How Do Modern Cartridges Stack Up Against Old-Timers?

How Do Modern Cartridges Stack Up Against Old-Timers?

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A few weeks ago, I published an article highlighting https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/firearm-hunting/10-best-modern-hunting-cartridges">the 10 best modern hunting cartridges. My intention wasn't to hate on older cartridges, just to provide a list of some of the best new offerings of the last 25 years.

Still, some commenters felt compelled to defend their favorite cartridges (an honorable impulse), and several argued that these newfangled PRC's and Creedmoor's and ARC's are all hat and no cattle. They don't actually outperform tried-and-true designs—they're just meant to fleece the hunting public for more money and give gun writers something to spill ink on.

I don't agree with this entirely, but it got me wondering whether these Fudds https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/firearm-hunting/in-defense-of-fudds">(who I love) might have a point. It's hard to argue that modern cartridges don't have anything to offer, but are those benefits worth, say, the cost of a new rifle? Are they far and away better than the old-timers or just marginally more effective?

To answer this question, I pulled ballistic data for each of the 10 cartridges I named in the previous article and matched them up against older but comparable cartridges. I tried to pick matchups that used similar calibers and weights of bullets (though some comparisons are more natural than others). I also tried to select representative examples of each cartridge. Any cartridge can be sped up or slowed down at the reloading bench, and even factory options offer a range of velocities. But I tried to pick a best-case-scenario for both cartridges and not stack the deck in one way or the other.

The data speaks for itself, but I'll say this at the outset: the Fudds might have a point.

https://images.ctfassets.net/pujs1b1v0165/4PJ6mR2aUSeJ7s7Rq80WqC/81804c38c34a8b7035109c8ec2c1add1/FB_IMG_1758825919119.jpg" alt="Old Hunting Photo">
Dan Hogan, the father of MeatEater's Greg Hogan, poses with a Willamett Valley blacktail buck and his dad's rifle (1968).

6mm ARC (103g ELD-X) vs. 243 Win. (90g ELD-X)

This matchup typifies the "old vs. new" paradigm. The 243 Win. offers more velocity and a flatter trajectory out to 600 yards, but the 6mm ARC overtakes it from an energy perspective by 400 yards. The ARC's high-BC bullet is also less impacted by wind at every distance, and it nearly closes the velocity gap by 600 yards. Whichever side of this debate you land on, the data in this matchup offers evidence to back you up.

Scroll/swipe to see additional charts.

   

       

           

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