“6.5x55”

Loosely based on a shortened .404 Jeffery case with the rim rebated to the .535-inch case head of the H&H family, the .270 WSM was the third commercial cartridge using the .277-inch bore diameter, and betters the velocity of the .270 Winchester by 200 to 250 fps.

If you’re in the market for a cartridge that will do double duty in both the hunting fields and on the target range, with a bit more horsepower than the Creedmoor provides, the 6.5 PRC is worth a hard look.

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.

Winchester and Browning have collaborated to produce the 6.8 Western—a new take on the concept of the .270 WSM, using heavier bullets and a faster twist rate than previous iterations of the Winchester cartridges have used. Essentially, the 6.8 Western picks up where the .270 WSM leaves off, and delivers a whole lot more.

Just about every case shape imaginable has been modified to hold both 7mm and .30-caliber bullets, but it was gunwriter Layne Simpson who saw a gap in the lineup: there was no 7mm cartridge based on a full-length .375 H&H case. In 1979, Simpson took the excellent 8mm Remington Magnum and necked it down to hold 7mm bullets, giving his wildcat the name “Shooting Times Westerner.”

The .17 Hornet, son of the classic .22 Hornet, is a well-balanced design. Sharing the rimmed design of the parent case, it feeds nicely in a bolt-action repeating rifle, provides pinpoint accuracy and minimal recoil, and checks all the boxes for varmint hunting.

Despite its rarity today, we all owe the .450 Nitro Express a debt of gratitude for the simple fact that it established a ballistic formula upon which so many dangerous game hunters rely.

The .350 Rigby Magnum is vastly overlooked even among rifle cranks but was at one time as popular as the .375 H&H Magnum. Released in 1908, it is an entirely original design, and was the first to feature the sharp 45-degree shoulder which is the hallmark of the Rigby designs.

Introduced in the mid-1940s, the 7mm Weatherby Magnum case has minimal taper, maximizing powder capacity, and the correlative muzzle velocities show Roy Weatherby’s penchant for speed. Anything the popular 7mm Rem. Mag. will do, the 7mm Weatherby will do just a bit faster.