For medium game...
For big game...
What is your experience?

CZ

300 H&H followed by 375 H&H.

To kill things that bite back, there is Holland & Holland ..... for everything else there is MasterCard.

I reckon 30.06 in my Push feed mod 70
is pretty slick.

Partly depends on the rifle action ?

Big game - never had any problem with my
404 Jeffrey and my 505 Gibbs.

The most exceptionaly slick feeding rifle I have is my early 1980's Win M70 pushfeed in 30/06.
I think cartridges of similar shape to 30/06 are inherently prone to smooth feeding.
Like .270, .280, .257 Roberts (look at a .257 it looks like a mini 30/06) etc.

The slickest feeding action and cartridge ever is the 30-40 Krag in a Krag rifle. It is so smooth I sometimes have to open the action just to convince myself it chambered a round.

Jerry Liles

Yes, action makes a big difference, but shapes like the 30-06, 300 H&H, 375 H&H, and 404 Jeffery seem to feed well due to the long necks, sloping shoulders, and/or tapered cases. The ammo factories seem to have forgotten why they were made that way, and want to straighten them out, shorten the neck, and sharpen the shoulder to squeeze every grain of powder into them that they can. Hell, just go up one caliber and leave the case design alone. DOH!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Yes, action makes a big difference, but shapes like the 30-06, 300 H&H, 375 H&H, and 404 Jeffery seem to feed well due to the long necks, sloping shoulders, and/or tapered cases. The ammo factories seem to have forgotten why they were made that way, and want to straighten them out, shorten the neck, and sharpen the shoulder to squeeze every grain of powder into them that they can. Hell, just go up one caliber and leave the case design alone. DOH!!!

That's one of the reasons I favour the old 9.3x64 over the new .375 Ruger.

Medium game: M1 Garand in 30-06
Big game: M1 Garand in 338-06 or 35 Whelen


You didn't say what kind of action....

Agree Cobra, 9.3 x 64 is a very smooth feeder.

As is 375H&H but thought I'd be different !

Definitely the .300 H&H, followed closely by the .375 H&H. .30-06 not bad either, and the .404 Jeffrey is good as well.

300 H&H smoothest I've used by a good bit.

Any cartridge in a Mannlicher-Schoenauer.

Bingo

quote:

Originally posted by KurtC:
Any cartridge in a Mannlicher-Schoenauer.

I find it interesting that so many responded with the 300 H&H, I guess nobody has heard all the demon speak about belted magnums! It was one of the first cartridges that popped into mind when I saw the question. The 7x57 is another cartridge that seems to always feed very smooth.

In my safe it's my .300 H&H.

And yes, it's certainly a demon!

I'd say anything that comes out of a rotary magazine. You have to experience how little drag these have these have compared to a normal magazine.

9.3x62 and 300 Win Mag.

The .375 Ruger in my FN action.

quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Liles:
The slickest feeding action and cartridge ever is the 30-40 Krag in a Krag rifle. It is so smooth I sometimes have to open the action just to convince myself it chambered a round.

Jerry Liles

X2 roger

What role does bullet weight, which changes bullet length, play in cartridge feeding? Also bullet shape probably influences feeding for example a round nose cup & core vs a flat nose solid.

Of greater concern for bolt actions is the make of the action; a Husqvarna/Zoli 1900 is one smooth feeding action.

A handloader will normally adjust the overall cartridge length for smooth, slick feeding for whatever cartridge he or she is loading. And if a rifle doesn't feed properly it's off to the gunsmith we go.

quote:

Originally posted by KurtC:
Any cartridge in a Mannlicher-Schoenauer.

+1 on this observation. I have a Model 1903 in 6.5x54MS and it is the smoothest bolt action I've ever seen. I also have a 30-40 Krag and while it is pretty smooth in its own right, it pales alongside the Mannlicher Schoenauer.

I sometimes wonder if the OP's question is even read.

"What is the slickest feeding cartridge of all times?"

NOT "what rifle/cartridge combination is the slickest feeding of all time.

If that WERE the question (excluding black guns) the good old M-1 or M-14 would win hands down. While you are fumbling with your (fill in the blank) bolt action, I'll have at least 3 aimed shots downrange. Now it's time to reload.... a Krag LOL, a MS/Mauser/03 5 shots from a stripper clip, long after I have sent 8 down range and thumbed in a new en bloc clip holding EIGHT or a magazine with 20 more. The only rifle (shooting a serious cartridge) that comes close is the good old SMLE that,in the hands of the "old contemptibles" was so fast the Huns thought the Brits all had machine guns.

The 300 H&H still wins hands down since has anyone seen proof that a properly sized (to headspace on the belt) 300 H&H in properly sized chamber (a bit oversize in the body and neck) has ever failed to chamber and extract ?

It seems that very few understand why H&H bolt rifle cartridges have body taper and a belt.
And those for single/double rifles also have taper and a big rim.

