...Doesn't anybody besides me use the original Winchester "short" magnum medium bore cartridges anymore? Just twenty five or so years ago, they were roundly criticised for being "too hard kicking", or "using too much powder", or other fairly nonsense statements. Now it seems that every month or two, a cartridge is introduced that is "faster, flatter shooting, delivers more knockdown power..." etc. than these cartridges.

Fact is, I use the .264, .300, and .338 Win Mags (along with the 7mm Rem Mag, which I include here because it's the same case) for all of my hunting from foxes on up. These cartrdiges can handle anything in the Western Hemisphere, and all but the four or five largest critters in the Eastern Hemisphere as well. Throw in the .458 Win Mag, and all your bases are covered, which is what I believe Winchester intended to do when they launched this cartridge line back in the fifties.

Are they passe now, or just too boring for people to talk about anymore?

The .300 and .338 are certainly not passe, and they will probably continue to be more popular than any of the new short mags once the dust has settled!! for the myth that the new cartridges are more powerful than the older, ".30/'06 length" rounds, this is nothing more than "bull-feathers". The .338 is probably the most popular "medium" ion the world. However, I must say that the .264 Win. Mag has been pretty ill since the introduction of the 7mm Rem Mag in 1962!! It needs at least a 26" tube, makes a hell of a muzzle blast, and doesn't really beat the .270 Win. enough to justify the increase in powder chargwe and decrease in barrel life.

I am in full agreement 6.5 that we have no real 'need' for any of the new magnums. We were well served by the Med length rounds. I guess it comes down to we really do'nt 'need'anything more, people just like variety.
I personally have no use for the UM/SM units.
I shoot all the rounds you mentioned and am served well.I am finding more and more that the rifle handling characteristics, bullet design and marksmanship are more important than the shape of the case. A little nostalgia and ease of load data doesn't hurt either.I just wish the manufacturers would have put more time into QC than into calibers we do not need.

BR

I'm actually planning on picking up or building a 300 win mag one of these days. It will fit the step up from the 308, and I really don't see much benefit of a much larger case in the 30 bore. That and the 300 win mag is one of the "world standard" rounds, ie loaded ammo available fairly commonly.

I've been debating some sort of hot 6.5mm, was considering some sort of 348 win on a single shot action, but the ole 264 win mag is an interesting round, and one I might try.

The 338 is a fine round, but I prefer the 35's, so likely won't pick one up. If I were to get an off the rack rifle for AK, it would be simple, Ruger M77 Mk II alweather in 338, but alas, not interesting enough.

As for the 458, I'll stick with the 458 lott, with the ability to use the win mag ammo in a pinch. Say what you will about the 458 win mag, but the case is simply too small for the job the round was intended to fill.

I have a 300win mag and a 338 win mag. The best reason to have new shells is more reasons to buy more guns not that they work any better.

I have a 300 win and a 458 win mag. The only short mag that has even interested me at all is the 270 wsm.

The standard length magnums were a good idea forty four years ago. They made "magnum" performance affordable.

Now the WSM brass will do a similar job in .30 cal and smaller bores and with a ligher, shorter rifle.

I am somewhat interested in a 7mm WSM. I see it as more useful than a .270 WSM because of the ability to slow down the bullets for short range shooting because of it's faster twist and ability to shoot heavier bullets.

I view the 7/08 cartridge as a nothing cartridge, you might as well get a .308W and have the flexiblity but a 7mm WSM in a shorter rifle should perform like a .280 Remington or even a 7mm Mag. Not a bad place to be.