Top thirty Dies over last two years.

2001

1. 30-06
2. 357 Magnum/38 special
3. 44Magnum/44 special
4. 9MM luger
5. 223 Remington
6. 270 Winchester
7. 45 Colt/45 ACP
8. 308 Winchester
9. 45-70 US Govt
10 .243 Winchester
11 .22-250
12 .300 Winchester magum
13 .300 Remington ultra
14 .7mm Remington Magnum
15 .300 Win short
16 .25-06
17 .30-30 WCF
18 .7MM Rem Ultra
19 .7MM-08 Remington
20 .22 Hornet
21 .338 Winchester
22 .300 Weatherby Magnum
23 .8X57 Mauser
24 .6.5X55 Swed. Mauser
25 .280 Remington
26 .222 Rem
27 .450 Marlin
28 .260 Remington
29 .338 Rem Ultra
30 .220 Swift

2002

1. 30-06
2. 223 Rem
3. 308 Win
4. 22-250
5. 270 Win
6. 243 Win
7. 45 ACP
8. 38 Spec
9. 7MMRem Mag
10. 44 Spec
11. 300 Win Mag
12. 300 Win Short Mag
13. 45-70 US Govt
14. 25-06
15. 9MM Luger
16. 40 S&W
17. 45 Colt
18. 30-30 WCF
19. 270 Win Short Mag
20. 300 Rem Ultra Mag
21. 7MM-08 Rem
22. 22 Hornet
23. 8X57 Mauser
24. 222 Rem
25. 338 Win
26. 6.5X55 Swed Mauser
27. 7MM Rem Ultra Mag
28. 300 Wby Mag
29. 7MM Win Short
30 .300 Rem SA Ultra Mag

And there you have it, hope some find this of interest.
Even My favorite 25-06 Made it to 16th and 14th spot.
And my other favorite the 243 Made it to 10th and 6th spot.
Bill

But that continued number one position has got to be confounding the whizz-bangers-bubbas, no?

Dan

I think the top ten in both lists is very interesting and speaks volumes in regards to the new "popular" magnums. They are apparently popular with the same guys who can afford to buy the ammunition and just want speed, not accuracy or better performance for lower cost, which the reason I reload. Two of my favortie rifles are in the top 3 of 2002, .30-06 and .308, .223 will be, I just haven't gotten the barrel yet for my Encore.
Yardbird

Parts - An interesting list. Thanks for posting. I am surprised by the placement of a few of these...and the fact that a few even made the list.

The high ranking of the 45/70 surprises me....as does the 9mm luger. As cheap as 9mm ammo is, why would anyone load the crap?

I'm glad to see the 8x57 still on the list. We hardly ever hear about this excellent cartridge any more. It would be a shame to see it fade away.

We might also note that in addition to the /06's continued 1st place...the slot for the old 30/30 seems to be equally chipped in stone. 17th one year and 18th the next.

I don't think either of these two rifles are going anywhere anytime soon. For sure the /06 isn't.

I say the /06 isn't going anywhere...but if one notices the sharp rise of the .308 from 8th in 2001 up to 3rd in 2002........hmmmmmm. It's like America has suddenly discovered or re-discovered the .308.

If the 06 is displaced from 1st place in 2003, I think it will be by it's little brother the .308.

[ 01-30-2003, 21:41: Message edited by: Pecos45 ]

There is no doubt that the 30/06 Springfield is not only the most popular cartridge but that it's an excellent design. A glance at the 2002 list for instance shows that the .30 calibers have by far the most entries in rifle cartridges and magnums are 5/8!

This must be where the market is for enthusiasts. Since dies last almost forever and some brands like RCBS will replace worn ones free it's obvious that .30 cal and the 30/06 is where it's at.

This confirms my knowledge that cartridges like the .257 Roberts are out of the mainstream of usefulness as they are the master of no trade.

The proof is there and .30 caliber is right in the middle of common sense. This is not to say it's a universal bore at all. Anyone who can afford a big expensive trip can afford a specialized rifle for that purpose.

Interesting that the 6.5x55 is up there as is the 8x57 but no 7x57, no doubt due to the scarcity of milsurps in 7x57.

I am gratified to see the 222rem still there, for how much longer I wonder?

Originally posted by Savage99:
"There is no doubt that the 30/06 Springfield is not only the most popular cartridge but that it's an excellent design. A glance at the 2002 list for instance shows that the .30 calibers have by far the most entries in rifle cartridges and magnums are 5/8!"

My motto for years has been "Life begins at 30" (caliber that is)!!!!!!

[ 01-30-2003, 22:55: Message edited by: TXPO ]

What I don't understand is why the sudden fall of the pistol calibers. Okay, the 45 ACP/45 Colt that was 7th in 2001 were split into seperate listings for 2002 at 7 and 17; but what happened to the 357 Magnum/38 special, 44 Magnum/Special and 9mm? From 2,3,4 in 2001 they dropped to 8,10,15. Was there that big of a drop in pistol shooting in 2002?

I am a .22 hornet shooter but I was suprised to see it in there never the less.

Some things I noticed:

1. The .260 Rem. appeared on the 2001 list but not the 2002. I think the .260 may have been a flash in the pan or one-year wonder.

2. The 6mm Remington -- one of my favorite calibers -- does not appear on either list. This does not surprise me.

3. The .375 H&H does not appear. This does surprise me -- I thought it is more popular than it is.

4. No 35 caliber rifle appears, and, with the exception of the .450 Marlin in '01 (I'm surprised at that one) and the 45-70, no rifle caliber larger in diameter than .338 appears.

5. I'm surprised that the 6.5X55 appears. There are apparently a lot more Swede-lovers out there than what I expected.

6. The various ultra mags and short mags are making a strong showing. This is evidence for my theory: We don't really need any of those cartridges as they more-or-less duplicate what's already available, but they are very good for the gun business as it gives gun lovers something new and additional to buy and play with.

[ 01-31-2003, 07:31: Message edited by: LE270 ]

What happened to the .280?

LE270, I am utterly dumbfounded that the 6mm Rem. isn't on the list, given how many rifles are offered in that caliber, and others listed would seem to be less popular, at least to me.

Well...In reality die sales alone can't tell what is going on in relation to gun popularity. Maybe if factory ammo, die, bullet, and gun sales are grouped together, then one would have a better idea on what is going on. For example, the most popular cartridges in Alaska are the .30-06, .300 WM, and .338 WM; but it does not mean that die-sales for these are first in line.

Then take the .22LR: I bet that more .22LR rounds are being fire each day than rounds being loaded with dies for the #1cartridge on the list above.

[ 02-02-2003, 05:30: Message edited by: Ray, Alaska ]

I wonder how that would compared to the other die manufactures sales data?

As pointed out above, dies last forever. One would expect to see the new super boomers arive on the list shortly after their intro. (who had one before that?) But how long will they stay there? The 06, 38/357, 270, 30-30 etc. are still near the top after 25-50 years. I know that some of them are over 100 years old, but reloading didn't start gaining wide spread popularty until after WW2