Thinking about branching out

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hdwhit

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As things have turned out in my life, every rifle in my collection today is a .22 (Rimfire, .223 Remington or 5.7mm Johnson). And while I can and have hunted game up to the size of deer with .223 Reminton at the 100 to 200 yard distances conditions around here impose, I'm thinking I would like to move up to something a little bit bigger.

I currently own a Savage Axis in .223 Remington. I like it. Savage is readily available from the gun shop I will be buying from. Other brands are not. I know other brands can be mail-ordered, but I will support the gun shop in town. So, while I know there are other good bolt rifles from other makers, I will be buying another Savage, so that part is set.

It has been a matter of pride for me for nearly 40 years that I reload everything I shoot (except a box of factory ammunition in a new gun the first time out so any problem can't be blamed on the reloads), so whatever caliber I get must be reloadable with readily available components (I form cases to load the 5.7mm, so forming cases doesn't impact "availability" in my book so long as the parent case is available).

The calibers I am considering are the .270, 7mm-08, 30-06 and .308. It will be used on targets and game up to the size of deer at ranges averaging 100 yards and never exceeding 200 yards. My question is which one would you choose and why would you choose it over the others?

Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge and opinions.
 
They are all excellent and very suitable choices for the task. The 308 would be my choice simply because I like the bullet selection in 30 caliber, brass is the most plentiful and cheap among them, and its very pleasant and efficient to shoot. Before you pick one of them take a look at what bullets you are able to buy locally. I am very limited on bullet and powder selection so I tend to factor that into my decisions.
 
30-06. Easy to load for, components abound, classic American cartridge, suited by a wide array of powders, and gives you just that bit more than 308. Second choice would be 270 Win. Really does almost everything 30-06 but you don't get the vast array of bullet choices that .30 cal offers. I took a long time coming to the 270, but boy do I get it now.
 
hdwhit said:
The calibers I am considering are the .270, 7mm-08, 30-06 and .308. It will be used on targets and game up to the size of deer at ranges averaging 100 yards and never exceeding 200 yards. My question is which one would you choose and why would you choose it over the others?
Click to expand...

Every one of those calibers is eminently suitable for your application. The thing about centerfire rifle cartridges is that most of them are more similar than they are different.

Of those, the only one I personally hunt with is the 7mm-08. I like the low recoil, high BCs, and wide range of available bullets. Savage wouldn't be my first choice in 7mm-08 since I'd like to have access to heavy bullets and a 1 in 9" twist barrel helps with that, and Savage ships a 1 in 9.5". But since you're only looking at deer, and thus would have little reason to load heavier than say a 120gr, it wouldn't matter a lick. The other three are more common rounds, but since you reload who cares? The 7mm-08 isn't going anywhere.

There's no need for the higher recoil of the other three rounds for your application.
 
If you will never exceed 400yds, choose the 6.5 Grendel. Factory hornady amax/ eld ammo is cheap, accurate as hell, more than capable of taking whitetail, and very low recoil. I know from experience, took two this past hunting season. One @ 270+ yes and the other @ 302yds.
 
Any one of those four cartridges are a great choice but I have to agree with Someguy2800. In my neck of the woods .277" and .284" bullet variety is not great but I can walk into any store (nation-wide) that stocks components and buy brass, bullets and suitable powders for a 30 cal. Plus, most (if not all) Savage 30 cal rifles sport a 10 twist barrel so you'll always meet your stability factor if you get a wild hair and decide to run long bullets.
 
