VAR Tire Levers: Cool Gear

VAR Tire Lever: the Park Tool TL-1 Bike Tire Levers (or tyre levers, as our friends in the UK call them) and the Kool Stop Bicycle Tire Levers are the most common of all bike tools in existence, ubiquitous, in practically everyone's kits. They probably are also the most hated: "I'm sick and tired of having these things break just when I need them. With modern stiff wall tires, [...] they just snap off the tip when you try to lever the tire off the rim. And yes, I know what I am doing having worked in a bike shop through college and changed about 7,485,433 tires. I'm upgrading to something metal or indestructible for good."

Haven't we all had this experience once (or many) times in our life, to see the head of our plastic tire levers snap under pressure when we are 15 miles away from home? This must be the #1 source of frustration when getting a tube changed or patched out on the road... The second source of frustration, right after this one, has got to be trying to put back a stiff tire on top of an intolerant aluminum wheel without pinching the tube, and seeing it pop at the last second, after 15 minutes of hard work, when you have no strength left on your thumbs: "Trying to get [my stiff tires] on my [...] wheels[...]  produces an absolute meltdown on my part - complete with screaming, crying, pleading, darn-near throwing the wheel across the room, and an absolute refusal to ride the bike on the road without DH nearby, in case I get a flat tire and have to actually change the blasted thing."

Is there a portable tool out there that can help us put our tires back on quickly and efficiently, when the right M.O just does not seem to be working for us? This question is a perennial theme on bike forums such as CyclingForums or BikeForums, as shown by this typical example:  Best tire lever? [Archive] - Bike Forums. Well, we found one - and only one - result to this query so far: the VAR Bicycle Tire Lever, or VAR tyre lever (VAR tools are French, but this tool is popular in the UK and often carries British spelling in on-line comments).

The VAR Tire lever looks like an aluminum wishbone, although it is made of plastic. Once you have most of your tire in position, You use it by putting one side of the wishbone inside the tire rim, between the rim and the tire:

... then by grabbing the opposite side of the tire with the hook, and leveraging the tire in by pulling sideways on the wishbone:

The VAR tire tool weighs about 60 grams. The tool is made of plastic, although, because of its mode of sue, it is not as prone to breakage as standard plastic tire levers. It is just small and light enough to be carried in a small bike pack. and includes an extra lever, independent from the wishbone, that is fitted inside it. How do the VARs users like their tool?

Able to easily mount stiff tires
Users of the VAR tire lever see it as successful in enabling them to easily mount tough tires: "I've been very happy with my VAR tyre lever. It's reduced the time spent messing about mounting a [Conti Gatorskin] from 2 hours to under 15 minutes. Well worth the dollars", "success!!! I tried it out on my very difficult Hutchinson Equinox tire on my Axiom's front wheel. I took the tire off completely AND was able to put it back on...with no screaming, cursing, crying, or hurling objects across the room! A little bit of leverage is a good thing", "I've NEVER had a problems > > mounting any clincher tire on a rim with this tool", "I have used the VAR lever for over 20+ years and tried most other levers on the market. The VAR lever is truly the best for tight kevlar bead tires", "It's hard to be patient when there are 20 hungry cyclists looking forward to their next tea stop waiting for you to finish mending the puncture. I'll stick to my VAR lever", "allows you to refit tyres without pinching that inner tube even when the tyre is a nice tight fit on the rim, "great for putting on tight fitting tires, particularly on road rims", "I'll second the suggestion of the VAR lever","they make a super-tight fitting clincher a breeze to mount","allows you to refit tyres without pinching that inner tube even when the tyre is a nice tight fit on the rim","It works for me on the toughest of rims and tires", "I'll second the VAR Super Tyre Tool. They make a super-tight fitting clincher a breeze to mount", " the best lever for putting on stubborn tires such as Specialized Armadillos whose sidewalls are extremely stiff and thus difficult to put the last 2 or 3 inches of the tire on by hand or by regular tire irons", "Makes putting on a tough tire sooo easy", "the way the lever works makes it impossible to pinch a tube, or damage a tire or rim."

Just small enough for a kit bag
The VAR's users use it on the road: " [...]  The VAR lever can fit into your tube/patch kit bag", "The VAR levers will be for my saddle bag", "so good I have one in each of my tool kits","it takes up a lot of room in a seat bag but is great to have as a shop tool and on tours", "small enough that it fits into a standard seat bag"

High build quality
Users consider the tool a quality tool with good fit and finish: "There are better tools like this out there [than the Kool-Stop Tire Bead Jack], I'd recommended paying a few dollars more and getting one [...]  like the VAR Tyre tool."

Difficult to find
The VAR tire tool  is hard to find in the US: " Quite hard to come by in the USA though", "Can't find a place to buy them at anymore", "amazing that such a good and simple product is so hard to get hold of", "greatest [weakness] is the difficulty of finding a place that sells them anymore."

Brittle in cold weather
While the VA tool is seen by its users as strong and robust, some warn that manhandling it in very cold weather has to be done carefully, as it may get more brittle in cold weather: "I generally break a VAR > every 3-4 years."

Stats
We found 29 reviews of the VAR tire levers, with a 99% approval rating, for a low 4% margin of error with 95% certainty. These are outstanding numbers that we have only rarely encountered.

Where to buy
Very few places carry the VAR tire levers. Thanks to RandonneurExtra, from whom the very helpful pictures illustrating the present article were obtained (he also has a great post on the VAR: Making life easier: VAR tire lever), we also found sources for the hard-to-find tool:

• Bike Tools Etc., periodically out of stock

• North Road Bicycle Imports, not displayed in inventory, need to call 

Conclusion
The VAR tire lever would be the absolute perfect tire tool if it were made of aluminum. As it is, we still recommend it, as its mode of operation does not promote breakage similarly to a regular tire lever. In the words of its users: "$30 AUD delivered to the land of Oz. That sounds like a lot for a tyre lever, and it is. But I'd rather spend the dollars and not have to waste another two hours of my life", "bottom line: if you have tight rims and/or tires, this is the lever to carry."

550 Paracord, Universal Utility Line: Cool Gear

Mil-C-5040H Type III 550 paracord, or Mil-C-5040H Type III parachute cord, is an amazingly universal tool that can be used in many different circumstances to improvise repairs, like duct tape, as dictated by your environment. Originally produced for parachutes in the second World War, its lightness and compactness combined with its versatility quickly turned it into a must-have piece of equipment across army units of all kinds. Ex-servicemen quickly spread its popularity to the general population.

What do its users think of it? This is what we collected from numerous forums and reviews: "It is the handiest stuff that I have ever seen... strong, light and durable... There are 1000 uses for it... I highly recommend it to everyone... You can never have enough paracord around... Many uses for this product... Small, lightweight, and strong... Everyone should have great quality [para]cord... So many uses....  Uses are endless and worth having around for almost everything...  This cord is the perfect all-purpose camping cord.... You might be able to break it with a large truck but I wouldn't bet on it... Toss a ream of it in your vehicle and leave some at home too... If you are an outdoorsman or outdoorswoman and you don't have a 1000' roll of this in you gear then you just aren't really serious about it... I didn't know I needed it until I got it... This stuff is amazing! It is very tough and cut-resistant.... A must have for any hunter and outdoor person and survival kit... An absolute necessity in a survival kit... As important as a knife... I have [boy scouts] wrap cord around their hiking sticks as a hand grip material; then there's always some on hand in an emergency.. There isn't a weekend that goes by that we don't use it and my boys are always finding new uses..." 

The one we like best is: "with a 1000' roll of this and two rolls of duct tape I think someone could take over the world!!"  


Why is it so popular?

• It is very light for its strength. As its name indicates, its breaking strength is rated at 550 lbs, yet 10 feet of length can be carried on your wrist in the form of a woven bracelet. A pound of 550 paracord will produce at least 225 feet of line.

• It is impervious to water, being made of nylon. 

• It does not fray easily, as it can be terminated cleanly by burning the end with a lighter or a match.

• It has strong resistance to light exposure per its original specification, and, as a result, ages well in outdoor use.

• Each length of 550 paracord can produce 7 to 9 times its length in much thinner line, since it is possible to extract the guts for other purposes, such as fishing line, sutures, etc. In turn, each gut can be unstranded into 3 smaller yarns, although these can be somewhat twisty. While there is no performance difference between 7x, 8x and 9x cores, we have a slight preference for 8x or 9x cores because we can get more gut length out of the same length of 550 paracord, since we have more core yarns.

• The sheath and its yarns can also be used independently. The sheath is woven of 32 or 36 yarns, which can also be reused to weave material.

