.308, 30-06, .270, 30-30

[bigsplash1]

Which of these calibres would be the best for me. I want to do some deer, black bear, yote. Which of these would be the cheapest to shoot? Which would have the least recoil? and which would be most effective at 200 yds? I have limited cash, so only one hunting rifle for now...

 

[Pheonix]

I would go .308 but I dont know squat about shooting bears.

 

[H&Hhunter]

You can't go wrong with a .308 or a .30-06.......period.

 

[ID_shooting]

well, you will surely get about 20x more opinions than you have calibers posted but here is my FREE opinion, probably worth what you are paying for it too

anywho, you say 200 yds, that rules out the 30-30, the rest, well, .270s will be the perfect choice for deer and yotes, as will the .308. as for the bear, well, I would have to recomend the 30-06, bigger bullet than the rest but can me harsh for recoil. In you list, I would have to go with .308.

 

[Dan Morris]

IMO, the 06 has the edge due to bullet weights. If you load or use factory ammo, you can go from 110 to 220 grains. Just my opinion.
Dan

 

[Robertesq1]

If you're talking black bear, the 308 is just fine; flat shooting plenty of cheap surplus ammo and more accurate than most shooters.

 

[PATH]

Tough call. In the end I would go to .308 for all around in this group of cartridges.

 

[HSMITH]

I actually like the 270 and 280 better than the -06 for most hunting and shooting, but the 30-06 has a HUGE advantage and that is cheap ammo. You say your budget is limited and that means to me your practice ammo budget will be limited as well. I would give you the advise I have given a lot of people looking for a first high power rifle: Buy the 30-06. Buy an entry level gun and a top notch scope, and you will have a rifle suitable for anything you can legally hunt in the U.S. Since you saved on the rifle you can put more money into the scope, and it is better money spent, trust me. Ammo is cheap, so you can watch the sale flyers and pick up a hundred rounds now and then. You can practice with that cheap ammo enough to get good with your rifle from field positions and such putting you in a class above 90% or more of the hunters out in the woods each year.

The 30-06 is a FINE caliber, and will do anything that needs done in this hemisphere short of the largest bears like coastal browns, grizzly and polar bears.

Buy an -06 and forget the shooting bench was ever invented after you get that good scope sighted in. Shoot as much as you can. The rest of your hunting life will be better for it.

 

[Al Thompson]

I really don't see much difference in thhe cartridges mentioned, with the exception of the .30-30. IMHO, it's a great cartridge, but does limit you in range.

While I'm a dedicated .30-06 guy, I'd probably recommend the .308 simply due to the high quality surplus ammo available. The more you shoot, the better you'll be. BA/UU/R

Ditto the high quality scope - better a great scope on a good rifle, than visa versa.

 

[labgrade]

.308

 

[dakotasin]

308. definitely the 308.

 

[Dr.Rob]

30-06

Fires the same bullet as a 308 but you can load it heavier and hotter.

Nothing wrong with ANY of the cartidges you mentioned.

 

[Richardson]

You said:
"Which of these calibres would be the best for me. I want to do some deer, black bear, yote. Which of these would be the cheapest to shoot? Which would have the least recoil? and which would be most effective at 200 yds? I have limited cash, so only one hunting rifle for now..."

Deer: everything works, except for .30-30 at 200 yards would be marginal (see below).
Yote: everything works, except for .30-30 at 200 yards - smaller target than deer. You might want a lighter & faster cartridge (like .223) to reduce danger from richochet and to make holdover less of a concern.
Black Bear: I'd lean toward the .30-06 with heavier bullets, but the .308 would be OK.
Cheapest: .308, hands down winner if buying surplus FMJ in bulk. Hunting ammunition will be about the same for all of these calibers.
Recoil: This depends a lot on the gun. If each was from the same weight and style of rifle, the .30-30 would be the lightest. For 150 grain bullets I'd venture to say that you won't notice much difference between the other three.
Most effective at 200 yards, depends on what kind of effectiveness you're looking at. Precision, flat shooting, penetration, energy???? Even the .30-30 will kill easily at that range - if you can hit the target - unless you're talking about bears. The problem with .30-30 is that it's slower, so it drops faster, so you'll have more trouble hitting at further distances.

Personally, I'd go with the .308. If you really need something bigger later on, get a magnum or bigger diameter caliber.
I hope this helps.
Richardson

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Limited cash+bears=308 in my opinion.(As long as we're talking 2-300lb black.)

Given your criteria that is my recommendation.

 

[MeekandMild]

Concerning coyotes, I heard an interesting comment from an aquaintance of mine who is a coyote bounty hunter. He uses a .22 and kills more per month than I will ever see in my lifetime.

 

[HankB]

but the 30-06 has a HUGE advantage and that is cheap ammo.

Have you priced surplus .308/7.62 NATO ammo recently? South African and Australian is available for less than I've seen "decent" .30/06 for quite some time. Portuguese surplus is cheap, too, but I'm not keen about putting a lot of steel jacketed bullets downrange through my rifles. I wouldn't hunt with military ball ammo, but it's fine for practice.

Having said that, IMHO there is no finer "all around" hunting cartridge than the .30/06. It's suitable for all thin-skinned, non-dangerous game worldwide with the possible exceptions of eland and giraffe. And though it wouldn't be an ideal choice for North America's BIG bears (Kodiak, Polar, etc.) it will get the job done if you put the right bullet in the right place.

 

[mlheppl]

In hunting situations, There's minimal difference between the '06, 308 and 270 except for bullet availability. When faced with the same decision 20 yrs ago, I opted for the 270, but you can't go wrong with any of the three calibers. The 30-30 just does not come close balistically. You can get ammo cheaper for the 308 or '06. I definitly agree with the comment about the entry level gun and put the savings into the best scope that you can afford.

 

[BIGR]

30.06 It has such a big bullet selection and will take down about every animal you will ever meet in the woods.

 

[dww]

308

I have an '06, a 308, a 358, and a 35 Whelen.

The 308 and '06 are peas in a pod, as are the 358 and Whelen with 225 and up bullets. The Whelen is MIGHTY for larger game.

I took my 308 to Africa, and everything it hit died right there. Barnes 165 grain XLC bullets over a max load of RL-15 with Fed 210M primers in military cases.

I think the 308 rules for a general purpose rifle.

IMHO - DWW

 

[Jacobus Rex]

I would eliminate the .30-30 on the basis of it being a short range round. The .270 doesn’t really match the .308 or .30-06 in my own opinion. I like the heavier bullet weights of the .30’s anyway. I would say the .308 or .30-06. For practical, real world in the field terms, the .308 and .30-06 are basically the same. The .308 is cheaper to shoot, so I think I would go with .308. It is my own personal favorite deer round and all around general purpose cartridge anyway.

 

[ojibweindian]

If you reload, get the .30-06. If you don't, go for the .308.