Top 15 Most Popular Rifle Cartridges (2023 Edition)

ByJim Harmer Updated on

I have been tracking the most popular rifle cartridges for the last several years, and it’s always fascinating to see what cartridges take off.

The only problem, is defining what “popular” means. There are many different ways of deciding what is popular, so I’ll list them separately.

Hottest Rifle Cartridges (Ranked by Google search volume)

According to Google search traffic, these are the top most-searched cartridges in the world right now. This is a good indicator of “what’s hot.” (Data updated November 8, 2023)

  1. 22LR
  2. 223 Remington
  3. 6.5 Creedmoor
  4. 30-06 Springfield
  5. 6.5 PRC
  6. 7mm PRC
  7. 450 Bushmaster
  8. 308 Winchester
  9. 7mm Rem Mag
  10. 300 Win Mag
  11. 22-250 Remington
  12. 270 Winchester
  13. 6.8 Western
  14. 7mm-08
  15. 300 WSM
  16. 300 PRC
  17. 243 Winchester
  18. 25-06

Most Common Bolt-Action Rifle Chamberings

This method of determining what’s most popular is to look at current inventory of rifles at several different rifle retailers. Keep in mind this list (1) excludes rimfire cartridges, and (2) may show a very popular cartridge like 7mm PRC lower on this list because retailers can’t keep it in stock. Data updated as of November 8, 2023.

  1. 6.5 Creedmoor (13.49% of all rifles)
  2. 308 Winchester (11.57% of all rifles)
  3. 300 Winchester Magnum (7.01% of all rifles)
  4. 6.5 PRC (5.7% of all rifles)
  5. 243 Winchester (4.3% of all rifles)
  6. 7mm Rem Mag (4.3% of all rifles)
  7. 30-06 Springfield (3.5% of all rifles)
  8. 270 Winchester (3.2% of all rifles)
  9. 223 Remington (3.1% of all bolt-action rifles)
  10. 7mm-08 Remington (Under 3% of all rifles)
  11. 300 PRC (Under 3% of all rifles)
  12. 22-250 Remington (Under 3% of all rifles)
  13. 7mm PRC (This one is undoubtedly SELLING very fast, so inventory is low)
  14. 6mm Creedmoor (Under 2% of all rifles)
  15. 6.8 Western (Under 2% of all rifles)
  16. 300 WSM (Under 2% of all rifles)
  17. 300 Weatherby Magnum (Under 2% of all rifles)
  18. 338 Lapua (Under 1% of all rifles)
  19. 280 Ackley Improved (Under 1% of all rifles)
  20. 25-06 Remington (Under 1% of all rifles)

As you can see from this list, some of the newer designs aren’t ranked as high, because some legacy manufacturers haven’t updated their options to include newer chamberings like 300PRC.

Most Popular Hunting Cartridges in Custom Rifles

This list is a bit more anecdotal, but I spoke with more than 15 custom rifle makers and asked them what their customers are choosing most right now. Generally, custom rifle makers have customers who are willing to spend more for the latest-and-greatest, and they also generally load their own ammunition, so they are less concerned about ammo availability.

  1. 7mm PRC
  2. 6.5 PRC
  3. 6.5 Creedmoor
  4. 300 PRC
  5. 300 Win Mag
  6. 7mm Rem Mag
  7. 28 Nosler
  8. 300 RUM
  9. 6 Creedmoor
  10. 300 WSM

Rifle Cartridge Popularity Ranked By Ammo Sales

Here are the most popular rifle cartridges as ranked by online ammo sales. This data is from 2022, so it’s a little dated.

  1. 22LR
  2. 223 Remington
  3. 6.5 Creedmoor
  4. 300 Blackout
  5. 450 Bushmaster
  6. 30-06 Springfield
  7. 300 Win Mag
  8. 6.5 PRC
  9. 308 Winchester
  10. 7mm Rem Mag
  11. 22-250
  12. 7mm-08

Jim Harmer is a host of the Backfire Youtube channel. He has managed multiple gun ranges, and has hunted around the world. He is a well-known entrepreneur, having started many successful online brands, and lives in St George, Utah.