• The versatility of 550 paracord makes it ideal as a light universal rope in outdoor activities. It is highly prized by survivalists. Many users carry a woven bracelet, neck lanyard, or belt of paracord for possible reuse. Others wrap flashlight or knife handles with it for the same purpose.

Mil-C-5040H Type III 550 paracord drawbacks

• Abrasion is a risk, as it is not resin-impregnated, although the sheath/ core construction provides some protection. 

• The great elasticity of the cord, which gives it its high breaking strength, is also a weakness for some uses as it can lengthen under strain 30% or more. This will rule out some potential uses where constant length is important. For instance, it would not be wise to use 550 paracord to make a metal canoe fast on the top of a car, as the cord would easily stretch and let the canoe fall in a big gust... 

What it is being used for

We collected some of the uses that people have put it to. One user describes emergency surgery: "I didn't see ... barbed wire... and I ended up with two deep gouges... I cut some 550 cord, pulled out the seven interior strands, and divided the 2-ply strands again. Those were my sutures. A # 8 snelled hook served as the needle, and I used a Leatherman tool to pull the hook through. I gave it 6 stitches... A week later, I removed the stitches, and although they held the wound tightly together, the skin did not adhere to the nylon threads." The variety of uses is quite remarkable: "wall tent, clothes lines... In a group camp usually someone want a piece of cord for something and bingo, here it is... Hang a hammock... Fishing line, net weaving, stitching, and netted containers... I once used the exterior sheath of 550 to weave a small hammock... My primary shelter-lashing material when making lean-tos, wickups, and tarp-shelters...Perfect for hauling up your gun or bow up to the tree stand, the BEST boot laces ever, I've used it to help stake out my tent... This is one of the first thing I add when making a emergency survival kit for someone. Not only is it strong and lightweight, you can separate the strands for even more length. (Each separate cord, and there are 7, is good for about 50 lbs.)... Bought 2 x 100ft rolls and renewed cords on 50 two man tents. Has worked a treat. Good and strong to handle the New Zealand's southern weather conditions... Inner cords can be used for fishing line, sewing repairs, lashing, snares...  Hang antennas from trees... or to tease the cats with... I had to set up a tarp canopy between some oddly placed trees because we were expecting rain in the morning... Everything from making your own parachutes to tying your tent down... I used the cord to set a Z-Drag lift system, using carabiners, in my basement to lift an approximate 400 lb band saw so I could put it in a movable base... I used this rope wile working in Haiti, It really held up to the heat, moisture, and dusty terrain. It held up great, very good product for multiple purposes...  Rope ladder... Survival bracelets - one bracelet up to 30 ft cord... Key rope around the neck 3 ft or so... Braided key rope around the neck 25 ft... Gun straps 100 ft... Boot laces 8 ft... Backpack straps braided triple solomon 20 ft... Knife lanyards... Multi tool lanyards... Small loops to hang off your belt... Made rope swing at the river with it 70 ft french braided wood handle... Lashed together a few make shift beds lean tos... Pulled a car outa the snow with it once triple lapped cord 30 ft then tied off to Jeep pulls minivan slowly carefully out lol... Sleeved a few computer wires with it... Used as a fish stringer few times... Used it for hauling a few couches few times...  Took 20 foot in 6 in sections removed all the inner cords filled it with lead for fishing weights, no more snags... I bought this for a knife handle wrap and it worked perfectly... Ridge lines for tarps... Shoelaces... Hanging food from bears... Vehicle Tie Downs... Sewing fabric... Making a fire bow... Fishing line... String for a bow... Making a shelter...  Fish gill nets...  Animal snares... Anchor line... Binding... Twine... Animal restraints... Dental floss... Splints... Tourniquet."

The use description we like best, though, is this one (we are not sure about its truthfulness though): "tying up burglars (or your wife), securing split trees, rappelling down buildings during the apocalypse, restraining zombies, or zombie dogs, and/or camping. You simply cannot beat the versatility of this product.
Side-note: Given how well it works on zombies, I feel it would work equally well on were-wolves and vampires."


The trap of commercial paracord

True mil-spec paracord is specifically referenced as Mil-C-5040H TYPE III parachute cord or Mil-C-5040H TYPE III 550 paracord ("Mil-C-5040 TYPE III" without the H is also good), and  the cord batch carries a testing certificate guaranteeing its performance. Commercial paracord, however, is not tested, and often carries significantly lower performance. Some samples of commercial paracord use different, cheaper, materials, for the core yarns or  for the sheath, or a lesser number of core yarns. Some of them have very low breaking strength, or use material that degrades quickly. So, when you buy commercial paracord, as opposed to Mil-C-5040H Type III 550 paracord, you do not have any guarantee of performance.

A common way to advertise commercial (i.e. with no guaranteed performance) paracord is by calling it  "mil-spec 550 paracord." This is NOT for Mil-C-5040H TYPE III 550 paracord - it could be for any quality of commercial paracord, with no way to know what the breaking strength of the paracord will be. Trustworthy vendors who sell commercial paracord will specify that it is not made for parachuting applications.


The trap of Type II or Type IIA paracord

The Mil-C-5040H military specification defines 6 types of paracord: type I with braking strength of 95 lbs, type IA, with breaking strength of 100 lbs, type II with breaking strength of 400 lbs, type IIA with breaking strength of 225 lbs, type III with breaking strength of 550 lbs, and type IV with breaking strength of 750 lbs, which is difficult to find. Many items labeled "paracord" or "mil-spec paracord" without a mention of 550 lb breaking strength with be type II or type IIA paracord, with a minimal breaking strength which is significantly lower than 550 paracord. This is even worse than the manifestly falsely advertised "mil-spec 550 paracord" items. In particular, most bracelets or lanyards made of "paracord" are typically made of type II or type IIA commercial paracord.


Colors

True Mil-C-5040H TYPE III 550 paracord only comes in white, black, camouflage colors, or international orange, due to the original military specifications. Cool colors are available in commercial versions (including interesting reflective colors). We recommend using two colors, one earth or green color for camouflage uses such as hanging food outside the reach of bears, and international orange for other uses.  


Buying Mil-C-5040H TYPE III 550 paracord

In order to buy Mil-C-5040H TYPE III 550 paracord, with guaranteed breaking strength, you need to buy paracord that is advertised exactly as "Mil-C-5040H TYPE III parachute cord," "Mil-C-5040H TYPE III paracord," or "Mil-C-5040H TYPE III 550 paracord." The better sites will also publish the official certificate of compliance (i.e. test verification) from their paracord tests. True Mil-C-5040H TYPE III 550 paracord is 30-70% more expensive than cheap commercial 550 paracord, but only slightly more expensive than good quality paracord.


Where to buy Mil-C-5040H Type III 550 paracord

We recommend buying paracord from vendors who focus on sky jumpers, parachutists or emergency workers, because their paracord is much more likely to buy the true Mil-C-5040H Type III 550 paracord. For the same reason, we recommend buying a USA-made product.There are very few sites where you can find the true blue item. Best Glide is a provider of aviation survival equipment, and provides a certificate of compliance. Best Glide carries all regular military colors. Adventure Survival Equipment, a division of Best Glide, is also a good online choice. ParaGear is a paruchuting store.   LifeView Outdoors is a  retailer of recreational outdoor gear.

If you are willing to compromise down to high quality commercial 550 paracord,where you will find a better set of colors, but non-guaranteed performance, you might want to check out Cabela's, TakKnife, CheaperThanDirt , CountyComm or  CampingSurvival. 


Statistical user ratings

We could not find a statistically significant set of user reviews for true Mil-C-5040H Type III 550 paracord, so we looked for user reviews of decent quality commercial grade 550 paracord. We found 211 reviews, of which 195 were positive, for a 92% approval rating, with a 3.6% margin of error at 95% certainty. This represents an excellent rating, which could only increase if applied to true Mil-C-5040H. A presentation of our rating methodology can be found on ConsumerPla.net Statistical Ratings Explained.


Conclusions

• Mil-C-5040H Type III 550 paracord is an extraordinarily versatile general purpose utility line, as useful as duct tape.

• It is light and compact, with high tensile strength, and can fit into any survival or mini-tool kit. It is almost a required part of any such kit, and is highly appreciated by its enthusiastic users.

• True MIL-C-5040H Type III 550 paracord is superior to commonly found commercial "mil-spec" paracord, and can be found in a few sites, such as Best Glide, a provider of aviation survival equipment.

