Cartridge that you just don't like

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This Thread got me to wond'ring ... so I pored thru my Firearms Index and made a list of the different cartridges required.

I found that I own centerfire revolvers, pistols and rifles that are chambered for 23 different cartridges.

Of those, the only one in which I have never developed any real interest is the 9x18 Makarov.

When I had the opportunity to acquire an excellent-condition Mak for a good price (Bulgarian 2004 $124/ea), I bought 2. Shortly thereafter, I found a deal on reportedly-decent 9x18 and bought a couple of cases to add to my stockpile.

Shooting the Maks ... well, it just didn't spark anything in me, so I haven't shot either one since. <shrug>

I do not dislike 9x18, I do not feel anything, either way, about 9x18.
 
.30-30 for me. Not a fan of lever guns in general (I've owned and sold a bunch) and outside of that platform, I don't see its value.
My rather irrational dislike for the .30-30 is based mostly upon the EXTREME bore and muzzle wear of the ones I knew of as a youth.

Beating holy hell outa them while cleaning or neglecting them led to FAR TOO MANY riddled deer carcasses in my neck of the woods.

Old timers thought it was some kind of magic-bullet and would speak of it with absurd degrees of reverence and awe.

Todd.
 
I have a fairly negative impression of the 7mm Remington magnum. Not enough difference between it and the 280 to justify burning all the extra powder or the magnum action.
Same here but as with the .30-30, my issue is more from the use than the cartridge itself.

Morons taking shots that they should never even have considered because of the mythical, mystical ballistics. As though what the cartridge *might*/*could* do directly transfers to the shooter.

I know of at least two idiots that abuse the crap outa elk at equally idiotic distances because of some crap they've read or heard and thinking they, as shooters, could match the round's performance.

Todd.
 
As others have said, I like them all, but some more than others.

The 7mm Mag has so much case capacity and muzzle velocity that the cartridge is pretty much committed to premium bullets for hunting unless the target is beyond about 100 yards.

I've never been too fond of the 22 WMR. If I need something more zippy that 22 LR, I can shoot handloaded 223 for about the same price as 22 WMR.

Never warmed much to the 40. More expensive and less fun to shoot than 9mm, and probably not as effective as 45.

8x57 is a effective round, and powerful, but not quite as nicely balanced as the 30-06. I never had an 8x57 that was very accurate, and I didn't need the cartridge for anything in particular, so I've gotten rid of the old Mausers.

I have no quarrel with those who have and love these cartridges. I just don't like them as well as some others.

On the plus side of the ledger, my el cheapo bolt action 30-30 is a blast to shoot, using GC cast lead. 38/357 is great fun in a lever action carbine. 7x57 loaded to modern pressures is an outstanding and versatile all-around hunting round. 6.5x55 loaded to modern pressures is a great long-range round. No offense to 270 lovers, but we might have been better off adopting 6.5x55 than inventing 270.
 
Mine is 40 S&W. This cartridge seems to draw a lot of hate already, but I'm not the type to jump on a bandwagon without trying it.

Bought a police trade in G22 because they are so danged cheap. Tried it, even bought dies for the cartridge to make my own loads for it. Didn't feel comfortable shooting lead out of it with the factory barrel, which is what I like using for most things. It was snappy even for this being a full size, just didn't feel good. My logic on common auto calibers is that I generally like 45 acp for carry. If I need something subcompact I will go to a 9mm. Never felt the need to go to a 380 mouse gun (don't necessarily hate that cartridge, just don't seem to need it). The trouble keeping another ammo caliber/another diameter component for something I'm not that thrilled over just didn't seem worth it. I got a 9mm conversion barrel for it and it's more acceptable now that I feel fine shooting lead out of it with the aftermarket barrel. Sold the 40 dies and most of the bullets, dont see myself trying it again. I kept the 40 barrel in case we have one of these politically charged ammo hoarding "shortages" again, 40 is there after all the 9 and 45 is gone.
 
For me I can think of 2 rounds I will probably never own again.

