Help me pick a deer/elk gun

[Peakbagger46]

My wife now uses my little Remington 7 .308 I used to use for hunting here in the Colorado. As a result, I have been toting around a 10 1/2 pound heavy barrel .308 for the last few years and that gets really old after the first few miles up and down ridges. I do a lot of hiking when I hunt.

I am looking at either getting another .308 or... "moving up" to a 30-06. If I were only after deer, the choice would be easy, but I'm kind of thinking it might be nice to have the extra little power of the '06 and move up from the 165g bullets I've been using to 180g. I would like to reach out to 300y and maybe 400 (if everything is perfect for the shot and I can't get closer).

The rifle I've pretty well decided on is a Sako A7 with a 24" barrel, should be around 8 pounds once I put a scope on it.

I've never really played with an '06. Is the increased recoil going to be worth it for elk? Will I maybe get an extra 200fps out of the 06 as opposed to the .
308 since the barrel is 24"?

Also, accuracy wise, can the '06 do good groups? My .308 is really accurate. I know I don't NEED that much accuracy for hunting, but it sure is nice and I like to play out in the desert on paper out to 400 steps or so.

Oh yeah, I reload so I can load whatever I want for either.

What should I go with?

 

[Art Eatman]

I've never had any problem in getting an '06 to group five shots inside an inch at 100 yards. Maybe not much inside, but still under one MOA. Bullets of 110-grain to 180-grain in a 1:10 twist.

Since the '06 is a bit overbore, it needs a 24" barrel to have a higher muzzle velocity than a .308. 22" or 20", there's no point to the '06 except for the 180-grain bullets.

I've never thought that the recoil was all that such-a-much, although for lengthy testing at the benchrest I use a small sandbag between the buttpad and my shoulder to reduce felt recoil. Out hunting? I've never even really noticed the recoil.

 

[ttheel]

You shouldn't have trouble with the 06. In my mind it is one of the best rounds ever developed. Recoil is not bad but it will be heavier than a 308. If it bothers you get a good Past shoulder recoil pad for bench shooting. I have one that I use when bench shooting a 7.5 lb(scope and all) 300 WSM and it makes recoil feel like a 25-06. I don't use a pad in the field while shooting at game, I have never noticed recoil from any rifle.

 

[jmr40]

You can get easily get 3000 fps with 150's and a 22" barreled 30-06. 2900 fps from a 22" 308. A 24" barrel MIGHT get you another 30-50 fps. Any way you look at it a 30-06 is about 100-150 fps faster than a 308 from equal barrel lengths depending on bullet weight. The heavier the bullet, the greater the difference. This holds true if the barrels are 26" or 16" in length or anywhere in between.

I often see the number of 1500 ft lbs of energy at impact listed as a good rule of thumb for an acceptable elk load. If you use that number a 308 is good for about 400 yards. A 30-06, about 500. Any of the 300 mags, about 600. The old '06 is going to do a little better at longer ranges. At 300 and under I don't think it would matter a bit.

Recoil is very tolerable. Using this site http://www.handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp to calculate recoil my 7.5 lb 308 has about 17 ft lbs recoil to my 7.5 lb 30-06's 21 ft lbs of recoil with my best loads. The difference is noticeable, but neither is bad. My 6 lb Kimber in 308 also has 21 ft lbs of recoil. From an 8 lb 30-06 recoil shouldn't be too much worse than your model 7 in 308.

You won't have any problems with accuracy with any quality 30-06 and good loads. I find my 308's to be ever so slightly more accurate. No game animal will ever tell the difference.

To me an 8 lb rifle scoped is borderline heavy for climbing mountains. I'm sure it is a big improvement over what you are used to though. If you choose your optics and mounts carefully I'm betting you can keep the Sako closer to 7.5 lbs.

308 vs 30-06 is a close call. Especially since you already own 308's and are comfortable with them. I think you'd probably be fine with it unless you really want to shoot long range.

 

[a-sheepdog]

I would move up to a 7mm Rem Mag, recoil is about the same as a 30-06 in my opinion and you can shoot from 140 grain up to 175 grain bullets. I generally use a 160 grain bonded bullet for elk if I am carrying my 7mag, very flat shooting round and my Tikka T3 is very accurate.

 

[Robert]

Wow, that .308 of yours is a pound heavier than my 375H&H elk rifle...

I'd say get an '06 and don't look back. There are many fine options out there that will be lighter than your present rifle even after adding glass. I am fond of the new Winchester rifles myself but fiddle with a few different makes and see what you like best.

 

[ttheel]

Sheepdog, the 7mm mag is a heck of a round also. I have actually done more hunting with this round than any other round. It is very effective on medium to large game and shoots a long way with a thump. Hard to argue with that choice also.

 

[witchhunter]

A guy way more knowledgeable than me once said "something or other, get an 06" I'm not sure if that is really a quote, Col. Whelen was his name, he was a famous old gun guy. Lots of us agree.