Want to read more about it? Try Cool Tools, Outside Magazine, Survival Topics. or this excellent Wikipedia article. The Survival Forum, which is not a survivalist forum, but an emergency gear forum, is an interesting place to discuss paracord use. There are many sites with tutorials on specific paracord braiding projects, along with YouTube tutorials - Stormdrane's Blog has many projects illustrated over the past few years. General purpose braiding sites, such as Boondoggle Man, also provide excellent references. The actual MIL-C-5040H specs can be found with the DoD, or on EverySpec. Essex Mills published, in 1954, a Test Report on MIL-C-5040.

Cartridge Selection Guide FAQs

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 22: Cartridge Selection FAQs

How did ConsumerPla.net determine cartridge availability in the ammunition survey? 

We selected two reputable online ammunition retailers, with good inventory - Midway USA, with a broad inventory, and Wholesale Hunter, with less breadth but good prices. We counted the number of SKUs ("stock keeping units" - they represent how many different items are available in a given category) available in stock with each retailer for each cartridge in our list.

Every cartridge that did not have at least 3 SKUs in each retailer we marked "SP" for SPotty availability. Every cartridge that did not have at least 10 SKUs in stock between the two retailers we marked "LO" for LOw availability. A cartridge with low or spotty availability may not be easy to find when you need it, and shows some disaffection from shooters.

More information about our ammunition survey process is available here.

How did you determine cartridge price in the ammunition survey? 

We averaged the lowest 3 prices for each of the two online retailers we used (less than three if there were less than three SKUs available), then we averaged across the two retailers. We followed up by checking our pricing information against three large brick and mortar stores: Cabela's, Midwest Shooters Supply, and Gander Mountain. We found that our calculated prices were in general reflecting well the low-end prices that we found found among these stores. Of course, premium ammunition pricing (such as high quality hunting ammunition, or target grade ammunition) we found to be higher - we expected that, given the process we used to drive cartridge price.

More information about our ammunition survey process is available here.

What do LO and SP mean in the charts?  

LO means Low availability, and SP means Spotty availability. Either indicates that a cartridge may not always be easy to find when you need it. In general, although not always, we found LO or SP cartridges to be more expensive than cartridges with good availability.

How did you determine existing chambering availability in the rifle chambering survey?

Gunbroker is the eBay of firearms, an auction site dedicated to firearms. It has the broadest set of firearms listings in existence. It is used for new and for used firearms. It is the best representation we know of for the overall firearms market in the US. It is not perfect because there is some bias for new chamberings, as many stores offer new chamberings on line on Gunbroker. At the same time, there is strong presence of used firearms as well, and we feel that Gunbroker is an imperfect but reasonable proxy for the market as a whole.

For each cartridge, we searched for rifles available on Gunbroker in this cartridge, and counted how many we found. We often had to use more than one search for a given cartridge, and made sure to take out hits that were common between our searches for the same cartridge, so as to avoid multiple-counting.

More information about our existing chamberings survey process is available here.

How did you determine new rifle chambering availability in the rifle chambering survey?

New rifle chambering availability was the hardest metric to find. The idea behind new rifle chambering availability is that it gives you a better way to evaluate what shooters like to use today, vs. what they might have liked 20 or 50 years ago (which is captured by the used firearms market or the existing cartridge availability survey).We first tried to aggregate all the chamberings that were available among the top four or five online firearms retailers. It was a very time intensive process, and we quickly found out that practically all of them were equally represented on the inventory of Bud's gun shop, a well known online firearms dealer with an online inventory that is easy to search. This finding greatly simplified our new rifle chambering survey, and we ended up using Bud's as a proxy to the new rifle chambering market.

More information about our new chamberings survey process is available here.

What is the difference between existing and new rifle chamberings? Why did you use both?

Existing rifle chamberings include all the chamberings that have been available in the past, and that can now be found on the used rifle market, AND all of the new chamberings available right now from firearms manufacturers. Existing rifle chamberings capture the widest picture of the existing rifle market. It is also a trailing metric to the new rifle chamberings, as new rifle chamberings are closer to what people buy today, whereas the used rifle market also considers what people were buying yesterday (or 50 years ago).

If we want to look at what cartridges will be available 10 to 15 years down the road (i.e. in the assumed period of time when you will be using a rifle that you purchase today), it is important to look at new rifle chamberings, as they are more reflective of the present state of the market, and more able to predict what rounds will be common 10 to 15 years down the road.

We investigated the correlation between ammunition availability, existing rifle chamberings, and new rifle chamberings here. We found out, as expected, that there was a good correlation between existing rifle chamberings and ammunition availability, and a less good correlation between new rifle chamberings and ammunition availability. There is a good likelihood that we would find a good correlation between new rifle chamberings today and ammunition availability 10 years or 15 years from today.

Why didn't you include every single cartridge in existence in your list?

There are approximately another fifty or so additional commonly mentioned cartridges, and many more wildcats (i.e. unusual cartridges with no commercial production). Putting too many cartridges on our charts would make them unreadable. We reviewed the most popular cartridges and went down the list. We stopped at a level which we felt was relevant to a reasonable number of people. The least common cartridges among our list, such as the 257 Roberts or the 470 Nitro Express are not common, and we feel that we went "low enough" on the availability list. The ones we neglected to include are less common, and are probably safe to ignore, since we are looking to find cost effective cartridges with wide availability. If you feel we left out cartridges that are common enough to be considered, let us know. If we agree with you, we will add them to the list.

Will I find a cartridge that you rate available at my neighborhood country store? 

You have a good chance to find our recommended cartridges in your neighborhood country stores, although no certainty. The most common cartridges are 223 Remington, 22LR, 308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Win Mag, 7mm Rem Mag, 270 Winchester, 243 Winchester, and  7.62x39 Soviet. These are the cartridges that you are most likely to find in a country store.

Can I find cheaper than the prices you listed for ammunition?

You can certainly find cheaper than the prices indicated. We wanted our price to be indicative of "real" brick and mortar prices, so we did not pick the lowest priced online retailers (these typically specialize on very common cartridges only), and we averaged the 6 lowest prices for available SKUs, making sure by our very process that the price listed for our cartridges would be higher than the lowest we had found.

However, if the brick and mortar stores we visited are any indication,  the price you will find at your local brick and mortar store should not, in general, be very far from our price index.

What criteria did you use for cartridge recommendations?

As we explained in our introduction post to this cartridge selection guide: "Our purpose in this guide is to focus on cost, on present availability, and on future availability, and to issue recommendations based on these criteria." We did look at other attributes of a cartridge, in particular when we made recommendations for specific purposes - but the primary criteria were price, present availability, and future availability.

Our primary audience is that of new, inexperienced or infrequent shooters - although we do feel that our data is valuable to all shooters. There are many sites focused on experienced shooters - their criteria are different from ours. Our recommendations are data-driven and do not take our likings or impressions into account. In general, we neglected differences of 100-200fps in velocity, or 100-200ft.lbs of energy, which are often what cartridge selection is based on for experienced shooters, who already know what they want and like.


I am a reloader. Should I follow your recommended picks?

If you are reloading, the economics of shooting are structurally different to you, and availability and pricing to you are measured differently. Our present guide focuses on out-of-the-box ammunition, and does not apply to you, although our conclusions could be relevant to some of your criteria in making cartridge choices.

Should I only buy rifles chambered in the cartridges you rated best?

If you are an experienced shooter, you already know what works for you, and are looking for incremental improvements. For that, you might need to look at cartridges which are not widely available, expensive when purchased commercially (as opposed to reloaded), or simply unavailable commercially if you are planning to load your own. Our data is useful to you, but not primordial in making your decision.

On the other hand, if you are a new or inexperienced shooter, then you would be better off picking cartridges that we recommend. You will be guaranteed a popular cartridge pick, with easy to find and cost effective ammunition, a good choice in rifles, and, likely, an easier time selling your rifle used if/when you decide to upgrade in the future.

Why should I follow your recommendations?
         
Our recommendations are based on hard data, which so far has been unavailable anywhere, on line or off line, and which is difficult to derive on your own. You should feel free to ignore our recommendations and draw your own, using common sense and your own personal criteria. We suggest, however, that you carefully look at the data we accumulated here, and use it efficiently in your purchase decision.

Our Centerfire Rifle Selection Guide is scheduled for later this winter... So come back soon!

Review: Best Rifle Cartridges for 2011

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 21: Picking The Best Rifle Cartridges for 2011

It is now time for us to issue final recommendations for the best rifles cartridges to pick for 2011, specifically when looking at pricing and availability: which are the most cost effective and available cartridges in each category?

