.30-06 vs .308 vs 300 WIN MAG for beginner

[trstafford]

bullet weight

The 308 or 30-06 in a Savage sounds like a great idea, I also am becoming partial to the CZ, also own and like Remington and Ruger. Get a heavy barrel, it might not be the greatest in the woods but isn't that bad. I used a heavy barrel Ruger in 308 for many years with great success. The main contributor to recoil is bullet weight which caliber you chose start with the lightest bullet weight and practice until you get comfortable shooting targets then step up in weight for hunting. Also don't start out shooting a lot of rounds, shoot 5 or so then shoot 22. As you get accustomed to the recoil increase the rounds fired each session. It is better to be without a flinch and accurate than impressive and not capable of hitting a barn. just my $.02

 

[qajaq59]

I used to hunt PA with a 30-06, but if I did it again I think I'd prefer to use a 30-30 lever. They're light, fast and have less recoil. Plus the ammo is readily available, and easy to reload, if you wanted to get into that. However, it would be far better if you could somehow try shooting the different calibers before you buy anything.

 

[JakeG27]

well i guess i want a larger caliber rifle soon because xmas is around the corner, but i guess i will let it sit and only shoot it once in awhile, the recoil is not a factor to me, i have shot 2 different .30-06's before and felt comfortable with it. to be honest they felt different from each other, but this was a full year between the two. thanks a lot you guys couldn't be more helpful, i will let you know what i end up getting come the end of December and from what everyone says i guess its back to the .22 for me. i just get bored with it. i am also going to ask the range if they will have guns to rent so i can get a better feel for the 308 to. just not sure if they rent out guns. thanks a lot guys.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Do not listen to all the hunters recommending a .243. That is a ridiculous caliber to start on.

I would like to know what's rediculous about the .243. I see nothing rediculous at all. Very flat shooting and has a good punch on whatever it hits. As a matter of fact there aren't too many deer out there wearing armor protective clothing or steel plating.
Everyone loves the 6mm swede because of the flat trajectory well the 243 is a 6mm cartridge and was built because of it. No holdover needed when shooting at longer ranges. You can learn to shoot pretty well with this caliber because it won't knock the snot out of you plus you can take the bigger game with it as long as you understand that you have to select a game load that expands quick enough because this caliber can zing along at anywhere from ~2800 FPS to ~3200 FPS.
Why some underrate the the .243 is actually over penetration from a light kicking gun and say "weak" get a bigger gun. IMHO nothing could be further from the truth as a caliber to start out on as long as you have the proper game load to shoot with.

 

[Nolo]

then a .30-06/.308 will kill any animal on this continent.

On this continent? Sir, that round will take every animal in the world if the shooter does his part.

 

[ducktail]

308. A 22 is a great way to practise particularly if the gun is a lot like the deer rifle of you choice. I like to shoot a Ruger 10/77 for practise myself.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

i guess its back to the .22 for me. i just get bored with it.

JakeG27,
I'm going to guess you are doing the normal paper and plinking thing with that 22 rifle. If you think a .22 LR is boring then you aren't challenging yourself.

Place a soda can down on it's side so only the bottom of the can is facing you. Then walk back 100 yards and see if you can hit it using only iron sights. If you can hit the can that way then there's no more reason to practice with a .22. If you are like most shooters you will need to practice that way for a good long while before you can hit it more than you miss it.

Challenge yourself and a .22 rifle won't be boring at all. (and like said above, you shoot all weekend for pennies on the dollar)