Most overrated cartridges

[actionshooter]

You are right the WSM guns can be built a little lighter and they do shoot well....but no one can argue, the manufactures really sensationalized them in their very successful effort to increase rifle sales. You made a great choice in that caliber, but I think people are saying it's not as big of improvement in their eyes as what the manufacturers made the WSM's out to be.

The WSSM calibers are even more over rated, they were in my opinion a dissapointment. I think it was earlier in this thread a couple of us mentioned that the 25 WSSM should have been a WSM. That might have been a screamer, but there must be a valid reason they opted for the WSSM case for the .25.

yep I agree

[jackelope]

i don't get how someone could say the 30-06 is over-rated. that round has killed more game in this country than any other.
i think a lot of us own certain calibers more for the cool factor than for the capability factor. the 30-06 will kill a deer or elk just as dead as a 300RUM will with a well placed shot.
granted if you're a long range shooter, you probably don't want to be shooting an aught 6, but you could...
just sayin.......

[MountainWalk]

To me, the 300 Ultra Mag, any "new" short mag, and the Weatherby's are overrated.

[JoshT]

i don't get how someone could say the 30-06 is over-rated. that round has killed more game in this country than any other.
i think a lot of us own certain calibers more for the cool factor than for the capability factor. the 30-06 will kill a deer or elk just as dead as a 300RUM will with a well placed shot.
granted if you're a long range shooter, you probably don't want to be shooting an aught 6, but you could...
just sayin.......

Doesn't matter how much stuff it has killed... it matters what level of performance it's able to produce. The .308 can nearly match it... on a short action, with 20% less powder... and the .300 Winny whoops its a$$ on the same length action... same goes for the .280 (7/08 and 7mm Rem). The naught'6 was a great round back in the day... but it got superceeded on both ends... like I said earlier... jack of all trades... master of none.

[jackelope]

so the 300wm is better because it makes stuff more dead...ok i get it

[huntnphool]

i don't get how someone could say the 30-06 is over-rated. that round has killed more game in this country than any other.

 I would be willing to bet that the .22 actually has

[Ray]

30-30

[JoshT]

so the 300wm is better because it makes stuff more dead...ok i get it

It's not about that either... the .223 will make stuff just as dead too. So why does the .30-06 get a pass just because you should load it with Geritol?

[jackelope]

no...no passes. just thought the thread was titled "over-rated"...not "lacking cool factor" or something along those lines. 
in what way is it over-rated?

i would hardly call it a jack of all trades and a master of none.
what does your RUM have over the aught-6 at ranges that most people shoot/hunt? like say 300 yards max?...i totally completely understand your love for your RUM...believe me, i do...and to add to the discussion, as i think you know, i just dumped a 30-06 in favor of moving up in the world to the 300wm...i personally think all the different calibers for hunting ammo are kinda pointless for use as most hunters would use them. i think  a lot of guys get sucked into the cool factor with a lot of stuff.
i don't think the 30-06/270/7mag/300mag/etc will kill a big game critter any better than the next as long as the shooter does his part. who needs ultra mags, short mags, super short mags, etc...whats the point?

 just like weatherby's...ballistics are awesome, but you can get the same with a lot of other cannons too...without paying for the name...got one of them too...$70 a box...ouch.

[JoshT]

Ohhhhhh don't get me wrong... I think the RUM is WAAAAY overrated as a regular hunting cartridge... it excells in only one area... and that's Long Range Hunting/Shooting. If you're using your "normal 300 yard range" argument... show me what the .30-06 does that the .308 doesn't... the answer is kick more and use more powder... that's it. Fact of the matter is... unless you shooting over about 300 yards... or your tackling critters that could eat/stomp you... you don't need anything that's not built on a .308 case. Take a look:

.243 = Varmints/Deer/Pronghorn
.260 = Deer/Pronghorn/Elk?/Bear?
7mm/08 = Deer/Pronghorn/Elk/Bear/ most non-dangerous African Game
.308 = Deer/Pronghorn/Elk/Bear/all non-dangerous African Game
.358 = Deer/Bear (even Griz)/Elk/all non-dangerous African Game

If you're limiting my hunting to <300 yards... I'll take a .308 all day long... or maybe a 7mm/08. The old rot'6 don't kill any better than any of those cartridges... a critter would never know the difference... all it does is make more fuss about it. If you're stepping up to a rig for hunting 300-800 yards... then you leap past the .30-06 and go to one of the big .30s or big 7s... at least that's my experience on the matter.

[jackelope]

agreed...there's about 76 choices a guy could make that would all do the same thing....make stuff dead, right?

[bearpaw]

nearly agreed.....lol

I only give the .308 200 yards on bear whereas 30:06 probably 250-300 max on bear.

.30 mags are good for 400 if you are a shooter, some guys really have no business shooting much past 200-300 cause they haven't done it before.

[JoshT]

Reckon that's the point of this game...

I long for the day that my boys are old enough to start hunting... I'll get the old Win. 88 out (.308 for now... but a .358 barrel may be on the horizon... or maybe a 7mm/08), mount up a 4x Weaver... and proceed with slaying all manner of critters... all while injoying the simple life. No more 11 pound Sendero... no more turrets... no more rangefinders... just huntin'. One of these days I'll get there... untill then, I'll pay my dues to stuff junkies annonymous.

By the way bearpaw... the difference in .308 vs. 30-06 is about 150ft/lbs at all ranges... not really enough to make any difference at all on a bear.

[jackelope]

Reckon that's the point of this game...

I long for the day that my boys are old enough to start hunting... I'll get the old Win. 88 out (.308 for now... but a .358 barrel may be on the horizon... or maybe a 7mm/08), mount up a 4x Weaver... and proceed with slaying all manner of critters... all while injoying the simple life. No more 11 pound Sendero... no more turrets... no more rangefinders... just huntin'. One of these days I'll get there... untill then, I'll pay my dues to stuff junkies annonymous.

By the way bearpaw... the difference in .308 vs. 30-06 is about 150ft/lbs at all ranges... not really enough to make any difference at all on a bear.

when you get there, i'll be shooting my muzzleloader.
 

[Curly]

I think it was earlier in this thread a couple of us mentioned that the 25 WSSM should have been a WSM. That might have been a screamer, but there must be a valid reason they opted for the WSSM case for the .25.

I sure can't think of a good reason...............