The Optics Test: 9 New Spotting Scopes Reviewed, Ranked and Rated

Spotting scopes are a little like two-car garages. Before you get one, you don't know just how useful they could be, and after you do, you wonder how you ever got by without one. Just as every serious gear junkie needs a place to store tools, treestands, and croquet sets, serious hunters and shooters don't know what they've been missing until they use a spotting scope to assess distant antlers and targets.

As with storage space, first-rate spotting scopes are an investment. You can expect to pay a few thousand dollars for the best long-range optics, and they tend to be worth it, because cut-rate spotters are rarely a bargain.

Price isn't always the best measure of a scope's quality, though, as we determined in this year's optics test. You need to consider durability, versatility, and what we call “eye comfort,” which is an assessment of how easy the instrument is to look through, whether you squint your eyes and fuss with the focus, or glass with eyes wide open, drinking in the image. It's an important consideration, because the more time you spend behind your glass, the more you'll see.

This year's field of spotting scopes is easily the largest in the past several years. There are some very good ones that cost more than your best rifle or shotgun, as well as some bona fide bargains, along with some that simply don't deliver much performance for their price. Which is which? Read on.

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Meopta
MeoPro 80 HD (20–60x80)
 EDITOR'S CHOICE 
Score: 87   
Price: $1,500
Upshot: Crystal-clear schott glass, high-speed center-barrel focus, very appealing price

Most high-end spotting scopes ship with a variable-power eyepiece that can be swapped out for a fixed-power unit (usually 30X) that's sold separately. The fixed-power eyepiece generally has better light transmission and field-of-view than the zoom. The problem is, few hunters actually buy the second eyepiece, so the versatility of the system is offset by the additional cost and dust-introducing components of the detachment mechanism.

Meopta has addressed this problem with the MeoPro 80, a lovely 80mm spotter that has an integrated, non-removable 20X–60X eyepiece. The simplicity of the scope allows Meopta to bring the MeoPro to market at about two-thirds of the cost of its flagship spotting scope, the 82mm MeoStar S2. But we found the MeoPro has nearly identical optical performance to its big brother.

It was runner-up in the 12-scope field for low-light performance. The MeoPro, assembled in the U.S. with Czech components, wowed the test team with its edge clarity, brightness, and durablity. In a competitive field of high-power units, the Meopta was the spotter that testers reached for most frequently when they wanted to glass bull elk on a mountainside miles away, or to assess hits on our 600-yard rifle target.

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Athlon 
Cronus ED (20–60x86)
 GREAT BUY 
Score: 81.25   
Price: $1,500
Upshot: A tight and functional newcomer to the spotting scope galaxy.

It's fair to say this was the surprise of the spotting scope category. Based on its ostentatious logos and derivation, many on the test team dismissed this new brand as just another forgettable made-in-China optic. Then they glassed distant elk with it. The Athlon is very sharp, and we loved its tight, positive controls.

Our only ding is that the image is slightly darker than that delivered by its peers in this full-size class. That's not a big consideration if you're glassing in the middle of the day, but it was noticeable at twilight and during our low-light test, where the Athlon was one of the lower-scoring optics. Try as we might, we were unable to detect flaring or peripheral distortion.

Athlon Cronus ED Spotting Scope by OutdoorLife

Mainly, we liked the Cronus' price. It's a big (4.2-pound) spotter built around a sharp-looking pebbled magnesium chassis. The two-speed focus is easy to use and the fine focus is very precise. In all, it's a ton of value in an optic that will be a worthy addition to your field or range kit.

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Maven 
S.1A (25–50x80)
Score: 84.7
Price: $2,100
Upshot: Very bright at 50x

Maven, the Wyoming-based company that pioneered the direct-to-consumer sales model with binoculars last year, adds this spotting scope to its lineup for 2016. The same excellent optics, tight controls, and customizable exterior that defined Maven's freshman effort all characterize the spotting scope.

It should be noted that the unit we tested is a prototype, and it looks pretty generic. Buyers will be able to dress up their S.1A by picking elements from an online menu that include camouflage patterns, colored focus rings, and eyecups.

