This year, 2025, marks the centennial anniversary of two very important cartridges: the .300 Holland & Holland Magnum, and the .270 Winchester. Despite the fact that the .300 H&H is my favorite of the .300 magnums, and despite the fact that it has served me well in both North America and Africa, it has definitely been pushed out of the spotlight, while the .270 Winchester continues to thrive. The question is: Why?
The cartridge market is a fickle thing, with success depending on a balance of proper design and popularity contest. Where the .25-caliber cartridges had an enormous following just a quarter-century ago, they have been far surpassed by 6.5mm cartridges of late. The WSM series of cartridges were all rage at one point in time, though it now seems the 6.8 Western is the great hope of the cartridge line. Despite all this, nearly 120 years after its development, the .30-06 Springfield still has a fervent following, getting the job done on big game around the globe each season. The .375 H&H Magnum, released in 1912, remains the benchmark for the larger species, despite several logical and useful designs which made an attempt at the title. The 7x57 Mauser, the .45-70 Government, and the .30-30 Winchester are all great examples of 19th century cartridges which have stood the test of time, and I won’t even get started on the .22 Long Rifle.
There are several factors at work when it comes to the sustained life of a rifle cartridge. Sometimes a design with features that are less-than-desirable can be marketed in a manner which keeps that cartridge in the limelight, while other times a cartridge which should, in theory, check all the boxes seems to inexplicably fade into obscurity. For example, the 6.5x55 Swede has many of the attributes that the modern crop of 6.5mm cartridges possesses, but it went overlooked here in America for a century. It is obvious that it is a European cartridge with a metric designation, but the 7x57 and 8x57 Mausers did rather well over here, and despite Winchester’s efforts in the 1950s with the .264 Winchester Magnum, the bore diameter didn’t really catch on well. Among our most common game species, there isn’t much a hunter couldn’t cleanly take with a reliable 6.5x55 and a good projectile, but the modern 6.5s have far surpassed the Swede’s popularity, despite not offering a huge additional ballistic advantage. Our .22-250 Remington—one of my favorite varmint cartridges—uses a twist rate that isn’t doing the case any favors; in fact, the lower velocity .223 Remington can often offer a serious long-range advantage in the form of heavier bullets with a higher Ballistic Coefficient value. Yet, many of us find the .22-250 Remington to be ‘good-enough’, and just go along happily shooting 55-grain bullets. I still would like to see a .22-250 with a fast twist rate …
The 260 Remington was, not too long ago, a very popular choice among hunters, yet there is no denying that Hornady’s 6.5 Creedmoor has kicked the .260 down the road. If you look at the differences in ballistics—especially at common hunting ranges—there really isn’t enough difference to talk about; either cartridge makes a good choice for deer and similar sized game, offering a wonderful balance of minimal recoil, great accuracy and high B.C. bullets. However, Hornady has marketed that Creedmoor perfectly, and it is thus difficult to find a new rifle chambered in .260 Remington.
At the turn of the 21st century, it seemed like everyone was shooting one of the Winchester Short Magnum cartridges, and then the Winchester Super Short Magnum designs. Of late, the most popular of the bunch is the .300 WSM, though I really, really like the 6.8 Western. Now, I cannot speculate as to whether a lack of sales led to the demise of the 7mm WSM, .325 WSM, .25 WSSM, etc., or a lack of ammunition and rifles was the culprit, but the fact remains that even the .270 WSM has faded recently. Will the 6.8 Western follow? I certainly hope not, because it is a very versatile cartridge.
And that brings us to versatility. For a cartridge to stick around, it needs to offer the shooter/hunter some versatility. Take a look at so many of those cartridges which have stuck around for a century or more, and you’ll see a cartridge which either offers a wide enough selection of bullet weights so as to be useful, or a bore diameter/velocity figure which can handle a good number of game species. The .30-06 Springfield, the 7x57 Mauser, the .375 H&H Magnum, the .300 H&H Magnum, the .270 Winchester; all are very flexible cartridges which can cover a good number of game species. There is a reason the .277-, 7mm and .30-caliber cartridges are our most popular big-game cartridges: those bore diameters offer a wide selection of very useable bullet weights. For the largest game species, the .375 bore has the bullet weight to handle animals up to and including the African elephant, while giving the option of lighter bullet weights which will shoot as flat as a .30-06, so that classic design can easily and effectively handle game as small as duiker and steenbok, through whitetail deer and black bear, all the way to the largest huntable mammals on earth. So if you want your cartridge to stick around, it has to offer some versatility.
It must also be available, on a regular basis. I know many hunters who’ve chosen a cartridge based solely on the regular availability of ammunition. In normal situations, the classics like the .30-30 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, 7mm Remington Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, .308 Winchester and .270 Winchester could be found on the shelves of the smallest gun shop in the most remote area. Many hunters would choose one of those I listed, or one like it, just for that fact. I love many of the modern developments like the 7mm PRC, 27 Nosler, 224 Valkyrie, 6.8 Western and more, as well as so many of the faded classics like the .318 Westley Richards, .350 Rigby Magnum and .404 Jeffery, but you’ve got to have access to ammunition, especially if you’re a travelling hunter.
Which of our popular modern designs will still be with us in a quarter century? Will the 360 Buckhammer gain enough ground to be as equally popular as the 35 Remington? Will hunters still be grabbing for a box of 350 Legend ammo? Or will the concept of the 7mm Backcountry take over the ammunition industry and lead to an entirely new line of cartridges with an increased pressure level, leading to an improved performance level from a shorter-barreled rifle? It seems that only time will tell.
Frankly, despite the advancements in powder, projectile, and case materials, I don’t see a time where hunters won’t grab for a good .45-70 Government, .30-06 Springfield or .270 Winchester. Nearly all of our military cartridges have been very successful in the hunting fields, and remain readily available, save the .30-40 Krag. For peace of mind and for ease of supply, I can make the case for a hunter having a .223 Remington, as well as a .30-06 Springfield or .308 Winchester in the safe, in addition to the more fancy, niche cartridges. The sheer number of rifles produced for the most common cartridges will act as the self-fulfilling prophecy, as the demand for ammunition for those rifles will keep them on the production line.
In honor of all those cartridges which have “passed on” from the big leagues—including the 6.5 Remington Magnum, the .284 Winchester, the .300 Savage and the .338 Federal—a good set of reloading dies and reliable data are the means to keep your rifle well fed; just don’t go looking to find a consistent supply of ammunition on the gun shop shelves.
