10 Best Modern Hunting Cartridges

Many of these cartridges are still popular and useful today, but the last twenty-five years have seen a shift in emphasis. Rather than chase velocity, modern cartridges use heavy, high-ballistic coefficient bullets stabilized by fast-twist barrels. These cartridges may not boast magnum muzzle velocities, but they maintain those velocities better at long distance and are less impacted by wind. Because they use modern chamber designs along with modern bullets, they tend to be more accurate at shorter distances, too.

Whether you think this trend is the result of sound science or the perverse rise of “long-range hunting,” these modern cartridges are here for the foreseeable future. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to the 21st century, here are 10 of the best big-game hunting cartridges released in the last 25 years. All of these cartridges are easy to find from the factory, and the list is ordered by caliber.

Introduced by Hornady in 2020, the 6mm ARC was designed to take the heavy-for-caliber, high-BC concept to the AR-15 platform. It fires a 103-grain ELD-X bullet 2,800 fps from a 24-inch barrel, and the recommended 1:8 twist effectively stabilizes the .512 BC bullet to maintain 2,000 fps of velocity out to almost 500 yards. More importantly for varmint and predator hunters, the 6mm ARC does an excellent job bucking the wind. At 400 yards, it only drifts about 10 inches with a 10mph crosswind, which, considering the bullet speed and size of the cartridge, is pretty darn good. It doesn’t blow the doors off from a speed perspective, but it offers excellent all-around performance for coyote hunters while also easily stepping up to deer-sized game. Plus, since it was designed specifically for the AR-15 platform, you have lots of options when it comes to rifles.

103g ELD-X

Love it or hate it, you know the 6.5 Creedmoor had to be on this list. It typifies the moderate velocity, high-BC concept, and it’s been insanely popular. Some of that popularity is driven by overblown claims about its long-range performance. It’s not a laser beam that will knock a moose off its feet at 1,000 yards. But if we consider the 6.5 Creedmoor against one of its closest comps–the venerable .308 Winchester–the advantages of its modern design shine through. The .308 Win. hits harder at closer distances because it’s usually loaded with heavier bullets and boasts a similar muzzle velocity. But the fast twists of 6.5 Creed rifles can stabilize high-BC bullets, which allows the 6.5 to equalize bullet energy at longer ranges. Depending on the bullets you’re comparing, a 6.5 Creed will generally drop about five fewer inches at 500 yards and be traveling 200 fps faster. It will also have drifted about four fewer inches at that distance with a 10mph crosswind. These advantages aren’t huge, but they’re real, and I’ve also found the 6.5 Creedmoor to be an exceptionally accurate cartridge in a wide range of rifles at various price points.

143g ELD-X

A nice muley shot by the wife of MeatEater’s Garrett Long from 540 yards with a 6.5 Creedmoor.

If you like 6.5mm bullets but you want something with a little more oomph, the 6.5 PRC is your huckleberry. Hornady bills it as the “big brother” to the 6.5 Creedmoor because it offers more case capacity and about 250 fps more muzzle velocity than the Creed. That’s really all there is to it. It kicks a little more than a 6.5 Creedmoor and barrels wear out in fewer rounds, but neither drawback is severe. And the gains can be helpful in the field. For instance, if you ascribe to the theory that a bullet should be delivering 2,000 ft.-lbs. of force to take down an elk, a 140-grain 6.5 Creedmoor drops below that threshold around 200 yards. The 6.5 PRC is still humming along with more than 2,000 ft-lbs. of force beyond 400 yards, which is still a reasonable distance for most hunters and well within the abilities of the PRC from an accuracy perspective. The PRC, in other words, can double your effective range over a 6.5 Creedmoor, depending on how you define “effective range.” You don’t have to get quite as close and risk the animal smelling or hearing you, which could be the difference between a successful hunt and tag soup.

147g ELD-M

An elk downed with a 6.5 PRC.

