I am absolutely positive that this list will be controversial and will be completely different from everyone else’s list. This is not a list of which round is better than the other, these cartridges are listed by historical importance, not combat effectiveness. Although in some cases combat effectiveness is why it was so important. Also, this list is based off of my pool of knowledge, and history as how I was taught it, which is out of an American textbook. I’m quite sure someone off in Switzerland, France or elsewhere has a cartridge or two that they would add to the list.
.223 (5.56 NATO) -- Love it or hate it, this is the standard issue infantry caliber of almost the entire free world. Then half of the rest use its Russian-developed knock off, the 5.45x39. I made this number one because it is in the forefront in the global war for freedom and democracy. This round is highly accurate and faster than my Uncle Jim at the Golden Corral Buffet. That’s fast.
7.62x39 -- A solid round with plenty of knock-down (though the FMJ is prone to over-penetration), this round is the standard issue to #1’s “rest of the world.” If your country is former communist, or a developing nation, you shoot this round. This round was the one used to promote Soviet-style diplomacy and the expansion of the Soviet empire for decades. Lauded by Kalash Fanboys everywhere.
.30-06 -- This is the round that saved the world from itself...twice. First in the bolt action 1903 Springfield during The Great War, then second in everyone’s favorite rifle, the M1 Garand in WWII.
.303 British -- I have to give this cartridge its dues. Even though it has never been popular outside of Britain and its empire...oh what an empire it was. This round furthered the British empire and fought on the side of freedom in two World Wars.
7.62x54R -- This one was a close one with #4. Maybe a tie. Like #3, and #4, has plenty of whoop ass to resolve any issues you might have with the enemy. One of the oldest cartridge still being used today by a standing military, this cartridge played a huge part in defeating the Nazis in WWII.
9mm Luger (9mm NATO) -- Once again, love it or hate it, this is the standard issue infantry sidearm caliber of...once again...almost the entire free world. It is such a popular round throughout the world it was used by both sides of WWII.
.308 Winchester (7.62 NATO) -- Ballistically similar to #3,#4 and #5, this round has been proving itself on battlefields throughout the world since it’s inception in the 1950s in battle rifles, but is especially popular in machine guns and sniper rifles. Only its newness prevents it from being ranked higher.
.45 ACP -- One of the all time best handgun calibers in terms of stopping power. This one made the list only in part due to the 1911 handgun it is most famous for, but mostly for its use in the Thompson Sub-Machine gun used primarily in WWII and Korea.
7.92x57 (8mm Mauser) -- I debated this one, is it so much an important round, as it is the rifle that is important? I decided to add it to the list at #9. It is the cartridge for the standard issue rifle of the Army that conquered almost all of Europe...twice. That makes it important.
... a study by the Pew Research Center showed that 40 percent of Fox News stories on Obama in the last six weeks of the campaign were negative. Similarly, 40 percent of Fox News' stories on Obama's Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, were negative.
On CNN, by contrast, there was a 22-point disparity in the percentage of negative stories on Obama (39 percent) and McCain (61 percent). The disparity was even greater at MSNBC, according to Pew, where just 14 percent of Obama stories were negative, compared to a whopping 73 percent of McCain stories -- a spread of 59 points.
Late last week I was on a message board discussing the Russian arms maker, Izhmash, who going out of business. It was one of the big three network news websites, so needless to say, all but me on the message board were very liberal. One such individual made the comment that they wished all American firearm manufacturers would go out of business, to which everyone, except me, heartily agreed. I quickly pointed out that if that happened, it wouldn’t be good for the only segment of our economy that was actually doing good right now, and that it wouldn’t be good for the millions of law abiding Americans who legally purchase their firearms for legal pursuits. Nor would it be good for our military and law enforcement, who need guns to protect us. I didn’t go back to the message board after that, but I’m sure the follow up comment was something to the effect of, “well if there were no guns, our military and police wouldn’t need guns, and wouldn’t need to protect us.” I’ve heard this argument before from the far “non-thinking” left-wing.
