“sierra gameking”

Developed in 1976 by Ken Waters as a wildcat cartridge, the 7-30 Waters is based on the .30-30 Winchester necked down to 7mm to improve velocity and trajectory, with a significant drop off in felt recoil. In 1984, Winchester began to produce rifles chambered for cartridge, legitimizing Waters’ dream, and establishing it as a commercial cartridge.

Curious about what loads to buy for hunting at greater distances? Here are a few of our top choices for the task.

You’ve probably heard that African dangerous game can absorb five hits from an Abrams tank and keep on charging. You’ve probably heard that kudu, eland, wildebeest and even impala are so tough from evading lions and leopards they’ll soak up bullets that would floor a North American brown bear. Nonsense.

There’s no doubt that copper monometal bullets are here to stay. But are they so good that they warrant abandoning lead core ammo altogether? We take a look at the pros and cons of each style.

Understanding the intended purpose of a bullet and its effect on the body of your quarry is vitally important for making ethical, one-shot-kills. But with so many bullet styles, brands, calibers and game animals of varying sizes, the process can be confusing. Here’s a primer to get you started.

While there is a lot of overlap in the .30-caliber cartridge lineup, and many great choices available, you’d be hard-pressed to find a cartridge with a better blend of powder efficiency, low recoil, quick cycling and striking power than the .308 Winchester.

With respect to overall performance and ammunition availability, here are the five best all-around cartridges for North American big-game species.

Check out the best hunts sent in by our members in 2020.