In order to have a good look at how these cartridges compare, we selected cartridges that got picked as best in kind in the ammunition survey and in the chamberings survey, and superposed their pricing and availability for ammunition and their availability as chamberings.

 

Recommendations by Cartridges Categories

• Most cost effective overall cartridge: 22LR

The 22LR led the ammunition survey for affordability, at $1.50 per box of 20, and the second most cost effective cartridge, the 22WMR, is almost three times as expensive to shoot. The chambering availability of the 22LR is, if anything, even better than it was, with many new offerings available. The 22LR has no rival as a training and plinking cartridge.

• Best rimfire varmint cartridge: 17HMR

The 17HMR and the 22WMR both are inherently superior to the 22LR in almost every way except cost (they are close to three times as expensive to shoot), with the 17HMR getting the advantage on range and accuracy. As The 17HMR continues to expand while the 22WMR is stable, we give the preference to the 17HMR, despite a slight 15% advantage to the 22WMR in cost.

• Most cost-effective centerfire cartridge: 223 Remington (5.56mm NATO)

The 7.62x69 Soviet is actually the most cost effective centerfire cartridge in existence ($7 per box vs. $10 for the 223), but the great difference in chambering availability with the 223, the dramatic drop in new chambering availability for the 7.62x39,  and the inherent superiority of the 223 cartridge in both range and accuracy give the 223 the edge. The 7.62x39 is is a poor range cartridge, and is not a good hunting cartridge.

• Best varmint cartridge: 223 Remington

The 223 is the #1 cartridge in existence by availability, and the #1 existing chambering on Gunbroker (although not among new chamberings). It is significantly more cost effective than other varmint cartridges, by approximately 100% - at $10 per box, it costs half to shoot. It has an excellent reputation for accuracy. While the 204 Ruger and the excellent 22-250 have an edge on range, it is not enough to take away the crown from the 223.

• Best 6mm medium game cartridges: 243, 25-06

The 243 and the 25-06, both flat shooting cartridges, are at opposite ends of the 6mm spread. The 25-06 is a necked-down 30-06 cartridge, large, powerful, noisy, with a lot of recoil for a 6mm (but not that much overall). The 243, on the other hand, is comparatively soft shooting, silent, yet still accurate. The 243 is sufficient for deer, but does not range any higher, while the 25-06 may be used for larger game if the circumstances are right: range, position, good bullet placement. The 243, with excellent availability and reasonable pricing at $23, is enjoying rapid expansion, while the 25-06, a bit more expensive at $26, still sees some growth.

• Best 7mm medium game cartridges below .30: 270 Winchester, 7mm-08, 7mm Remington Magnum

The 7mm cartridges are already the realm of the all around rifle. The 7mm-08 and the 7mm Remington Magnum use the same bullets (.284), while the 270 uses slightly smaller diameter (.277). All three cartridges shoot very flat. They are all derivatives: the 270 is a necked-down 30-06, the 7mm-08 a necked-down 308, and the 7mm Rem Mag a necked down 338 Winchester Magnum. The 270, Jack O'Connor's favorite, with significant although not outrageous recoil,  has killed every kind of game in North America. It is very popular, gaining in popularity, and cost effective to shoot at $18 per box. The 7mm-08, the softest shooting cartridge of the lot, can be used by most shooters without recoil becoming a problem, and has a bit less range than the other two. It can take big North American game if the circumstances are right in placement and range, and is the more costly of the three, at $32 per box. The 7mm Remington Magnum, priced between the other two at $27 per box, is the hardest shooting of the lot, and has the reputation, rightfully so, of shooting as flat as the 270 and as hard as the 30-06. All three cartridges are outstanding choices for different shooter profiles.

• Best .30 caliber cartridges: 308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Winchester Magnum

The 308 and 30-06 are long time rivals, and end up being very close to each other in performance, and equal in cost at $19 per box. The 308 has slightly softer recoil and can be used in slightly shorter/ lighter rifles, while the 30-06 a touch more range (about 25 yards) and punch at the cost of 20% more recoil, a difference that is not negligible. The 300 Winchester Magnum, another long range cartridge, has more power, a higher price at $25 per box, slightly more range than both (about as much as the 7mm Rem Mag) but a lot more recoil. Where the 308 is within the limits of acceptable recoil, the 30-06 is at the edge of being too punishing for a long session at the range and may induce flinching, and the 300 Winchester Magnum is clearly in significant pain territory. All three can take any North American game, and are excellent cartridges for what they are designed to do. 

• Best Medium Bore cartridge: 338 Win Mag

The American Medium Bores are a troubled category, with very few successful cartridges. In fact, of all of them, only one shows any life along with significant controversy. The 338 Winchester Magnum shows good availability and growing popularity. However, it is a very expensive cartridge ($55 per box), and its performance may not always justify its price. For a heavy price in recoil (20% more than the 300 Win Mag), it has shorter range than the 300 Win Mag, approximately matches the 300 Win Mag's kinetic energy and killing power at 200 yards and beyond, and shows significantly less velocity. It is only at short range that the 338 Win Mag shows itself to be significantly superior to the 300 Win Mag, a property which has led to its use in Alaska as a protection and bear rifle. However, after the first few years of adoption, a significant number of professional guides switched back to the 375 H&H, following some concerns about ultimate killing power. The 338 Win Mag is the best choice among medium bores, but, in the end, its performance may not  be sufficiently superior to the 300 Win Mag to justify the extra cost and recoil. Depending upon your needs, you may be better off sticking to the 300 Win Mag or switching to the 375 H&H.

• Best Big Bore cartridges: 375 H&H Magnum, 45-70 Government

Compared to the medium bores, the big bores shows a surprising amount of life, probably due to the relative popularity of Alaskan hunts and African safaris. The 45-70 can take North American game of any size within 150 to 200 yards when shot from a modern lever rifle. While the 45-70 remains the leader among all big bores, it remains barely ahead of the 375 H&H (often considered a medium bore) in new chamberings, while enjoying a solid 3-1 lead in the market as a whole. This shows a very significant progress for the 375 H&H, which is clearly the most versatile of the two, enjoying a 100 yard range advantage on the 45-70. The 375 H&H can take any game anywhere, including Africa. Other big bore cartridges, while weak compared to the two leaders, largely maintain their popularity and do not show the total collapse seen in the medium bore market.



Recommendations by purpose

• Most cost effective training and plinking: 22LR 

• Most cost effective centerfire training and plinking: 223 Remington

• Best long range varmint hunting: 204 Ruger, 22-250

The 223 is an excellent, accurate varmint cartridge, but both the 204 Ruger ($19 per box) and the 22-250 ($22 per box), the best wildcat of all times, have a significant edge in trajectory. Both cartridges are very available, and new chamberings and growing fast, an amazing record for the 204 Ruger given how recently it was introduced (2004). The 204 Ruger and the 22-250 shoot equally flat ( a touch flatter/ longer for the 204 Ruger, but not for reloaders). The 204 Ruger does not heat up as much during a long shooting session, while the 22-250 carries a bigger bullet and retains more energy within 500 yards. The 204 Ruger is best on small varmints while the 22-250 excels with larger ones.

• Best low recoil deer hunting: 243, 25-06, 7mm-08

The 243 has significantly less recoil than other deer sized cartridges, about 11 ft.lbs vs. 13.5 for the 25-06 and the 7mm-08, and 17 for the 270 Winchester. It is also the most cost effective choice, at $26 per box, vs. $29 for the 25-06 and $32 for the 7mm-08. The 7mm-08 ranges highest in potential game size, able to take elk, moose or caribou if the circumstances are favorable (range, position, bullet placement), followed by the 25-06, the 243 being last in that regard.

• Best all around US hunting: 270, 308, 30-06, 7mm Remington Magnum

The Top Four have been at the top of the world for close to a half century now, and nothing has dethroned them,. The 270 and the 7mm Rem Magnum have the advantage on trajectory and range, while the 30-06 and the 7mm Rem Mag have the advantage in energy and killing power. While none of these cartridges have soft recoil, the 308 has the least recoil, followed by the 270. The 7mm Rem Mag costs 50% more to shoot than the other three.

• Best large US game hunting: 300 Winchester Magnum

The 300 Win Mag is definitely above the pain threshold, but provides substantively more power than the all around cartridges, while being much less painful than the medium and big bores.

• Best all around low recoil rifle cartridge: 7mm-08

The Top Four are outstanding cartridges, but they all have substantial recoil. The next most versatile cartridge after the Top Four is the 7mm-08, an outstanding cartridge with power and range along with softer recoil, approximately 20% less than the 308 Winchester. Shooters should use the 7mm-08 with CXP3 game only if the right conditions exist with respect to range and bullet placement.

