Remington is the only company in the U.S. that manufactures both firearms and ammo. It all began in 1816 when Eliphalet Remington II designed and produced his first flintlock rifle in his father’s blacksmith workshop.
He then took his freshly made firearm to a shooting competition, where he ended up in second place. Even though he didn’t win, he received many orders from fellow competitors that day. This event marked the beginning of more than 200 years of Remington’s history.
In this article, I will use my 20+ years of hunting experience to list the six most notable Remmington rounds and explain their best usage in detail. It is important to remember that before using any rifle, it is recommended that you know how to calibrate a scope correctly. This ensures the accuracy of your shots and helps you confidently land the intended target.
- 7mm Remington Magnum
- .222 Remington
- .260 Remington
- .223 Remington
- .35 Remington
- .17 Remington
Let’s get started!
1. 7mm Remington Magnum
Introduced for commercial use in 1962, the 7mm Remington Magnum quickly earned its place as the king of big-game rifle hunting. It proved its worth so much so that the Winchester company had to release .300 Winchester Magnum rounds to stay competitive on the ammo market.
The 7mm Rem Mag cartridges are still produced today and can be found readily available in online stores such as Natchez ammunition.
With these rounds, you can hunt anything from medium- to big-game. I recommend 140-grain 7mm Rem Mag billets for deer hunting and 160- to 175-grain bullets for elk and moose.
Because it is such a powerful round, you should make sure you have a proper rifle with a sufficient rifle twist rate that can handle firing the 7mm Rem Mag bullets in a steady trajectory.
2. .222 Remington
The .222 Remington, aka 5.7x43mm was introduced in 1950 as the first rimless cartridge made in the USA. It is a relatively small round, best suited for smaller-framed shooters. Nonetheless, some hunters use 55-grain options for deer and antelope hunting.
If you plan on going after small varmints, I recommend you use 40-grain .222 Rem bullets. Just make sure you shoot them from no more than 100 yards away.
3. .260 Remington
The production of .260 Remington ammo began in 1997. It was praised for its great penetration power, mild recoil, and pinpoint accuracy. Unfortunately, with the emergence of the 6.5 Creedmore cartridges, the .260 Remington massively decreased in popularity.
I believe it is a greatly underestimated round and that you can take down a deer easily with a 120 or 140-grain .260 Rem bullet. On the other hand, this cartridge might be a little light for taking down bigger animals like elk or moose, especially if you shoot from longer distances.
4. .223 Remington
The .223 Remington was first introduced in 1957 as an experimental cartridge for the Armalite AR-15 rifle. Seven years later, the U.S. Army officially adopted it as the 5.56mm ball cartridge M193.
It is widely known as the 5.56×45 NATO round and is one of the best-selling cartridges to this day.
Hunters praise the .223 Rem cartridges for their mild recoil and affordability. A 60-grain .223 Rem can be very effective for shooting small to medium animals like rabbits or smaller deer species, but not from more than a 150-yard range.
5. .35 Remington
Originally made in 1908 to chamber the Remington Model 8 rifle, the .35 Remington remains relevant to this day. It is mostly considered a medium game cartridge, but many larger animals were brought down by these bullets.
The 200 to 220-grain .35 Rem is a very heavy, bone-crushing, slow-moving bullet. This makes it perfectly capable of bringing down grizzly bears or moose from shorter distances (no more than 100 yards).
6. .17 Remington
The .17 Remington was first made in 1971. It was based on the .223 Rem but with the shoulder moved back. Its best selling points are its high velocity (over 4000 feet per second), flat trajectory, and extremely low recoil.
It is most effective when shooting prairie-dog-sized animals from no more than 440 yards. Because .17 Remington bullets rarely leave an exit wound, hunters often use it when they hunt coyotes or foxes for fur.
With options from 25 to 35-grain, this cartridge is very light, and I wouldn’t recommend hunting any large animals with it.
Closing thoughts
There’s no doubt about it, the Remington legacy continues to live on in the hearts of many hunting enthusiasts, and rightfully so.
I hope you have found everything you wanted to know about Remington rifle ammo in this article. For those also interested in handguns and their ammunition, you can check out a detailed guide on Glock ammo types to further broaden your understanding. More importantly, I hope that the next time you come home from a hunt, you come with admirable prey.