The 28 Nosler is like the supercar of modern cartridges. It might not be the best choice for running errands, but if you’re looking for sheer horsepower and don’t care about being comfortable, it’ll turn heads at the range. Nosler says the 28 is the most powerful 7mm cartridge commercially available, and I haven’t found any reason to contradict them. The 160-grain offering absolutely flies out of the muzzle at 3,300 fps, and is still flying faster than 2,000 fps at 700 yards. At 500 yards, it’s only dropped 35 inches, making it the flattest shooting of the cartridges on this list. Part of that flat trajectory is due to sheer speed, but it’s also thanks to high-BC bullets the cartridge can accommodate. The 28 Nosler might prioritize power, but it doesn’t reject all of the trends of modern cartridge design: the 175-grain Accubond pills boast a very respectable 0.648 BC, and the 160-grain bullets are just a little less at 0.531. Of course, all that horsepower comes at a cost. The Nosler produces the most recoil of any cartridge on this list (40 ft-lbs!), and hunters report accuracy degrading due to worn barrels after less than 300 rounds. The 28 is also famously difficult to shoot accurately. Whether that’s due to the hefty recoil, barrel harmonics, or both, the Nosler can be tough to control in a lightweight hunting rifle. Still, its ballistic prowess earns it a spot on this list, and Mr. Weatherby would no doubt have loved to see it come to fruition.

160g Accubond

You can think of the 7mm PRC as an updated version of the 7mm Rem. Mag. It uses a caliber most hunters are familiar with, but it redesigns the case, bullet, and chamber to deliver better accuracy and downrange performance. But unlike other attempts to update the older 7mm, the PRC doesn’t blow the doors off from a velocity perspective. It gallops along around 2,970 fps at the muzzle, which is comparable to the 7mm Rem. Mag. But its case, chamber, and barrel twist accommodate high-BC 180-grain bullets, some with a BC approaching 0.800. This means that even with the same velocity and bullet weight as a 7mm Rem. Mag., a 7mm PRC moves three fewer inches at 500 yards with a 10 mph crosswind and 14 fewer inches at 1000 yards. It also hits with 300 more foot-pounds of energy at 500 yards, and maintains that advantage at every yardage beyond that. As with every modern cartridge, these gains might not justify making the switch from something you already shoot well. But if you’re looking for a 7mm with all the latest bells and whistles, the 7mm PRC offers those advantages without quite as much recoil as other modern 7mm’s. It also doesn’t burn through barrels as fast as something like the 28 Nosler, which is another big plus.

175g ELD-X

The 7mm PRC is an excellent all-around big game cartridge.

There was a spate in the early 2000’s when it seemed like every ammo maker was working to create a short version of a magnum cartridge. I was, admittedly, not old enough to be keyed in to that trend at the time, but looking back it’s clear what was happening. Among the most successful of those cartridges was the .300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM). The .300 WSM offered the performance of the .300 Win. Mag. but in a short-action package. Short action rifles are usually a few ounces lighter than their long-action counterparts, so this was attractive to mountain hunters or anyone else who liked the idea of a shorter, more compact rifle. And the WSM delivered: it can launch a 180-grain bullet about 3,000 fps, mirroring its long-action grandfather. The cartridge wasn’t designed specifically to be used with heavy, high-BC bullets, and most factory rifles use a 1:10 twist (rather than a 1:8 like you’ll see on the PRCs and Creedmoors of the world). But you can find factory ammunition using the 200-grain .597-BC ELD-X bullets, and a custom rifle could be made with a faster twist rate for even heavier bullets. The .300 WSM might seem a little outdated in 2025, but I think it belongs on this list, not just due to its continued popularity. Like these other cartridges, it doesn’t just chase bullet velocity. It offers other advantages hunters care about, and even though those benefits might be marginal (a .300 Win. Mag. isn’t that much heavier), they’re still real enough to stand the test of time.

200g ELD-X

Much like the 7mm PRC is an updated version of the 7mm Rem. Mag., the 300 PRC is an updated version of the .300 Win. Mag. The PRC is different in many ways (different parent case, for instance), but it incorporates the modern features we’ve been discussing into a magnum, .30-caliber cartridge. It launches a 212-grain bullet 2,900 feet-per-second (fps), which outstrips the .300 Win. Mag.’s 2,800 fps using a 200-grain bullet. The PRC’s high-BC pills allow it to maintain those velocity and energy advantages downrange, and the tight chamber design promotes accuracy. It still thumps shoulders with over 25 ft.-lbs. of recoil energy, but that’s the price you pay for that kind of power. The 300 PRC is nowhere near as popular as the .300 Win. Mag., and it may never surpass its predecessor on that front. But it’s still one of the best modern, 30-caliber magnums, so if that’s what you’re looking for, it’ll fit the bill.

