300 Win Mag vs. .30-06...Which would you choose?

[chopper180]

Like being punched in the face - so basically it's like going to work?

 

[Robert]

Between the two listed, 30-06. Elk are not bullet proof and more have been taken with the 06 that just about every other caliber combined. If you do you part with good shot placement then the 06 will be more than enough.

Now allow me to be "that guy" and offer up a third. Have you looked at 35 Whelen at all? Enough for Elk or Moose and everything but Bison.

 

[chopper180]

Actually I was leaning more toward the 30-06 but wanted more input before I made my decision. I may trade my .35 in on the 30-06 just to save some funds (times being what they are)

The biggest advantages for the 30-06 are the versatility and abundance of the ammo

 

[bpl]

The 30-06 should be fine for 3-400 yard shots on elk or moose anyway. You'd need to make an adjustment for wind, then probably hold on the top of the back. This would depend on your cartridge and zero, of course.

 

[LEVRLOVR]

My choice is the .300.

I have both and would choose the .300 for that once in a lifetime trip, just for the added margin of error it affords.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

My choice would be the 30.06. I've owned several rifles in both calibers and for me the .300 is just too much flash and boom for so little up over the .06.

 

[nathan]

Cost of ammo is higher on the magnum. .3006 all the way.

 

[Sunray]

There's no game in North America that requires a magnum of any kind.
Go with a .30-06 using 165 grain hunting bullets and you'll be set for any game you care to hunt without the excess muzzle blast, noise and felt recoil of a .300 Mag.
"...using 180 gr or 220 bullets..." No black bear needs bullets of that weight. A deer load will do nicely.

 

[nathan]

Just an offshoot comment, the 180 gr SP 7.62 x 54R is more than capable to down any four legged mammal in N America provided you hit them at the right spot.

 

[Casefull]

I hunt with a 300 but it sounds like the 06 would be good for you. It will seem flat shooting compared to what you have been using. When hunting I never feel the recoil or hear the shot anyway.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

When hunting I never feel the recoil or hear the shot

Nor do I but it limits range time considerably.

 

[Old Time Hunter]

This is a brainless decision as there is only one choice. Get it chambered for the .300WM and load it to 30-06 specs until you feel you need it.

 

[ArmedBear]

Get it chambered for the .300WM and load it to 30-06 specs until you feel you need it.

Not when you can get a lighter, better-balanced rifle in .30-06.

If you are going to get a 9.5 lb. scoped rifle, yeah, get it in whatever cartridge you want, and download it if you want.

If you're looking for a rifle that handles well and doesn't weigh too much, for all-around hunting on foot, the .30-06 often offers better options in a production rifle. That's one reason my latest rifle purchase was a .30-06 and I put a 2-7x33mm scope on it, on a lightweight low mounting system. At 7 1/2 lbs. scoped, a gun like that won't make you wish you had the lever gun back, but it is good for hunting good-sized game out to a good distance -- and it's fun to practice with it. Full-power .30-06 hunting loads are comfortable to shoot with a modern recoil pad, for as long as you want, in a rifle that doesn't weigh too much.

Past 400 yards, a .300 WinMag can offer something worthwhile -- but if you REALLY think you'll be hunting past 400 yards a lot, there are flatter-shooting rounds. And if you REALLY think you need to hit harder with a bigger bullet, there are bigger bores. That doesn't mean one shouldn't get a .300 WinMag, but it does mean that there are other options to consider before jumping to a decision.

 

[leadaddict]

I think you will enjoy the 06 more overall, since it sounds like the better fit for your area as well. It is plenty of gun for elk and moose inside a normal hunter's shooting range. This is recommendation is doubled if you are using factory ammo and not reloading.

 

[UnTainted]

I've seen the '06 kill deer at 800 yards, and I've seen the 300 WM do the same, by the same shooter.

The only difference was how the exit wound looked, which was slight though noticeable.


I'd say get the 300wm if you can learn not to flinch with the recoil and maybe even muzzle brake it.

 

[vermont88993]

For the purposes you have stated for what you want to hunt i say go for the 30-06..... then again i have no shots fired with either caliber since Im looking to buy my own ought 06.......Im looking at the marlin XL7 with a redfield 3-9X40 scope but thats going to be for vermont white-tale deer and yotes.... going to be cheap but effective!

