Obsolete?

[John Eilertson]

I think the .300 Savage is a better round than the .30-30, and the latter has killed more deer than any other. People have killed deer with .22s, so a well placed .300 will more than do the job. It, along with loads of other shells is determined to be "obsolete by folks who must not use them. Put in the proper place they will certainly work, and well.

 

[monet61]

One of my very favorite plinking rounds is the 32-20. I guess it's obsolete, but I reload it for my old Colt Army Special and like the heck out of it.

 

[redlevel]

I have killed more deer with a Savage Model 99A in .250-3000 than with anything else.

 

[2152hq]

Now I really feel old,,,the 300 Savage obsolete!
I better dump mine,,right after I finish it.

I like the odd & so called obsolete cartridges in the older rifles.
30 & 32 Remington in Model 8 autos.
6.5mm, 8mm & 9.5mm Mannlicher Schoenauers,,
35Remington in a Model 14 deluxe,though I thought this was a well accepted cartridge yet.
6.5x54R Steyr
9.3x72R and 9.3x74R,,they sound close but are far apart in ballistics and performance. The x74R is really quite a popular cartridge in other parts of the world.
32 Winchester Special, one you don't see at the range often.
500 x 3in BPE,,fun for a box or so, but it's always a good time when the Rigby comes to the range.
30-40 Krag,,very pleasent round to shoot in the original Military rifle.
This one kind of surprised me that it's been relegated to the 'once in a while' run of brass from the mfg'rs.

One I'm going to make ammo for next is a Winchester 1910 .401 S/Loader. Should be fun.
Glad I didn't sell my 41mag dies and lead bullets. Need to make a sizer die for the bullets though. Lots of work to shoot at a dirt bank with a target in front of it, but that's what we do.

 

[Smith357]

Seems like everything I shoot is over well over 100 years old. The most obsolete would be my .54 PRB.

 

[gregintenn]

I have 3 rifles in 300 Savage, and three in 257 Roberts. They are among my favorites. I also love my 218 Bee, 22 Hornet, 7x57, 8x57, 280 Remington, etc. I guess my 30-30s also qualify as obsolete cartridges. Dang I feel old!!!

 

[David LaPell]

I have hunted with the following rounds over the years-

.38-40
.38-55
.303 Savage
.32-20
16 gauge

Last year I took two whitetails, one with the 16 gauge slug and another with a .577 Minie Ball in a repro 1853 Enfield Musketoon. If I can I think you will see me in the woods with my .38-44 Outdoorsman during deer season.

 

[Maximumbob54]

My beloved 35 Remington is in the same boat as the 300 Savage. I stumbled on a Remington Model 8 autoloader at a great price, then a 141 pump shortly after that. The Marlin 336 came a couple of years later. It's a real shooter.
The round is a GREAT Eastern round where shots are under 150 yards, typically. It kills way better than what 'the paper' says it should.

I came very close to buying a 336 in .35 Remmy. The only reason I didn't was I wanted to load my own and figured that .30-30 was more of a known thing at this point. I might just buy one someday just to have a great pair of lever guns.

 

[Cooter Brown]

No obsolete rifle or handgun cartridges, but for the last 11 seasons I've hunted birds almost exclusively with 16 ga. If not that a 28.

When I first got a 16 you didn't see a lot of other hunters with them. And you could pick up nice used 16 ga guns cheaper than any other gauge. But it wasn't too long before the old girl started to make a comeback among hardcore bird hunters.

The deals on old 16 gauge guns went away but ammo is a little easier to find.

 

[Muddyboot]

I collect Army Specials in .41 Long Colt. After I purchased and shot my first one I was hooked. I have 10 now and reload the .41 LC. It's what got me into reloading.

 

[Iggy]

All of mine are obsolete, but then so am I.

 

[GatorFarmer]

I have a Krag, seems a lot of people do. Mine is a sporter. Got it cheap enough on Gunbroker and had it fixed up.

I also have a .38 S&W topbreak that I had chopped into a pocket gun.

And a 31-1 3" in .32 S&W Long. I forget why I traded for that, but eh...

Then I have two 6.5mm Carcanos, not sure that this is that obsolete though since ammo really isn't that expensive or hard to come by. Prvi, Norma and Hornady offer ammo for it and probably some other small companies as well.

I also have a Beretta 950 in .22 Short, for extra fun mine is one of the relatively uncommon (in the US anyway) ones with the longer bbl on it.
I even have three mags for it. You know, in case I have to do a combat reload. Or something.

Finally I have a Carcano Sporter in 7.35mm Carcano. I don't think a rifle has been made in that caliber since 1940. My stock of Italian ammo - at 200rds or so perhaps the largest in the world? - is dated 1939. I really should see about getting some hunting ammo for that thing loaded up somewhere... Uses a .299 projectile that I don't think anything else has used, ever.

One of these days I need to get a .41 Swiss Rimfire converted to centerfire and an 8mm Lebel (rifle and a revolver so chambered) and I want to try the 10.4mm Italian Ord.

I think my mother still has my Walther PP Super in 9x18mm Ultra/Police and a box or two of German truncated cone FMJ ammo for it.

 

[trapper704]

I'm getting kind of obsolete myself but between me and my son we generaly hunt with 54 cal muzzleloaders, but also shoot 250-3000, 300 savage, 348, 30-40, 44-40, 257 roberts, 30-06, 7mm, 45 long colt, 44 special, I have had a wide variaty of old cal. in my life time( some I would love to have back) started hunting with my dad and his 40-82 mod 86 win. back in the fiftys. My daughter in law grimaces every time we go to gun shows. I have my grandkids more guns when they are able to hunt than some people have in a lifetime. and love every minute of it.

 

[growr]

My grandad's Savage 99 in 250-3000 was always called his " meat in the pot" gun. I've harvested many deer and antelope with as well.
If I ever resume hunting again, I think it would be interesting to use my 44-40...........
Randy

 

[Doug627]

Thanks for all the responses. I certainly enjoyed them all.

 

[fivespeed302]

I don't know if it is my favorite, but my family has a Winchester model 36, single shot 9mm rimfire shotgun. We have about 10 boxes of shells, which come in a tin can and the shells are made of paper instead of plastic. I'll post photos tonight when I get home.

 

[sheriffoconee]

Model 8A in 32 Remington.....not something you can pick up at WalMart or your local gunstore for sure

 

[Dr.-d]

Have a Spanish Destroyer carbine in 9mm Largo/Bergmann. Accurate and easy to shoot little detachable magazine fed bolt-action. It's a fun gun!

 

[fivespeed302]

As promised, here's some pics

 

[fivespeed302]

and one last one for comparison: 9mm Luger vs. 9mm rimfire shot