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Alpen 
Rainier EDHD (20–60x85)

Score: 80.5
Price: $1,100
Upshot: Great value in bright scope

Another high-value, high-performance spotter from Alpen, the Rainier turned in a great resolution score and very good field images, and was in a tight race for our Great Buy award. At 4 ½ pounds, this is a big optic, but its 85mm objective is slightly smaller than the previous iteration of the model.

The spotter features a pebbled magnesium body, a 45-degree angled eyepiece, center focus, and rubbery covers that work quite well to keep the dust off the well-coated lenses. It lost points on the subjective considerations of durability, versatility, and ergonomics.

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Trijicon 
TSS-01 (20-60x82)
Score: 77.75
Price: $1,900
Upshot: Great fingertip controls

The Michigan company better known for its tritium-powered riflescope illumination system is now in the spotting scope business with this very good full-size unit. The angled HD scope scored near the top of both the resolution and low-light testing, and testers liked the two-speed focus system that allows viewers to sharpen images with just a small amount of fingertip pressure on the controls. Panelists grouped the Trijicon, Nightforce, and Minox into a subset of the spotting scope category, and while glassing bull elk on a distant mountain, the Trijicon provided the brightest image.

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Minox 
88 W APO (20–60x88)
Score: 76.65
Price: $1,800
Upshot: Big, elegant, but rather dim

A big 88mm optic, the German-made Minox is designed so smartly that the lens doesn't appear as large as it is. The lustrous black body features an angled 20X–60X eyepiece, a well-engineered mid-barrel two-speed focus control, and a bayonet mount that accommodates most digital camera bodies, to enable the spotter to be used as a telephoto lens.

We expected the outsize objective lens to deliver more light, but the Minox 88 turned in only average low-light scores. And our sample exhibited surprisingly significant internal marring and dust.

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Swarovski 
STR-80 (25–50x80)
Score: 73.45
Price: $4,542
Upshot: Hot precision rifle spotter

The heart of this pricey optic is a first-plane illuminated reticle with MOA references. It's designed to be used by a spotter acquiring targets for his partner, who fires at those targets through a riflescope sporting an identical reticle. It's a niche optic-­designed for shooting rather than game viewing­-and while the reticle is invisible when the illumination is turned off, the extra lenses required for the sighting system helps explain why the normally high-performing Swaro turned in middling optics scores.

Hits included the excellent hinged lens cap and wonderfully adjustable illumination.

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Nightforce 
TS-80 Hi-Def (20–60x80)
Score: 73.25
Price: $1,547
Upshot: Focus strays

An aggressively styled spotting scope from a company that built its reputation on battle-hardy riflescopes, this optic-the sophomore spotter from Nightforce-delivers middle-of-the-road performance in a tight, field-worthy chassis. The team had mixed feelings about the tactical look and feel of the magnification and focus controls (“Overwrought,” said one; “Tacti-cool,” wrote another), but agreed that the highly textured and immensely grippable controls were easy to use. Optically, the scope is fine, though the image was slightly milky at higher powers.

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SIG Sauer 
Oscar3 (10–20x30)
Score: 70.25
Price: $600
Upshot: Image stabilizer is cool

This cool little unit fits in the palm of your hand, and when its onboard gyroscope is powered on, it stabilizes the shakes and sharpens the blurs of any image. In that way, it's the full expression of SIG Sauer's “electro-optics” brand promise. But the spotter isn't really configured for sportsmen. Its magnification makes it a short- to middle-distance spotter at best. Is it designed for use at a shooting range? Maybe, but because there is no way to mount it on tripod, you're forced to hand-hold the Oscar3, limiting its utility, no matter what you might want to use it for.

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Innovations

It's hard to improve the basics of a sporting optic. Certain attributes-such as magnification, field-worthiness, and portability-can be tweaked, but not entirely redesigned without losing the functionality of the product, whether it's a riflescope or a spotting scope.

But one of the most significant innovations in this year's field of optics is a new type of lens coating on Leupold's VX-3i riflescope. Called the Twilight Max Light Management System, the proprietary coatings are designed to reduce glare, boost the transmission of light on the edges of the visible spectrum, and increase low-light contrast.

We didn't document significantly better low-light resolution, but we did notice very good contrast and image separation with the new system. Most important for hunters, we noticed that the crosshair is highly visible in dim light.

