Cartridges you just hate

[MS 9x56]

Can’t honestly say I hate any round but I do have an aversion to belted cartridges. I know many love them especially for Africa. I have made a personal choice not to use them. There are plenty of great cartridges that are not belted. I like most cartridges over 100 years old. I don’t shoot over 250-300 yards so have no use for most of these new whiz bang cartridges. I do use rifles with scopes but prefer open sights. I am a proud curmudgeon. Finally I really don’t care what others are using, I know what I like. Happens when you get enough experience to spot BS within the first couple of minutes.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Yes hate seems to be a strong word. The only time I can remember using that word is when someone did unwarranted,unjust,or unfair things to me or something that directly affects me, just because they elect to be ugly acting minds. Otherwise it seems to be a childish emotion,in particular when it’s a so called grown up.

Yes, hate might be too strong of a word, but there are some cartridges that a shooter just doesn't have any desire to use. I can think of quite a few I will never use, or never use again.

 

[dlmac]

Yes hate seems to be a strong word. The only time I can remember using that word is when someone did unwarranted,unjust,or unfair things to me or something that directly affects me, just because they elect to be ugly acting minds. Otherwise it seems to be a childish emotion,in particular when it’s a so called grown up.

Both reactions a very human, unfortunately. I think the cartridges that I might dislike or ones that I have no use for. These are just cartridges that would replace something I already have and I essentially gain very little or nothing from it. Then on the other hand, IF you have the budget buy what strikes your fancy at the time, even it urge only lasts a week or two after the purchase.

 

[MTA]

I hate muzzleloaders of any kind and they hate me. They do everything in their power to make sure I mess something up when the moment of truth arrives. I killed my first deer when I was 12 with a hawken 50 cal and round ball. It’s been all downhill since then with me and those finicky bastards.

My first time ever hunting muzzleloader was when I was visiting inlaws in NY. I bought a rifle, scope and the whole set up. Got it zeroed in but i found out that zeroed in on a muzzleloader is up for interpretation. Depends how it feels that day and at the specific moment you go to shoot it

Moment of truth came when a doe walked out at 75 yards. BOOM and white smoke and nothing. Completely missed

Lost all interest in it after that. Maybe I just suck but if it was off that much, i was for sure risking a gut shot or worse. Not my thing and I sold it and all the supplies after that

 

[Paul K]

In all honesty, the only cartridges that I hate are the ones that when I pull the trigger, they dont go BANG.

Paul

 

[Jack Stevens]

In all honesty, the only cartridges that I hate are the ones that when I pull the trigger, they don't go BANG.

Well, reloading has its risks.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

In all honesty, the only cartridges that I hate are the ones that when I pull the trigger, they dont go BANG.

Paul

Ahh, you’ve used Winchester factory HMR ammo then.
Gumpy

 

[BGGMKLR]

Well, hate may be a strong word. But it makes for a good click-bait.

In any case, lately I have been running into people who, when asked, what rifle caliber they would like to buy now, reply .308 Winchester. Now, do not get me wrong, I not only like the .308 fundamentally as a cartridge and always wanted a rifle chambered in one, but I even own a few. However, having had and still owning several, every time I get one, I wonder why I bothered. I need one for Palma style/FTR matches. But for hunting, if I shoot .30 cal, I shoot .30-06. If I wanted more power and recoil, I'd shoot .300WM or .300WSM or .300 PRC. I do not want/need that. So ought-six it is. Pretty much same availability as .308, pretty much the same price, pretty much the same choice of bullets. Actually better I'd say. So why would anyone need or want the .308? Ugly ass, short cartridge.

I also do not like .243 Win. And when I remember it is based on .308, I dislike it even more. What do you need 6mm for anyway? If I was hunting smaller animals in Europe, I'd use 6.5 of some kind. Probably 6.5x57. Or 6.5x55. Or maybe even that 6.5 Creedmoor.

I hate .25-06, yet my buddy kills deer and elk with it at distance on regular basis.

I hate .270 Win. Just Weird caliber to me. Too much recoil and blast for what it is. Plus everyone loves it "sooo much".

