Need guidance from experienced hunter

DocBurN

DocBurN

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After 2x Ruger .22 and a 12 gauge 74 Wingmaster.. i would like to start planing hunting North American big game next year. I am looking for an all around really good and powerful rifle since i can't buy one rifle for every type of game. My small research pointed to the famous fight between the 30.06 and .270 caliber.

The guidance needed from you would be.. if you had to start all over again before owning 20 something rifles :) like me right now.. what would be your choice with what you have experienced so far ?

1) Does 30.06 /or/ .270 a good choice that can hunt pretty much any North American big game ? .308 ? [i am not a pro yet, but would like to get 1 rifle that will follow me for the next 20 years]

2) Can you suggest a particular model / company that seem to be a top choice in those caliber over the others ?

I am sorry if this could be an "often ask" kind of thread but i really appreciate your input, as usual... at least its not a Bear/zombie defence thread :)
 
The .30-06 is a better choice as you can get factory loads with bullets from 125grains all the way up to 220grains. Bolt actions are a good choice as well...although I prefer the Remington 7600 pump action rifle!!!
 
If only one, would be a .300 win mag.

From the boreal of the east to the plains of the west, mountains and tundra, not once would I second guess it.
 
Agree with 300WM if only one rifle.
Can be loaded as 150grain to 210 grain on whatever big game or small game you want to get.
 
(Donning Kevlar suit) There are a host of good cartridges out there and the .30-06, the .270 Win and the .308 are among them. Much has been said about this round or that being able to down mastadons at 600 yards, but the reality is that few of us can hit anything at 600 yards and few of us hunt mastadons. Would I take any of them into dense brush after a wounded grizzly? Hardly, but then few of us do that, either.

There are a host of middle-of-the-pack rounds that will do very well for deer, moose, bear, elk and so forth. Millions of big game were taken with black-powder rifles firing cast lead bullets; Bambi hasn't changed and what is really important is shot placement. Get that right and virtually any round will do. In Much of what you read is glitz and bling - even old-timers like the .303 British, .303 Savage, .30-40 Krag and the 7mm Mauser are perfectly adequate. They're just out of fashion.

Bottom line - find a rifle that feels good when you shoulder it and then get to the range and practice, practice, practice.
 
For all round best of the best - you already identified them. Both the 270 and the 30-06 are the best of the best all 'round calibers for N. American game. Myself, in my opinion, I went with the 30-06 for reasons above. Have never regretted and always satisfied. Besides, I can literally walk into ANY store and buy ammo for it.

My buddy, now he swears, for the same reasons that the 270 is the best. after several beers, bottles of whiskey, endless campfires and downed animals - we agreed...it is a draw!

PSST! - Larry...the 30-06 is waaay better! Laugh2 :D :cheers:
 
Heartily agree that the 30-06 is the best choice.
I think I can safely recommend a Weatherby Vanguard II as a very decent rifle in that chambering.
The 270 will also fill the bill, just not quite as versatile.
Eagleye
 
The fight is close as i expected between 30-06 and .270.. plus a few votes for the .300 win mag. I agree that shot placement is the key.. so i wonder what a .300 can kill that a 30-06 / .270 can't if the shot would be exactly placed on a kill zone on the animal. Do i understand a .300 is overkill if not hunting dinosaurs ? I also have no clue what kind of glass im gonna put on it in term of zooming but i dont beleave i will be fireing at 500 yard+ yet either for hunting.

Without knowing much more than what you all specified, a like the versatility of the 30-06.

Bowie said:
For a non-handloader, .30-06 without question.
Click to expand...
Do i understand there is not a single .270 rifle that can host a little mag ? I want to get a bolt action (for no reason, i got pump shotguns and semi-autos for the rests, zero bolt) but would appreciate a mag for quick reload.
 
Personal expierience

300 win mag is overkill unless you are shooting grizzles from 500 yards, when you practice 10 or 12 shots and your shoulder will be screaming

30-06 good choice all around for most anything

270 little faster

308 good for anything accurate for distance
 
I just bought a Weatherby Vanguard series 1, 30 06...it has a detachable mag. If you can find these right now, they are pretty cheap. Since series 2 came out, the shops that have them are trying to get rid of them. The mag is somewhat flimsy, but the rifle shoots very well. I'm broke right now, so I put a very cheap straight 4 power scope on it, sited it in last night, and it's ready for moose hunting on Saturday. I've had a variety of rifles with strange calibers, I'm getting kind of partial to this one. Under 500 for the rifle, two mags, scope mounts, scope and a box of ammo.
 
Guess what I like!
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Having said that, the .270, .280 and the .30/06 are all good choices for the general purpose big game rifle. Frankly, I'd give more consideration to the rifle you choose then to which cartridge its chambered for. There are many good rifles to choose from, but the choices can become somewhat overwhelming, particularly if you don't have a clear vision of what it is you want. Its easier to choose an inappropriate rifle than it is to choose an inappropriate cartridge. For me it was easy, I knew that I preferred rifles with old world styling and that I preferred a Mauser style extractor to a push feed, despite owning and having owned a truck load of 700 Remington type rifles. My favorite rifle of all time and the one I absolutely refuse to sell is my Brno ZG-47 in .30/06.

