While the new short magnums are more inherently accurate because of their design, barrel quality, bedding and other factors still govern how accurate a rifle will be. The advantage of many of the new magnums is their capability to be chambered into shorter actions and therefore lighter, handier rifles—the resulting rifle/cartridge package being the selling point.

Experienced riflemen know that the short, fat .308 Winchester is a "more accurate" cartridge than the .30-06. Take 10 .308 rifles and 10 identical .30-06 rifles, and the .308s will probably win in average group size. But the other factors are important enough that one or two of those .30-06s in the test group may be more accurate than any of the .308s.

So if you're picking a factory rifle off the shelf, to some extent it's a matter of luck. The rifle you pick will almost certainly produce adequate accuracy for your needs. If you're really lucky you might pick a tack-driver. If you're unlucky to same degree, you might pick a lemon. This applies to all new cartridges as well as all old cartridges--and to all factory rifles.

If you're having a custom rifle made, you can insist on a true match-grade barrel. If you do this, then you will probably get extreme accuracy no matter what cartridge you have the rifle chambered to.

So if the new magnums aren't delivering significantly more velocity or accuracy, then what's the point? My opinion is that most of the new cartridges are really about packaging, and I don't mean marketing hype or fancy boxes. For example, short, fat .30 caliber magnums mentioned previously essentially equal the .300 Winchester Magnum but can provide this level of performance in a short (.308-length) bolt action.

The .338 RCM comes very close to the .338 Winchester Magnum--again, in a short action. The .375 Ruger exceeds the .375 H&H but doesn't come close to the .375 Weatherby Magnum. However, that power can be housed in a .30-06-length action.

This means that the shorter magnums can be housed in handier, lighter rifles. Handier is good. As for weight, whether that's an advantage depends on your recoil tolerance because lighter rifles do kick more. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that, since the more efficient new cartridges do what they do with less powder, they do produce less recoil.

Skeptical? Well, recoil energy is based on velocity and projectile weight and affected by gun weight. Note I said projectile weight. This includes both the bullet weight and the weight of the powder charge, which together are called the "ejecta."

If you burn less powder, which the short, fat cartridges surely do, you produce a bit less recoil. But gun weight is far more important than a few grains less powder, so if you shave weight you will quickly eat up the benefit and increase recoil.

I've never been a big champion of shorter actions, largely because, historically, there are so few left-hand short actions. But in recent years I have to say that I have come to like carrying a more compact package.

I have tried most of the new short magnums, and all do what their makers say they will do. I do not love them all equally, but some have become real pets. I love the .270 WSM, and I'm coming to love the .375 Ruger. I'm not a big guy, and the shorter action between my hands gives a nice feel.

There are other benefits. Shorter actions, by their nature, are more rigid, and thus also conducive to better accuracy. Also, because of the burning efficiency, most of the shorter, fatter cartridges are able to produce more or less full velocity from shorter barrels.

Again, I've never been a big fan of short barrels, but if you can get the same performance from a 21- or 22-inch tube that used to require a 24- or even 26-inch barrel, this is a clear advantage.