A Ballistics Family Tree: The Origin Stories of Your Favorite Hunting

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Ever wonder where your favorite deer cartridge came from or what inspired the latest whizbang introductions in recent years? Our knowledgeable, but cranky, correspondent has all the answers in this useful guide to cartridge genealogy.

1906

.30/06 Springfield

Created in 1906, the .30/06 Springfield was so far ahead of its time that it still might not have peaked. It is arguably the most popular big-game cartridge on earth.

1915
.250 Savage
Charlie Bolt was an Eskimo guide who hunted everything with a .223—caribou, wolves, seals—except for polar bears. “That polar bear is a tough customer,” he told me. “You need a big gun. I use a .250 Savage. Ever hear of it?”

1920
.300 Savage
Before the .308 Winchester, this was the premier short-action .30 caliber cartridge.

1922
.35 Whelen

1925
.270 Winchester
This cartridge, the first with a muzzle velocity in excess of 3,000 fps with a bullet weight suitable for big game, ushered in a new era.

1945
.338/06
Designed by Elmer Keith, Charles O’Neil, and Don Hopkins after World War II.

1952
.308 Winchester
The most famous and successful of the .30/06’s offspring.

1955
.358 Winchester
.243 Winchester
The .243 is one of our most popular cartridges. The .358 isn’t.

1957
.280 Remington
Remington’s answer to the .270 Winchester. It was at one time the best-selling hunting cartridge Remington made, but it never caught the .270.

1957
.280 Ackley Improved
Perhaps the best of the Ackley Improved cartridges. This one has gone mainstream.

1965
.22/250 Remington
When the .250/3000 Savage was introduced in 1915, wildcatters J.E. Gebby and J.B. Smith necked it down and called it the .22 Varminter. In 1965, Remington made it a standard offering.

1969
.25/06 Remington
With the smallest-diameter bullet of the ’06 family, this cartridge is revered by the few hunters who use it.

1980
7mm-08 Rem.
There is a law that says all cartridge families must have a 7mm, and it must bear the Remington name.

1997
6.5-06 A-Square
An oddity that, if introduced today, might fare better given the interest in 6.5mm cartridges.

1997
.260 Remington
Designed for 1,000-yard target shooting. Great for hunting and long-range work.2006

.338 Federal
An unsung hero of the short-action cartridges. Works well on critters from deer to moose.

1912

.375 H&H

This cartridge was introduced by the famous British firm Holland & Holland back in 1912. It continues to surf at the crest of its popularity even today.

1925
.300 H&H
The first successful .30-caliber “Magnum.” It paved the way for many popular cartridges.

1943 .270 Weatherby
1944 7mm Weatherby
1944 .257 Weatherby
1945 .375 Weatherby
1948 .300 Weatherby
Roy Weatherby’s cartridges have a small but devoted following even today.

1956
.458 Winchester
Introduced in 1956, the .458 Winchester was designed to emu

Source: https://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2016/06/ballistics-family-tree-origin-stories-your-favorite-hunting-cartridges/