Let me address this idea of a no-gun utopia. Say, just for argument’s sake, that all US firearm manufactures really did go out of business, and authorities were actually able to confiscate every single gun in America. Literally, every single gun. No guns left. As a side note let me point out that the left are proponents of completely opening our border with Mexico, allowing anyone and everyone in, and complete amnesty for those illegals already here. Let me point out -- primarily to the left -- that with the measures you are proposing to freely let people in, **read my lips** you could not keep guns out of our country. They would come in. We are not Britain, Australia, Cayman, or any other place that has a no gun policy. We don’t live on an island. While monitoring guns into your country is hard even if you are surrounded on all sides by water, and the only way in is air, or maybe boat. It is IMPOSSIBLE if entrance into your country can be had over land. No way. Can’t be done. So once again, you have a scenario where the only people with the guns are the bad people. Except in this lefty scenario, even the police and military don’t have guns.
Now say, hypothetically, that every single firearms manufacturer in the world went out of business, and every single gun in the world was confiscated and destroyed. Not one single gun was left in the world. People will still find away to kill other people (for example, a molotov cocktail is a very simple device, or even an IED), or make weapons to gain power over others. Still, you cannot un-invent something. An individual can make a gun in his or her home. In fact, plans to make homemade guns are all over the internet. The knowledge is still there. Just the same, you can’t un-invent the automobile to prevent vehicular homocide. Or, you can’t un-invent the wheel. The knowledge is still there. People will still make them.
Bottom line: get over it. Guns are here to stay. There is no utopia. Men will kill other men. If one means to do it is gone, we will find another way. It’s time to look at the real problem; the person behind the gun. Why do some people choose to do evil with a gun, while most do not. Look at how many commit DUIs; we don’t try to ban alcohol, but instead try to treat or punish the person behind the alcohol and the wheel. We need to approach guns the same way. God forbid if the bleeding-hearts every want to punish criminals. Instead we have things like early-release and parole. Violent gun crimes should face a “do the time” penalty -- if you get charged with 15 years, then you do fifteen years. The only way you get out early is if you get shanked in jail, then you can leave early on a steel table.
Semper Fi
First, let me put things in perspective -- there are important things in life, like family, friends, our health, there is are wars going on, people are dying, etc, etc. Then there are things that aren't truly important, like video games, sports, etc. Now that I've clarified that, let me say, watching last night's Monday Night football in which the Packers had to play Brett Favre in a Vikings uniform was the most depressing, worst non-important event of my life. On one hand I wanted the Pack to destroy the Vikes, because the Packers are my boys, I want them to do good, and I hate the Vikings. On the other hand, I wanted Brett to do good, because I love Brett (in a football sense) -- despite all that has happened -- and wanted to see him stick it to Ted Thompson, Packers GM, whom I can't stand, and to Mike McCarthy, Packers head coach, who I think stinks as a coach. But I don't want Brett to do too good, because I don't want him to have a legacy with the Vikings, I want his legacy to be with the Packers. For me the whole game was about contradictions, which left my insides twisted.
Brett has always been an anomaly for me. I have never gotten into the whole celebrity or athlete admiration thing. Except for Brett. I remember being at one of the Packer training camps, and Brett walked by fairly close to where I was. I was standing there in his jersey (as was about half the crowd), but for whatever reason he looked at me, and we actually made eye contact for about 10 seconds. My knees grew weak and I about passed out (not quite, but kind of funny). I felt like a stupid little school girl. I spent my entire adult life growing old with him. To me he was almost like family. So this whole ordeal with getting rid of him and now he being on the Vikings has left me kind of put off by football right now.
Today was a good day for blasting. The above target is the FN Five-seveN at 50 yards. Not bad; Two Xs, two 10s and three 9s. The pasties are from the Browning Buckmark .22. I shot about 40 rounds of 7.62 NATO reloads through the FNAR. Sweet. I love that gun. I would have posted that target, but it started to rain, and I didn't feel like running downrange to retrieve it. It was shot up pretty good, and not pretty. I did a little blasting with the .357, too. It's an EAA Windicator that I just got back from getting some warranty work done, and since it's my bedside gun, I wanted to test fire it, to make sure it was running smoothly. 
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