“wild hogs”

Get an inside look at Assistant Editor Connor McKibbin's varmint hunt in Texas.

New hunting rounds come and go, but some manage to stand the test of time. Here’s a look at five cartridges that are simply too good to go away.

If a new rifle cartridge is not supported by one of the main ammunition manufacturers, it doesn’t seem to get much traction. This is unfortunate, specifically in the case of the .25-45 Sharps, because it provides an easy-to-obtain ballistic advantage over the two most popular AR-15 chamberings: the .223 Rem. and the .300 Blackout.

In this, its 150th year in business, the history of Winchester firearms is well known. After all, “The gun that won the west” was a Winchester, the Model 1873. The Winchester Model 70 is known as the “Rifleman’s Rifle” and the Model 1894 is perhaps the most successful sporting rifle in history. The company also shook up the scattergun market with classic shotguns like the Model 1897, Model 21 and Model 12. The raw truth, however, is that none of these guns could have made their mark in history without ammo to shoot out of them. It’s kind of the red-headed stepchild in terms of glory and glamor, but Winchester has been in the ammo business as long as they have been in the gun business.

Do you need a guide for javelina, or are the desert dwellers suited for a do-it-yourself hunt?