Elk/Range rifle: 308 or 30-06?

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lucky Strike

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
410
Location
Salem, OR
Been using my uncles old M77 30-06 for the past 4 years (when i started elk hunting....i'm currently 0 for 4) and think it's time to get my own .30 cal rifle. At first I was thinking of getting an AR-10 as I love my AR-15 and liked the idea of staying with a similar platform. However after some thinking I'm now wanting a bolt action since I can get a light weight one which would be nice for elk hunting.

Just have to make a decision on what caliber (then i can move on to which rifle) to get....I've narrowed it down to .30-06 and .308 due to their availability/cost. Any opinions on which would serve me better given my needs would be appreciated. Also any rifle suggestions that you want to throw in would be nice too.

The terrain we hunt in is a mixture of fir forest and bald ridges similar to this picture that usually make me curse the elk under my breath hiking up and down them while my ankles and lungs beg for mercy

00small56146593.JPG


For distance, personally I think 400yds is about my upper limit on distance of where I'd feel ok about taking a shot. I've yet to shoot an elk but have gotten within "shootable distances" for me to various cow elk (we've only had spike or branch bull tags) over the past four years. These distances are in the 100 to 300 yard range.....if I ever do shoot a bull elk it'd most likely be in that range. For paper punching my local range's max distance is 600yds so that'd be the limit for target shooting.

I want to shoot throughout the year...this is the main reason I narrowed it to .30-06 and .308 (relatively cheap). I love taking out my AR15 a couple weekends a month and would hopefully like to do the same with this rifle. I don't want it to be a similar situation to my cousin who has a .300wby mag that he only shoots like once a year (like 10 rounds to sight the thing in before elk season) due to recoil...if I'm going to put money into this thing I want to be able to shoot it often. I don't hunt any other animals so basically it'll be 1 week a year using it for elk hunting and the other 51 as a range gun.

Something I don't know is what the "minimum" barrel length is to get the most out of these rounds. For example if one is getting the most out of it's powder at 20" and the other needs 24" to burn everything then obviously the shorter would be preferred.

Anyway, any suggestions are much appreciated, thanks.
 
I am biased, but I use a .308 for everything. I reload using W748, and bullet weights from 125 to 180 grains. I am not a match shooter, but I can (sometimes) shoot sub MOA with 2 of my rifles.
 
between the 2 you're looking at and your stated useage, i'd go with the .308...why put up with more recoil than you have to.

i would personally look at something with even lighter recoil and a proven track record on elk...bearing in mind that lighter recoil also means that you can go with a light rifle, which would help on the hiking too.

i think the optimum chambering would be a 6.5x55mm (long action) or a .260 (short action). superior long range ballistics and less recoil. the 6.5x55mm has been out a long time, it should be that hard to find...i think you'll save a lot of money by reloading any rifle cartridge too
 
The 30-06 will give you a bit of extra velocity (especially if you reload) and a wider range of bullet weight (up to 250 gr.!!!)

If we are talking about Elk I would definitely go for a 30-06 with a 24" barrel.

There are several excellent inexpensive choices...Weatherby Vanguard, Remington 700 SPS, Tikka or even a Mossberg 4X4 (not the ATR)
Very good rifles without breaking the bank ($400 or so)

Good Luck!!
 
Pretty darn close

There's some overlap in these cartridges. A .270 belongs in the mix. If it's strictly 308 or 30-06, I'd say the 30-06. You can pick up a bit more power, depending on the load.

As for recoil, all three of these cartridges have it to a noticeable degree. So, why not take the extra power with the extra punishment?
 
The AR10 is a very heavy rifle for its chambering; it's pretty hard to get it under 9lbs with optic unless you resort to some serious exotica. I'd recommend a basic bolt gun or single-shot.

I hunt on foot, and I tend to lean towards single-shot rifles for their ease of carry. My 'field' 30-06 is a Ruger #1 with a Leupold FXII 2.5x on it. The package is very handy in the field and very carry-able.

I am a fan of the 30-06; it's got the bottom end (light/slow reduced recoil loads) on par with the 308 but can use 180gr-200gr loadings on the top end far more effectively than the 308, if you ever feel the need for some serious thump. Remington makes a nice 125gr load in 30-06 that's really handy for long practice sessions.

I shoot a lot of 308, but that's more of a function of having AR10s and other such semiautos moreso than an innate love of the chambering.
 
for a hunting rifle i would say get the '06. simply more power with lower pressure.

with improvements in propellants the extra case volume has become much less of an issue.
 
I will throw in my 2 cents and since I live in the heart of what is considered pretty good elk country (west central Colorado) I'll say 300 WM.
From the looks of your hunting area you could easily have some pretty long shots present themselves and while you might say 400 is your max now as you become more confident with yourself and equipment to push that should the opportunity arise.
Myself I hunt elk with either a 45/70 or 338-378 Wby and last week took my bull from less than 50 yds with the magnum. The area was new to me and the guy who knew the country said bring something that will shoot. The openings that I shot with my range finder varied from 200-600 yds but I felt I could make the shots if presented. As it happened my bull side hilled below me at about 50 yds and and gave me a moment to pick up the rack and pull the trigger in heavy juniper trees. The scope was almost too powerful at that range and my open sighted 45/70 would have been more appropriate.
My point in all this is that the 300 win mag will reach out past the 308 and 30-06 when needed but is fairly economical and if you reload will be only penny's more than the other 2 and you can always shoot close.
If I had to pick a do all big game rifle and one that would be economical and fairly pleasant to shoot it would be the 300 win mag.
 