• Best long range all around cartridge: 7mm Remington Magnum

The trajectory of the 270 with the punch of the 30-06:-)

• Best dangerous US game hunting: 45-70 Government

There is nothing in North America that the 45-70 in a new rifle chambering (old ones cannot handle as much pressure) cannot take down at 100 yards.

• Best dangerous African game hunting: 375 H&H Magnum

The 375 H&H Magnum can take any game anywhere in the world.

Next we review cartridge selection FAQs... So come back soon!

Ammunition and Chamberings Surveys: Combined Availability

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 20: Combined Ammunition and Chamberings Distribution

Over the past few weeks, we presented our survey of rifles cartridge availability and its findings, then did the same with our survey of available and new chamberings. We drew independent conclusions from each survey, assuming, in general, that cartridge availability and rifle chambering availability were related. It is time for us to put this assumption to the test: how do cartridge availability, rifles availability, and new chambering availability relate to each other?

To evaluate graphically how they trend with respect to each other, the best way for us to do this is to normalize the availability of each cartridge, rifle chambering, and new rifle chambering, so that we are only dealing with percentages across the whole market, rather than absolute numbers. The following chart displays what the data looks like, when viewed as percentages.

 

For each cartridge, the chart displays, in green, the % of ammunition SKUs (Stock Keeping Unit, i.e. the specific combination of brand and type of ammunition that uniqeuly identifies the item) available for this cartridge as a % of all cartridge SKUs available, in red the % of new chamberings available at Bud's as a % of all rifle chamberings available at Bud's, and, in blue, the % of rifles chambered in the cartridge available on Gunbroker, as a percentage of all the rifles available.

If we review this chart, we quickly realize that:

• ammunition availability and rifle availability for that cartridge generally trend together
• ammunition availability and new chambering availability generally trend together, but not as well
• ammunition availability appear to trail Gunbroker rifle availability, which, itself, trails Bud's new chambering availability (we can find this out by looking at new or newly popular cartridges, and by old fashioned or obsoleted cartridges)

This interpretation makes sense: it often takes a long time for ammunition providers to take on a new cartridge, and a specific type of ammunition tends to remain available for a long time, past the peak of popularity of the cartridge. We figure that the green bars (ammunition availability) are most closely tied to the popularity of a cartridge  10 to 15 years ago, while the blue bars (availability of a rifle chambering on Gunbroker) are most closely related to the cartridge popularity over the past 5 years, and the red bars (availability of a new rifle chambering at Bud's) are more closely tied to a cartridge popularity in the next 10 to 15 years. We should note that here is potential for some fashion/fad bias in the red bars, when manufacturers push some specific cartridges with little popularity by misunderstanding the market's favor.

In this light, we can draw a few specific conclusions:

• Available now, gaining in popularity: 17HMR, 204 Ruger, 22-250, 243, 25-06, 270 Win, 270 WSM, 7mm-08
• Available now, stable in popularity: 22LR, 22WMR, 7mm Rem Mag, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Win Mag, 300 WSM, 338 Win Mag, 375 H&H, 45-70 Gov
• Available now, dropping in popularity: 223, 30-30, 308 Win, 7.62x39 Soviet
• Not very available, stable: 22 Hornet, 257 Wby Mag, 7mm WSM, 280 Rem, 300 Wby Mag, 444 Marlin, 458 Win Mag
• Not very available, dropping even further: 220 Swift, 222 Remington, 6mm Rem, 257 Roberts, 6.5x55 Swede, 260 Rem, 264 Win Mag, 6.8mm SPC, 7x57 Mauser, 7mm Wby Mag, 30 carbine, 300 H&H Mag, 300 Rem Ultra Mag, 8x57, 338 Federal, 340 Wby Mag, 35 Whelen, 358 Win, 9.3x62, 375 Ruger, 405 Win, 416 Rigby, 450 Marlin, 458 Lott, 460 Wby Magnum, 470 Nitro Express

Some of the cartridges that show poor availability and are dropping further out carry great names and/ or are very sensible - we regret seeing them fall out of favor. Among them we count the 220 Swift (we think it has a slight edge over the 22-250), the versatile 257 Roberts, the 6.5x55 Swede -  easy on the shoulder with some excellent sectional density,  the 6.8mm SPC - excellent accuracy in a very compact, efficient and cost effective.cartridge, and the 7x57 (7mm Mauser).

Next we come out with overall recommendations... So come back soon!

Available Big Bore Calibers

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 19: Available Big Bore Cartridge Chamberings

Surprisingly, the big bore category shows more life than the medium bores. The two outstanding leaders in the category are the venerable 45-70 Government, introduced in 1873, and the only slightly less respectable 375 H&H Magnum, introduced in 1912 by Holland & Holland, as part of the Nitro Express family. While the 45-70's popularity remains stable, the 375 H&H is seeing a boom in new chamberings, along with, at a much lower level of availability, several other cartridges in the category.

Among the others, many cartridges see more new chambering introductions, although none to a level where availability becomes good enough for us to recommend them. The 458 Winchester Magnum leads the pack with 11 new chamberings available at Bud's, followed by the Marlin 444 with 10, the expensive 416 Rigby with 9, and the 405 Winchester with 8. The attractive 375 Ruger, the 450 Marlin, the legendary 458 Lott, the "ultimate" 460 Weatherby Magnum (there is a larger Weatherby caliber though...), and the powerful 470 Nitro Express do not see significant new chambering activity.

Most available bog bores: 45-70 Government, 375 H&H Magnum
Most available big bore for US game: 45-70 Government
Most available big bore for any game: 375 H&H Magnum 


Next we summarize our conclusions across all chamberings... So come back soon!

Available Medium Bore Calibers

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 18: Available Medium Bore Cartridge Chamberings

The medium bore cartridges, in the US, are a category on the verge of disappearing. Of all of them,
only the 338 Winchester Magnum shows significant new chamberings and active dynamics, even growth. The others appear to be going away, with zero to five new chamberings available for the 8x57 (8mm Mauser), 338 Federal, 340 Weatherby Magnum, 35 Whelen, 358 Winchester, and 9.3x62. While few chamberings are expected for the European 8x57 and 9.3x62 and for the classy but never popular 35 Whelen, we are disappointed to see such disaffection for the sensible 338 Federal, the very punchy 340 Weatherby Magnum, and the powerful 358 Winchester.

• Recommended medium bore chambering: 338 Winchester Magnum

Next we analyze available chamberings for big bore rifles... So come back soon!

Available .30 Calibers

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 17: Available .30 Caliber Cartridge Chamberings

 The .30 caliber category, traditionally the most popular of all categories, is seeing some significant changes. While it remains overall very popular as a whole, it seems to see some erosion of popularity at the expense of the medium game rifle category, possibly because of recoil becoming of more significant aspect of firearms purchases.

Among the category, the 308 and the 30-06 remain the clear leaders, although they are now rivaled in overall popularity by other chamberings from different categories, such as the 243 and the 270, and, of course, by the perennial 223 and 22LR. Surprisingly following them is the punchy 300 Winchester Magnum, with a true spike in new chamberings, showing astounding growth.

Shockingly, the 30-30 and the 7.62x39 Soviet appear to face a quasi-total collapse of new chamberings, down to respectively 14 and 8, a level so low that they cannot make it among our recommendations, despite their past popularity.

Among the other chamberings in the category, the 300 WSM sees surprising life with increased popularity, as does, at a lower level, the 300 Weatherby Magnum, the most powerful of all 300s (with the exception of the 30-378). Neither of them show enough availability to make it into our recommendations. The 30 carbine, 300 H&H Magnum, and 300 Remington Ultra Mag are practically extinct.

• Most available .30 caliber chamberings: 308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Win Mag

Next we analyze chambering availability for medium bore rifles... So come back soon!

Available Medium Game Calibers

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 15: Available Medium Game Cartridge Chamberings

The medium game share of the global rifle market is the most complex, and seems to show some expansion (as discussed in our analysis of chambering distribution by category), at the expense of centerfire varmint rifles and 30 calibers.

There are few significant changes in the category. The 243 remains the most popular chambering in the category, and is becoming the rival of the great .30s in overall popularity. The excellent 270 Winchester shows astonishing strength, and is near to rivaling the 243 in new chambering popularity. What in interesting breakthrough for a cartridge that celebrated its 85th birthday this year! While it has always been a common cartridge, we are not sure to which cause we should attribute this new-found increase in popularity for the 270. Whatever the reason, we feel that the cartridge deserves this attention, with its very flat trajectory, its ability to take down good size game, and its deserved reputation for accuracy.

