Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 300 win mag or 30-06

Don't take offense to this but if your asking I assume you may be a novice hunter. Pick the 30/06 and DON'T SHOOT AT ANYTHING ANYWHERE NEAR 450 yds! That's a long shot, get closer or pass it up. The 30/06 will do all you need to do and is easier to shoot.

Nothing spells success like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . success!

Wise guy? Who... lil' old me?

I've had a rennaisance with my 30-06 for the last year at least. For a while it was kind of the red-haired stepchild in my safe. But it just got a scope upgrade and is back in the game.

Partly (like we talked about) this is because I intend to do a quality mule deer hunt soon and I'd love to get one with that rifle.

I'm jealous of your Summit.

Hard not to like a 30/06,Jeff I like mine!It has one of those 4X Conquests on it.....

You can have a Summit, too.....I have fewer nice scopes than you

Do you know where you're gonna chase the mule deer?

I got my first deer with that '06, and got a nice blacktail with it while hunting with an old college buddy I hadn't seen in over a decade... it's a lucky rifle. On top of that it's very accurate and feels great in my hands in that Mountain LSS stock. Love it.

I have flirted with the idea of selling off X number of scopes and rifles, with the end goal being to have fewer, but truly first-rate, items. It's a thought. I love my rifles too much though, I think.

Uh... what's a Summit cost anyway? Dare I ask?

I have not decided on the fargin' mule deer hunt yet. It has the problems we talked about. Mostly, I have all these damn pref points for Oregon, but, I don't know anyone ELSE who does except my brother, whom I've been buying points for for the last 8 years. And he's not in a position to really do a proper hunt (baby in the house, wife working and in school, etc). So I'm in this wierd limbo.

That said, my elk buddy Jerry says he'll go with me to spot and just be along for the ride if I do (say) a Trout Creek Mountains or Steens hunt. Those are two of the primo areas. Deer numbers are "down" compared to some years, they say, however.

I don't know what to do, I just know I want to DO IT!

Jeff, check with Doug but the Summit was about $1400 IIRC...it's a lot of money but then, when it comes to optics these days I don't know what alot is anymore...

Price of good glass makes me like iron sights that much more.I'm gonna hunt moose this year with my 45 Kentucky muzzleloader.

It's been my observation that the 300WM is one fine elk round. Maybe as good as it gets. I've killed some elk with one,actually a 30-338 version, but I never liked the recoil, especially from awkward field positions. But, that's me. My opinion is that a guy ought to shoot the biggest round/rifle he can handle. The trick is being honest with oneself about that. My test is to do some offhand shooting and if I don't flinch to much then I consider the recoil level OK for me.

I have never liked the 300 win mag and like the 7mm rem even less(not trying to start anything here so do not flame me).IMHO if I need more gun than a 30/06 it would be to shoot bigger heavier bullets not shoot the same bullets faster.The only real edge the 300 would have is at the furthest reaches of hunting distances which is further than most of us should be shooting to begin with.
The 300win mag. is about the largest round most guys can shoot which pleases the he-man found in most guys. If more gun is needed a fellow should be looking at a 338 win instead.

I still recommend the 30/06 with 165's-180's and then find the 325 hard to beat shooting 200-220's and/or the 338win mag with 225-250's if a guy wants "bigger" than the 06. Again this is just my thought on the subject,not saying I am right.

Stew I love my 300 Win mag dearly.I wouldn't be without one.

Hey not flaming the 300 win.Hope nobody gets to upset with me. I really miss my 300Roy which is a great round and only a little bit better than the winchester if there is any dif at all. I just think if more power is needed than the 30/06 then the 8mm mag,325 wsm,338 win is needed,hence my love for those three.

7STW we all love different rounds for different reasons,that is why we have so many. All my buddies shoot 300winnies(you included)so maybe I am one of those guys that just needs to be different.I have never,nor ever will,tell anyone the round is no good it is a great round.Its just not on my list of calibers I want.

kinda fell the same if my.308 ulrtalite cant do it i will move to a 300 mag or bigger so no need for the old 06 but if cant afford all i like the 06 with handloads would be good compramise

Damn. Well said.

.325 is pretty sweet...

Let�s face it � if you can�t get it done with a .30-30 you just need to learn to �hunt� rather than �snipe�.