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Photographs by Peter Bohler. Special thanks to Camp Chef, GoPro, and Sportsman's Paradise in Utah's Cache Valley for making the Gun Test possible.

Proof Research Tac II: A Lightweight and Accurate Precision Rifle

The Proof Tac II

Most precision rifles are chunky beasts. Thick, heavy barrels resist heating up and add stiffness to improve accuracy. The stocks are usually bulky as well, with adjustment knobs and extra features to get a custom fit. The actions tend to be beefed up with oversized bolt handles, robust bottom metal, and longer barrel tenons. 

By the time you're done adding a tactical scope, bombproof rings, a bipod, and other accessories, it isn't unusual to end up with a rifle that weighs between 12 and 15 pounds. Not exactly a rig you want to haul around on your next elk hunt.

Also, not a rig you want to haul during a multi-gun competition where the rules state you need to carry all your guns and all your ammo and other gear from start to finish. I'm headed to New Mexico in August for just such a competition-the Nightforce Precision Tactical 2-Rifle Match.

To reduce my load, I've chosen the Tac II from Proof Research in 6.5 Creedmoor for my long rifle. Proof, as you might know, recalibrated our notion of what carbon fiber barrels are capable of. I've shot numerous Proof rifles (and rifles with Proof barrels) over the years and they are supremely accurate and do a great job of resisting point of impact shift when they heat up. (For an interesting inside look at Proof, check out the video below.)

Going with the Tac II was a bit of a no-brainer. Empty, the base rifle weighs 8 pounds 3 ounces. There's weight savings to be found in the barrel, of course. But the Tac II stock, which Proof makes in-house, from Kevlar reinforced carbon fiber is sleek, slender and light as well. 

Right now, I have the rifle scoped up with a Leupold Mark 6 3-18x44 with the Horus H59 reticle. For a tactical scope, this Leupold is remarkably lightweight. Mine tips the scales at 1 pound 7 ounces, nearly a pound lighter than many other tactical scopes. 

Photo by John B. Snow

The rifle is topped up with a Leupold Mark 6 3-18x44 with the Horus H59 reticle.

For rings, I went with Nightforce's 34mm Low Ultralight ring set, which only weighs 3.4 ounces. 

With a standard Harris bipod, the whole setup comes in at 10 pounds, 8.4 ounces.

By contrast, my new Seekins Precision SP10 in 6.5 Creedmoor weighs exactly the same-10 pounds, 8.4 ounces-empty with nothing mounted on it. 

The Tac II currently has a protector threaded on it, although I'm going to add a muzzlebreak for competition.

One change I'm going to make to the rifle is to add a good muzzlebreak to it. Right now it has a threaded barrel with a protector on it, but for competition a muzzlebrake is going to be key. I'm leaning toward one of the APA “Bastards”-perhaps the Gen II Little Bastard.

I plan on shooting it a bit this weekend to get the zero set and to prepare it for its first outing-a shoot with Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA), that's taking place at a ranch belonging to a friend of mine a couple hours outside of Bozeman later this month.

The first load I plan on putting through the rifle is Hornady's 140-grain ELD Match. This bullet holds a lot of promise for long-range shooting and I'm eager to see how it does and what kind of velocities I'll get from the Proof's 22-inch barrel. 

Gun Test: Montana Rifle Company Prairie Runner Video Review

Montana Rifle Co. Prairie Runner by OutdoorLife

A good varmint rifle needs to deliver excellent accuracy and be configured so the shooter can see his hits (or misses). The Prairie Runner excels at both. 

Chambered in .22/250, the Prairie Runner was one of our favorite guns to shoot at the 2016 Gun Test. Its best 5-shot group measured .521 inch with a Federal 40-grain hollowpoint, but it shot numerous bullet weights very well, which is a testament to the quality of MRC's barrels. The lovely 2-pound 1-ounce trigger helped here, too. Overall, we were smitten with this rifle's looks and performance and would happily take it afield.

To find more of the guns we tested at this year's Gun and Optics Test, click here.

