How Do Modern Cartridges Stack Up Against Old-Timers?

Still, some commenters felt compelled to defend their favorite cartridges (an honorable impulse), and several argued that these newfangled PRC’s and Creedmoor’s and ARC’s are all hat and no cattle. They don’t actually outperform tried-and-true designs—they’re just meant to fleece the hunting public for more money and give gun writers something to spill ink on.

I don’t agree with this entirely, but it got me wondering whether these Fudds (who I love) might have a point. It’s hard to argue that modern cartridges don’t have anything to offer, but are those benefits worth, say, the cost of a new rifle? Are they far and away better than the old-timers or just marginally more effective?

To answer this question, I pulled ballistic data for each of the 10 cartridges I named in the previous article and matched them up against older but comparable cartridges. I tried to pick matchups that used similar calibers and weights of bullets (though some comparisons are more natural than others). I also tried to select representative examples of each cartridge. Any cartridge can be sped up or slowed down at the reloading bench, and even factory options offer a range of velocities. But I tried to pick a best-case-scenario for both cartridges and not stack the deck in one way or the other.

The data speaks for itself, but I’ll say this at the outset: the Fudds might have a point.

Dan Hogan, the father of MeatEater’s Greg Hogan, poses with a Willamett Valley blacktail buck and his dad’s rifle (1968).

This matchup typifies the “old vs. new” paradigm. The 243 Win. offers more velocity and a flatter trajectory out to 600 yards, but the 6mm ARC overtakes it from an energy perspective by 400 yards. The ARC’s high-BC bullet is also less impacted by wind at every distance, and it nearly closes the velocity gap by 600 yards. Whichever side of this debate you land on, the data in this matchup offers evidence to back you up.

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The 6.5 Creedmoor is most often compared to the .308 Win., but those who really want to take the Creedmoor bros down a notch bring up the 260 Remington. The Remington has the same bullet diameter as the Creedmoor, and in this matchup, the trajectories are nearly indistinguishable out to 600 yards. By 500 yards, the Creedmoor has a slight edge in velocity, energy, and wind drift, and that advantage grows if you move past 600 yards or if you use the 147-grain match bullets for the Creedmoor. But at most common hunting distances, you won’t notice any difference between the Creedmoor and the Remington.

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This comparison is a little less natural than the first two since the PRC is supposed to mimic a magnum cartridge and it uses a slightly narrower bullet than the .270 Win. But as you can see, the bullet weights and muzzle velocities are nearly identical, and the .270 Win. deserves a chance to best one of its newer counterparts. The trajectories are nearly identical out to 600 yards, but the PRC opens up a 100 fps and a 130 ft.-lbs. gap even though the bullets begin at almost the same velocity. As with most modern cartridges, it also moves less with a 10 mph crosswind, in this case about four inches (20 vs. 24 inches).

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When the 28 Nosler was released in 2015, the marketing materials made it sound like nothing like it had ever been done before. But ol’ Roy Weatherby would disagree. He put out the 7mm Weatherby Magnum all the way back in 1947, and its ballistic properties are similar to the much newer cartridge. But “similar” isn’t “identical.” The 28 Nosler (also a 7mm bullet) enjoys a 100 fps and 200 ft.-lbs. edge at the muzzle over the older cartridge, and those gaps remain consistent through 600 yards. That allows the Nosler to maintain a flatter trajectory and hit 9 inches higher at that range, and it moves about four inches less. You’ll have better luck finding high-BC bullets with the newer Nosler, but if you already own a 7mm Weatherby Magnum, I wouldn’t feel a huge need to go out and get a 28 Nosler.

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I chose a heavier, 175-grain bullet for the 7mm Rem. Mag. in this comparison, and it struggles to stay with with the 7mm PRC. The PRC beats it in every category at every distance out to 600 yards, and some of the gaps are significant. The 7mm Rem. Mag. does a little better using the 163-grain bullet, but if you want to use that heavier, 175-grain pill, the PRC is a clear winner. You can probably find a 175-grain bullet that performs a little better in the Rem. Mag., but it’ll be tough to compete against the PRC’s velocity advantage, all else being equal. Of the 10 modern vs. traditional comparisons, I think this is the clearest modern winner.

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He wasn’t using a rifle, but this photo of the grandfather of MeatEater’s Hunter Spencer is too good not to share. He’d recently returned from World War II’s European theater, and decided to get a photo after a great day in the squirrel woods.

The 300 Winchester Short Magnum promises 300 Win. Mag. power in a short-action package. As you can see in the comparison below, it delivers on that promise out to 600 yards. The Win. Mag. holds a slight advantage in every category, but I wouldn’t say it’s enough to make a whole lot of difference. Many hunters will happily trade a little less velocity and energy for a lighter rifle with more capacity, which is what the WSM was designed to offer.