212g ELD-X

The 300 PRC is a good choice for North America’s largest game animals.

Released in 2006, the 338 Federal was (believe it or not) Federal Premium Ammunition’s first foray into cartridge design. The concept is simple: take a .308 Win. case and neck it up to accept a .338-caliber bullet. The idea was to give hunters a heavier, larger-diameter bullet without having to chamber it in a long-action magnum. The .338 Federal was, I’m sure, less commercially successful than its inventors had hoped. These days, factory options are limited to two or three loads from Federal and several others from Wilson Combat. But I think that’s a shame. The 338 can push a 200-grain bullet 2,700 fps at the muzzle, which produces a whopping 3,327 ft.-lbs. of energy. That’s significantly more than the .308 Win., and it even exceeds the powerful 7mm Rem. Mag. Its trajectory mirrors at 30-06 out to 500 yards, and felt recoil is less than a 300 Win. Mag. Since it uses a 308 Win. case, reloading supplies are also readily available, and said reloaders can tune it faster or slower depending on their needs. None of this is to say that it’s the perfect cartridge. But in an era that prizes cartridge efficiency as much as sheer power, the .338 Federal might deserve a second look. It’s a sweet little cartridge, and if you can find a rifle, it can help you take everything from whitetail to moose.

200g Fusion

The 350 Legend departs from some of the modern trends we’ve been talking about so far. It doesn’t use high-BC bullets or fast twist rates, but it wasn’t made for long-range power. The 350 Legend was designed for midwestern whitetail states that require hunters to use straight-walled cartridges. There are other straight-walled cartridges, of course. The .45-70 Govt. has been around for decades, and I could have also included the .450 Bushmaster as a modern straight-wall. But the Legend adheres to one modern principle: balance. It doesn’t overwhelm you with force, like many other straight-wall options. Instead, it offers enough power and distance for most midwestern whitetail hunting scenarios while saving your shoulder some bruising. One common load launches a 160-grain projectile 2,300 fps at the muzzle, which produces 1,879 ft.-lbs. of force. At 200 yards, it’s still hitting with about 1,000 ft.-lbs. of energy, which is more than enough for a whitetail. Plus, its more restrained recoil impulse will allow most hunters to shoot the Legend more accurately than larger, .45-cablier options.

160g Fusion

Like the 350 Legend, the 375 Ruger doesn’t adhere to the High-BC Gospel followed by the other cartridges on this list. But I wanted to include something for the African game hunters among us, and the 375 fits that bill. Many modern cartridge designers are self-consciously trying to improve upon an older, proven cartridge. I don’t know if that was the case with the 375 Ruger, but upon its release in 2007, it was immediately compared to one of the most successful dangerous game cartridges ever: the 375 Holland & Holland. The .375 H&H is the benchmark by which other .375-caliber cartridges are judged, and the Ruger exceeds its performance without going overboard. It’s still a manageable cartridge for most hunters, despite the nearly 5,000 ft.-lbs. of energy it generates at the muzzle. That’s partly due to its more diminutive case, which was purposely designed to fit in the smaller Ruger Model 77 action. In fact, the .375’s maximum overall length of 3.340 inches is the same as popular magnum cartridges like the 7mm Rem. Mag. and the .300 Win. Mag. But, adhering to the principles of modern cartridge design, it doesn’t sacrifice performance on the altar of recoil reduction and action size. Across the board, the 375 Ruger offers about 100 fps advantage over the .375 H&H, firing a 300-grain bullet about 2,600 fps or a 250-grain bullet 2,800 fps.

300g DGX

I put these two cartridges together because they represent another, less popular (so far) trend in modern cartridge technology. Rather than focus on high-BC bullets, the .277 Fury and 7mm Backcountry increase performance by redesigning the case. The .277 Fury (part of Sig’s larger Hybrid case technology project) affixes a steel case head to a brass body via an aluminum locking washer. This allows the case to be loaded to much higher pressures, which in turn increases bullet velocity. The 7mm Backcountry accomplishes something similar, but it uses a new steel alloy to construct the entire case. It’s unclear whether this trend will continue to develop or shrivel on the vine. As I’ve written here and here, this technology does work; it isn’t a gimmick. Both cartridges produce higher velocities with their respective bullets, which allows hunters to use shorter barrels without sacrificing performance. In an age when every other hunter runs a suppressor, that’s pretty darn attractive. But despite lots of promises, these are still the only cartridges that use this technology from these two companies. They’re tough to find, and not many rifles have been chambered in these cutting edge cartridges. Still, they represent one of the newest, most interesting cartridge developments, so they both deserve a mention.

