Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 30-06 vs 300 Win Mag

Thats what I would look at if I already had a 270

I have both. If I were to have only one, it would be the 30-06.
Marketers will dazzle you with the numbers at every opportunity. Their job is to sell things.
The truth is more simple. A 30-06 will drive a 180 grain bullet at around 2800 FPS.. Most 300s will drive the same bullet at about 3050 to 3100 FPS.

But if we look at the down range velocity and see where the 300 magnum's bullet is at at about 2800, we see it is at about 125 to 140 yards.

So it's perfectly safe to say a 300 is the same as a 30-06 with with an added 125 yards of "range".

For that extra 125 of range you give up 2 rounds in the mag, and you add 2" or 4" to the barrel, and you increase the recoil about 30% as well as paying more per round to practice.

So those are the facts without any loyalty or "religious devotion" to either.

If the gain of an extra 125 yards is worth it to you, you need not apologize to anyone for your choice.

If the shorter rifle with 2 more rounds in it, with better bore life, that is cheaper to fire is more to your liking, buy it.

You need not apologize to anyone for your choice if it's the 06 either.

I have never had a problem killing elk with my 270s or a 30-06, or my 308, or my 8MM Mauser, or my 300 or my 375H&H.

I Love my 300s too. However I would have been about as happy with a 30-06 in every case I have shot anything with the 300s

The longest kill I ever made on an elk was with a 270.

It's really more about (a) your marksmanship and (B) what type of bullet you shoot.

What rifle you shoot it from is in about "15th place" in importance, judging from my experience. (43 years of elk hunting and guiding hunters)

You summed it up yourself as well as it can be said.
I want something a little bigger.

Get what you want. You'll be happiest that way.

I've killed a couple of elk...

1). Use your 270. I have, it's ideal.

2). Take the money you would have put into a new rifle and buy the very best binoculars you can afford. Then spend a bit more.

That about sums it up right there.. Anymore question?

Before or after the sex change...

I looked at the 338. My fear is developing a flinch, and being able to shoot enough to get proficient. I am mainly a shotgun shooter. Although, 12 gauge slugs pack a good punch, as to 3 1/2 inch turkey loads.

What is the recoil comparison of the 30-06, 300 WM, and 338?

In terms of recoil, I find the 300Mag to be the most unpleasant. The only reason to own one is big bullets (180 gr +) going fast. The recoil seems fast and sharp. I could probably load my .338 up to unpleasant levels with 250 gr bullets, but find the 210 gr kill just fine. The 30-06 is the most accessible of the three.

Of course the stock design and how it fits you makes a huge difference.

THIS, in spades. You can use your optics every weekend, high end glass will boost your spotting and confidence and you'll never regret the huge hole in your wallet.

Or so I like to tell myself...

Buy the .30/06 and go kill elk with it.

I like your style.

When shooting at game, there is no difference, at least none that you'll notice.

From the bench, I can compare a 30-06 and a 300 WSM which is almost identical to the 300 WM. I've never had a need to shoot or hunt with a 338. I can shoot 40 or 50 rounds from a 30-06 with no problem. With a PAST pad, I can do the same with the 300 WSM. Without the PAST, I'm only good for about 20 rounds before my shoulder starts hurting. Both rifles have almost identical Limbsaver butt pads. The 300 WSM weighs about 1lb more than the '06.

I have a .30-06 and harvested a lot of meat with it.

I also have a Weatherby in 300 wthby mag. It's still new. Never fired. Never even had a scope mounted on it. Just sits in the safe. Why ? Because someone convinced me that it was much better than a .30-06.

Ammo- $80.00 a box
Recoil- Substantially more.
Noise- Overly Excessive... and I don't need to further damage my hearing (Thanks Three Dog Night and Ted Nugent).

As for larger game, ie: bears, moose etc. If you're going to a larger caliber, go to a .338 or .375 of some flavor. I currently have a .338 win mag. It seems to me that my .338 WM has more recoil than the trusty old .375 H&H. And if you ever decide to go to Africa for dangerous game, you'll already have a .375 H&H. Just mu humble opinion.

