“.30-30 winchester”

From old fashioned to sci-fi blaster, lever-action rifles continue to grow in popularity with American shooting-sports enthusiasts. Read on for the six broad categories of lever-gun that seem to have arisen, according to contributor B. Gil Horman.

Generating just over 3,200 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy, the .405 Winchester was—at the time of its release in 1904—the most powerful lever-action cartridge available.

Not all magnum cartridges bear the name, but still meet all the criteria for the title. Here’s a look at five of the best.

Introduced in 1965, the .350 Remington Magnum could be considered the original short magnum. Using the belted Holland & Holland case responsible for so many excellent designs from the 40s, 50s and 60s, but shortened to be wedged into a short-action magazine, the .350 Magnum would mimic the performance of the .35 Whelen.

The 400 Legend takes the 350 Legend concept a step further, giving hunters a straight-walled cartridge fully suitable for both bolt-action rifles as well as the AR platform, conforming to the collective statutes set forth by a number of Midwestern states.

Mossberg has begun chambering its Patriot bolt-action rifle in 400 Legend.

If velocity is your thing, and you want the speediest rimfire cartridge currently available, look no further than the .17 WSM.

The 350 Legend is designed specifically for hunters to deliver massive downrange energy transfer with improved penetration from a modern straight-walled cartridge.

Federal Ammunition has added the 360 Buckhammer cartridge to its Power-Shok product line.