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with all the big calibers out there i was wondering which rifle is most used i was thinking of a 30-06 or a 300 win mag and thoughts and its not a discussion on which is better but on which is the best well rounded big game rifle or if there is another big caliber you enjoy shooting
I lean towards .308/30-06, magnums I feel are over rated
It depends on what your intention is with it. If moose is what you are after, then either one. If long distance shooting is your bag, Go with a mag.
You are asking two questions. The .30-06 answers both.
I tried to get the best hunting rifle... I ended up with 30-30, and 300 Win Mag. I would add .270 to be covered with all the cases.
.308 and 30-06 are your most popular.. I like my.300wsm
With the 30-06 you have many factory load options.
A buddy just blew a grand on a Ruger M77 African in .300WinMag. and Nikon scope. It's a stunner of a rifle and we all know what a huge fan of Ruger rifles I am. I hope he invites me to the range. To the OP,if you ever intend to hunt Moose or Bear in the west,go with the .300 Mag. Theres more than a few outfitters that would really rather you didn't use anything lighter.
My old man has been carrying his Remington 760 .30-06 Carbine since new (late 70s). Winchester SilverTip 180s. Open sights. He has taken many moose and deer without fail. I've gotten used to hearing that gun bark in the bush now haha.
As was mentioned. Lots of load choices with .30-06 but all depends on what you're planning to hunt.
The only large rifle I have is the .270 ... there isn't anything in Ontario it cannot handle, and it can still be used in any areas that have calibre restriction ... good all round rifle and I figure it will be the only one I need for the rest of my hunting career.
My brother just bought a beautiful Sako Bavarian in 30-06. Topped with a Zeiss Conquest.
I don't care much for 30-06 but it's great machine. In the real hunting world, they all do the job.
I take a look at ballistic charts and then practice with my gun. I really like the 7mm mag.
I was just looking at the ballistics http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/...ics_charts.pdf I think that a 7mm mag would be a good choice, but I also like the 338 Win Mag as well, for long distance.
Check out ammo cost and availaibility in your area, that may help you decide.
In your OP you used the term "enjoy". Personally, I've never shot a .300 win mag that was enjoyable. The 30-06 or .308 would get my vote every time and you wouldn't be under-gunned for anything in the province.
Add another vote for .308
My main recommendation when buy a new rifle is to look around your local gunshops/ammo buying places and check the price, selection, and availability of ammo. You may quickly find that 300WM is out of your budget or doesnt offer the selection you want locally.
I've been using the 30-06 Remington for a number of years now and I have been vey happy with the results, great for moose, deer etc. it really covers all the bases. Good luck
I personally use a 308 for deer and 338wm for moose. If I had to choose one calibre to do both I would probably go with a 30-06
You did mention the phrase "enjoy shooting"......I agree with GW on this, I've never met anyone who shot a 300WinMag for pleasure.
30 06 anywhere you can buy ammo you can get rounds. as well I m pretty sure that nothing that walks on this planet has not been put down by one. maybe not the best round but darn close. sure has my vote
Wouldnt a .270 be a better choice? It could be shot in the south for coyote as well.
If I could only have one rifle for all of Ontario. 270wsm
If I could only have one rifle for all of Canada. 300wsm
Why the 300wsm over the 300winmag?
If you don't reload your own ammo you may want to consider costs. The 300 WSM ammo is costly compared to 30-06 or 308. Even the 300 Win Mag ammo is pricey.
The 30-06 has been around for a long time because the cartridge is so versatile and will drop anything in North America. Unless you are planning hunting beyond 400 yds the Magnums don't offer any advantage other the increased recoil, more costly ammo and not as readily available. In other words you can pretty much go anywhere in the world and buy 30-06 ammo.
The Win Short Mags are rather new to the market (2001)
Some have suggested a 270 Winchester. I like the 270 Win (its parent case is 30-06) and it is a great performer. Really worth considering since it can also be used for small game with a lighter bullet.
.270 Win. Any big game animal in North America can be taken with it.
I'm also a big fan of the .308 ( I own 2 of them).
Main considerations given when looking at big game calibers are a few things.
1. Energy and ballistic coefficient relative to the game you're after. Both calibers have that ( as do the 300 Win Mag, and the 30-06).
2. Felt recoil. Well, I'll be frank. The .300 Win Mag has that in spades, as does the 30-06. The .308, and .270 are a bit lighter.
3. Price and availability of ammo. The 300 Win Mag is the more expensive of the bunch, and not as widespread when looking. The other three are readily available in different loads, and are priced well. The .308 has an edge, because you can buy inexpensive milsurp 7.62x51 NATO for it.
Let me qualify my availability comment. As we had these discussions last year as well. I regard availability in the terms that if you found yourself up North ( really up North, not Central Ontario) you could walk into a mom and pop general store, or hardware store and find ammo.