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If your budget is modest, or even if its not, I suggest checking out the Husqvarna rifles on the Tradex site can be found at the top of the page. If you have any questions concerning a particular rifle or pertaining to your search for a rifle in general, these guys won't steer you wrong, and you can be sure of getting old world quality at a bargain price. I have one of their commercial Model 1600 .30/06s that I had tweaked into my wife's bear gun. The only real disadvantage to these rifles is the 1:12 twist, which limits you to 180 gr TSXs or 200 gr lead core bullets and shorter, which isn't much of a hardship given the broad selection of today's .30 caliber bullets.

Husqvarna 1640 Carbine with some embellishments . . .
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Beyond that, quality rifles can be had from numerous manufacturers including CZ, Winchester, Remington, Browning, Ruger, Sako, Weatherby, Kimber, Cooper, and a host of others. Action choices include bolt guns, autos, pumps, falling block single shots, lever actions, and hinged singles, doubles, and drillings.
 
I am a savage fan and it is what i usually hunt with, but like boomer said, if you're on a budget some of the guns on tradex are a good price for the quality you get. If i was starting over again i would probably start with one of the husky or zastava guns there, some people don't care for the look though.
I went with .308 myself, but of your 2 choices i see more variety of ammo available for the 30-06 where i am, so i would go with whatever you can find more of locally or where you are going to be hunting.
 
Big game North American all around rifle chambering should sport the 30 cal designation.
Find yourself a real nice 308 Norma Mag chambered rifle and sport some class.
You will be joining an elite crowd of happy gun ownership.
Flat shooting, hard hitting gal that really likes to please.
And a pretty long list of bullets to opt for reloading too.
Or go with the usual crowd, cough, and get the ultimate turdy awt six.
 
DocBurN said:
Do i understand there is not a single .270 rifle that can host a little mag ? I want to get a bolt action (for no reason, i got pump shotguns and semi-autos for the rests, zero bolt) but would appreciate a mag for quick reload.
Click to expand...

The reference concerning a "non-handloader" is about being limited to storebought ammunition, not magazine capacity.
 
DocBurN said:
The fight is close as i expected between 30-06 and .270.. plus a few votes for the .300 win mag. I agree that shot placement is the key.. so i wonder what a .300 can kill that a 30-06 / .270 can't if the shot would be exactly placed on a kill zone on the animal. Do i understand a .300 is overkill if not hunting dinosaurs ? I also have no clue what kind of glass im gonna put on it in term of zooming but i dont beleave i will be fireing at 500 yard+ yet either for hunting.
Click to expand...

Effectively, nothing. Provided, as you stipulate, that the bullet goes in the right place. The old .30-30 has taken more deer than any other round (some will say as much as all the rest put together), yet its ballistics are comparatively feeble. Almost any round you chose to name will have enough power, enough lethality for most big game if placed properly. Dead is dead and adding more foot-pounds to the equation doesn't help.


The superfast rounds have an advantage at distance in that they don't drop as much. Let's look at a .308 Win and a .300 Win Mag, both firing a 180 gr BTSP and both sighted in at 200 yards. At 200 yards, they will of course be spot on target. The .308's bullet leaves the muzzle at 2,500 fps and the .300 Win Mag's at 2,800 fps. (You can play around with velocities and bullets all you want; the end result will be more or less the same.)

At 300 yards, the .308's bullet will have dropped 10.2", while the Magnum's will have dropped 7.8", meaning you'd need to hold over that much to be on target. A 2½" difference.

At 400 yards, the .308's bullet will have dropped 26.4", while the Magnum's will have dropped 22.7". Closer to 4" difference.

At 500 yards, the .308's bullet will have dropped 56.4", while the Magnum's will have dropped 45.9". 10½" - almost a foot.

In other words, at extreme distances, hold-over is to some degree easier to compensate for (although you would still have to hold over almost four feet for the .300 Win Mag at 500 yards.) This is an advantage.


The other advantage of the superfast rounds is that they maintain an adequate amount of energy to kill Bambi farther out (in excess of 400 yards, let's say). This is also an advantage for those who can use it.


Now - if you are a good enough shot to be able to actually put your first shot into a dinner plate (the size of a deer's killing zone) at very long range, then your rifle should probably be one of the big boomers. You'd be foolish not to take advantage of that extra potential. If on the other hand, you're one of the 99% of us who know we can't hit Bambi at 600 yards with a heavy machine gun and an artillery spotting team, then carrying a .300 Magnum provides no real advantage, despite the very real and inescapable increases in cost, weight and recoil.

Last consideration. If you are planning on hunting big bear, then perhaps that extra might be worth it as 'cordite life insurance'.
 
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