We are less than eight years into this century but a plethora of new cartridges have been introduced thus far. So many, in fact, that a lot shooters have become cynical and view each new introduction as just another answer to a question nobody asked.

Certainly some new cartridges we have seen introduced in recent years offer little or no advantage over existing rounds. Many of these will likely not be around long. Unfortunately, some of the better new cartridges may have a tough time as well, simply because shooters have become so jaded and confused by the sheer number of new cartridges on the scene and the hype that often accompanies them.

Following is my evaluation of what I consider to be the five most innovative and worthwhile of these new cartridges. By "innovative" I mean these cartridges offer some tangible benefit to shooters that previously existing commercial cartridges did not. These are not necessarily my personal favorite cartridges of the new batch. Emotion was not involved in my choices. Your choices may vary and I would be interested in your opinions. So please join us on the forum to discuss it.

.300 WSM
The .300 WSM has been the topic of much discussion among shooters since it was first announced in 2000. Some love it and some deride it. The later group seems, as is often the case with new cartridges, to be made up largely of people with little or no experience with the round. It delivers magnum performance in a short action rifle. Ballistics of the .300 WSM compare well with the .300 Winchester Magnum but the short-action rifles are a little lighter and handier and the WSM case is a little more efficient and produces slightly less recoil. Other cartridges based on the .300 WSM case perform likewise.

Certainly the .300 WSM was not a huge leap forward in firearm technology. But it was innovative nonetheless and influenced many other cartridges that followed it. Unlike other technologies such as computers and electronics, advances in firearms and cartridges are painfully slow and each baby step forward is met with resistance from a lot of shooters. We as a group tend to be nostalgic and cling to time-honored designs. This is why the .300 WSM and other new cartridges that do offer some small but genuine improvement have had such a hard time gaining acceptance. A lot of shooters now seem to be warming up to the short fat case design though many never will.

.17 HMR
The idea of necking down the .22 Magnum to .17 caliber is not new. Ammo makers have been toying with this idea for decades. Hornady finally brought the idea to fruition with the .17 HMR. This cartridge was much ridiculed on the various Internet gun forums when it was first introduced. Then some people actually fired it and discovered what a fun, efficient, and superbly accurate little varmint buster it is.

The .17 HMR is not as versatile as the .22 Long Rifle or .22 Magnum but it does what it was designed to do better than either of these older rimfires. It makes devastating hits on small vermin at longer ranges not only possible but easy. And due to negligible recoil the ability to watch the impact through the scope makes shooting these critters more fun.

The downside is higher cost of ammo compared to the .22 rimfires but a lot of this higher cost is due to scarcity of the ammo. Manufacturers have had a hard time keeping up with demand. So apparently I am not the only one who thinks this is a great little cartridge.

.25 WSSM
I pondered this cartridge carefully before deciding to include it in this list and I am sure its inclusion will have some of you scratching your head. It is not faring well in the marketplace. None of the WSSM cartridges are. Does it carry the short fat cartridge idea too far or is the shooting public just too slow to embrace new concepts? I am not sure but the .25 WSSM does offer something no previous cartridge did and thus earned a spot among the most innovative.

Some of the new crop of short fat cartridges introduced in recent years are faring poorly in the marketplace. Though it is a niche cartridge, I feel the .25 WSSM is innovative and worthwhile, but I am sure a lot of shooters will disagree.

The .25 WSSM is the third cartridge introduced in the WSSM lineup and the most useful. The .223 WSSM basically provides 22/250 performance in a Super-Short action. The actual benefits of this are limited. Most people who buy flat-shooting .22 centerfires opt for heavy barreled rifles anyway. The .243 WSSM is more practical as it is capable of taking larger game in a very compact lightweight rifle but the advantage of a Super-Short action over a short action is still minimal.

Enter the .25 WSSM. Here is true medium game performance in a rifle that carries and handles like a .22 rimfire. I have hunted with a Browning rifle in this caliber and it is a dream to carry and the balance and handling characteristics are outstanding. Recoil is very mild as well and ballistics are comparable to the time honored 25/06, in factory loadings at least. So basically the .25 WSSM takes long-action performance and scales it down to very petite shorter-than--short-action rifles. Perhaps it deserves to be more popular than it is.

.204 Ruger
This is another new cartridge that was not a new idea. It has been around in wildcat form for years. I discussed the .204 in a recent blog entry where I explained how streamlined polymer tip bullets make the .204 a superb performer. I will not rehash all the details here but will simply reiterate that the cartridge combines the trajectory and wind bucking ability of the 22/250 with the mild recoil and muzzle blast of a .223. As I have said before, it may well be the best prairie dog cartridge in existence.

If I seem particularly enamored with the .204 Ruger it is because I am. It is a truly exceptional cartridge for its intended purpose, which is the eradication of small vermin at extended range.

.500 Smith & Wesson Magnum
The only handgun cartridge on my list is billed as the world's most powerful, a title once held briefly by another S&W revolver round. The forte of the .500 Smith & Wesson is sheer bone breaking, sinew penetrating power. It is the ultimate handgun cartridge for defense against large four legged beasts. But then, how many of us regularly have to defend ourselves from large four legged beasts? Most who buy a .500 will never truly need all that power and that is OK. The adrenalin rush that comes from shooting this hand cannon was best explained by Homer Simpson: "Now I know how God feels when he is holding a handgun."

The four-inch X-Frame .500 Smith & Wesson Magnum loaded with Cor-Bon's 440-grain Hard Cast loads is a potent deterrent against fang and claw. If you live in more civilized areas it is still a blast to shoot and a heck of conversation piece.

On the more practical side, the .500 S&W has energized the handgun market and spawned new interest in the sport of handgun hunting. Smith & Wesson soon followed with another powerful handgun cartridge in the X-Frame – the .460 – and is working on others. The market success of these potent rounds surely has other manufacturers thinking about large bore handgun rounds as well. I am not sure how much more power could be packed into a revolver and still have it be controllable under recoil, but I suspect some brave experimenters are testing those limits now.