very heavy for caliber bullets and a long barrel he was getting higher velocity without running into pressure signs with the 300 mag and he did with the PRC, so maybe not always better? But that was 4000 or so yard shooting, so on the fringes. But coming from hornady, with hunting bullets the 300 PRC is about 1 inch flatter with 200 Footpounds more than 300 mag, at 500. So better for sure, well, maybe sometimes

9 just can't be loaded to meet the power of 40, maybe not so better....

Once again 416 and 375 cant handle the bullet weight of the 50 and size does matter

So it really comes down to personal preferences and application, that is why I don't really think one round is really "better" than another, Maybe better for a specific application, but then another cartridge is "better" for the next thing


Funny thing is when looking at ballistic chart they are all so close, it cracks me up that people, myself included, worry about it. Other than very specific applications, we could all just grab one and go shoot

These are pretty good answer. And it gets a lot less subjective when you answer the question "better for what?" Pick a caliber on the list and give me an intended purpose I can give you a much better answer. And I disagree that to be "better" it has to be better in all circumstances. it needs only to be better for the users intended purpose.

True statement. A 3030 might be better because it can be had used for dirt cheap to the kid with only $200 in his pocket.

Which makes it not really better, just different. I'll bet the guy you originally quoted would say that basically everything is better than a 30-30. I disagree I think a 30-30 is a fine round there are other cartridges that are different but I don't think they're better. Which was my point all along.

In the real world i dont think anything i have shot would have known the difference in a 270 or 280 or 30-06 or even a 300 wm. I simply wouldnt buy a 270 again because there are options i would prefer that have more to offer.