which rifle should i get

[brent]

If I could only have one rifle for all of Ontario. 270wsm

If I could only have one rifle for all of Canada. 300wsm

[andrew.suggy]

Why the 300wsm over the 300winmag?

[DGearyFTE]

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.

[Bluebulldog]

.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.

[Bluebulldog]

If I could only have one rifle for all of Ontario. 270wsm

If I could only have one rifle for all of Canada. 300wsm

And if you found yourself up in the North, you'd probably have a devil of a time finding ammo for either.

[dutchhunter]

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

[JBen]

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

[terrym]

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.

[terrym]

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

You should seek counseling for this ailment...........

[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