Last, but not least... SHOT PLACEMENT... SHOT PLACEMENT... SHOT PLACEMENT

A well placed and ethical shot is far better that a poor shot with a heavy magnum. So, as others have stated, if you're recoil sensitive, shoot the .270 or .30-06.

Jeff

Your .270 Win will kill elk as well as anything inside 500yds.

That may not be the answer you want to justify a new gun but spend the $$ on .270 Win ammo and cool optics and you will be way ahead.

You will also have more fun.



Well many of us want to offer good advice to a novice elk hunter.

Just Sayin.

I agree with John Burns. If you truly are going to limit yourself to 300 or 400 yards, bullet selection in the 270 is all you need. A 270 is .277 diameter bullet inch in a slightly bigger case along the neck from a 3006. The 3006 and 300 mag bullet measure .308 inch. So you are looking at a meplat difference of 11 percent. A 150 grain 270 bullet will give you ample Whomp to match a 30 caliber bullet all day long at under 400 yards. I look 4 a sectional density of .25 and twice the foot pounds on impact of the animals weight. I.E. 1500 foot pounds. If you go the monolithic bullet option I am sure the 243 elk slayers will soon chime in. Terminal ballistic research is a great web sight to study and review in my opinion. If I wanted to get another rifle to throw a whoop ass close range as you speak , that would perhaps out shine a 270 I would suggest a 45 70 ruger. A 450 marlin, a 9.3 x 64, or a bigger bore belted magnum. A classic Elmer Keith versus Jack O Conner debate. But in this new day and age the Barnes 243 elk slayers may chime in. Good luck with your hunt!

At only 300 yards there are dozens of cartridges that will work just fine including the 270 you have. The 300 mags don't start showing any advantage until you start taking 500+ yard shots. You're 270 or a 30-06 would still be good out to around 500.

A 30-06 has been my primary hunting rifle for over 40 years, but if I owned a 270 I'd be just as happy. There isn't enough difference in the 2 to justify owning both.

If you simply must buy another rifle I'd suggest 300 WSM over 300 WM. With the same bullet weights it is 200-250 fps faster than 30-06 and 50-75 fps slower than 300 WM. In equal weight rifles recoil is almost exactly 1/2 way between 30-06 and 300 WM. With the 300 WSM burning 10-12 gr less powder combined with slightly less velocity it makes it noticeably less harsh in recoil.

In my rifles, with my loads, shooting 180 gr bullets my 30-06 generates about 20 ft lbs recoil, a 300 WM about 28 ft lbs and my 300 WSM about 24 ft lbs. I simply don't notice the 4 additional ft lbs of recoil between 30-06 and 300 WSM. And while I can tolerate it, I do notice the additional 8 ft lbs between 30-06 and 300 WM.

No game animal will ever notice the bullet impacting 50 fps slower.

Do what you want, but if I had a 270 that I liked and if it shot well I'd just buy or load quality 150 gr bullets for it and spend the money on something else.

My thought in moving away from the 270 is that it may not be enough if the shot isn't perfectly broadside. i.e., the 30-06 or 300 would still be lethal if the elk is quartering a little. Is my thinking misguided?

Yup.
A Nosler Partition,Swift A-Frame or Barnes X from a .270 will still penetrate to the vitals and still kill the elk.

A .30 caliber will just make a bigger hole going through.

The ability of people to NOT stay on topic on the Campfire is legendary. The choice was between a 30-06 and a 300 Win.

Go for the 30-06, it is magic. There seems to be the similar magic with a 257 Roberts and it's ability to kill. A 25-06 has more energy, but somehow the Roberts just seems to be the perfect balance and kills reliably. And so it is with the 30-06, it just plain kills big game.

There is a reason that most big game cartridges are compared to a 30-06.

Your current 270 is fine. Now I am a looney and have all 3 of the rounds the OP mentioned, along with a few more, like I said I am a rifle looney!

If I was looking to compliment a 270 and was considering the OP's choices of the 06 or the 300, I would go for the 300. The 300 can do everything the 06 can do and more and can easily be loaded down to 06 performance and recoil level, but the opposite is not true, the 06 cannot produce 300 ballistics.

The 06 is a GREAT round no doubt, but just is not that much of a step above the 270. The 300 can provide a worthwhile bump IMO.