“.45-70 government”

The Taylor's & Co. Half-Pint Sharps carbine is an elegant rifle from bygone times; it's a scaled-down development of the massive Sharps rifles that once brought down American bison herds.

The .30-30 Winchester remains a top-seller, and new rifles are continually produced for the veteran cartridge. Why? It’s a simple design, easy on the shoulder and wallet, and very effective inside of 200 yards.

The .348 Winchester gives a good balance of striking energy and moderate recoil, and among the rimmed lever-gun cartridges, possesses impressive terminal ballistics.

Federal’s new HammerDown ammo line has been ideally adapted to feed, cycle and function in lever-action rifles while also delivering the best level of terminal performance for hunting that can be extracted from each cartridge.

These five cartridges are seeing renewed interest from deer hunters thanks to new hunting laws and improved ballistic performance. 

If you live in a state that mandates straight-walled rifle cartridges for deer hunting, or if you just like the simplicity of a straight-walled cartridge, there are many available options. Here’s a look at seven of the best.

Contributor Philip Massaro shares some of his favorite rifles and loads for different bear hunting scenarios.

While there may be a shine on some of the modern releases in the 6.5mm bore diameter, the 6.5x55 Swedish still makes a sound choice for the practical hunter due to its combination of terminal ballistics, flat trajectory and minimal recoil.

Undoubtedly one of our nation’s favorite cartridges, the .223 Remington is capable of hair-splitting accuracy in a properly built rifle, has enough velocity for a respectable trajectory, and with the heavier bullets with a higher BC, can resist wind deflection rather well.