What is a high powered?

Answer 1

Generally, a "high-powered rifle" is any modern rifle designed to fire a bullet at high velocity from a hollow cylindrical metal shell by means of igniting a primer and detonating a smokeless power charge contained within. Exactly where a "rifle" becomes a "high-powered rifle" has never been definitively established.

Clearly rifles chambered for the .30/30, the .30/06, the .270 Winchester, and the .308-- which are designed for hunting medium to big game and/or military use--are high-powered rifles. Even smaller rounds such as the .243 Winchester, the .222 and the .22 hornet are generally so classified. Alternatively, .22 rimfires are generally not considered high-powered rifles, nor are rifles designed to fire handgun rounds such as the .357 magnum and the .44 magnum.