A Recipe for Cracked Pepper-Crusted Muskox Tenderloin

If you've never had the pleasure of eating a Wagyu Kobe steak-the priciest and arguably most prized beef on the planet-then you might not know that it the intensely marbled meat has a characteristic buttery texture, complex flavor, and subtly-sweet finish. Part is nurture, and part is nature. Interestingly, the Japanese cows that yield this delicious meat were originally from rugged terrain and isolated areas. They have a genetic pre-disposition for higher percentages of Omega fatty acids, and therefore marbling. Once they're introduced to a strictly sedentary lifestyle, you're on your way to a rare (or medium-rare) red meat experience.

Enter my friend Scott Shultz, who shared with me a cut of muskox loin from one of his recent hunts. Among other things, Shultz is a globe-trekking adventurer, big game hunter, ATA board member, and a hunting apparel designer and marketer with more than 20 years of experience innovating outdoor apparel.

This recent Arctic hunt was no cakewalk. “Shooting an arrow that is bucking negative 45-degree air temps, flesh-biting winds, and blowing snow-and has to go all the way through a 6-inch woolen mattress and a hulking muscular frame-takes some serious punching power,” Shultz said. “For this trip I was toting my 'serious' set-up: A Mathews MR5 set at 80 lbs. [with] a Rage Hypodermic-tipped ACC arrow [that packed more than] 100 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy. That's some serious muskox medicine.”

When I opened the packaged muskox loin I was amazed at its resemblance to Wagyu beef. The intense marbling is virtually identical. It leads me to believe that the high protein available in summer browse, along with a sedentary life spent statue-like huddling in a herd to survive the harsh elements in the Arctic Circle, must contribute to the marbling.  

Regardless of the reason for the intense marbling, I had really high hopes for the muskox after I got a good look at it. I decided it called for something simple to showcase its flavor: A light crust of Tellicherry cracked peppercorns, Maldon sea salt, and a quick rare/medium-rare sear on a super-hot seasoned steel pan would prove perfect. 

The result? Far and away the best mouthfuls of wild game I've ever had the privilege to experience. Hands down. Bar none. 

(For a bit more on Shultz's hunt to Ulukhaktok, please see below.)

If you're ever lucky enough to successfully hunt these creatures-or receive the rare gift of a muskox tenderloin-here's a great way to make it:

Photo by Krissie Mason

Pepper-crusted muskox loin, with pepper sauce.

Ingredients

8-12 oz. cut of loin (remove from fridge about 30 minutes before cooking)

1 TBSP cracked peppercorns (more if you prefer)

Maldon Sea Salt

Olive Oil

Butter

A few slices of foraged lobster mushroom, or whatever you prefer 

4 oz. Cognac or light red wine

6 oz. warmed cream

Optional: Wild yellow birds foot (trefoil) flowers, and smooth brome grass, both picked from the Minnesota prairie for garnish and salad.

Method

Step 1. Crack the peppercorns. I have a pepper grinder, but for this recipe I didn't want coarse pepper, I wanted the Tellicherry peppercorns cracked. I used a cloth to cover them and my Gramps' old ball-peen hammer to lightly crack them. Why Tellicherry? Because they're larger. Bigger peppercorns lose some heat compared to their smaller relatives, but with size they gain fragrance, aroma, and complexity perfect for our meat.

Step 2. Dry off the loin with paper towels and douse generously with cracked peppercorns and Maldon sea salt.

Step 3. Heat the steel, or cast iron pan, add about a tablespoon of olive oil, and then add about a tablespoon of butter. If you use only butter it will scorch at high temperatures, so I always use some olive oil, too, since it has a higher smoke point. 

Step 4. Lay in the muskox and sear the first side. Because of the intense marbling and lower melting point of the fat in the tissues, this is going to go fast. Maybe three minutes for rare, 3.5-4 for medium rare. 

Step 5.  Flip the meat and cook for three minutes on the other side. As you can see, the fat in the tissues has already melted, causing the tissue to pull up and start to curl a bit. Remove to a warmed plate and tent with aluminum foil while you prepare the pepper sauce reduction. 

Step 6.  Turn down the heat and allow pan to cool off some, or else the cream will curdle. Once cooled to a medium/medium high temperature, add wine or Cognac to deglaze the pan.

Step 7. Toss in a few mushrooms if you like and swirl around.  Add the warmed cream slowly and whisk into the deglazed juices. Stir until thickened to desired consistency.