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The 300 PRC was billed as a modern version of the 300 Win. Mag. It’s a fast, magnum cartridge that does indeed surpass the 300 Win. Mag. in velocity, energy, trajectory, and wind drift. Its 212-grain bullet is moving exactly the same speed as the 300 Win. Mag.’s 200-grain bullet, which gives it an energy advantage out of the gate. But it increases that initial advantage downrange, and by 600 yards, it’s hitting with almost 300 additional foot-pounds of energy. It also moves about three inches less in a 10 mph crosswind at 600 yards, and has a slightly flatter trajectory, to boot. Win. Mag. fans will say that these slight advantages don’t actually matter much in the field, since most shots in the field are taken well within 600 yards; PRC fans will argue that they do, and that the PRC’s real benefits don’t kick in until past 600 yards. Both sides have a point, and thus the debate continues.

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The 338 Federal is another cartridge that was released specifically to improve upon an existing option. The Federal uses a .308 Win. case but necks it up to accept a .338-caliber bullet. It promises more energy on target without the associated recoil of a magnum and while maintaining the .308’s compact dimensions. As you can see from the charts below, it does indeed make good on that promise. It pushes a 200-grain bullet 2,700 fps, which is 100 fps faster (somehow) than a .308 can launch a 178-grain bullet. In a role reversal from the old vs. new matchups we’ve seen so far, the .308 actually overtakes the 338 in velocity and energy between 300 and 500 yards. Trajectories remain identical to about that distance, but the .308 drifts significantly less in the wind. As you can see, the .338 is a modern cartridge that bucks the modern cartridge trend. It offers more power and velocity and shorter distance, which, if we’re being honest, is where most hunters are taking shots, anyway. That’s great for moose and elk hunters who might want a bit of an edge with nothing more than a barrel swap.

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I had the most trouble finding a good comp for the 350 Legend. I thought about the 45-70 Government, but it hits with so much more power at the distances you’d actually shoot these cartridges. I think a better straight-wall comparison is the 44 Rem. Mag. The 350 Legend flies faster, but the 44’s heavier bullet means energy on target is comparable at every distance out to 600 yards. But the 350’s speed gives it a flatter trajectory, and at 300 yards you only have to come up 30 inches as compared to the 44’s 53 inches. Whether your rifle can shoot accurately out to 300 yards is a different story, but the bullet will have drifted about 10 fewer inches in a 10mph crosswind, so that’ll help, too.

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This one is pretty straightforward. The 375 Ruger’s slightly larger case capacity gives it a velocity advantage over the H&H that it carries with it throughout its 600-yard journey downrange. It hits with more energy, shoots a little flatter, and is a little less impacted by the wind. You can take those advantages to the bank, or you can cash them in for a rifle with a shorter barrel but equal performance to the tried-and-true H&H. The H&H’s resume is over a century old, so we know what it can and can’t do. With the 375 Ruger, you can mimic that performance–and benefit from the associated peace of mind–while using a 22-inch barrel rather than 24-inch barrel. Again, not a huge difference, but if you’re running a suppressor, the 375 Ruger rifle will be a little more convenient getting in and out of the safari Jeep.

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Image via MeatEater’s Matt Miller.

Modern cartridge aficionados might take issue with the fact that I limited the range to 600 yards. If you extend a shot out to 700 or 1,000 yards, the marginal advantages you can see in the charts widen significantly. But this is a list of hunting cartridges, not competition ones, and 95% of hunters will never (or should never) take a shot past 400 yards, let alone 600.

However, it’s also true that velocity, energy, trajectory, and wind drift aren’t the only factors to consider. These charts don’t include recoil and accuracy, two key components to making an effective shot. While older cartridges aren’t necessarily less accurate, you’ll have better luck in that department with a factory rifle chambered in a modern cartridge. The tolerances are a little tighter, so I’ve found they usually shoot better groups out of the box.

Bottom line? This debate will continue for the foreseeable future because both sides have a point. Modern cartridges aren’t the best thing since sliced bread. That 6.5 Creedmoor/260 Rem. comparison shows that rather than reinventing the wheel, the Creedmoor just rolled a wheel down a hill while people were wanting to move some furniture. If you think your hunt’s success will come down to four fewer inches of wind drift at 500 yards, you should probably rethink your strategy.

Still, many modern cartridges do offer real advantages. They use powder more efficiently, hit with less recoil, and do a better job in windy conditions. Those advantages might be marginal at common hunting distances, but if you can give yourself a slight edge in the field, why not take it?

Feature image via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Wikimedia commons.