.277 Fury, 150g Hybrid Hunter

7mm Backcountry, 175g Fusion

A nilgai shot in South Texas with a 7mm Backcountry.

Modern cartridge development has mostly focused on larger calibers, but varmint and predator rounds have also gotten the high-BC treatment. Among the newest is the 22 ARC, which was just released last year, which is why it’s in the “Honorable Mentions.” The goal was to squeeze .22-250 performance out of an AR-15 platform using long, heavy bullets that still cycled in an AR. The 22 ARC doesn’t try to compete with the 22-250’s lighting fast speeds, which hover between 3,600 and 3,800 fps with a 55-grain bullet. Instead, it uses a heavier, more streamlined bullet that maintains that velocity better at extended ranges. For example, the 62-grain ELD‑VT bullet around which the 22 ARC was based leaves a 24-inch barrel at 3,300 fps. That’s slower than the 22-250, but it’s still traveling at 2,150 fps at 500 yards. A 55-grain 22-250, by contrast, has slowed down to just 1,550 fps at that distance, which gives the bullet less than half the energy of the 22 ARC. That added velocity also reduces bullet drop and drift in those windy, open-field landscapes often encountered by varmint and predator hunters. You don’t need the latest in cartridge technology to kill a prairie or yodel dog. But if you have the choice, these new cartridges definitely have their advantages.

62g V-MATCH

The 25 Creedmoor probably deserves to be on the list proper, but it’s even newer than the 22 ARC. Wildcatters have been necking down the 6.5 Creedmoor to accept a .25-caliber bullet for years, so maybe I’m being too cautious about the 25 Creed’s staying power. But you never know how the market will react to this kind of thing, and it may already be too saturated with Creedmoor’s, PRC’s, and ARC’s for this new one to make much of a dent. And that would be a shame. As I write here, the 25 Creedmoor actually beats out the 6.5 Creedmoor from a ballistic perspective. Those advantages don’t really materialize until the bullet gets past 500 yards, so most hunters won’t notice a difference. But if the 25 Creed sticks around, I predict it’ll be one of the best deer cartridges of all time. It throws a 128-grain ELD-X bullet 2,850 fps, which is more than enough juice to take a buck at any distance within 500 yards. That bullet also boasts a .633 ballistic coefficient, which is excellent for a hunting bullet. Like its 6.5mm predecessor, this quarter-bore is a great example of the moderate-velocity, high-BC principles we’ve seen flourish in the last 20 years.

128g ELD-X

After this article was published, commenters pointed out two additional modern cartridges that deserve mention: the 6.5 Grendel and 6.8 Western. Commenter pangris said, “Failure to include or mention the 6.5 Grendel, daddy to the 6 ARC and 22 ARC, borderline criminal. The Grendel can do just about everything the 6 ARC can do, + get up to 130 gr, + get out to 1000 yards out of a 20” AR…”

And commenter AliciaTJ said of the 6.8 Western, “The cartridge is outstanding. The fact that it’s a high bc, moderate recoiling, long range, and accurate cartridge is completely due to its modern design. It’s taken the venerable .277 bullet to new heights.”

Check out the full comments below.

Your favorite modern cartridge might not have made our list. I avoided including wildcat or obscure options because I hate being recommended something I can’t get my hands on. But I’m sure I missed a few popular ones, so feel free to keep the list going in the comments.

Still, you have to admit, we’re spoiled for good cartridges these days. Whether you use a rifle to hunt, shoot competitively, have fun at the range, or all of the above, there’s a new cartridge that will meet–and probably exceed–your needs. These new cartridges aren’t so much better than their predecessors that you need to make the switch to be successful. If you compare the ballistics charts above to similar cartridges from pre-2000, you’ll see that the performance gains are usually modest. But modest isn’t the same as nonexistent. These new offerings drop a little less, hit a little harder, and are less impacted by the wind. That’s been enough for many hunters to make the switch, and it’s exciting to think what new modern marvels we’ll be arguing about over the next 25 years.