Step 8. Slice the meat, arrange on the plate and spoon on some pepper sauce. Serve with a few favorite sides and prepare to be amazed. I oven-roasted some carrots, Brussel sprouts, zucchini, beets, and paired them with a kale salad.

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Shultz shot his trophy Muskox on an expedition that took him by snowmobile and wooden cargo sled about 100 miles north of the Inuit village of Ulukhaktok on Victoria Island in the Northwest Territories. He endured an onslaught of wind, driving snow, and below-freezing temperatures, and at last met his moment of truth.

Here's his own account:

It was an amazing feeling, standing face-to-face with these hairy pre-historic looking behemoths, braving the intimidating natural conditions the way native hunters had done over the ages. I tugged back my heavy bow to full draw.

The razor-tipped arrow cut through the big bull's long hair and thick wool, lodging just behind the shoulder. The bull wheeled away and ran. The herd was close behind. But the heavily bossed old warrior would run no more. At 25 yards he stumbled, and was dead before he hit the frozen tundra.

As I approached the huge creature, the bitter cold in my nostrils filled with its namesake musky scent. I sat there with him and, no longer tired, I admired every inch of the unique giant of the North; an arctic muskox with thick, flowing black hair nearly three feet long, his woolen “down” as thick as a mattress. He was marvelous. It was a hunt I will never forget.

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

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. 

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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.

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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 emulate the power of the Nitro Express cartridges.  

1958
.338 Winchester Magnum

If you set out to design the best possible cartridge for elk, moose, and bears, this is where you would end up.

1958
.264 Winchester Magnum

Great in concept, but it failed to deliver.

1962
.340 Weatherby 

Weatherby's answer to the .338 Winchester.

1962
7mm Remington Magnum 

Our most popular metric cartridge.

1963
.300 Winchester 

You know that age-old question about having one cartridge for North America? Yeah, it's this one.

1965
.350 Remington Magnum 

1966
6.5 Remington Magnum 

1971
.458 Lott 

One of the best rounds for shooting creatures with plans to bite, stomp, gore, or claw you.

1978
8mm Remington Magnum
Huh?

That's the response from most when you bring up this cartridge.  

1988
.416 Remington

The .416 Rigby in a compact package. Same performance, but it fits a standard-size action.

1997
7mm STW 

This necked-down 8mm Remington had its 15 minutes of fame before the 7mm RUM killed it off.

2000
.450 Marlin 

A modern version of the .45/70, it's a hard-thumping cartridge that's slowly dying.

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1905
.404 Jeffery

A British round designed to be used for dangerous game. A rare find in the hunting fields today, it gave birth to some impressive cartridges.

1999 .300 RUM

2002 .338 RUM 

2002 7mm RUM

Overbored and not popular. 

2002
.375 RUM

When you absolutely, positively have to stomp the snot out of something, this is the cartridge to use. 

2000 .300 WSM

2001 7mm WSM

2001 .270 WSM

2002 .243 WSSM 

2004 .25 WSSM

2004 .325 WSM

2002 .22 WSSM 

2001 .300 SAUM 

2001 7mm SAUM 

These worthy cartridges were overshadowed by the WSMs.

2013 .26 Nosler 

2015 .28 Nosler

2016 .30 Nosler

Nosler's trio of speed demons are latest of the Jeffery's offspring.

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1950
.222 Remington

The Triple Deuce was introduced in 1950 and said to be a scaled-down .30/06. The .222 Remington has always had a reputation for outstanding accuracy.

1958
.222 Rem. Mag.

1964
.223 Remington

Developed for the military and adopted commercially by Remington. The .223 is king of cartridges in this case size.

1963
.221 Fireball

This is a shortened version that was developed for the space-age-looking XP100 handgun. 

1971
.17 Remington

Once boasted the fastest muzzle velocity in any factory cartridge. 

2004
.204 Ruger

Neck the obsolete .222 Rem. Mag. down to .20 caliber, and you have the .204 Ruger. 

2007
.17 Fireball

This downsized .17 Rem. is a nice little cartridge that never caught on. 

2011
.300 AAC BLK

J.D. Jones created the .300 Whisper, primarily for subsonic use with suppressors. Years later, Advanced Armament Corp. “reinvented” it as the .300 AAC Blackout.