The next most common cartridge, stable in popularity, is the well-known 7mm Remington Magnum, the most popular of the magnum cartridges, also deservedly so, as it combines the punch of the 30-06 (and its significant recoil) to the flat trajectory of the 270 - some consider it the ultimate long range cartridge. Following is the efficient 7mm-08, a cartridge that seems to become more popular every year, and which shows signs to gain further in the next few years, with a relatively increased amount of new chamberings. The 7mm-08 is an excellent cartridge, with low recoil, and the ability to take almost any North American game at a reasonable distance with good bullet placement. Behind the 7mm-08, and last of the truly popular medium game cartridge, with find the hot shooting 25-06, still popular and very available.

The next tier of cartridges sees decent stable availability from the 270 WSM, the 7mm WSM, and the 280 Remington, none of which are significantly growing in share. The surprise in new chambering growth is the 257 Weatherby Magnum, way behind all the others, yet most available of all Weatherbys, with 21 new chamberings available at Bud's. We find the 257 Weatherby the best of all Weatherbys, with excellent punch, superb trajectory, yet without the fearsome recoil that has made Weatherby cartridges enemies of shoulders and corneas worldwide. While it is an excellent cartridge to the experienced and discerning shooter, the 257 Weatherby Magnum's overall low availability, however, does not allow us to make it a general recommendation.

The other cartridges in the category display little activity if any, sometimes to our great disappointment. The 6mm Remington, the 257 Roberts, the fine 6.5x55 Swede with excellent sectional density,  the 260 Remington, the 264 Winchester Magnum, the new 6.8mm SPC, the 7x57 Mauser of military fame, and the 7mm Weatherby Magnum all show few signs of life. While we regret seeing such excellent cartridges as the 257 Robert, the 6.5x55 and the 7x57 Mauser languish, particular regret goes towards the condition of the 6.8mm SPC, a extraordinarily efficient cartridge with a very small case (equivalent to the 223), outstanding accuracy, and capability way beyond its size - we would like to see this cartridge much more successful than it is today.

• Most available medium game chamberings: 223, 270, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm-08, 25-06
• Best low recoil medium game chamberings with high availability: 243, 7mm-08
• Best all purpose medium game chamberings with high availability: 270, 7mmRem Mag, 7mm-08

Next we analyze availability for .30 caliber rifle chamberings... So come back soon!

Available Varmint Calibers

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 15: Available Varmint Cartridge Chamberings

 The global share of centerfire varmint calibers among the whole rifle market seems to be shrinking slightly, as discussed our discussion of Chambering Distribution by Categories. Within the centerfire varmint category, we also seem to see some significant change in dynamics. While the steady and popular 223 remains a leader among chamberings, the number of chamberings for 22-250 seems to be exploding, almost rivaling the 223. In parallel, the very new 204 Ruger, introduced very recently (204, by Hornady and Ruger) seems to be growing very fast, with 85 new chamberings available in stock at Bud's. Other chamberings in the category show little life, with the 22 Hornet having a small renaissance in new chamberings. The 220 Swift and the 222 Remington, while showing appealing characteristics, simply are not present enough on either the existing market or among new chamberings to justify a recommendation.

• Most available centerfire varmint chamberings: 223, 22-250
• Upcoming centerfire varmint newcomer: 204 Ruger

Next we discuss the expanding category of medium game rifle chamberings... So come back soon!

Available Rimfire Calibers

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 14: Available Rimfire Cartridge Chamberings

The availbaility of rimfire chamberings remains stable overall.  The 22LR and the 17HMR clearly show strong dynamics, with impressive presence both on the rifle marketing and among new chamberings. It is possible that we might be starting to see slow erosion of the 22 WMR popularity, where new chamberings are slightly weaker  than existing rifle sales against the 17HMR and the 22LR.

Next we discuss centerfire varmint rifles... So come back soon!

Rifle Calibers Distribution

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 13: Chamberings Distribution Across Categories

Recently we reviewed rifle chamberings availability across all rifles on sale (on Gunbroker, the largest online rifle auction site) and for new chamberings only (looking at Bud's, an online gun shop with a very broad searchable rifle inventory). When we compare how chamberings are distributed across cartridge categories, between available rifles for sale on Gunbroker, and new chamberings at Bud's, we find that new chamberings significantly favor medium game (going from 21% to 38%) rifles against .30 caliber rifles (34% going to 25%) and varmint rifles (23% going to 18%), everything else being roughly the same. We originally thought that this might be a significant preference shift by hunters.

After discussing this possible trend with multiple large scale dealers, we know feel that some of this trend - although not all- is an artifact of the way we count. When looking at Gunbroker (existing chamberings), we count every rifle for sale. When looking at Bud's (new chamberings), we only count different chamberings or SKUs. However, chamberings in popular calibers, such as most .30 caliber cartridges, sell more than other chamberings, resulting in more actual sales for the same number of chamberings. We believe that some of the effect we see between medium game cartridges and .30 caliber rifles is due to this bias effect - but it is improbable that it is totally due to it. On the other hand, it is not possible to explain the extension of medium game rifles against varmint rifles in the same way, because the distribution of popular to unpopular chamberings is roughly the same between the two.

After analysis, we believe that there is a shift to medium game rifles from varmint rifles and .30 caliber rifles, although its actual effect on .30 caliber rifles is probably less marked in reality than in our data.

Next we discuss chamberings for rimfire rifles... So come back soon!

New Rifle Chamberings Availability Survey

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 12: Rifle Chamberings Availability Survey

What are the best rifle calibers to choose when you look at the criteria of ammunition availability and cost to shoot?  Yesterday, we looked at the availability of rifle chamberings for cartridge types across the market, by studying rifle availability on Gunbroker. This should correlate well with ammunition availability today. But what about 10 or 15 years from now - is there a way for us to find out what ammunition is likely to be available then?

In fact, we should be able to make a good guess at what ammunition availability should be 10 to 15 years from now, if we look at new rifle availability only. Indeed, the availability of new rifle chamberings should be a leading indicator of what ammunition will be available for today's rifles 10 to 15 years down the road, because it takes ammunition manufacturers a while to follow up. When looking at the differences between the global rifle market, as indicated by Gunbroker, with new rifle chamberings only, we should also be able to identify trends that will indicate to us which rounds are gaining or losing in popularity.


New Rifle Chamberings availability

Bud's Gun Shop is one the the largest firearms retailers on the net. More importantly, it allows the user to search for firearms by cartridge type, and gives a count of the number of results. It also separates new rifles (the very large majority of offerings) from used rifles (a very, very small minority). We expect that the chambering distribution at Bud's Gun Shop, after eliminating used rifles, should correlate tightly with what ammunition will be available 10 to 15 years down the road.

We should note a significant difference with Gunbroker counting. Where Gunbroker counts the number of available rifles on the market, Bud's counts the number of available chamberings. Therefore, Bud's probably under-counts the most popular calibers, where there are more chamberings AND people buy more of these chamberings. As an example, if the Winchester 70 Stainless Featherweight is chambered in 243, 270, 270 WSM, 308, 30-06 and 300 WSM, and if they are all available at Bud's, that would represent 6 chamberings with equal weight, yet we expect that more 243s, 270s, 308s, and 30-06s would be sold than 270s WSM or 300s WSM. Another possible source of statistical weakness is possible bias by Bud's management in making rifles available for sale. Despite these weaknesses, we still expect the statistics from Bud's to give us a leading indication on what cartridge availability should look like in the medium term future.

The picture we see at Bud's is different from Gunbroker in interesting ways. The original top chamberings identified on Gunbroker (223, 22LR, 308 and 30-06) remain high, but this time the top scorer is the 22LR, indicating a shift towards the use of more rimfire vs. centerfire, probably linked to the progressively higher cost of ammunition in the past 10 years.

Right alongside the top four, instead of significantly behind them, we find 243 (actual #2 scorer, even with the 308 and before the 30-06 and the 223) and 270 Winchester (right behind the 30-06 and 223) - clearly these two cartridges are gaining in popularity. Then, following fairly closely, are the 22-250, 300 Win Mag, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm-08, 17HMR and finally the 204 Ruger, rounding up the top Twelve.

