Some calibers sound great on paper—flat-shooting, hard-hitting, maybe even a little exotic. You hear about them at the range or from a buddy who swears it’s the ultimate round for elk, moose, or 800-yard mule deer. But once the trigger gets pulled and the dust settles, a lot of those same rounds end up sitting in the safe or getting traded off. They’re not bad rounds. They’re just not as practical as folks make them sound in hunting camp. You try them once, maybe twice, and then go back to something that doesn’t kick your shoulder off or cost $6 a shot.
.338 Lapua Magnum
Nobody questions what the .338 Lapua can do. It hits like a freight train and has no trouble staying supersonic past 1,500 yards. But in the field, it’s a different story. Most hunters don’t need that kind of long-range punch, and they sure don’t want to lug around a 14-pound rifle. Recoil’s brutal, ammo is expensive, and finding a place to really stretch it out is rare outside of western open country. It’s fun to talk about, but most folks fire a box or two, realize it’s overkill for deer, and shelve it for good.
.300 Remington Ultra Magnum
You might hear someone call it the “long-range king,” but the .300 RUM is a punishing round in more ways than one. It burns a lot of powder, kicks like it’s mad at your shoulder, and can wear out barrels faster than you’d like. Sure, it shoots flat and hits hard, but so do plenty of others that are easier to live with. Hunters who try it often end up dialing back to a .300 Win Mag or even a .30-06 after they get tired of managing recoil and chasing brass that costs $80 a box.
.375 H&H Magnum
This one carries a lot of history. It’s taken dangerous game all over the world and has a reputation for reliability. But unless you’re heading to Africa or Alaska, there’s not much reason to carry one in the Lower 48. It’s heavy, slow to cycle in a pinch, and delivers more recoil than most deer hunters need—or want. You’ll meet guys who bought one dreaming of a brown bear hunt, then shot it once at the bench and decided they were better off sticking with their .308 until that dream trip actually gets booked.
.26 Nosler
Ballistically, the .26 Nosler is impressive. It screams out of the muzzle, maintains velocity like a rocket, and flattens the trajectory curve. But speed comes at a cost. Throat erosion shows up fast, factory ammo isn’t cheap, and it’s not always forgiving when it comes to barrel length or twist rates. A lot of hunters pick it up hoping to get a long-range edge, only to find they’re spending more time dealing with finicky accuracy or reloading quirks than actually hunting. It’s a fast round, sure—but that doesn’t mean it’s friendly.
.45-70 Government with Hot Loads
Plenty of folks fall in love with the idea of hot-rodded .45-70 loads. Push a 405-grain bullet out of a Marlin at 2,000 fps and it feels like you could stop a truck. But shooting those stout loads from a lever gun wears on you fast. Recoil borders on abusive, and unless you’re facing something with claws, the extra energy’s wasted. Many hunters try it once, maybe twice, then go back to standard loads that don’t rattle their fillings. There’s a reason the old-school loads hung around for over a century—they work and they don’t punish you.
.257 Weatherby Magnum
The .257 Weatherby is one of the fastest .25-caliber cartridges ever made. It shoots flat, carries great velocity, and anchors deer in their tracks—when everything lines up. But it’s also loud, hard on barrels, and ammo isn’t exactly cheap or easy to find. Most folks who try it out love it at first, but after burning through a few boxes of premium rounds and dealing with long barrels and picky handloads, they start to wonder if a .25-06 or .270 would’ve been a smarter, cheaper option that’s easier to shoot well under pressure.
7mm STW (Shooting Times Westerner)
The 7mm STW had its moment as a long-range powerhouse, and you’ll still hear hunters sing its praises in camp. But it comes with a learning curve. It’s a barrel burner, it needs a long action, and most rifles built for it are heavy. Add to that limited ammo availability and a tendency to be picky about bullet selection, and most casual hunters decide it’s more headache than it’s worth. They brag about it for a while, maybe shoot an elk with it, then trade it in for something a little easier to live with season after season.
.224 Valkyrie
The Valkyrie looked like it was going to dethrone the .223 for long-range varmint and deer work. On paper, it delivered high BC bullets with excellent velocity and manageable recoil. But in the field, it struggled. Factory ammo had inconsistencies, twist rate compatibility caused accuracy issues, and some rifles just wouldn’t group well. Hunters who gave it a shot found that, while it worked when dialed in, getting it dialed took more effort than they expected. Many went back to their .22-250s or .223s and left the Valkyrie to the match crowd.
6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum
Here’s another speed demon that draws a crowd at the range but loses fans in the field. The 6.5-300 Weatherby screams past 3,500 fps with light bullets and carries serious energy at long range. But it’s a throat-burner, loud as hell, and kicks a lot more than most 6.5 fans expect. You get flat trajectories, but you also get short barrel life and expensive ammo. It’s one of those cartridges folks like to say they shoot, but when it comes to dragging a rifle through the woods all week, they usually leave it in the safe.
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Here’s more from us:
Calibers That Shouldn’t Even Be On the Shelf Anymore
Rifles That Shouldn’t Be Trusted Past 100 Yards
*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
