Another Which Rifle Thread (.308 vs .300WM)

[Dreaming of Hunting]

So I have booked a trip for next year in the NWT for sheep/mtn caribou/moose.

I have a .308 with a 21" barrel that weighs 7# 1 oz scoped, and a .300win mag with a 26" barrel that weighs 9.5# scoped. I could switch scopes and knock 8 oz or so off the .300, but its just a heavier rifle. I bought both of these rifles with this trip in mind, and go back and forth between thoughts of lugging around the .300 while sheep hunting, never even getting to the moose and cursing the extra 2# as I climb the hills vs. a ram taking an extra step or two and falling off a cliff and smashing his horns when the .300 might have dropped him DRT to will the .308 be able to drop a large moose. Seems like of all the hunts I might make in North America, if I have a .300WM in the safe to take, then now is definitely the time. Then I think about what if my shots are inside of 200 yards, the .308 would be just as effective.....round and round I go in my head.

I know I am overthinking it and should just focus on getting into the best shape of my life and saving money, but keep going back and forth.

Please give me your advice

Thanks

 

[horsey300]

So I have booked a trip for next year in the NWT for sheep/mtn caribou/moose.

I have a .308 with a 21" barrel that weighs 7# 1 oz scoped, and a .300win mag with a 26" barrel that weighs 9.5# scoped. I could switch scopes and knock 8 oz or so off the .300, but its just a heavier rifle. I bought both of these rifles with this trip in mind, and go back and forth between thoughts of lugging around the .300 while sheep hunting, never even getting to the moose and cursing the extra 2# as I climb the hills vs. a ram taking an extra step or two and falling off a cliff and smashing his horns when the .300 might have dropped him DRT to will the .308 be able to drop a large moose. Seems like of all the hunts I might make in North America, if I have a .300WM in the safe to take, then now is definitely the time. Then I think about what if my shots are inside of 200 yards, the .308 would be just as effective.....round and round I go in my head.

I know I am overthinking it and should just focus on getting into the best shape of my life and saving money, but keep going back and forth.

Please give me your advice

Thanks

Sometimes the obvious answer is the best, take both, you can swap out based on the terrain/game you plan on covering each day. Otherwise, take the one you're most confident and comfortable shooting.

 

[z7]

Whatever gun you take, or if you take both, shoot it/them a lot. Perhaps get a 6" or 8" steel gong, set it up and walk around between 100 and 400 yds, shoot from a variety of positions, and make sure you can achieve a first round hit at whatever distance you might hunt at. Maybe an offhand shot needs a 150yd limit, but standing with trekking poles you can get out to 300yds

If you can hit an 8" gong from whatever position with the ammo you plan to hun with, i dont think the gun matters.

300 win will fight the wind and range error better though

 

[Newtosavage]

Like I just said on another thread, these decisions always come down to one thing - Distance.

The critter will not know the difference between a .308 at 300 yards and a .300 Win Mag at 500.

You'll have more gun at 100 with the .308 than you will with the .300 Win Mag at 400. So you just have to decide how much range you need, and then carry accordingly.

 

[BigBore44]

Take both. If that's not an option, take me. I'll carry the 300. No problem.

 

[Robert]

How heavy is heavy? My 375H&H weighs about 10 lbs and I carry it all over the mountains here in CO. And I am a pudgy kid with asthma...

 

[gotboostvr]

The 308 will be enough, shot placement is the most important. I shoot a lighter rifle better offhand.

 

[MCMXI]

Otherwise, take the one you're most confident and comfortable shooting.

This is what I would do with one caveat. If you shoot both well enough out to a reasonable maximum range then I'd suggest the. 300 Win Mag since it offers more margin for unexpected situations. Like Robert I hunt with a .375 H&H with a total weight of 9lb because I shoot it well, it's very accurate, very reliable and it has a wide terminal ballistic operating window for most any situation, something that isn't always the case for smaller calibers.

 

[FL-NC]

My advice is to talk to the guides and locals. I brought a 30-06 to Maine to hunt black bears. Plenty of gun, but more than I needed. Here's what the locals hunted with: 7-08, 30-30, and 308. One guy even used a mosin-nagant carbine with iron sights with good soft point (Hornady?). As it turned out, hunting over bait where 50 meters is a LONG shot, you don't need as much gun as one may think.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

So I have booked a trip for next year in the NWT for sheep/mtn caribou/moose.

I have a .308 with a 21" barrel that weighs 7# 1 oz scoped, and a .300win mag with a 26" barrel that weighs 9.5# scoped. I could switch scopes and knock 8 oz or so off the .300, but its just a heavier rifle. I bought both of these rifles with this trip in mind, and go back and forth between thoughts of lugging around the .300 while sheep hunting, never even getting to the moose and cursing the extra 2# as I climb the hills vs. a ram taking an extra step or two and falling off a cliff and smashing his horns when the .300 might have dropped him DRT to will the .308 be able to drop a large moose. Seems like of all the hunts I might make in North America, if I have a .300WM in the safe to take, then now is definitely the time. Then I think about what if my shots are inside of 200 yards, the .308 would be just as effective.....round and round I go in my head.

I know I am overthinking it and should just focus on getting into the best shape of my life and saving money, but keep going back and forth.

Please give me your advice

Thanks

If the sheep hunting in NWT is like in Alaska, and I think it is, you're going to be lugging that rifle up some very steep loose shale slopes. I would go with the light weight. The 308 will work fine on moose or caribou.
Anyway good luck. I consider sheep hunting the most challenging and rewarding big game hunt there is in North America or any where else for that matter. You can't simply drive up to one you must earn it.

 

[Llama Bob]

Put me down for the .308. The .300WM is one of my least favorite calibers - adds lots of weight to the rifle and recoil to your shoulder, but doesn't really do anything I want to do. If I'm going to be shooting a log ways and worried about retained energy, I want to be in a 7mm magnum of some sort. If I'm worried about terminal ballistics, I want to be in a .375 H&H. If I want to keep recoil and weight under control it's 7mm-08 or ,308. It just seems like .300WM is never the right answer. Subjectively I also find its recoil very unpleasant. Like most small bores the recoil is sharp, and there's a lot of it. A .375 has more recoil, but it's more of a push than a 'crack' if you know what I mean.