RPRNY said:
30-06. Easy to load for, components abound, classic American cartridge, suited by a wide array of powders, and gives you just that bit more than 308.
Click to expand...
I have a 30-06, hunted with it for years, and I agree with everything RPRNY wrote in this statement. However, in your case hdwit, I'm still going to recommend a .308. While a 30-06 will give you "just that bit more" as RPRNY said, for 200 yards or less, you don't need it. A 30-06 kicks harder unless you load it down to .308 levels, it requires a full length action, and it burns more powder. I will admit, a 30-06 might handle heavier bullets better, but again, what for?
I myself am thinking about getting a .308 (Winchester - not another Norma Magnum) because the only big game I hunt these days are mule deer. And my age doesn't even allow me to hunt them very hard anymore. I debated with myself about getting a 7mm-08 like my wife and oldest daughter have, but I like 30 calibers. Plus, as someguy2800 wrote, there's a larger selection of bullets for them. But there we go again - there's a large enough selection of 7mm bullets anyway.
That said, I'd still go with a .308 Winchester simply because I like 30 calibers. I could tell you factory ammo is more readily available for a .308 than a 7mm-08. But I'd be talking through my hat, because like you, I don't shoot factory ammo except to check out a new gun. So how would I know what factory ammo is readily available?:)
 
Either of the 30 calibers because of easy component availability. The 270 or 7 -08 would be fine also. Pick the one you want and don't look back. My family has used the 30/06, 308, 270 and the ballistic twin of the 7-08 the 7x57. All have done the trick on deer up to elk and wild boar also.
 
Y'all make some good points about the components. While it's not hard to get 7mm bullets by mail order, if I want to support the local guy, about all he deals with are bullets for .22, .30, 9mm and 45ACP.
 
308, my sister at 13 killed a 600lb elk at 200 yds with two shots through the chest cavity.

Bullet performaned well and the elk was dead right there. I have 2 308's and enjoy the availability and diversity of bullets. And winchester brass works really well and is cheap
 
I am a 30 cal lover, and 30-06 is my favorite, but I would pick a 308 or a 7mm-08 for your situation. Either shoots flat enough and recoils light enough to be comfortable, and both will fit in a Savage short action. I had a 7mm-08 Savage that was an absolute tack driver ( literally shot tacks in a board at 100) and the recoil was surprisingly soft for how much energy it has. But 308 projectiles are everywhere and in every flavor, so maybe the 308 would win out...
 
All good cartridges and I load and shoot 3 out of the 4 mentioned. My choice would be the .308 Winchester. Why? I guess because the range of available bullets is limitless. So why not the 30-06? Really because you aren't giving much up with the .308 Win over the 30-06 Springfield, especially at the ranges you mentioned. Granted the 7mm-08 Remington is another good choice and shoots flat but again, the .308 Win is a little more common and the 7mm-08 Remington is in fact a spawn of the .308 Win. So all things considered a .308 Winchester in a Savage rifle and Savage makes a fine accurate rifle for the buck.

Ron
 
You can't possibly go wrong with any of those calibers. If you like shooting woodchucks then
the .270 would be the best because it has a flat trajectory and shoots light bullets very well. It
also kills big game with heavier bullets. The others are basically deer and bigger game rifles.

Zeke
 
I vote 308 or 7mm-08 because I prefer a short action. At the ranges you are using it for, there is no need for the 30-06 or .270 with their larger case capacity or harsher recoil. Bullet availability is probably better with the .308. Ive shot a ruger American in 7mm-08 side by side with my ruger american in 308 and the difference in recoil is almost nonexistent.
If you think animals larger than deer will ever be on the table (elk, moose) then the 30-06 is a better option since you can shoot the heavier 30s. If shooting whitetails or mulies, at 200 yards or less, I would go with the .308.
 
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Thank you all for taking the time to not only give me your opinions, but also to take the time to explain them. The rationale behind the opinion is very important to me.

For the most part this would be a deer rifle, but I can see it also being used for beaver and muskrat. My "family farm" has a state-licensed dam on it, so I have a state license to hunt or trap beaver and muskrat at any time as nuisence animals because of the damage they can do to the dam and I can see the rifle being used for that as well.
 
Stevenvalleyky wrote:
If you think animals larger than deer will ever be on the table (elk, moose)...
Click to expand...