A .308 Win has way more recoil than a �hunter� needs to put up with and that recoil makes it difficult to shoot well. Don�t even get me started on the .30-06 or, more ridiculous yet, the .300 Win Mag.

It�s an invariable rule - the bigger the cartridge, the smaller the shooter�s man parts! People that shoot a .300 Win need a magnifying glass to take a whiz.

Actually wrong but nice try.

I agree with all but the last statement as I have no profound knowledge on that topic. The 300 Savage and 30-40 Krag may be the most under rated and over looked 30 cal cartridges around.

.....................Coyote Hunter! And your next jokes are??????

Would you take a 30-30 on a sheep hunt, where the killing ranges are likely to be beyond 400 yards? What if one can`t get closer without spookin the game and yet still have an opportunity for a 400+ yard shot on a nice trophy??

Would you take a 30-30 on an open plains pronghorn hunt? Open ranged elk hunt? How about them big bears? 30-30 for them too?

The 30-30 has its good uses for what is was designed to do, which may fit perfectly into your particular,,,,,"shorter ranged",,,,hunting needs.

Although I cannot speak for the others, I will speak for myself. Now maybe you think a 180 grainer fired from a 308 is "more recoil" than most hunters need. But for me, and I`ll bet for quite a few others as well, that is,,, "chump change",,, recoil.

And!.........Speaking again for myself anyway, and after 35+ years of reloading/shooting/hunting with a 300 Win Mag, plus 3 years of reloading/shooting/hunting with a 300 WSM including 2 years reloading/shooting/hunting with a 375 Ruger, plus shooting experience with a bunch of other hi-powered magnums, (with great accuracy), I can`t still find my privates without looking down, AND without the need of a magnifyer.

Could it be,,,that you yourself,,,can`t handle the biggys and shoot them straight???? Sounds like you`re a little jealous there uh????????????.....LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laker,
Skipping over 6 pages of postings, I'll tell you right now that you should use the 30-06. For a lot of reasons, many of which were probably posted. The cheaper cost of ammo is a big one unless you are a handloader. The rifle will be a little lighter and shorter and the cartridge will be easier to master. Don't get me wrong, a 300WM in capable hands is a very lethal weapon.
But a 30-06 will be easier to gain confidence because of the recoil. You can master your skill level with cheaper ammo and move up to the premium stuff for elk. A standard cup and core is plenty for deer. Don't buy into the magnumitis, it is not really needed that often. A hunters' ego demands it more than the big game does.

I should add that this comes from 16 30-06 elk kills in my group to date from 75 yards to 425 yards - 6 from the 270Win and 10 from the 30-06. Good luck.

OK, here's the deal.
I shoot my .375 Ruger with about as much recoil worry as I do a .223! I don't think of it at all. And my .375 weighs just 7-3/4 lbs.
Everyone has a different level of tolorance for recoil. Does that mean I should stop at YOUR recoil level for MY best shooting? Rediculous!
That's for everyone to decide for themselves.
I have owned a dozen or more 06s, and like them a lot for their lighter weight, and shorter overall length in thicker stuff.
I also have a .300 WM, and like it a lot for open country shooting where ranges can stretch a ways farther. They are both tools, and both handle their jobs well for their intended purposes. But, they are tools. Asking which is better is like asking which is better, a boat or a plane! It depends on the job it is meant to do.
My favorite caliber for most of what and where I hunt is my .375 Ruger and 300 grain RN bullets. But that does not make it better or worse then someone else's choice.
But it's MY choice.
I like an exit hole from any angle on large animals.

P.S. I like BIG holes!

Actually, I don�t agree with ANY of the statements I made, which I tried to indicate with the winky ( ) at the end of my post. Anyone that has read many of my posts would, I hope, realize I was being facetious in the extreme.

While I do have a Marlin .30-30 and enjoy shooting it, the .30-30 is a big game virgin in my hands. Not so with my Remington .308 Win, Ruger .30-06 or Ruger .300 Win Mag. (Nor my Ruger 7mm Rem Mag or my Marlins in .375 Win and .45-70, for that matter.)

The truth is I don�t believe it�s always possible to get closer, that the .300 Win Mag has intolerable recoil or that people can�t shoot magnums well or that choosing a magnum necessarily indicates lack of confidence in one�s manhood. (Or womanhood, whatever.)