“ballistic tip”

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.

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.

Contributor Dennis Bradley kicks off his series on esoteric alternatives to more common ammunition, with the 6x45.

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.

Between the .22-250 Remington and the .224 Valkyrie, which is the better choice for the hunter? Contributor Philip Massaro examines the pros and cons of each.

Your hunting rifle doesn’t need to produce painful recoil to get the job done. Here are six centerfire hunting cartridges that are easy on the shoulder yet effective on big game.

Be it a bucket list hunt in a land of giants, an anniversary escape with a loved one, a quick scouting trip turned big-buck showdown or the culmination of a trophy slam, American Hunter readers searched for and found opportunity near and far this past year.

While there are many great predator cartridges to choose from, these practical choices rise to the top.