I was never able to get comfortable with my 357 Sig reloads so I traded the firearm and never looked back.

I played with and enjoyed 45 Colt for a while but sold the firearm and reloading stuff for it without regret. Sold it to my son so I still get to shoot it every now and then but he only bought it when I told him I was going to sell. I was able to get all the bang from my 44 Mags when I wanted max loads and plinking ammo was expensive to reload compared to 38's.
 
Two things I don't like about some cartridges. Cost and recoil.

Cost, well that's my own fault. I shouldn't buy guns that shoot expensive cartridges, I suppose.

Recoil in any thing .308 Winchester and under is really about the gun I'm firing it from. Some guns amplify the recoil due to size, weight, fit, etc.

Makes me remember a day long ago firing .44 magnums out of a Ruger Blackhawk with Single Six sized wood grips and a Desert Eagle. Needless to say, the Blackhawk was the gun I shot only a cylinder full. Had a similar experience with a Hy-Hunter SAA clone in .357 magnum, the fake stag grips just weren't meant for a lot of trigger time, IMO.

Might as well throw in 12 gauge shotguns and milsurp bolt guns with no recoil pads. Those weren't too bad on the shoulder when I had more chest muscle and my wallet couldn't buy a lot of ammo. Three decades later that the situation has reversed quite a bit so give me a recoil pad. :)
 
I like them all. Each one has its place and use. I guess I’m a gun whore. I have never shot a gun I didn’t enjoy shooting. Well, except maybe that single barrel 12ga I paid $75 for at a pawn shop. But one of the thick Pacmayer recoil pads took care of that.

And yes I like the 30-30. Killed a deer with one last year. Used in a proper range for the round it kills deer just fine. Matter of fact I was impressed at the damage it did at 75 yards.
 
I like them all. Each one has its place and use. I guess I’m a gun whore. I have never shot a gun I didn’t enjoy shooting. Well, except maybe that single barrel 12ga I paid $75 for at a pawn shop. But one of the thick Pacmayer recoil pads took care of that.

Yep, my old single shot Winchester 37A with plastic butt plate would tire me out in 25 to 50 rounds. Same with my Stoeger Uplander SxS with a similar hard plastic plate before I got a pad for it. Both in 12 gauge. Nature of the beasts I suppose. :)
 
40S&W, I have one handgun chambered in it, more perceived recoil than either a 9mm or a 45ACP. The other is a 50AE. A friend has a DE chambered in 50AE, and the concussion from it is just too unpleasant for a range toy.
 
There are none that I dislike. They all do the job they were designed to do and the real world differences between most all of them are not that great. There are some, 30-30 for example, that some people try to convince us have mystical powers that make them more effective than they are. I don't dislike 30-30. I've hunted with one, they kill stuff within their limitations. But the hyperbole can get old.

I also cringe a little when I hear or read the word "thumper" used to describe a cartridge.

Killin' stuff ain't complicated. Put a bullet in the right spot with the proper construction and bullet weight to reach the vital organs and it will die. The only real differences are the game we plan to hunt, how much recoil we want to tolerate, cost, availability, and the ranges we have the skills to shoot.
 
I don't like the 9mm and care for the 380 Auto even less. Maybe it is because I like the 45ACP so much. I do have several 9mm's

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but I am not impressed with the power of the 9mm. I have not purchased a 380 Auto but have shot them.
 
7mm Rem. Mag. I'm sure it's a fine cartridge, but I would bet more elk have been wounded and lost because the "7 Mag" has the mystique of killing with any shot, and hunters take shots they wouldn't take with a 30-06.

I'm a big fan of the 270 Winchester. Back in the 1940s, my dad and all his uncles used their "Thirty-Thirties" for elk and deer (and to good effect, they were real riflemen). My granddad bought a Model 70 Winchester in 270. Back then everybody in camp called it the "Big Rifle". My dad killed somewhere around 35 elk in his hunting career with a 270 mostly. A 130 gr Hornady will drop an elk quite handily if you place the bullet properly.
 
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