 

[Abel]

A Ruger Hawkeye in 30-06 with a Leupold VX-2 3-9X40mm is tough to beat.

 

[horsemen61]

A 30 06 is never a mistake Col. Whelen

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

a .308 or .30-06 even a 7mm-08 unless. you just want the unnecessary recoil of a magnum to prove you are a macho guy. plenty of gun to do the job, plus hit your target and your shoulder wont be bruised.....or your ego either..

 

[Andrew Leigh]

Love my 30-06.

You are going for a lighter rifle so felt recoil will be slightly more. It is suggested that if you are recoil intolerant that the 30-06 is the first calibre that will find you out. Go shoot one.

If you are a handloader you will love this cartridge, great to load.

I exclusively load 180gr. Accubonds at 2620fps. I am not a speed merchant and this combo ensures no meat damage. This is my Kudu load and I have taken a large Kudu bull at 273yds with this load and it performs flawlessly. The Accubonds like a small jump so I load to 0.030" off the lands, if you go for Sierra then you want to be 0.080" off the lands. I have found this works great for me.

Enjoy the search, nothing like shopping for firearms.

 

[CaliCoastie]

i have a sako a7 in 300wm, and a tikka in 7mm-08. I'd save a bit and go with a tikka in your flavor. my sako doesn't always feed correctly..... not sure why. and my tikka was cheaper in stainless, no issues so far but I've had the tikks only a few months vs 5 years. as for calibers? stock the recoil in the a7 was brutal, id look hard at a 308/7m-08, the ranges your looking at running a good bullet? i like Barnes tsx. best of luck.

 

[Uncle Mike]

I don't know, with all your hunting clothes on, I bet you'll be hard pressed to tell much if any difference in recoil between the 308 and 30-06.
I sees you may be sneaking up on an Elk at sometime or another, and while both the 308 and 06 will effectively turn off an elk, I might think more along the lines of one of the 300's, not the weatherby, but prehaps the 300 WSM or even the 300 Winchester.

Plenty of power to spare if you need it, not too much power if you don't, and the recoil, well, if you can handle a 30-06 in a 7lb rifle, you can put up with a 300.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

my sako doesn't always feed correctly..... not sure why.

@CaliCoastie

Neither did my .375. I asked friend to check it out, he cycled it 100 times with three different loads, not one feeding problem. It turns out that I was not taking the bolt back to the extreme before feeding. In effect I was short stroking. Try it, it may be your solution as well.

 

[claiborne]

By all Means, get the 30-06

"Since the '06 is a bit overbore, it needs a 24" barrel to have a higher muzzle velocity than a .308. 22" or 20", there's no point to the '06 except for the 180-grain bullets"

I have been shooting the great 30-06 since I got my first one at fourteen, uhm, 30 years now, and I must respectfully disagree with the above statement. I have taken elk, deer, bear, antelope, pigs, badgers, coyotes, and lots of jack rabbits. There is plenty of point to the 30-06, it is not an overbore cartridge and it shines plenty with 165g bullets. My favorites are Barnes 165 XBT and Nosler 165 Partitions, oh and then there is the Sierra 168gr MK and Hornady 168 gr HP match bullets I load for my M1.....yada yada yada...

The 30-06 is from just a hair faster to 100-150 fps faster with most bullet weights. There is a reason most loading manuals, (I reference my Barnes, Nosler, Lee and Hornady manuals), list the 308 before the 30-06; they are listed in order of performance.

With that said, there is nothing wrong with 308, I have had a couple rifles in this chamber, I just prefer blondes over red heads.

I have been lusting over this rifle for some time now-Kimber 84L 30-06

http://www.kimberamerica.com/rifles/model-84l/classic-stainless-select-grade

 

[Matno]

There's always the old argument that the 308 is inherently more accurate (which due to a couple of factors is actually true), but as was mentioned before, if you want versatility, go with the .300 Win mag. Since you're handloading, you can have as much power or as little recoil as you want. I've used all three and never felt under gunned, but the .300 definitely adds a touch of confidence. Nothing I've shot with mine has ever taken a single step after being hit.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

For what it's worth, I've been shooting the .30-06 for over 57 years, and currently own 5 of them -- an old Ruger M77 shotgun-safety model, a pre-64 Model 70 Winchester, two M1903A3s (a Remington and a Smith-Corona) and a Garand.

I only own one .308 (a 99 Savage) so I'd admittedly biased -- but I'd say, go with the .30-06.

 

[Peakbagger46]

"The 30-06 is from just a hair faster to 100-150 fps faster with most bullet weights. There is a reason most loading manuals, (I reference my Barnes, Nosler, Lee and Hornady manuals), list the 308 before the 30-06; they are listed in order of performance."

Yes, and I'm thinking the 24" barrel will help it out a bit as well. Really leaning toward the 06'. Going to look over some more reloading books and make the final call.

 

[krupparms]

I think the .308 would work just fine! But everyone needs a good .30-06. So here's a great excuse to get one! JMO.