I used to hate 6.5 Creedmoor without ever even firing or seeing one. Probably because everyone liked it "sooo much", like the .270. So, I decided to get one to be able to substantiate my "hate". Well, it turns out, it's falling into the same bucket as the .308. Nice, yet nothing special. Wanted to hunt with it this season but did not get out enough, so was not successful in filling my tags. So, jury is still out. But it only sends 140gr bullet at 2625 out of my 20" barrel. Switching to 130gr Terminal Ascent, I can send it at 2718fps, so good enough to 400m or so. But even if it kills deer well, I hate Short Actions and will go back to 7mm for hunting...wait, maybe that is why I do not like the .308 or .243. Maybe it's that one is really limited by the COAL of these. But at least I like the 6.5CM more than the .308 and will probably use it to replace 6.5x55 to punch paper and shoot occasional coyote.

I dunno. I also hate .416 Rigby. I like how it looks, I hate the recoil, muzzle blast and concussion.

I also do not like Weatherby cartridges, belted cartridges (except .375H&H, .458 Lott), magnum cartridges, big kickers - like the .416 (except .458 Lott and have yet to try .404 Jeffery), rimmed cartridges, any weird ones. I almost wonder why I like anything at all. Maybe I'm getting old and crusty.

I used to like .458 Lott but it's no longer with me. Same with .338WM and .300 WM. Who needs all that recoil and blast anyway? That .338 sure killed good though.

I do like .22 LR, 7x57, 7x64, 280 AI, 8x57, 9.3x62, 9.3x64, .375H&H (though once I shoot up all the ammo it's gone).

I also like 8mm-06, 338-06and 35 Whelen never even firing one of these - so you could say I like things based on 30-06, rather than .308. But I kind of like the 6.5CM, yet do hate that .25-06 and .25 or .277 anything.

I also like .505 Gibbs, .50 BMG not having fired either of these. So how do I know if I like them? Would probably hate the recoil and concussive blast.

I might like 7mm-08 even though it's based on .308, but then I'd probably go for 7mm SAW or 7 SAUM if I wanted a SA 7mm.

Now...Do NOT take this post as criticism of YOUR favorite cartridge (should it happen to be one of the ones I do not favor) but rather as a statement that I recognize I may have completely irrational dislike for some cartridges and still end up owning them, shooting them, but for some unknown reason still hating them. Then one tries to figure it out and comes up with some reasons or rationalizations behind the dislike. Yet it all seems false in some way. In the end I like that we have so many different cartridges to choose from.

However, the main reason for this post:
Do you also hate or dislike some specific cartridge or class of cartridges? For real reasons or just so? Are we nuts? Am I?

I have read and re-readyour post 4 times to see if I was missing something...turns out I'm not.
Your generalized description of the .308 being "nice...but nothing special" is somewhat baffling.
As a stalwart among those very few US military sniper calibers for over 70 years, those who rely on specific calibers to accurately protect and extinguish lives firmly believe that it us indeed "special".
Best
Spike

 

[Tintin]

Ahh, you’ve used Winchester factory HMR ammo then.
Gumpy

That'd be me. I had 4 duds in one packet of Winchester 17HMR a couple of years back.

Cost me a couple of decent trophy rabbits.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

That'd be me. I had 4 duds in one packet of Winchester 17HMR a couple of years back.

Cost me a couple of decent trophy rabbits.

I bought a brick of them, 10% failure rate on average, sales rep didn’t give a shit.
Gumpy

 

[HankBuck]

I despise the .30-06 and any of the off spring. Growing up I had an uncle thats all you heard. .30-06 drops all animals in their tracks, field dress it, and quarter it for you. .30-06 can take down planes and stop a M1A tank. Ok, maybe Im exaggerating a little, but you get the idea.

The 6.5 Creedmoor, hate it. It was pushed so hard in every gun rag, that people were buying them that had no firearm knowledge, because they expected it to be the most accurate thing made. It does nothing the .260 Remington hadn't been doing for years.

@Viral_SIGness - you “despise the .30-06”…put you on an Island all your own.

 

[Milan]

I have read and re-readyour post 4 times to see if I was missing something...turns out I'm not.
Your generalized description of the .308 being "nice...but nothing special" is somewhat baffling.
As a stalwart among those very few US military sniper calibers for over 70 years, those who rely on specific calibers to accurately protect and extinguish lives firmly believe that it us indeed "special".
Best
Spike

No, you read it right. It might be baffling to you and many others. And sometimes it is baffling to me. But that is just how I feel. Now, with NAS3 cases, maybe I will get to like it after all. But only because it would make it more like the 30-06. Maybe if the .300 Savage was a .275 Savage it would have become a "7mm-08" sooner. Do you think that would not be a good sniping round? Maybe I'm not even a fan of the .30 caliber. Again, I own and have owned many and can find absolutely nothing wrong with it. But also nothing special. I love .30-06 and always liked .30 cal, but lately find it "boring". Yet.... 1) I love "boring" and 2) I used to laugh at people switching to something else just because they are bored. I despise humans that constantly need change. Why? Just be happy with what we have you idiot. Right? Maybe it's because I grew up with smaller calibers around me. Maybe I just simply discovered the "better paper ballistics" of 7mm. Yet I love big African rifles and cartridges. Hmmm...lot of contradictions, eh? Maybe you only like the .308 because you grew up with it and .30 cal. Maybe I too need an island of my own. What does it matter? It doesn't.