Like saying blond or brunett when you've never met a redhead.
I am biased, but I use a .308 for everything.
Click to expand...
Hey at least I'm not biased
 
Like saying blond or brunett when you've never met a redhead.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the redhead here is the .280 remington - hot stuff.

But since you've narrowed it down to those two, really either will work about the same. I'd go with a T/C Icon Classic in .30-'06. It has a 24" bbl. Actually, I did do just that, but have not hunted with it yet. An extra 100-150 fps can't hurt when shooting in those "bald" areas with some wind.
 
If I must be tied down to the 2 I will say 30-06 for the same reason as the Dr. The elk in my story was carrying a .30 cal slug we found when butchering, it was on the outside of the shoulder blade. I can't say what the cartridge was but I can say that if the shooter was upsized by one power level it would have likely passed theough the bone and maybe done some serious damage. As it was the bullet upset very little and he had carried it for at least one season.
I shot an elk some yrs ago with the 308 using federal premium ammo and was not impressed with the performance, I have seen quite a few with the 30-06 and for the most part did a decent job. I have never not been impressed by the performance of a 300 win mag (I have been unimpressd with some of the shooting of all these calibers by hunters)
I too am a fan of the 280 and know of a few elk fell buy it.
 
Just stick to the granddaddy of all. the .3006 .
But I will get a 6.5 x 55 for the heck of having one. Read so much good report on it as well. Light recoil and high BC!
 
Thanks for all the suggestions....i guess i'm leaning towards the .30-06

One question though on how the weight of a rifle affects recoil. I'm looking at various rifles in "lightweight" (6 to 6.5lbs) and standard weights (7 to 8lbs).

Just wondering how much an extra pound of weight lessens recoil. I'd certainly like a rifle that's lighter to carry elk hunting but like I said before, i'm only hunting for one week a year. The rest of the time would be target practice so if the difference in recoil is pretty noticeable then I'd likely just suck it up when hunting and get a standard weight rifle and save my shoulder a little wear for the rest of the year.
 
The 6.5x55 always fascinates me...such diminuitive cartridge (by American standards) but an incredible performer.

In Scandinavia they use it very effectively for Moose....the 160 gr, bullets have extremely high SD which allow out of this world penetration (even using soft points) considering the relatively modest ME figures.

In North America is probably considered a pipsqueak even for Elk, never mind Moose.
 
A 6.5 lb rifle in either is gonna kick a decent amount, my XL7 in .30-06 is fine with 150 gr Interbonds (my elk/deer load) but turns into a beast with 180 corelokts or federals. I'm a member of the "less recoil the better" camp. Perhaps 150's or 165's out of a 7-8 lb gun in either caliber would be a good bet for all-year range use and a week of hunting.
 
Recoil?

I can't speak for everyone, but the next time I have a fine looking animal in my sights, I know that when I squeeze off a round, the recoil will not be in the equation. Recoil only applies to people that are fixated on it. When target shooting my .338/378 mag., I concentrate on the target. Worrying about the recoil does nothing but throw your shot off. It only hurts for a second, so get over it.

navaide
 
I can't speak for everyone, but the next time I have a fine looking animal in my sights, I know that when I squeeze off a round, the recoil will not be in the equation. Recoil only applies to people that are fixated on it. When target shooting my .338/378 mag., I concentrate on the target. Worrying about the recoil does nothing but throw your shot off. It only hurts for a second, so get over it.
Click to expand...

Easy to say, but in the real world it does matter for 99% of people. Now when hunting it is less of a factor by far, you have on thicker clothes usually, adrenaline pumping, only 1 shot, etc...However if you are at the target range in the summer in a t shirt, off of a bench, the 338/378 certainly makes recoil part of the equation. Especially if you shoot more than a few rounds.
 
This seems to be turning into the classic, what is the perfect gun/cartridge. There is no answer. The 6.5 in scandinavia is typicaly shot at distances that tube fed lever actions have been killing the same animals here for a century. Recoil and performance almost always go hand in hand so as you limit recoil you will have a performance curve that will follow. The OP had 2 choices which seems a little narrow and neither will be the perfect fit just as those who would say 6mm or .338. The fact is owning just one gun sucks.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

G
  • Locked
30-06 or .308? (Considering rifle purchase)
2 3
Replies
61
Views
4K
Ogham
O
N
  • Locked
30-06 or .300 Help?
Replies
10
Views
1K
stevelyn
S
L
  • Locked
Recoil comparison of 30-06 to other elk calibers?
Replies
10
Views
1K
cyclopsshooter
C
B
  • Locked
Max effective range for the 30-06?
Replies
9
Views
6K
saturno_v
S
M
  • Locked
Recommendations for an Elk Rifle
2 3
Replies
51
Views
2K
YammyMonkey
Y
Back
Top