The differences in the two lists (all chamberings vs. new chamberings) are interesting in the shifts that they augur. The 243 and 270 are clearly on the upswing, along with the 22-250, the surprising 300 Win Mag, the sensible 7mm-08, and the almost brand new 204 Ruger, whose popularity is growing impressively fast (it was introduced in 2004). On the other hand, the 25-06 slips out of the top Twelve, and the 7.62x39 Soviet along with the old 30-30 take a dramatic tumble, with hardly any new chamberings.

Next we discuss changes in the distribution of chamberings across rifle categories... So come back soon!

Existing Rifle Chamberings Availability Survey

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 11: Existing Rifle Chamberings Availability Survey

What are the best rifle calibers to own, if you want to make sure that the caliber you choose has and will have good cartridge availability in the future?

Last we directly investigated the availability and pricing on ammunition per cartridge, and came to definite conclusions. But there is a different way to approach the problem: rather than looking at it from the point of view of ammunition availability, we can look at it from the point of view of rifle chambering availability.  The assumption, which we figure to be true, is that rifle availability should correlate strongly with ammunition availability.


Rifle chambering popularity: the big picture

Gunbroker is the largest online firearms auction site available today. It represents a good approximation of today's rifle market, and combines used and new rifles. The user can search for title and content keywords. Searching on Gunbroker for rifles with specific cartridge chamberings gives us a very good picture of today's global rifle chambering availability.

In this study, we searched, among modern firearms, for every chambering which we felt had some popularity. We researched the same list of rounds as that used for our ammunition availability survey.For each one, we counted the number of hits in the rifle category. While some cartridges/ calibers are easy to search for on Gunbroker, others, with multiple names or common abbreviations, require more work to gather the actual availability data, in order to make sure that we are not under-counting them. For those cartridges, we had to subtract hits where keywords were common to multiple search strings, so that we would not end up double counting them. The following chart shows, in numbers of rifle (used or new) for sale, the availability of rifle chamberings on Gunbroker.

At one glance, we can get a good feeling for what chamberings (and therefore, ammunition) are popular - and what are not... The striking characteristic of the existing market is the remarkable dominance of 4 cartridges: 223 way ahead of all, followed by, roughly equal, 22LR, 308 and 30-06. Significantly behind the top 4, we find, at high levels of availability, 243, 22-250 (a surprise for us to see it placing so high), the old and reliable 30-30, followed by the 7mm Rem Mag, 17HMR (which shows remarkable speed of adoption for a cartridge introduced in 2002), 270 Win, 7.62x39 Soviet and 7mm-08.  We will analyze separately the different segments of the rifle market.

Next we discuss the distribution of new rifle chamberings only... So come back soon!

Ammunition Survey: Best Rifle Cartridges Overall

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 10: Ammunition Survey Recommendations

 

In the past sections, after reviewing the general results of the ammunition survey, we analyzed them in detail by categories. The above chart displays all the cartridges that were mentioned in section conclusions, whether or not they were recommended. We can now summarize our findings across all categories.

Recommendations: most affordable and available calibers

• 22LR is, by far, the cheapest caliber overall, and the best choice for the most frequently used rifle at the range: it is a clear winner for trainer caliber. 
• In the rimfire category, the 22LR leads the 17HMR and the 22 WMR. The 17HMR and 22WMR, better options for small varmint hunting, are approximately three times more expensive to shoot, but still significantly cheaper than any centerfire option.
• Across all centerfire calibers, the 7.62x39 Soviet is the cheapest, in all senses of the word. For centerfire practice, we recommend the next most inexpensive cartridge, the 223 Remington, which, while a bit more expensive, is much more accurate and versatile.
  
• Among varmint calibers, the 223 Remington is over 50% cheaper to shoot than its alternatives.
• In 6mm caliber, the 243, a very popular cartridge, is the most economical to shoot. It also provides little recoil and fine long range accuracy. The 257 Roberts and the 6.5x55, both with great reputation and ability, more versatile than the .243, do not make the cut on availability and affordability grounds.
  
• Among the 7mm calibers below .30, the 270 Winchester is the least expensive to shoot, and the 7mm Remington Magnum, more expensive, also carries more punch, as much range, and more recoil. The 7mm-08, although pricier, is an excellent alternative for shooters looking for low recoil.
• Among the popular .30 caliber rounds, the most available and cost effective are the 30-30, the 308 and the 30-06; the 7.62x39 is a special case, inherited from Eastern block military weapons, large but short and imprecise, made for injuring men rather than practicing marksmanship or killing game, and not well suited to regular hunting or range applications except for its low cost. The 300 Winchester Magnum is the best option among the 300s.
• Of the medium bores, the 338 Winchester Magnum is the only choice for availability, but, surprisingly, shows very high cost in the category.
• Among the large bores, the only rounds with good availability are the 45-70 Government (great in brush and for any game in the US) and the 375 H&H Magnum, a cartridge with a long African and European history, the smallest of the large bores but also the most successful - the first truly universal cartridge able to be able to tackle any game on the planet.

Recommendations by purpose, to optimize cost of ownership and availability

• Training, plinking: 22LR
• Centerfire shooting practice: 223 Remington ( the 7.62x39 is slighter cheaper to shoot, but we find the 223 Remington much more versatile)
• Small varmint hunting: 22WMR, 17HMR
• Varmint hunting: 223 Remington
• Deer hunting, low recoil: 243 (least expensive), 25-06, 7mm-08 (more expensive)
• Deer hunting, brush: 30-30 Winchester
• Deer hunting, any recoil: 270 Winchester, 308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, 7mm Remington Magnum
• All around US hunting: 30-06 Springfield, 308 Winchester, 7mm Remington Magnum
• All around US hunting, low recoil: 7mm-08 (more expensive)
  
• Large US game: 300 Winchester Magnum (the 338 Win Mag is more than double its cost)
  
• Dangerous game: 375 H&H Magnum, 45-70 Government
• African big game: 375 H&H Magnum

These recommendations are specifically made with cost of ownership and availability as primary criteria, and are based on the ammunition survey. We can also look at the availability of rifle chamberings,  and derive similar conclusions from them. The next few sections will review our survey of rifle chamberings, along with our survey analysis.

Cost Effective Big Bore Cartridges

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 9: Big Bore Cartridges

The big bore cartridges, like the medium bores, count very few rounds with significant availability, making a selection of obvious winners easy.

Among the "African" big bores suited to any game worldwide, the clear winner is the 375 H&H Magnum (often classified as a medium bore), with broad general availability and a wide selection of SKUs to choose from. We were expecting to find good availability for the popular 416 Rigby, the 458 Lott, the 458 Winchester Magnum, and possibly the new 375 Ruger. None of them can be recommended on the basis of availability, in particular with the 375 Ruger being very difficult to find and with very few options. Of the other three, the 458 Winchester Magnum has the most availability, with a smaller number of choices, and presents a high price of $88 per box. The 458 Lott also counts fewer SKUs to choose from (too little to recommend), with spotty availability to boot, and a more reasonable price of $64. The 416 Rigby of African fame has still  fewer choices, with spotty availability as well. It price of $126 per box gives one severe sticker choice, only surpassed by the astronomical amount of $136 for the "ultimate" 460 Weatherby Magnum.

The big surprise of the African big bores is the 470 Nitro Express, fairly available with good selection, for a hefty but not unexpected price of $88 per box, almost double that of the 375 H&H Magnum. Of course, this is not a round that one would expect to find in a small country store in the middle of the US.

Among "American" big bores, the traditional 45-70 Government, ever popular, gathers the crown, with a box price of $47 (about the same as the 375 H&H) and broad cartridge availability. We were expecting to see some reasonable availability for the 444 Marlin. While its price, as that of the 450 Marlin, positively surprised us at $30, its availability is spotty, and there is little cartridge choice. The 45-70 is an excellent brush cartridge, but, despite its size and weight, does not provide the range or the power of the African-capable 375 H&H. As usual, this does not mean that you cannot take African game with it - it simply means that other cartridges are better suited to take very large, thick skinned, dangerous game of African size, in particular beyond 150 yards.

• Best African/ overall big bore: 375 H&H
• Best big bore for US game: 45-70 Government
• More African/ overall big bore options: 470 Nitro Express, 458 Winchester Magnum (fewer choices, high price: we endorse neither of them)

Cost Effective Medium Bore Cartridges

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 8: Medium Bore Cartridges

The medium bores constitute one of the weakest categories, with their own share of contradictions and surprises. There is only one truly available cartridge in that batch, the excellent but heavy recoiling 338 Winchester Magnum, with an expensive cost of $55 per box. Every other medium bore cartridge was flagged for spotty or low availability - that was our first surprise. In particular, we were expecting to see reasonable availability from the 338 Federal - we were disappointed. Our second surprise was that the second most available cartridge (albeit still spotty) in the category was the largely unknown (in the US) 9.3x62.