 

[BruceS]

Well, hate may be a strong word. But it makes for a good click-bait.

In any case, lately I have been running into people who, when asked, what rifle caliber they would like to buy now, reply .308 Winchester. Now, do not get me wrong, I not only like the .308 fundamentally as a cartridge and always wanted a rifle chambered in one, but I even own a few. However, having had and still owning several, every time I get one, I wonder why I bothered. I need one for Palma style/FTR matches. But for hunting, if I shoot .30 cal, I shoot .30-06. If I wanted more power and recoil, I'd shoot .300WM or .300WSM or .300 PRC. I do not want/need that. So ought-six it is. Pretty much same availability as .308, pretty much the same price, pretty much the same choice of bullets. Actually better I'd say. So why would anyone need or want the .308? Ugly ass, short cartridge.

I also do not like .243 Win. And when I remember it is based on .308, I dislike it even more. What do you need 6mm for anyway? If I was hunting smaller animals in Europe, I'd use 6.5 of some kind. Probably 6.5x57. Or 6.5x55. Or maybe even that 6.5 Creedmoor.

I hate .25-06, yet my buddy kills deer and elk with it at distance on regular basis.

I hate .270 Win. Just Weird caliber to me. Too much recoil and blast for what it is. Plus everyone loves it "sooo much".

I used to hate 6.5 Creedmoor without ever even firing or seeing one. Probably because everyone liked it "sooo much", like the .270. So, I decided to get one to be able to substantiate my "hate". Well, it turns out, it's falling into the same bucket as the .308. Nice, yet nothing special. Wanted to hunt with it this season but did not get out enough, so was not successful in filling my tags. So, jury is still out. But it only sends 140gr bullet at 2625 out of my 20" barrel. Switching to 130gr Terminal Ascent, I can send it at 2718fps, so good enough to 400m or so. But even if it kills deer well, I hate Short Actions and will go back to 7mm for hunting...wait, maybe that is why I do not like the .308 or .243. Maybe it's that one is really limited by the COAL of these. But at least I like the 6.5CM more than the .308 and will probably use it to replace 6.5x55 to punch paper and shoot occasional coyote.

I dunno. I also hate .416 Rigby. I like how it looks, I hate the recoil, muzzle blast and concussion.

I also do not like Weatherby cartridges, belted cartridges (except .375H&H, .458 Lott), magnum cartridges, big kickers - like the .416 (except .458 Lott and have yet to try .404 Jeffery), rimmed cartridges, any weird ones. I almost wonder why I like anything at all. Maybe I'm getting old and crusty.

I used to like .458 Lott but it's no longer with me. Same with .338WM and .300 WM. Who needs all that recoil and blast anyway? That .338 sure killed good though.

I do like .22 LR, 7x57, 7x64, 280 AI, 8x57, 9.3x62, 9.3x64, .375H&H (though once I shoot up all the ammo it's gone).

I also like 8mm-06, 338-06and 35 Whelen never even firing one of these - so you could say I like things based on 30-06, rather than .308. But I kind of like the 6.5CM, yet do hate that .25-06 and .25 or .277 anything.

I also like .505 Gibbs, .50 BMG not having fired either of these. So how do I know if I like them? Would probably hate the recoil and concussive blast.

I might like 7mm-08 even though it's based on .308, but then I'd probably go for 7mm SAW or 7 SAUM if I wanted a SA 7mm.

Now...Do NOT take this post as criticism of YOUR favorite cartridge (should it happen to be one of the ones I do not favor) but rather as a statement that I recognize I may have completely irrational dislike for some cartridges and still end up owning them, shooting them, but for some unknown reason still hating them. Then one tries to figure it out and comes up with some reasons or rationalizations behind the dislike. Yet it all seems false in some way. In the end I like that we have so many different cartridges to choose from.

