“alliant”

The first of the Nosler proprietary cartridges, the 26 Nosler remains a flat-shooting, hard-hitting choice for hunting open country. Being a 6.5mm cartridge, it will use the high ballistic coefficient projectiles which retain their energy downrange, resist the effects of a crosswind and offer a flat trajectory.

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.

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.

Introduced in 2008, the .416 Ruger is the only commercially produced cartridge in that .416-inch bore diameter designed to fit in a long-action receiver, making it an ideal choice for dangerous game.

Over the century, Federal has risen to become one of the most dominant brands in the hunting ammo market. Here’s a look back at how it all happened.

The .257 Bob certainly has lost popularity of late, but those who still take him afield each fall quietly go about their business, accurately placing shots and taking game without destroying any more meat than is necessary.

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.

A beltless non-rebated .30-caliber magnum rifle cartridge designed for extreme performance at long range, the .300 PRC is the product of years of tinkering by Hornady. It will handle almost any game in North America and is fully capable of doing double duty as a long-range target choice.

By today’s standards, the external ballistics of the 7.62x39mm Soviet are insipid. And yet, the cartridge remains an excellent choice for hunting common big-game species at practical ranges.