Despite the 338 Win Mag's excellent availability, its cost of $55 per box was actually one of the highest in the category, while practically all other cartridges in the category were significantly cheaper: this was the third surprise of the category. The most cost effective round was the traditional 8x57, at $36 per box, followed by the 338 Federal and the unpopular but very good 9.3x62, both at $42 per box. The 338 Win Mag is actually the most expensive cartridge that we are recommending across all rifle rounds.

All cartridges in the medium bore category deserve some interest. The 8x57 and 9.3x62, both European cartridges, have a lot of history and are sensible cartridges. In fact, the 9.3x62 can take CXP4 African game. The 35 Whelen and the 358 Winchester are US cartridges linked to some of the big characters of US hunting history - and represent solid hunting cartridges to boot, large enough to go after any CXP3 game. The 338 Federal, also a US cartridge, is an effective medium bore cartridge, good for 250 to 300 yards (depending upon the bullet and load), and with significantly lower recoil than the 338 Win Mag. As for the 340 Weatherby Mag, it is an outstanding medium bore Magnum with heavy punch, long range, and even heavier recoil. We like all of these cartridges, to varying degrees, but we cannot recommend them on the basis of availability.

It is worth noting that the 375 H&H Magnum is often - although not always -  binned with the medium bores. We decided that, primarily because of recoil and of CXP4 capability, it really belonged with the big bores as far as we were concerned.

• Best, although expensive, medium bore cartridge: 338 Win Mag
• There is no second among the medium bores

Next we review big bore cartridges... So come back soon!

Cost Effective .30 Caliber Cartridges

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 7: .30 Caliber Cartridges

 Of all the cartridge categories, the .30 caliber cartridges are probably the stars. As expected, the 308 Winchester and the 30-06 Springfield lead the pack in availability, and are considered by all as prime candidates for the all around US rifle, being able to take pretty much any US game in reasonable conditions and with the right bullets. Their affordability is also good at $19 per box for both.

The first big surprise of the category is to see the 7.62x39 Soviet lead the pack by a huge margin in affordability, with $7 per box. We were expecting to see the 30-30 well placed for that spot, but at $15 per box to $7 per box for the 7.62x39, it trails badly. In fact, the 7.62x39 leads all centerfire cartridges for affordability. Despite this fact, we hesitate before recommending it for any purpose. It is a true military cartridge, being made to main and injure human targets, with poor accuracy and range. As such, its suitability to hunting, plinking or target practice is limited. The reason for its affordability, of course, is the large amount of cheap Eastern block ammo available for it. The number of SKUs is surprising low low for such a cheap round (47, compared 248 to for the 223, the second most affordable centerfire cartridge at $10 per box). Despite its low price, its poor range and the often low quality of ammunition for this cartridge don't make it a good hunting or multi-purpose cartridge.

The second surprise of the category is to see the excellent, but hard recoiling 300 Win Mag "Wonder 300" cartridge follow the 308 and the 30-06 in availability. Here again, we were expecting to see the 30-30, supposedly the cartridge that has killed the most deer in America. In fact, the 30-30 scores well in availability with 31 SKUs, and very well in affordability at $15 per box (vs. $25 for the 300 Win Mag), but cannot compare with the 81 SKUs of the 300 Win Mag. The 30 carbine does not register well on availability, and its usefulness as a hunting cartridge is limited.

Of the 300s, the 300 Win Mag is by far the winner on both availability and affordability. Following it far behind are the 300 WSM with 38 SKUs at $34 average per box, and the 300 H&H Mag at 13 SKUs and $32 average per box. The 300 Weatherby Mag and the 300 Rem Ultra Mag both show spotty availability.

• Best .30 caliber cartridges: 308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Win Mag
• Also recommended: 30-30 Winchester
• Inexpensive, but not recommended on other grounds: 7.62x39 Soviet

Next we review medium bore cartridges... So come back soon!

Cost Effective Medium Game Cartridges

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 6: Medium Game Cartridges

The Medium Game category is the most varied of all categories - ranging through the 6mm and the 7mm ranges. At the low end, it gathers rounds like the 243 which can also be used for varmint, while, at the high end, rounds like the 270 can go all the way up to elk and caribou. This category generated its share of contradictions in our surveys.

As expected, the most available rounds in the category are the 243, the 270, beloved of Jack O'Connor, and the 7mm Rem Mag. Interestingly, none of these cartridges are really inexpensive, the lowest priced being the 270 at $18 per box, followed by the 243 at $23 and the 7mm Rem Mag at $27 (the most popular and the least expensive of all the magnums).

The first surprise of the category is that, after the 270, the most inexpensive cartridge is the spottily available 6.8mm SPC (probably due to the small brass/ powder size). However, at this time, because of the lack of reliable availability we do not recommend the 6.8mm SPC as a general medium game hunting cartridge. Because of it compact size and potential accuracy, we would love to see it show up with good availability in the future.

The second surprise of the category is that the top three cartridges are not followed by the great old classics, i.e. the excellent 257 Roberts, 6.5x55 Swede, and 7x57 Mauser, all of which are either in low or spotty availability (or both), and with fairly high prices to boot. What a pity! These are excellent common sense cartridges, with a great track record, and available internationally in the case of the 6.5x55 and the 7x57. The next cartridges rated by availability (excluding those with spotty or low availability), are the 25-06 and the 7mm-08, both with good availability but non-negligible costs (respectively $28 and $36).  The 25-06, derived from the 30-06 case, packs a lot of powder, and can go up to CXP3 game in good hands, while kicking significantly less than the 270 (although as noisy). The 7mm-08 is an excellent and understated cartridge, with moderate recoil, less noisy than the 25-06 and more capable with large. Both are good choices for low recoil "all-around" rifles, begin very capable with deer-size game, the 25-06 being preferred on varmint and the 7mm-08 on larger game, as long as you can provide very good bullet placement.

The third surprise of the category is that the third tier of cartridges with good availability is composed of silent non-entities, the 270 WSSM, the 7mm WSM and the 280 Rem, decent in their own right but certainly not carrying any special charisma. The other cartridges in the category are not recommended due to low or spotty availability: 6mm Remington, 257 Weatherby Magnum (an excellent long range cartridge with very tolerable recoil), 260 Remington, 264 Winchester Mag, 270 Weatherby Magnum, and the 7mm Weatherby Magnum.

• Best medium game cartridges: 270 Win, 243 Win
• Also recommended despite price: 7mm Mag, 25-06, 7mm-08
• Best low recoil: 243 Win, 7mm-08
• What a pity: 257 Roberts, 6.5x55, 7x57 (7mm Mauser)

Next we review the famous, exciting, and ordinary .30 caliber rounds... So come back soon!

Cost Effective Varmint Cartridges

Cost Effective Rifle Cartridges Part 5: Varmint Cartridges 

Varmint cartridges, as a set, reveal interesting, and to us somewhat unexpected conclusions. The 22 Hornet seems to become progressively less available, and is now in low and spotty availability (low= less than 11 total SKUs between 2 online retailers; spotty= less than 3 SKUs in at least one online retailer out of the two we used in our surveys). The 220 Swift is also in low and spotty availability, and its high price does not augur well for the future - it appears that it has definitely lost its race with the 22-250. The 222 Remington has moderate, but spotty, availability. Surprisingly, it is equal in price to the 223, but, based on availability, we would strongly recommend the 223 against the 222.

The 22-250 shows, as expected, great vigor, being the second most popular varmint cartridge (if you exclude the low end of the medium game cartridges, such as the 243), but with significantly high round cost. The 204 Ruger has surprisingly good availability for a fairly recent cartridge, although its price is still high at $19/ box. Both rounds show enough availability to recommend themselves for special uses. However, as general purpose varmint cartridges, on the basis of price and availability, they cannot compare to the 223.

 The 223 shows remarkably well in our cost and availability surveys. It surprised us by edging the 22LR in overall availability, 248 to 201 - we were expecting the opposite. It surprised us again as being the 5^th most cost effective round overall, after the rimfire cartridges and the 7.62.39. It is intrinsically a much more accurate round than the 7.62x39, with better range as well, and it is very well suited to a mixed use as varmint cartridge and affordable centerfire trainer. It is our #1 choice as general purpose varmint cartridge and as centerfire trainer.

• Best varmint cartridge: 223 Remington/ 5.56x45mm NATO
• Also recommended: 22-250, 204 Ruger

Next we review medium game cartridges... So come back soon!