The second installment of the White Rocket determination in tools of the trade, popular cartridges that do not measure up to the ideal. They are all good- both as choices and cartridges, but if we remember that the white rocket defined is one that is a generalist, and not ideally suited for one purpose or the other.
The 40 Smith and Wesson.
If there was a literal “Son of a Gun”, the 40 Smith is. The product of the 10mm difficulties described in the prior piece with the FBI, the good idea fairy was in full swing. 10 too big? 9 too small? Get a 40- it is 10ish, sorta, and fits in 9s, sort of, and also has this dysfunctional sibling thing going on with the 45 ACP.
The round has a great deal going for it and is really not a white rocket in the total sense. The Glock 22 is a good sized gun, likely one of the strongest choice of police arms, and nicely works the capacity angle. When the 40 haters are in full roar with that business, I think that the Glock 22 is getting unfairly criticized. I am happy that those police agencies that ignored the rhetoric and held onto did.
I have opined and believe- that instead of trying to make it a 45 light, or a 10 slow, or a big bullet fired in a light gun, which it really does not do well; it ought to have been a dandy soft shooting upgrade to the 357 magnum of yore. I think the problem in the 40 is that it was always trying to race with its other siblings when it should have found its own way. I do not think that a 180 grain bullet ought to be the guy, and a lighter one- 135 or 140 grains, not loaded to any higher than 1150 fps would have been very soft shooting, and replicated the effectiveness in fairly close step with the old 357 mag troopers carrying one swore by. You know like its progeny, the 357 Sig, whose creation captured the entire point. In doing so, it would not be such a headache in the lighter guns, and still maintained proper and decent effect; beyond the capability of the 9mm.
This thinking is decidedly old school, as the light bullet going fast enough crowd bows to the god of penetration. This does whistle past the graveyard on the penetration angle, but for personal defense, it is really not as necessary as what the police round needs to be.
Penetration is the third order effect of that infamous shoot out Miami 86, when one 9mm 115 grain silvertip failed to penetrate a few more inches to be instantly incapacitating. So, the whole hysteria rolls on about 2 inches of penetration-one single bullet- the most lightly constructed and quick expanding bullets ever put in a magazine- that stopped short just inch(es) from fatal with the most difficult of target presentations. The lighter bullets do whistle past the graveyard on the penetration angle, but for personal defense, it is really not as necessary as what the police round needs to be.
If one is content to look at charts and crunch numbers, will not modify its screening criteria from the penetration of at least 14 inches, the 135 40 does come up short. Will it shoot through plate glass or sheet metal, probably not- but again, for defensive purposes that isn’t important to me either. I want the bullet to get in the right place, be angry while it is in there, and I’m good.
The 180 grain bullet going as fast as the pressures allow will not do that. Neither will the 158grain 357 Magnum- so the old school cops went lighter and were happy. I think that same notion applies here.
One thing that I will say about the 40 SW, is that it is my selection for a home defense pistol(s), the Glock 22 downstairs, and the Beretta 90-TWO upstairs- both l have loaded with lighter weight bullets. But, otherwise, the 40 (180) is the poster child for a white rocket.
6.5 Creedmoor
Shoot long, shoot light, and kill well is the mantra of these people, and I guess it works to some degree. It does shoot light, at the very least. Some magic applied to the ballistic coefficient of the bullet itself, which is fairly impressive, but no more so that any other narrow and heavy for caliber bullets.
The goodness of those that wish to shoot it long is that it has been studied to death after it got the bombastic and universal political narrative, and within that study, the flight path has been studied enough so that it can be “doped.” Doped, it need be, because it is really not going any faster than the 308 Winchester, and those precision adjustments must be made before it is competition worthy at long range.
I do not find it kills all that well either, despite whatever the narrative says. I think any animal of deer size or a shade larger can be taken with the lighter rounds, i.e. 243 to 308 win, if the presentation is ideal and the game animal stands very still. This, known as the “double-lung presentation”, does not give fair treatment to the differences between the lighter calibers, as none of them are abusive recoil wise, all of them are accurate enough at normal distances to hit a game sized target in his largest parts, but any of the rounds available will kill well if placed there. A deer will be able to tell no difference between a 243 Win or a 6.5, of for that matter a 308 Win, if he is turned right and a chest through and through is possible.
The 6.5 gets in trouble in the same place that most of them do, in that if the presentation is not ideal, if the deer or hog or bear or human is turned just an ace; if one has to shoot through the shoulder or hits bone, or take one of those odd, raking angled shots, the Creed will come up short.
I do think that the Creed has some things going for it, like all of the 6.5s of yore that have been resoundingly ignored. Tight rifling usually means accurate rifles, and that is a good thing. At this velocity, without precise doping, this cartridge is not as good as the 260 Remington, or better really any of the other 6.5s, the Swede included. It is definitely not superior to the 308 Winchester, either for range or field.
30-06 Springfield
Oh no you didn’t! Categorize the legendary Springfield as a White Rocket? Nothing at all right about this- bordering on UnAmerican- this lovely round won two world wars and held the line on the Korean Peninsula. A favorite of the sporting set, the most favorite as a matter of fact, the 30-06 surely does not deserve this treatment.
Well, it kind of does, hear me out.
It also kind of does not, the aught 6 is a very capable cartridge, and is never a bad choice from field mice to grizzly bears. The fact of the matter is, that there is always a better choice- so at best the 30-06 is the ultimate second best, universal back-up rifle, but on its face it only places, and never wins.
Deer hunters can replicate its game getting potential with about the same effect with something easier on the shoulder, namely speaking of the 270, 280, or 308- among others. Elk and bigger game hunters could use something a little heavier, 300 Mag or bigger. It has been used for military purposes, and as a sniper weapon on famous occasions with Mr. Hathcock, but it again staddles the ideal, not as efficient as the 308, and not as polished or practical as the heavy bullet in the 300 Win Mag.
I have used one often, have carried one to the field a great deal more than likely many of the others in the stable, and I like several rifles that I own that chamber with this cartridge. I have killed several deer, a wild boar, and a few other creatures including a copperhead snake- and there is just some comfort in packing about a thirty naught six.
And this is where it wins and not shows- as the backup rifle to the primary. Travel to another state, and I forget to pack enough cartridges to the 350 Rem Mag, 358 Win, 300 WSM, or whatever odd caliber that I am running, I would expect that I can get some 06s in the nearest Western Auto. It is a dandy method to stay in business for the long game.
The 30-06 is good, bordering on great, but its greatness is within its ability to morph into good enough, and not because it is ideal.
All said, I have fooled around with these three choices, and would not seek to replace any of them. They excel, but they excel in the general sense, and as such if one does not really understand the ideal; a compromise is the right medicine. I am hopeful that I did inform some more broadly, and not to dissuade your selection of any of these fine generalists if they are in your stable or you are considering selection.