Here's a hint: You are in Afica or India back in the days of corrosive primers and cordite powder.
Nobody reloads. The climate is such that keeping a rifle's chamber as sanitary as a newly minted coin is very difficult. Much of the game you are hunting can stomp, bite, crush and gore you into a closed coffin mess in a matter of seconds.
Accuracy is measured in "minutes of Cape Buffalo, Tiger etc." and 10 shots in a dime is a waste of time and may get you into that closed coffin.
Dirty ammo, in a dirty gun, fueled by nasty primers and powder is far more dependable if the cartridge body has taper and is smaller than the chamber body. BUT you still have that pesky issue of headspace. Rimmed cartridges have it covered.
H&H invented the belt to accuratly headspace unrimmed cartridges as well as avoiding the problem with rims being "out of order" in a magazine rifle. Perfect answer at the time. Today with clean ammo, clean guns in a generally clean world the belt may not be necessary. If I ever hit the Lottery and go on that Cape Buffalo hunt, I'll probably take a CZ 375 H&H and new brass with the shoulder bumped back an RCH spitting out 270/300 TSXs as most PHs have found solids don't work as well. The ammo will headspace on the belt as those smart guys in 1912 intended.

I will be the first to admit that action types and makers of bolt rifles vary as to how smoothly they cycle. But the question is what cartridge not what action or rifle builder maker feeds the slickest. For my money the long cartridges of the 300 H&H and .375 H&H with their gradual taper, other factors being the same, are the slickest I have encountered.

artshaw:
Didn't mean to step on your post. It showed up as I was hitting the Post Now icon.

No foul. I was editing and re-editing it.

Sometimes it's like explaining why straight 40 weight oil was used in the 1930s and today we can get away with 5W30

Hey artshaw I am confused by your post?
You slammed all the bolt actions except the SMLE?
I've handled a few and smooth easy fast don't come to mind in the least and then you laughed at a Krag?
Really? Comment like that I bet you've never cycled one.
Sorry to be off topic but I do beleive that the OP was talking about "what is the smoothest feeding cartridge", I think some people, to cite an example, teamed it with an action, I know I did.

Anything in a single shot bolt action

It is unfortunate that more people don't have access to a 9.3x64 so they can see for themselves just how slick it feeds. If vinegar is all you had to drink I guess it would taste sweet.

quote:

Originally posted by KurtC:
Any cartridge in a Mannlicher-Schoenauer.

...8x68S - icy slick

I think that the rifle action has more influence on slick cycling than cartridge geometry. In-line feeders, like Blaser R93 and Sauer 202 are among the smoothest in my opinion.

Snell, I certainly agree the Krag is a smooth action but horribly slow to reload (ask Teddy R.) and if you get a rim out of order you have a club. The smelly has a shorter bolt throw, more magazine capacity and loads from stripper clips.
Most experts agree it is the finest bolt action battle rifle ever made. If you have ever observed well trained smelly shooters rapping out rapid fire in a match you would understand.
look at a 303, a 30-40 and a 300 H&H. What do they all have in common ? Lots of body taper and headspacing that doesn't give a durn about how undersized the case is or where the shoulder is.
That's why all three are slick feeders, the 300 H&H just happens to be the best as you can never have the rim issues the other two do.

Just as an FYI all factory belted cartridges are "short in the shoulder" as they must fit everybody's rifles and the belt handles headspace. Shooting new factory brass (that has a shoulder) in a belted rifle takes one extra step.

Let's say it's a 338 WinMag. Neck it up to .358 and run it in the 338 FL die to create a "false shoulder" (the transition point for 35 to 33).
Just enough so there is resistance when you close the bolt. Fireform with full loads and now your case will headspace on the shoulder and the brass will last far longer. All this assumes a clean rifle and ammo.

Even with the cartridge JOC loved to hate, the 300 H&H (it stretchs so much etc.), I get 8 reloads from soft Remington brass with one trim after 4 using the false shoulder method. The only time the FL die is used is to create the false shoulder, after that it's just neck sizing. They chamber like a greased bananna.

Same method works fine in my R1 300 WinMag as, contrary, to some experts, small base dies are BS and when that bolt slams closed, cartridges chamber.
Again, a high quality rifle with a accurate, smooth, concentric chamber and sanitary ammo.

Okay Art now I understand where you were coming from, you were talking about a rapid, continued rate of fire.

Yes sir, if you must have a bolt gun, the smelly will keep their heads down.

Nice thread with some nice postings!
If the cartridge alone is to be considered and not the rifle a long cartridge offering a shallow feed angle seems reasonable. It also makes sense to have a large chamber entrance dia. vs. a small dia. bullet. The one cartridge that seems best to fit that description IMHO is the 25-06. roger

oh you mean like the 25--20,44-40,32-20 and 38-40.

all you feel with them is the rifles action operating.

A pretty slick feeding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EuvkUAHEDg

quote:

Originally posted by artshaw:
300 H&H followed by 375 H&H.

...and with the correct answer. You win!

quote:

Originally posted by jørgen:
A pretty slick feeding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EuvkUAHEDg

That guy was pulling the trigger with his middle finger...

That is to prevent loosing grip on the bolthandle, and reducing moovments (fumbeling) to a minimum

quote:

Originally posted by Antlers:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by artshaw:
300 H&H followed by 375 H&H.