30-06 - 7 mm Rem magnum - 300 Win Mag...any practical differences???

[saturno_v]

I'm thinking about buying another full power sporting rifle and since I own already 2 30-06 and others in minor chamberings, I was thinking about a different caliber (but still very easy to find at the stores) to add to my collection.
There is any practical power differences between the 30-06 and a 300 Win Mag or 7 mm Rem Mag??? Any animal that the 300 or the 7 mm Rem Mag is capable to easily put down that the 30-06 dont??
I noticed that the 300 Win Mag ammo are significantly more expensive than the 30-06 and with less choice of factory loadings in term of bullet weight.
You can get 220 gr 30-06 but for 300 Win Mag you stop at 180
This difference in price is justified by a considerable more "oomph" in performance??
Should I buy instead something significantly heavier like a 338 or a 375 to add more "differentiation factor" to my collection???

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Z71]

Not from my point of veiw.

I've owned all three calibers, and prefer the .30-06.

Kicks less, cheaper ammo(slightly), more selection(usually), and the rifles generaly hold a round or two more.

The lesser recoil and cheaper ammo are the main factors for me.

 

[MachIVshooter]

If you're looking to justify it as one having an edge over the other(s), they're really too close. The .300 WM and 7mm RM will extend your MPBR a bit, as they shoot flatter, but you're talking 50 yards or less, depending on load.

If you want something that fills a different category of animal killing power, you need to move up or down a bit further. Something like .25-06 as a dedicated deer and antelope gun, or maybe a .338 RUM at the top end for moose and bear.

That said, I see no problem with having rifles in different chamberings that overlap or nearly mirror each others performance. In ~.30 caliber alone, I have rifles chambered in:

7.35x51mm Italian
7.62x39mm Soviet
7.62x45mm Czech
.30-30 Win.
.303 Enfield
.308 Win.
7.5x54mm French
7.5x55mm Swiss
7.62x54mm Soviet
.30-06 Sprg.
7.7x58mm Jap

And I love 'em all!

 

[saturno_v]

Thanks MachIV!!!

Yes I do have quite a bit of overlapping too

7,62 X 54R (3 of them)
30-06 (2 of them)
30-30
7,62 X 39

I think I may go for the 375 H&H so I can say I have an elephant gun in my collection ;-)
I hope I can find a decent deal on an used one....that kind of rifle is scarce here in WA even at gun shows....

 

[birdbustr]

7mm RM is going to give you about 300fps more vel and little diff in felt recoil with factory loads over the 30-06, and the 300WM will give more like +350fps and a good bit more recoil.
I think the 30-06 is a better <200yd gun, and the 7mmRM is better >200 due to less holdover. Either of the two are great although I prefer the 7mmRM. 300WM is just not necessary for North American species except maybe a griz or brown bear IMO.

 

[O.S.O.K.]

Yes!

There is one huge difference!

The 30-06 has all kinds of ammo available from military surpus to bargain hunting to premium.

As far as ballistics - the 300 Mags basically put you 100 yards "closer" to your game. That's it.

The 7mm Mag is basically the same (check the velocity for 130 grain, 150 grain and 160/165 grain bullets from 7mm Mag and 30-06 - almost identical).

I don't own either of the Mags - do own a 30-06.

The next "real" power jump is the .338 Win Mag and similar.

 

[Mr White]

What do or will you hunt that you can't kill with an '06?

What about going down? Like maybe a .243 or a .25-06?

 

[R.W.Dale]

For shots inside 300 yds a range where 99.8% of game is taken there is no reason whatsoever to shoot a belted magnum other than you just want to.

 

[Richard.Howe]

Yes, but only at significantly longer ranges. My .300 WM does quite a bit better at 1000m than does my .308 Win, in terms of forgiveness of mistaken range estimation. And most (including me) won't hunt at those ranges. So...imo, no.

 

[TCB in TN]

From a shooting stand point they are very close from a real "practical" POV the 30-06 is the only choice. While you get incremental performance improvement in the other 2 the 30-06 has lighter recoil, and is most definitely cheaper to shoot, easier to find ammo for, and has a wider range of loads available.

 

[jpwilly]

For most of us that extra 35 to 50yrds of "flat" shooting and extra energy aren't going to translate in to much more than burnt powder, bruised shoulder, and empty wallet.

The 30-06 is the most widely used and popular cartridge for a reason.

 

[runninmike]

Yes-the 300 win mag trumps the other two in every endeaver except cost of ammo. 30-06 AND 7MM REM are excellant up thru elk, but not as good as 300 win mag period. The 300 goes much faster and delivers much more energy at every range with every bullet weight.
Now....... fwiw..... I own a 270 win, & a 264 win-have a nice day!
Best-MC

 

[Charshooter]

The 300 Winchester Magnum is a real notch up over the 30-06 or 7mm Remington Magnum. I seem these arguments many times, but I tell you that what one can do with a 160 Grain 284 one can come close to with a 165 in a 30-06 and that same is true with the 175 compared to the 180. The 7MM RM has a bit advantage and not much more recoil. The 300 Winchester Magnum is another story: you can use a 200-grain bullet and buy such factory loads. The round will shoot as flat as the 7mm RM with a 175-grain, this means it has more power. Today with premium bullets, one has less need to use a 338 Winchester Magnum as we once did, the 180 to 200 grain .308 bullet will kill like the older .338 250 grain bullet and it shoots falter.

The 300 Win. Mag is tops for a big rifle, need more gun, get a 375.

 

[jmr40]

I own rifles in all 3 calibers and in my opinion the 7 mag is the flattest shooting of the 3 out to normal hunting ranges. The 300 mag has significantly more ft.lbs of energy and is probably flatter shooting at extreme ranges. My 30-06 or even 308 are used most often because are good enough for most of my hunting situations. As to recoil, the 7 mag and 30-06 are almost identical to me. The 300 does kick from the bench but is manageable.

Go to www.remington.com and click on ammunition. They have a program that will allow you to select up to 3 different calibers then select several factory loadings within each caliober and you can see side by side ballistic comparisons.

 

[22-rimfire]

You get a bit more range on the 7mm and 300 win mag. The only area where the 7mm and 300 win mags excell is in the west for long shots and for elk at longer ranges. To me, either is not worth the recoil for what gains you make.

I would step up to the 338 or 375 if you want more power or down to the 243 for combination varmint and deer rifle. It is hard to find either the 338 or 375 in my area. Seems like something you might have to buy new and probably order.

 

[Shawnee]

No, there are no significant differences - they all should be traded for a 7mm/08.

 

[Art Eatman]

If you know your trajectory the '06 is easy to hit with, way on out. There's certainly enough Oomph for Bambi to 500 yards, if you know the distance really close. (Granted I limit myself, generally, to closer-in shots.) 350 is a piece of cake.

Hey, if a fella wants a Big Bang, go for it! But it's "want", not "need".

Art