“handload”

Introduced in 1955, the 6mm Remington was designed to be a dual-purpose cartridge that could handle varmints and predators just as well as it could deer and similar-sized game.

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.

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.

There are a few times when a company gets a cartridge design right the first time around; Holland & Holland certainly got it right in 1925 with the .300 H&H Magnum.

In 2003, Finnish firearms manufacturer Sako released its own variant of the 9.3mm rimless cartridge: the 9.3x66mm Sako, or as it is known in the U.S., the .370 Sako Magnum. It delivers performance on par with the beloved .375 H&H in a package which can hold one additional round in the magazine in a lighter rifle.

Here’s a look at 10 of the most flexible long-range hunting cartridges.

The goal was to build a magnum-class cartridge in a small package, and Weatherby has done just that with its 6.5 Weatherby RPM, featuring a rebated rim, large body diameter, low body taper and 35-degree shoulder.

Nebraska’s Platte River flows through mule deer country among a smatter of crop fields—exactly the kind of landscape patient hunters can exploit to find big-racked bucks.

Both cartridges are easy on the ears and have minimal recoil, yet are effective for any of the smaller species for which they are suited. Which is the better choice for the hunter? Contributor Philip Massaro examines the pros and cons of each.