Should I get a 30-06, 280 or 308. (needs to kill every thing from squirrels, to elk:)

What should i get. (i am a new member and need advice, please)

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(needs to kill every thing from squirrels, to elk:)
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You better go for the 30-06 in a Savage or Stevens 200, when my little buddy Rocky gets older I'm giving him your address. :cuss:

rocky-3.jpg

SQNUTS.jpg

The real sad story is after raising my little buddy Rocky from a baby he had to leave home suddenly after he bit my wife. :( (you could say he was a flying squirrel momentarily) :eek:
 
I think you'd better learn a recipe for mince meat pie if you plan to eat squirrels killed with anything that will take down an elk.

edited for spelling
 
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Buy a .22 or .243 for little things, and borrow your Dad's .30-06 for big things.

Sorry, but there is no one rifle that "does it all". Although if I had to pick one, price of factory ammo be damned, I'd look into a 7mm-08.
 
I have a mid 90's build 300 Win Mag 700 BDL DM. Big ole factory recoil pad.
My brother has a mid 80's 30-06 700 BDL. His, hard plastic recoil, uh well I can't say pad.

Mine still has a bit of a bite over his but it is not by much. His hurts like hell with that hard plastic against your shoulder. So keep that in mind when looking for rifles. Though you never mentioned recoil as an issue. So if it does not matter to you, go with the 300. I have taken everything from groundhogs to.......well I never killed anything bigger than a whitetail with it. But it is there for the day I get out west to take me something bigger.
 
I will tell you this on the 30-06. I love my 300 and wish for nothing more. My brother loves his 30-06 and wishes it was a 300 :)
 
I'd say go with 30-06 out of your choices, power wise, it comes between the .308 and 300 win with heavy bullets. In reality it should kill everything on your list just as well as a 300 win, perhaps at a slightly reduced range. Ammo will be quite a bit cheaper than 300 win as well. I think $375 is a very doable budget for a working rifle as long as you are ok with going used. I Picked up a 110 in '06 for $250 out the door one time, and it was in great shape. You should be able to find Savages, Stevens 200s and Marlins xl7s in that range to name a few..Pick up a Vortex crossfire or redfield revolution scope on the cheap and you should have a very workable rig.
 
I buddy of mine picked up a beautiful 30-06 Rem pump a month ago at a gun show for $325. It was used and a bit old but in fantastic shape.
 
If you only have $325, then the only reliably good option you have is to get a Mosin Nagant m91/30. It is a bolt action rifle for 7.62x54R, but it pretty much can kill anything. If you want to kill things like rabbits and not leave people wondering what the obliterated thing with fur on it was, then you're going to need a much smaller caliber, possibly a 380 pistol. A makarov is cheap, so it could work for this.
 
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sKunkT said:
I would look at used rifles. Find one that fits right and suits your style first, then worry about caliber.
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That's the right advice. Fit and cheek weld are really important to hitting targets in tough situations. Caliber comes second as long as it get there with enough energy to do the job. There are a ton of used 30-06's out there as guys traded them in on the new super duper whiz bang magnum whatever. Ain't nothing in North America that can't be successfully hunted with an 06, or 308 if you know what you are doing :)
 
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Why not buy one of those Rossi three-barrel single shots? They have one in .22,20ga and .223 that are not supposed to be bad rifles for what they are. For less than 250. Or get a mosin rifle and one of those pistol cartridge inserts for small game, .32 or 7.62x25.
 
336A said:
I don't see .280 Rem in your poll:confused: If it were me and I wanted to be different I'd get a .280 Rem. It is a great rifle cartridge capable of doing all that you outlined. IMHO the .280 Rem is a true riflemans cartridge and deserves a lot more press than it gets.
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+1 awesome cartridge
 
** From all I've "read"... .308 Win will do just fine with the right ammo but... .30-06 is even better for larger game such as elk.
 
IMHO, your list on the poll does not correlate with the things you mention shooting. This is almost an impossible question with an even more impossible answer.

We don't care for loaded-questions, only loaded-guns!:):)
 
Used Savage 110 in .30-06. I got mine for $250, and they routinely pop up in the $300 neighborhood. It's a little dinged up in the stock, but the action is smooth, trigger is decent, and I can hit a 9" paper plate consistently at 300 yards from a bench. You'll also be able to find ammo just about anywhere that sells it.

It'll work on squirrels, but I'd recommend something lighter like a .22 LR for those little guys.
 
Like others have said 270, 30-06, 8mm, 7.62x54R will kill most anything and bolt-action rifles can be found aplenty on used gun racks. So can 7mm and 300 magnum rifles. Savage 110 series are my favorite but go with any semi-common caliber in good condition on the used rack.

After you get that rifle you are going to need an rimfire for whacking the smaller stuff. (especially steel plates). Savage and Marlin both make good bolt action rimfires for the sticker price. leave some money for a rimfire and scope, you can use them more often than the big bangstick. (I am assuming you don't already have your own since you mentioned squirrels without a squirrel rifle.)
 
If you already have a .223/20ga combo, I'd say you're pretty good on the varmint side of things.
 
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