P.S.
I just joined a couple days ago after lurking around reading about different calibers and "bargin" bolt-action rifles

 

[Flatbush Harry]

Being a CO guy, I have some sense of western hunting. My two medium to large game rifles are a .308 Win R700 and a .30-06 Spfd Savage 116, each equipped with Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40mm scopes with Rapid Z600 reticles. I've sighted in each for a 200 yd zero and practiced with each out to 600 yds so I know relevant sighting adjustments for long shots. Both of my rifles shoot to less than 1MOA with 168 gr match ammo (from a Caldwell LeadSled), and a bit more with hunting bullets. Now, since the vitals of a decent-sized deer is a 6-9" area and I don't like lugging my LeadSled on my back in the field, I'd feel less than comfortable with a shot longer than 400yd. I'll leave the really long shots to others. Out to 400 yds, .308s and .30-06s in the 165 to 180gr range still have killing power, and don't beat me up when I practice, which I try to do at least monthly. I've shot .300 WMs and, while there are some advantages for really long range shooting, I find the recoil unpleasant and would not practice with that cal as much.

All IMHO and YMMV.

FH

 

[goldie]

(Hornady Superformance 30-06 ammo) its ammo developements like this that make the 30-06 such a great all around choice.if recoil is too heavy,you can always go to a less hot round.hard to do with a magnum unless you handload.....

 

[Hokkmike]

.06 easily. You can load for everything from chipmunks to grizzly bears!

Why kill your shoulder unnecessarily?

 

[AzBuckfever]

Question you can ask yourself is, when you see that nice buck, or that big bull, and you squeeze the trigger; how often do you even feel the recoil when actually shooting at something? You could take a freakin Tyrannasaur and not feel the recoil when you shoot at something (a little exageration) If you're worried about recoil for sighting in, get a Caldwell Lead slead or something similar.
The only reason I mentioned this is because there are a lot of people talking about recoil and the 300 kicking a lot more, which it can. Personally, I would opt for the .300 (Vanguard 300 WSM or a Browning A-Bolt since the Browning comes standard with a 26" barrel). Other reason is you mentioned elk. I live in Arizona so a 400 yard shot is not uncommon....and with that long of a shot, you want a heavier bullet. As listed....a .300 can push a 200 grn. bullet just as fast as an -06 pushing a 180grn. Even out in my parts a 300 yard shot on deer is not uncommon....Too much open country I'm 30 so I don't see recoil as much of an issue; but I'm still a kid that believes, there is no such thing as overkill.

I've had a 300 WSM and I still have a 30-06....Unlike you, I'll be saving up for different guns for different purposes. My next purchase (depending on draw results) will probably be a Browning A-Bolt 300WSM...or the new Winchesters.....then, it'll be a .300 RUM....now there's some kickin' power

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I love the .30-06, in fact it's probably my favorite rifle cartridge. However, I don't think I'd go after grizzly with one. I know it'll do it under good conditions, but I'm thinking more along the lines of a .338 Win Mag minimum. I have this thing about not getting eaten by bears. Don't know what it is.

 

[wyohome]

I would get a 300WM. I already have a bunch of .308s, so for me a 30-06 wouldn't really be an upgrade. If I needed a long action rifle I would buy a 300. How many of you 'Big Game' hunters use so much ammo that you need to resupply 'out in the sticks' a few times per hunt?

 

[FatChance]

.30-06 all the way.

BTW, if you have to take shots out to 400 yards and beyond, you're not doing it right. Learn how to stalk your game. I don't think there are any legitimate reasons, IMHO, for the vast majority of people to take shots that long at an unwounded animal. Most of the time when people do that it is because they are lazy, impatient, out of shape, unskilled or don't want to make the effort to get any closer. OK, bring it on!

 

[AzBuckfever]

I agree with the re-supply. Don't know about y'all but all I carry if a box of ammo (20 rnds) and under normal circumstances, I come home with 19. No less than 15. Don't ask me why I carry 20, guess it's just an easy box to have I have high standard for myself. I don't take "maybe" shots. (Maybe it'll hit, maybe it wont) and I also believe that anyone who takes more than a box of 20 on a hunting trip and uses all of them, shouldn't be hunting in the first place. I can't stand it when I'm hunting and hear multiple shots in succesion.....BOOM.....BOOM.....BOOM.....BOOM.....Wait 20 seconds to reload....BOOM.....BOOM.....BOOM....

Anyway, that being said, being as it's not a plinking rifle. You're not going to reload that much so I would also exclude cost of ammuntion in the equation for which rifle to get.

 

[ArmedBear]

lazy, impatient, out of shape, unskilled or don't want to make the effort

Seriously... 400 yards is pretty far away, too, when you're trying to hold a rifle steady in the field, even if the air is still. A quick check with a rangefinder when you're hiking around will confirm this. Pick a rock or something that's "pretty far away". Chances are it's no more than 400 yards away, even here in the Mountain West. That doesn't mean you will never want to take a 400-yard shot; it will probably be a special case, though, like pronghorn hunting in open country.