The property is in North Arkansas, six miles south of the Missouri state line. Deer are plentiful. I have also seen coyote, beaver, muskrat, rabbit, bobcat, puma, and a 16 foot long king snake you could have easily mistaken for the Loch Ness monster, but never elk or moose. If there are any around there, they have keep themselves carefully hidden for nearly half a century.
 
hdwhit said:
Thank you all for taking the time to not only give me your opinions, but also to take the time to explain them. The rationale behind the opinion is very important to me.

For the most part this would be a deer rifle, but I can see it also being used for beaver and muskrat. My "family farm" has a state-licensed dam on it, so I have a state license to hunt or trap beaver and muskrat at any time as nuisence animals because of the damage they can do to the dam and I can see the rifle being used for that as well.
Click to expand...
If you think that you might end up getting long range shots(300+yards) at beavers or muskrats, then I would go with the 7mm-08 as it's a little flatter shooting than the 308 and 30-06, not sure how it compares with the .270. I can say that a savage axis with the cheap plastic stock in 30-06 packs quite a wallop compared to the short action cartridges. I dont enjoy shooting that much at all. Would be better with a heavier stock but a 30-06 at less than 200 yards on deer or on beaver at all is a bit overkill. But some people say overkill is underrated.
 
There is an old saying that the 30-06, .270 and .308 will all do the same thing. Throw out shooting 200-220 grain bullets in a 30-06 and I totally agree. The saying was around before the 7mm-08, you could probably throw it in too.

I would think one of the cartridges would appeal to you at least a little more than the others, get that one.

Im not sure why but I believe I must have a 30-06, so I do, and I never shoot it. I love the .270, not exactly sure why, but I do and 90% of the big game animals I killed between 1972 and 2009 were killed with the same .270. Most since then were killed with a 6.5x55, if it weren't available I'd go back to the .270.

Arguments can be made ad nauseam for each of the cartridges you are considering. For your stated needs pick the one that speaks to you because I bet one of them does.
 
Stevenvalleyky wrote:
If you think that you might end up getting long range shots(300+yards)...
Click to expand...

No chance of that. Other than going to deer camp with some friends (where more alcohol gets drunk than deer shot) or the county's rifle range (where the longest shot is 200 meters), I only shoot on my own property and since the lake is between two ridges and I can only take the muskrat or beaver if they are in the water, no legal shot is longer than about 225 yards.

As you can see, I am strictly a short-distance shooter.
 
Based on the additional information, I will change my recommendation, however grudgingly, to 7mm-08. Good bullet selection, lots of loading options and, for the distances and critters you intend to shoot, it's almost as good as the 6.5x55! If you are fixed on your model of Savage and the 7mm-08 is available, do it (unless the 270 is cheaper ;-)
 
I appologize to you, RPRNY, if my prior posts withheld information. I certaintly did not intend to do so.

Seems I am now down to a concensus of 308 versus 7-08.

The 7-08 is the same price as the .270.
 
Invariable, lots of new shooters end up shooting my rifles, since I am something of an evangelist for the sport. I also tend to use most rifles in various disciplines: hunting, plinking, NRA qualifications, Appleseed, F-Class, etc.

Recoil and loading costs push me toward a .223 for most work and .260 Rem for applications requiring a larger caliber. From your short list, I would go with a 7mm-08 or a .308. Since you hand load, a .308 with 125-130 grain bullets can be made to shoot very comfortably with light to moderate loads. Since your ranges are short to medium, there is no big disadvantage.
 
All those cartridges can be argued for. I'd go with whatever Savage rifle you get the best price on...

If you're used to shooting light calibers, the 7mm-08 would be nice. Plus you can use .308 brass I think. I think it is superior to the .308 anyways.

I am really partial to the .30-06. It's the do-it-all rifle and so popular with ammo and bullet choices. I think it's better than the .308

The .308 is nice because it is a .30 cal in short action and there are so many cool rifles chambered in it.

I like the .270, but it's so similar to the .30-06 (obviously) that with ballistics, it's a toss up. You might get some speed, but you lose bullet selection.
 
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