2014
.25x45 Sharps

Developed for a bit more wallop from the AR-15, this cartridge's future is still murky in the crystal ball.

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1876
.38/55

The .38/55 started as a blackpowder cartridge and gained fame as a target round. This fine patriarch has a huge family of successful offspring.

1884
.32/40 Win./Ballard

Developed for target shooting, it was a favorite of famed barrel maker Harry Pope. 

1895
.30/30

One of the most successful cartridges ever. It ushered in the era of smokeless powder. 

1895
.25/35 

This one was introduced as a fraternal twin with the .30/30. Its sibling ate it alive. 

1902
.32 Special

This was a crossover cartridge that could be loaded with black powder or smokeless.

1964
.225 Winchester

Big performance, but nobody wanted a rimmed varmint cartridge.

1978
.375 Winchester

A modern-day version of the .38/55. It came along too late in history to be successful. 

1984
7x30 Waters

A fun experiment, but as they say, when you strike a king, you better kill him. The .30/30 is still on the throne.

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1911
.416 Rigby

I have shot it in a lot of rifles, but by far the most memorable is the .416 Rigby that belonged to the famous African PH Harry Selby. It was a huge check off my bucket list.

1953
.378 Weatherby

Roy took the .416 Rigby and necked it to .375 inch.

1957
.460 Weatherby 

A .45-caliber elephant stopper in beast mode. 

1989
.338 Lapua

It holds the record for the longest successful sniper shot ever. What more needs to be said?

1989
.416 Weatherby 

Weatherby's .416 is the biggest and baddest of all the .416s. 

1996
.30/378 Weatherby

The huge case of the .378 Weatherby necked down to .30 caliber.

1998
.338/378 Weatherby

Necked to .33 caliber, this dragon slayer is a thumper on big game and the shooter's shoulder.

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1982
.307 Winchester

This was a great concept-.308 performance from a lever-action Model 94 rifle. Except for that flat-pointed bullet thing. It fell flat. But the case design lives on even today.

1982
.356 Winchester

The .307 necked up to .35 caliber and stuffed into a Model 94 lever action.

2007
.30 TC

A cartridge born without a pulse. This is the .300 Savage 50 years too late.

2007
6.5 Creedmoor 

The hottest cartridge going right now. It's the darling of the long-range precision shooting clan.

2007
.308 Marlin Express 

It worked for Winchester, right? So Marlin thought they should give it a try.

2009
.338 Marlin Express 

A great lever-action hunting cartridge. At least five people bought one. 

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1963
.284 Winchester

The .284 Winchester is an example of a brilliant cartridge from an engineering and performance standpoint that was rejected by the public. It lives on through its descendants.

1999
6.5-284 Norma Mag. 

The 6.5 is the hip and happening bullet diameter today. This one is doing pretty well.

2007
.450 Bushmaster

Straighten out the case, stuff a big bullet into it, and chamber an AR-15. This is a thumper for hogs, bears, or deer. I once shot an 1,800-pound water buffalo with this cartridge. 

2008
.30 Remington AR

The best .30-caliber hunting cartridge made for ARs. Sadly, it hasn't caught on and is near death.

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1944
7.62x39

Of the estimated 875 million firearms in the world, 100 million are AK-47s, which has got to make the 7.62x39 the most popular rifle cartridge in the universe. 

1974
.22 PPC

Accuracy defined. A successful benchrest round.

1975
6mm PPC

Another sweetheart of the benchrest crowd. 

2003 
6.5 Grendel

Bill Alexander's creation. It's designed for the AR-15 and is a great, but often overlooked, cartridge. 

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2007
.375 Ruger Compact Magnum

Ruger and Hornady modernized the .375 H&H with this. It fits in standard-action rifles and manages the same velocity from a shorter barrel. A family of offspring has followed.

2008
.416 Ruger

Same idea as the .375 RCM, but with a bigger bullet.

2008
.300 RCM

Short mag ammo makers pay a royalty to the guy with the patent. This was Ruger's way around it.

2008
.338 RCM

Good all-around big-game cartridge. 

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Photographs by Bryce M. Towsley (cartridges); Alamy (animals)