Now, go forth and purchase whatever your heart desires......like potato chips....you wont stop at just one.
And if you found yourself up in the North, you'd probably have a devil of a time finding ammo for either.Quote:
Originally Posted by brent
well if you are looking between the 06 and the 308 I would go with the 308 as it is a lot shorter action .better in a pump; auto or even a bolt a short action just feel better .if I could only pick one gun for all Ontario and even Canada it would be a 264 win mag .I just love that cal ,Dutch
For what it's worth.
When shopping myself I wanted one rifle. I don't want 3 in my vault, I wanted 1 rifle, that I could confidently use in almost all situations I might realistically find myself in, here.
BLR in .308
there is basically no practical difference between factory loaded 30-06 and .308win shells. The 30-06 is typically loaded mildly to compensate for the millions of old military Springfields still in use. Ammo makers are litigation paranoid. The .308 is typically loaded closer to it's potential so in real life my chronograph testing has shown only 100fps difference between the two, means nothing at normal hunting ranges. I personally prefer the .308 not because of ballistic capability but because it is chambered in shorter and handier rifles. You can carry a hunting rifle for days and sometimes seasons without actually firing a round, might as well be nice to carry. In the end no moose deer or bear would ever know the difference as it expires.
You should seek counseling for this ailment...........:silly:Quote:
Originally Posted by JBen
haha, well truth be told Terry, I don't have the time nor access, nor ability to do all the hunting I might want. So I want versatile over specific purpose
/cry
And most of my vault is taken up by camera bodies, lenses.....I don't have room for any more
:)
It is very hard to beat the versatility of a .308 BLR in Ontario cover. I have owned and sold 4 of them over the years ( 2 x .308, 2x .358 ) and will likely own another some day. I quite like the pig version with the 18"barrel. Right now my .308 is a Remington 7600P which is a synthetic law enforcement version with a 16.5" barrel. Very handy and much higher build quality than the new ones. It has a metal trigger assembly like the older ones. I also have a BAR 7mm-08 for deer and when moose hunting with a rifle use a Sako 7mm Rem Mag Finnlite. Yes, I have a bit of a problem. Won't even get into what the shotgun assortment is.....
Actually Terry I'll grit my teeth and say JBen is the smarter of us all since he does not suffer from the addiction the rest of us have for firearms . LOL But the camera gear the man has is atrocious and he may need counseling with that .:silly: ;) I will have a BLR 308 soon and like a .243 so they look like a couple .:ashamed::DQuote:
Originally Posted by terrym
TD
Exactly. Hell you can take snaps with an iPhone if needed. In JBen's case he would still produce great shots....LoL.Quote:
Originally Posted by 400bigbear
If I was forced to own one gun to hunt with I'd probably go with 30 06. It's not exactly ideal for anything but works reasonably well for most game. 7 mm rem mag Is tough to beat for the same reason. If I was allowed to pick 2 it would by 257 wby and 375H&H. Then you'd truly have 98% of the world's game animals covered and 100% of North America. 30 06 is good compromise. I'd go 35 Whelen before any 30 Cal mag or 338.
LOL Terry . I see those point and shoot cameras come on sale at $59.95 all the time at wally world . That's all he need s . LOL Would be way more financially responsible to just spend that methinks . :fish::DQuote:
Originally Posted by terrym
TD
Yeah well there are reasons I'm divorced. I told my lawyer, as long as she doesn't go after my lenses/bodies.....Just give her what she wants.....Not so very different from what normally kept in vaults :)
Im good with my BLR, A5 and my grandfathers Lee Enfield
Sad thing is, I could sell one lens, or one body and have my atv.
/cry
When I was looking to buy I spoke with a lot of hunters. The BLR in .308 was pretty much unanimous for something I could hunt anywhere in Ont with.
30.06 all day long!
Times 2Quote:
Originally Posted by browning3812
Going to have to agree with others and say the 30.06 for a all around big game gun.
I personally use a Sako A7 ss .308 and Tikka T3 laminate in .300winmag
That sako is great gun in 308. Which one did you own first?Quote:
Originally Posted by SongDog
If I had to choose one firearm only I would use a .308 and probably look for an older pre 81 BLR.
My exising rifles are .243 BLR and a Remington 700 BDL in 7mm mag. Im covered from groundhogs to moose with them.
3006 doesnt do anything better then a 308 at any range that the vast majority of hunters have any business shooting at. And if you have business shooting at that range, you wont be using either of them.
I like 308 because it can drop moose at ranges further I will shoot at live targets (300m). Ammo is cheap, and very readily available. Where this is particularly important is in milsurp or commercial FMJ ammo often selling for $12-13 a box, as opposed to $20 or so for the cheapest 3006. Thats significant. and this ammo is great for practice. Is also often available in cases, which are difficult to find in 3006.
