most efficient magnum rifle cartrige ?

The most efficient magnum is relative, relatively speaking.
I have several long range cartridges, some on belted magnums, some on a RUM cases and some on Rigby cases. As far as I can tell, the 338 Win Mag, 340 Weatherby and 330 Dakota all appear to be the most efficient to meet your criteria. Any of these cases with a good high BC bullet will reach 800yrds with ease, even the 250gr Accubond is good for this.
The 300 Win Mag would work, but it is less efficient in powder usage than the 338's.

I run a 338 Edge with 300gr SMK's, would love to try some more Bergers but they are hard to get here. Efficiency is relative, in my books, 3000fps is the goal for any long range cartridge, but sometimes we have to settle for less than this number. My Edge is only 10fps off 3000fps, so I'm happy with it, but it has a 32" barrel to achieve this abd I cannot load to magazine length.
Everything we strive for in this game is a compromise. If you want efficiency above all else, build a 300WSM and don't look back.

Cheers.
gun)
 
ZSteinle said:
338 win mag, 338 RCM, 338 WSM would all be good choices. Not the fastest or flattest but with some 250 bergers they should all have plenty to dispatch a moose at 600. My 21 inch barreled 338 win mag is pushing 250 bergers at 2800 FPS. Decent speed but its the high BC that makes all the difference. At 600 yards it still has 2500 Ft/Lb of energy. I cant remember my load off hand but I know its quite efficient.
Click to expand...
Better check barrel length stated in that load data.. A 5" difference is alot!
 
shortgrass said:
Better check barrel length stated in that load data.. A 5" difference is alot!
Click to expand...

I barely get 2800 fps with a 26" bbl. ruger # 1 if I want to toss a 250; I usually toss 225's at around 2900 fps in my rifle though...

As to the op's question, I'd guess a mid size 338 or 35 cal would fill your bill. Pick your poison, as they all shoot...
 
ZSteinle said:
Must be a recall out there for all these broken chronographs
Click to expand...
You might reach 2800 from a 26" barrel if you push it hard. No way you'll see those numbers from a 21" barrel unless your chrony is inaccurate.

I see a number of posts suggesting 338s. I agree that the 338 WM is very efficient with 225 or 250 grain bullets, BUT...

The reason our OP is looking for an efficient cartridge is to save powder (money). 338 bullets will cost you an extra 10 cents each or more, which would buy a lot of powder. I still think the best bet is a 300 WSM or WM depending on which bullet you want to shoot.
 
I'm with the 7mm Sherman Shortmag. It's a true short action cartridge with the 180's pushed over 3000 fps. That's efficiency right there. Don't know of anything out there that does that. Especially with so little powder. I have it in 6.5 mm. Pushes the 160 gr 6.5 matrix well past 3000. I shoot the 150 gr matrix and love it. Only 58 grains of powder with 150's

Nice short case that feeds from a mag with bullets seated long

Cheaper 7mm or 6.5 mm bullets (compared to 338 pills)

Extremely efficient case design.

Short action, light weight, stiff

Nice long neck on cases.
 
WOW ! Thanks Guy's I really didn't expect to get so much feed back.

Looks like the 300wsm ,300 win and 338 are the top pick's here. I think iI will have to weigh it out between 300wsm and the 338 . Thanks again Men .
Len
 
No doubt that you should go 8mm! Take your famous American 8mm RemMag, an extremely respected moose - killer i Alaska. The "BIG 8" is a flat shooting Thor's hammer and 600 yards are a piece of cake. The "BIG 8" generates the same energy at 500yards as the .308W does at the muzzle. 26' bbl requested. Choice of bullets for 8mm is great nowadays, so go for it.
If you would like even more 8mm power take a look at the 8mm Jarret (8mm - 300RUM) or @Swamplords new mega - hammer. Ask him when he chimes in!
 
Last edited:
hard to beat an old classic

.300 Weatherby Mag

tons of new stuff out there to pick from but this one gets it done very efficiently
 
Edd said:
Since you never answered my question about caliber preference and since you are getting some answers that have totally ignored your criteria, I'll answer based solely on the bold part of your question. The answer is a 338-06 with a 250 gr Berger bullet. It is as efficient as you can get for the job you want it to do.
Click to expand...

for years I worked with an old man that shot a moose every year in Canada. He used a Savage 99 in .308, and every hit was a one shot kill. So much for needing somekind of a huge magnum! Yet to me a .308 seemed a bit on the light side. A .338/06 would seem to be near perfect when you consider most every shot will be well under 300 yards. The .35 Whelen is another great one. Another often overlooked round is the
.325 WSM.
gary
 
Len, the rsaum cases would work but have smaller case capacity compared to the Wsm cases, it's really a toss up between them , but there's always that brass availablebility question that pops up all the time to!. The 7mag family of cases includes the Great 338 w-mag they would come in 3rdplace ,the 300 w-mag case and larger magnums are not as efficient as people would like to think unless a your rich or own a powder company lol but it's true .myself ive not played with the rsaum cases but the wsms yes I have and I'm very impressed to say the least,I'm sure the rem cases impress also but would be harder to collect,so what's my pick any of Winchesters great short mags ,hope this narrowed the choice down a bit,regards jjmp
 
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