To start this article out, I had better make this statement:  This is not a review article – there are plenty of those out there.  You can do a Google search on your favorite caliber/cartridge and you’ll find what you’re looking for.  This is more of a observational piece based around the requests that we’ve been getting around magnum cartridges. 

Americans love to make things bigger, faster, and stronger.  That’s just the way we are.  Magnum cartridges take an existing projectile and up its performance.  The magnum cartridges have larger case capacity than the standard ones, which give them more space for larger amounts of powder.  This allows for the projectiles that were originally loaded in the standard cases to attain faster velocities and shoot further with more energy.   

Choosing the Right One for the Job

I, like President Obama, am wired.  I enjoy our latest trends in technology and the internet.  When it comes to information sharing and entertainment, I am an online junkie.  I read the shooting forums, Professional Marksmen Inc. is part of the CamoSpace community, and we utilize Facebook to bring precision shooters together.  One of the problems with the internet is:  You have to be careful of the information you receive.  There are many experienced and talented shooters on these blogs and forums.  There are also many who don’t know but think they do, and this can put you on the wrong track in a hurry.  We’re going to point out some of the things we suggest you think about when choosing your next cartridge and rifle and let it go at that. 

The Rifle Platform

The first step when choosing your magnum cartridge is deciding how you’ll use it the most.  This is the critical step because it will help you determine how your rifle will be built.  We build custom rifles in every centerfire caliber available and I suggest to every serious shooter to invest in one.  It doesn’t have to be one of ours, but get one built specifically to you.  It is definitely worth it in the long run.

What will you use your rifle for?  Will you be shooting paper targets or big game in the field – or both?  These are important things to consider because they will help shape that rifle platform.  You don’t want a rifle too light for the pressures and have the rifle bounce all over the place.  If it’s too light, it’s going to be hard to control.  On the flip sie, you also may not want to carry a heavy rig up and down hills when you’re on that hunting trip. 

Points to Consider

The heavier the rifle, the easier it will be to control during recoil.  The light guns will jump around, based on what you’re shooting.  Magnums have a lot of powder to burn and most of them don’t burn all of it by the time the projectile exits.  You don’t want the rifle to be like a fire hose when you shoot it.  You also don’t want to be thinking of how much it’s going to hurt when you pull the trigger.  This drastically affects accuracy – the one thing we’re striving for.

The majority of these magnum cartridges also go through barrels faster than the standard cartridges.  This is a payoff for higher velocities.  The heat and friction will erode the rifling and chamber area, and the accuracy will start to taper off.  There’s not a specific number for each cartridge.  It depends on what the barrel’s made of, the type of projectiles used, and the frequency between shots.  There is some degree of variance between the different magnum cartridges, but overall you can expect to go through barrels faster.  Just how fast is up to how you use it. 

Your rifle platform should have some weight to it and be stiff in the stock/action area.  With elevated pressures, you want to alleviate any possibility of movement.  This means using a quality stock and action that won’t flex.  Also, bed the action with materials that won’t give.  You need to have a quality muzzle brake on the end.  I preach muzzle brakes for all of the heavier cartridges just to help with accuracy.  A muzzle brake will distribute the pressures that the shooter normally takes.  This helps the shooter hold the rifle on the target easier, especially in the alternate firing positions such as sitting, kneeling, and standing.  It also helps the psychological aspect that recoil gives.  You don’t want to spend a day on the range getting the crap kicked out of you.  If the recoil is cut down to where you know how to manage it, then that won’t be a concern when you pull the trigger.  Holding it on target will be. 

I’ll give you a quick example of what I mean:

I have shot many large caliber rifles in many different configurations and situations.  I have used the Barrett M82A1/M107 .50 BMG Rifle in combat during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and have been instructing on that specific platform for many years now.  I’ve worked with the XM109 20mm semi-automatic rifle and was a shooting dummy during the development of the.416 Barrett cartridge, so I’m not a stranger to recoil.    

I just recently shot a .300 Remington Ultra Magnum on a sporterized Remington 700 and it was my first time with that type of Remington 700.  I had been trained on the M24 SWS, which is a heavier rifle built specifically for the military.  The lighter rifle beat me up just as much as the 20mm rifle.  It had a plastic stock like a toy gun, making it super light, and didn’t have a muzzle brake on the end, which is a big mistake on such an overbore rifle.  I couldn’t keep it on target because the muzzle jumped around so bad.  That day on the range left me thinking that rifle setup sucked and it would be extremely difficult to use in both hunting and target shooting.  I couldn’t imagine having to shoot that thing the standing or sitting position. 

The lesson that day was:  Lighter isn’t always better and have a good muzzle brake.

Popular Magnum Cartridges

Again, this isn’t a review of what is already out there but we’ll touch upon some of the more popular magnum cartridges:  (Just remember that internet is a good tool for research, but the range shows the real life data)

7mm Remington Magnum

This cartridge has been around for almost 50 years now and still remains one of the most popular.  It shoots a .284 caliber projectile anywhere from 2800 -3200 feet per second – which is fast.   The recoil is mild compared to the other magnum cartridges and there are a variety of projectiles to choose from, making the 7mm Remington Magnum is a good all around hunting cartridge. 

.300 Winchester Magnum

This is another cartridge that has been around for a while and still keeps its popularity.  This shoots a .30 caliber projectile from 2700 – 3400 feet per second.  The recoil is higher than that of the 7mm Rem Mag, but it is still manageable.  The .300 WM is a popular hunting cartridge and is rated for much of the big game in North American and non-dangerous on the African Plains.  It is also utilized by the military as a medium to long range, anti-personnel cartridge.

.338 Lapua Magnum

This cartridge is newer compared to many of the other magnums on the market, having been around for around for roughly 20 years.  It began as a military application that is now utilized by recreational long range shooters and hunters around the world.  The .338 Lapua Magnum has been more popular in European countries, especially with tactical marksmen, and has recently come of age in the U.S.  It shoots a .338 caliber projectile at 2700 – 3200 feet per second and the recoil is significantly higher but so are the capabilities of the cartridge.  It shoots 200 – 300 grain projectiles that deliver higher foot pounds of energy than that of the above mentioned cartridges.   The funny thing with this cartridge is that it was initially developed for military use and only recently has it been utilized by our military in combat zones – and it isn’t widely used either.

Know What You’re Looking For

To conclude our suggestions, take into account how much you’ll be shooting and what you’re going to shoot at.  This will help you decide on the type of stock, barrel, and action you’re looking for in the caliber/cartridge you want to shoot.  Decide what is an acceptable amount of recoil and how you plan on managing it for accuracy.  Choose a “no-heavier than” weight for the rifle.  If you’re just moving it from the truck to the firing line, then it’s not that big of a deal.  But if you’re humping it through the Rockies, then it may be.  Also, another thing to point out:  ammunition cost vs. handloading.  If you choose to load your own rounds, take a look at the load data available for the cartridge.  If you’re using one of the above mentioned, you shouldn’t have a problem finding any data on any of the projectiles you want to use.  But these aren’t the only magnum cartridges available, so do your research first.  The cost per shot can be pretty high for factory produced ammunition.

Magnum Cartridges are great fun and serve a specific purpose.  Education is the key to everything we do, especially when investing in a precision rifle.  You want to own one for a lifetime, so plan for that rifle’s future accordingly.  Then get out and use that rifle for what it was made for:  Precision Long Range Shooting.