However, the main reason for this post:
Do you also hate or dislike some specific cartridge or class of cartridges? For real reasons or just so? Are we nuts? Am I?

Might be the "boomer" in me but not a fan of most of the new cartridges. Love the old classics.

 

[Milan]

Might be the "boomer" in me but not a fan of most of the new cartridges. Love the old classics.

I'm GenX but I'm an old soul. I know the 7x57 is not ideal anymore, but given when it was conceived, I think it is near perfect. LOL. Flame suit on. I also absolutely love the old Ought-six but somehow grew a bit tired of it for now...the .308 always seems louder and have more recoil than I think it should have for what it is. I never had such complaints about the ought-six. Hmmmm....I must be a weirdo....I also thought 9.3x62 kicked as little as 30-06 but after putting it in a light stock, it clearly kicks more than I expected. So maybe I was comparing apples to oranges. Will stick to heavier stock for that one.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

No, you read it right. It might be baffling to you and many others. And sometimes it is baffling to me. But that is just how I feel. Now, with NAS3 cases, maybe I will get to like it after all. But only because it would make it more like the 30-06. Maybe if the .300 Savage was a .275 Savage it would have become a "7mm-08" sooner. Do you think that would not be a good sniping round? Maybe I'm not even a fan of the .30 caliber. Again, I own and have owned many and can find absolutely nothing wrong with it. But also nothing special. I love .30-06 and always liked .30 cal, but lately find it "boring". Yet.... 1) I love "boring" and 2) I used to laugh at people switching to something else just because they are bored. I despise humans that constantly need change. Why? Just be happy with what we have you idiot. Right? Maybe it's because I grew up with smaller calibers around me. Maybe I just simply discovered the "better paper ballistics" of 7mm. Yet I love big African rifles and cartridges. Hmmm...lot of contradictions, eh? Maybe you only like the .308 because you grew up with it and .30 cal. Maybe I too need an island of my own. What does it matter? It doesn't.

If you already own a .30-06, and who doesn't, why buy a .308? My buddies and I used to call it "the cartridge that wanted to be a .30-06 when it grew up."

 

[Flbt]

If you already own a .30-06, and who doesn't, why buy a .308? My buddies and I used to call it "the cartridge that wanted to be a .30-06 when it grew up."

A 308 made good since in a military cartridge
All most as good as the 06
Lighter , shorter, better for belt feed
Never seen a reason for it as a hunting cartridge
300 savage and 30-06
But would still rather have a bigger bullet than a .30

 

[Milan]

If you already own a .30-06, and who doesn't, why buy a .308? My buddies and I used to call it "the cartridge that wanted to be a .30-06 when it grew up."

FTR competitions. Plus my son wanted one. Plus I bought a Ruger Scout rifle at one point. The FTR and silhouette buddies comvinced me I needed a SA. Now I have these short actions and will probably use only 1 for shooting paper. So what to do with the others? Build a .308 or 6.5CM or 7mm-08 or something custom. Don’t like my choices. Don’t want to sell the actions either yet I’m not happy with them as i will not hunt them. Kind of self-inflicted torture. Just have to find it in me to sell off that stuff.

 

[Milan]

A 308 made good since in a military cartridge
All most as good as the 06
Lighter , shorter, better for belt feed
Never seen a reason for it as a hunting cartridge
300 savage and 30-06
But would still rather have a bigger bullet than a .30

Kind of one of my points. I’m sure it is good for military, but for hunting there seem to be better choices, even those based on the .308 case. The belt feeding may be a point as well but I'm sure other cartridges were made to feed well so IMHO whatever. That still does not make me like it.

 

[Flbt]

FTR competitions. Plus my son wanted one. Plus I bought a Ruger Scout rifle at one point. The FTR and silhouette buddies comvinced me I needed a SA. Now I have these short actions and will probably use only 1 for shooting paper. So what to do with the others? Build a .308 or 6.5CM or 7mm-08 or something custom. Don’t like my choices. Don’t want to sell the actions either yet I’m not happy with them as i will not hunt them. Kind of self-inflicted torture. Just have to find it in me to sell off that stuff.

358 Winchester? Or 338 federal?

 

[Flbt]

Kind of one of my points. I’m sure it is good for military, but for hunting there seem to be better choices, even those based on the .308 case. The belt feeding may be a point as well but I'm sure other cartridges were made to feed well so IMHO whatever. That still does not make me like it.

I was told that it was better for the belt feed because it was shorter.
He had military experience with belt feed I do not so took him at his word.