I have the philosophy that why not get one of everything. Matter of want and not need. I have a .243, .30-30, two .308's, a .30 06, a 7mm Rem mag and a .300 Win mag. If it's deer you're after, you can never beat a .308 - Also shot a lot of moose and bear with the .308. For longer range deer - when I know I'll potentially get shots out to 300+ yards, I usually opt for the 7 mm Rem mag. I bought the .300 mainly because I get out to do 1000 meter practice from time to time, but that thing really does put the "smack down" on any sized antlered game or bear, and surprisingly doesn't really do any more or very little more damage to meat than the .308. It'
s also extremely versatile for re-loading and is an absolute machine out past 600 meters. Meat damage is really more a function of where you hit them (how much bone you hit) as well as the bullet. I try to load according to what I'm hunting and pick the bullet accordingly. So now the short answer, between the .30 06 and the .300 for moose or deer, or bear, I'd go with the .30 06 simply to to the severe recoil you get from the ,300 Win mag, unless you put a muzzle brake on it and then they are both about equal. But I still like the .308 better than the .30 06.
I use my .243 for almost everything except adult Moose and Black Bears. They get the .30-06 (180 PSP) which,IMHO,is more than enough for all big game animals that we hunt in Ontario.
As a new-hunter I bought one of the mentioned calibers (which one doesn't matter).
But I asked myself these questions:
What distance are you trying to achieve? Also if you were going to consider making your own ammo this could change
What rifle feels the best in your hands and your able to lug around all day ( I tried to think if I was walking in heavy brush and do a 2 hand carry).
How much you want to spend?
What accessories are you thinking you may want?
Which one are you going to practice the most with?
I think your asking a loaded question (pun not intended), people will give you there opinions, you could ask this same question in 4 forums and get totally different answers in other people's opinions. Mine is if you can't get proper shot placement it doesn't matter what you shoot at the game.
I might have a few screws loose mind ya!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frozenfew
I bought the Tikka about 6 years ago for moose hunting. Then took it deer hunting the year after and thought it was overkill so I went to my favorite .308rem with 150g bullet. I would use it for moose no question.
30-06 the best!
Not even one 270?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawtree Hunter
I'd say 30-06 for anything in Ontario, but you could just buy both!
Sent from my SGH-I317M using Tapatalk
Some places in Ontario you cannot use a caliber greater then .275. In that case a .270 is probably the most versatile caliber in Ontario great for deer or Bear and still able to drop a moose and you can take a yote with it to.
The thread is over a year and a half old? I would hope the OP has got his rifle by now?
X 2 270 Browning Gold medallion my fav, shoot very flat as well ,have shot white tail ,mule deer , elk , caribou , moose , black bear and wolf with it in 4 different provinces very versatile gun
I was just thinking the same thing...Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushmoose
The necropost award this week goes to Andrew Suggy....LOL
lmao...i didnt even notice...been reading away
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gadwall
X2 with 180 gr Woodleight bulet
I have a Browning X Bolt 300 WSM Carl Zeiss Conquest 3x9 50 ml objective lens for my sitting gun. WSM for the short action when ejecting and marginally better ballistics over the win mag. F you use nosler bullets 180 grain...you punch a nice hole...shock and then some...you are not going far to retrieve anything on a well placed shot...but the key is nosler partion for controlled expansion...my 2 cents...I like the 7 ml mag as well for the range of cartridges and ballistics but I will stick with shock and awe. There is way better for the $$ but that's my limit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gadwall
Maybe even 270 WSM and dont worry for anything that walk out on you while anywhere in Ontario...
We are trying for a caliber that will be best overall. Easy to find ammo, cheap to practice with, enjoyable on the shoulder, able to blow the head off partridge at 30' but powerful enough for bear, moose etc. No good having some of these things if you can't find practice ammo, or can't afford to bust beer cans with it..... Once the shooter has had a few years he/she will tend to gravitate to one type of shooting and can buy special purpose rifles.Quote:
Originally Posted by Drastic711
My FIL would sit out on the line watching for moose. His scoped 303 was perfect for him but I wanted to dog the bush and move game out. Back then we could carry in the bush so I took my Rugers, one a lever action with 240gr hard cast, the other a 7 1/2" barrel with birdshot for running grouse. If I chose to sit the line or watch a pond, then I would grab my 270 Remington. No matter what I carried, it was a gun that got a lot of shooting for fun and pleasure so I could predict my bullet placement.
You might as well keep it rolling bud sooner or later someone else is going to ask lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Bushmoose
I shoot a Remington 7600 in .30-06 sighted in with 180 grain cartridges at 200 yards. Depending on the construction of the bullets used, it is a suitable rifle for moose, bear or deer. If your goal is hunting brown, grizzly or polar bears, you may want something a little more powerful. Otherwise the .30-06 is more than suitable for any big game animal in North America.