Calibers, without the campfire myths.
Every cartridge argument ever held ends the same way: shot placement beats headstamps, and the rifle you shoot WELL beats the one that impresses the bench. Here are 21 hunting cartridges with honest numbers - what each actually hunts best, how flat it really shoots, what it really does to your shoulder, and whether the ammo will actually be on the shelf. Compare any two in the cartridge tool.
🐿️ Rimfire Small game, training and pest control - where every shooter starts.
🦊 Varmint/predator Flat, fast, light-kicking - coyotes and prairie dogs at distance.
🦌 Light deer Genuine deer performance at recoil a new hunter shoots well.
⛰️ All-around deer The classic do-most-things cartridges for deer country and beyond.
🎖️ All-around The continent-covering standards - one rifle, everything.
🌲 Woods classic Timber cartridges - handling and enough power inside 200 yards.
🌽 Straight-wall deer Purpose-built for straight-wall-regulation states.
🏹 Western magnum Reach and retained energy for big country and big mule deer.
💪 Heavy magnum Elk, moose and big bears - authority that costs recoil.
🦬 Big-bore lever Thumb-sized bullets from fast-handling lever guns.
🌍 Dangerous game The world standard when 'enough' must be beyond question.
🔵 Shotgun big game Slug systems for shotgun-only deer zones.
🏴 Muzzleloader One deliberate shot - and weeks of extra season.
Minimum calibers, straight-wall rules, magazine limits and season-specific weapon restrictions vary by state and species - and change. Before buying or hunting, confirm current regulations with your official wildlife agency. We describe cartridges; we don't give legal advice. And whatever you carry: practice until placement is boring.