Buying Savage 110: 25-06, 30-06, 300WSM, 7mm Rem Mag, or .308?

.30-06 or .308 by far. The .30-06 if you want to use a wider range of bullet weights.

The more I read and learn about the 7mm-08, the more I appreciate how solid it is as an all around cartridge. Take the time and look at its impressive ballistics for its size. It surpasses the 308 at 300yds. and keeps moving on.

NCsmitty

Get the O6. Then when you get your tax return check buy a barrel, go-no-go gages and Savage barrel changing tool.
It is not hard for you the average Joe to do barrel swaps on a Savage 110
25.06
264.06
270.
280 remington
338.06
8mm.06
35 whelen
Are all 30.06 based cartridges that require no gunsmithing beyond unscrewing the barrel nut and barrel and screwing in the new barrel and adjusting the head space with go no go gages.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

The truest thing you said was that you will have other rifles before you get out west. So stay practical and get something all around for the eastern states. I'm a fan of the whole .308 family and agree that the 7mm-08 has max versatility. And, as the poster above says, you can add barrels for other cartridges in the .308 family. You wouldn't go wrong with the .30-06 either.

Midwayusa sells everything you need.
Do a web search there is a whole web site devoted to barrel swapping on Savages.
Barrels can be bought use for cheap from people that have gone tactical with thier old deer rifles.

30-06 has been popular for over 100 years because of its versitility and economy as compared to a lot of newer cartridges.

I vote for .308

.308 or 30-06. Both are proven in the fields.

if you are considering a .270, go with the 270. It is a very good cartridge. I trust it to take anything that isn't dangerous and/or built like a tank.

+1 for either the 7mm/08 or the .270. They are the closest things to " best all-around" calibers for this hemisphere that you can buy.

If you want an idea of the "swat" of a 7mm/08 check out my post on the "Hunting" forum titled "320yd. Neck Shot".

30-06 is the best all around caliber for North America. That is why it is the most popular.

So if I buy a Savage in .243 can I change it to .308 later and 7mm-08?

So if I buy a Savage in .243 can I change it to .308 later and 7mm-08?

Click to expand...

Yes, and all with the same headspace gauge.

NCsmitty

25-06

Don't discount the 25-06.

I used to help in a hunting camp and men with the 25-06 were the ones I wanted with me. They were normally 1 shot hunters.
I never did see anyone with 300 mags that were head shooters.

7mm-08 is another low recoil, devastating round. Very hard hitting.

Joe

the 7mm/08 or the .270. They are the closest things to " best all-around" calibers for this hemisphere that you can buy.

Click to expand...

I think any 7mm to non mag 30 cal fits. What about the 7x57, 280, 7mm mag, 300, 308, 30-06? Not really much difference under 300 yards.

30-06: Killin' crap the world over for 102 years.

Who started this internet rumor about needing a specific rifle to hunt "out west"?

You really can't go wrong with .308 or .30-06. Both provide about as much power as the typical shooter can handle without getting harangued by the recoil. Both are also widely available in a variety of factory loads and are relatively cheap, making practice time more affordable.

Since noise and recoil seem to be a concern, bear in mind that .308 is blowing off less powder than .30-06 and thus will make less noise. I've shot both calibers in several guns and .30-06 is noticeably louder. I don't find the recoil of either cartridge objectionable.

The .300WSM looks to be a great cartridge on paper, but LOL at the ammo prices.

The 7mm Rem Mag is a cartridge that I want to acquire someday, killer ballistics with only a touch more recoil than .30-06. Ammo is pricey, though it's not as bad as .300WSM. I'd certainly consider it.

.25-06 is a great deer cartridge, recoil will be lower than the others, but .30-06 is cheaper to shoot and can handle a wider variety of loads. I also wouldn't use .25-06 on anything much bigger than deer. If you're going to be using the gun for some predator blasting, .25-06 would be a consideration.

As others have mentioned, 7mm-08 would also be a good choice if you stick to deer hunting. It has moderate recoil, lower than .308, and is pretty easy to find these days. I wouldn't use it on game much larger than deer, though.

Overall, I'd probably get the .308 based on what you seem to be looking for.

25 06

I bought a 25-06 for my wife to use on elk this year here in MT, and it is plenty of gun. 120 gr remington core lokt factory fodder for it accounted for her 2 deer, my 3 deer, and 1 elk thus far.

As far as a gun for the west, so long as you can handle the recoil and shoot it accurately out to 300 yards, anything from 25-06 to 340 weatherby will get it done(One for Shawnee, 243 kills elk too, i have done it, i just wouldn't recomend it short of a perfect quartering shot or head shot)

I have a 243, 25-06, 7mm rem mag, 300 win mag, 338 win mag, and 375 H&H in the vault at the moment, so I am by no means sold on one calliber.

Anymore, if I was going to recomend a western gun for the one gun type of people, .280 remington or 7mm remington mag get my votes. not alot of talk about the 280 anymore, but look closely at the balistic charts and it is a whopping 50fps or so slower than the 7mm mag....

My reasoning on the 7's? take a look at ballistic coefficients on 7mm 150 gr bullets, pretty hard to beat, then look what those do on the trajectory charts, very flat shooters, and I know all 15 or so elk I have shot with that 7mm mag have been dead in under 50 yards. Not talking fancy ammo for that gun either, winchester 150 gr powerpoints from the factory....(embarrassing, but fact is i cant make a handload for that stinking gun that outshoots them, MOA groups at 100, and they beat my loads by 65 fps on the chrono on average too)

There is a reason the military switched to .308 from .30-06.

You left out the two BEST choices which are the best compromise among the cartridges you did list: the .270 Win and the .280 rem. Go with one of those. Among those you list, there's certainly no reason to go bigger than the .25-'06 for deer. But the .270 Win, being very similar to the .25-'06, will do everything the .25-06 will do and then a little bit more.

There is a reason the military switched to .308 from .30-06.

Click to expand...

Which military was that?

I vote for the 30-06. My favorite rifle is a 7mm mag but, the 06 will do everything the 7mm mag will and do it cheaper at reasonable ranges. About all the cartridges mentioned are good but the 06 is best on bigger than deer game. There are good arguements for several other cartridges but for big game I can't see going with a lesser cartridge. If you don't mind the added expense and recoil, the 7mm is bottled lightning. If gives you a little more range and less hold over. The 308 is a small step down in power. I personally am suspect of the short mags. The others are good on deer and will work on elk at closer range. The smaller the bullet, the more important bullet construction, choice for range and shot placement are so I would go with the biggest you want to shoot. 30-06 is the all around best. Nato went with the 308 because they wanted to downsize weapons. No gain for hunting in my opinion. But you'll probably be happy with any of them unless you run into a grizzly.