“ode”

Anything chambered in the venerable .22 is a perfect rifle for beginners, and can help seasoned shooters stay sharp. Ken Bailey takes a look at what's helped make the .22 such an important part of our industry's history.

Chambered for the 7.62x39mm cartridge, the Ruger Mini Thirty is well suited to deer and similar-sized game in the same style of compact, handy rifle that the Mini-14 brought to the table.

Your chosen hunting cartridge may not be trending up, but that doesn’t mean these classic rounds aren’t effective and efficient on game.

This classic cartridge is a perfect fit for most handgun hunters. Observant hunters will immediately recognize that the .41 Magnum offers notably better external and terminal ballistics than the .357, yet is slightly more shooter-friendly than the .44.

Seldom encountered today, the 7mm STW was a trendsetter in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Although newer, faster cartridges have debuted since, it’s still a solid choice when pursuing big-game in wide-open areas.

Despite an array of competitors being introduced since its 1944 debut, Weatherby’s original .30-caliber magnum cartridge is arguably still the best in class.

Created for the battlefield, this military-turned-hunting cartridge is a top choice when pursuing big game both near and far.

By today’s standards, the external ballistics of the 7.62x39mm Soviet are insipid. And yet, the cartridge remains an excellent choice for hunting common big-game species at practical ranges.

Relatively unknown outside of true metallic cartridge aficionados, the .250-3000 Savage Improved strikes the ideal balance between downrange performance and perceived recoil. That’s only the beginning, too.