300WM or 30-06

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shikaree

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I finally decided to buy Sako 85 in synthetic stainless. The only question I have is should I get 300WM or 30-06.

I will be hunting most deer and may be Elk and moose. Wolf and coyote for sure.

I will be hunting in Alberta and don't know yet whether it will be open country hunts or bush areas.

Please advice.

Thanks

Note: For those who asked about reloading, I don't reload at all and will be using all factory ammo.
 
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What are you trying to start a fight around here or what? J/k

Either one is great. Personal preference for me 300WM when I asked myself the same question. It has an edge over 30-06, the value of which is ... debatable.
 
NO fight please

NO. I don't want any fights at all. Life it too short to hunt enough, there is no time to fight!

Just need opinions from those who owns both or have used both in HUNTING.

Peace!! :canadaFlag: :rockOn:
 
I've had both, I prefer the 300 win mag provided I use premium bullets.

Make sure you can hadnle the recoil because the 300 winny in a light rifle could be too much for lots of guys, me included. My 300 is a Sako AV, the bare rifle goes just over 7 lbs, scoped with three in the mag it weighs about 8.5 lbs with a good stock design for me. In a straight stocked 7.5 gun scoped I wouldn't have much fun shooting it.
 
I've owned a few 300 Mags and was/am a BIG fan of this Cartridge :cool:
Even went to extremes defending it in the past as the do all Cartridge:redface:

However having dropped a few critters(with the 300 and other standard 30 cal cartridges) I can say with 100% certainty that the 30-06 will do everything 99.9% of Hunters will need it to do;)

I will be hunting most deer and may be Elk and moose. Wolf and coyote for sure.
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Get the '06 ! :)
 
7mm Rem mag. More powerfull and flatter shooting than .30-06. Slightly flatter shooting and less wind drift than the .300 due to bullets with a higher ballistic coefficient and less recoil than the .300 Mag.

I personally use a .30-06 here in the east (Quebec), but I don't shoot those western long distances.
 
Griffoneur said:
300 WM if you are into reloading.
My 300WM shoots, .308 Winchester, 30-30, 30.06, 303 British; which makes it a very versatile all around calibre.
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that terrifies me- if you're talking equivilents, say so- if you're loading 303 brit ( either bullets or full rounds) your barrel's going to blow up sooner or later
reason- all the rest are 308 diameter bullets- the 303 brit is 311 TO 313 diameter
but i digress- back to the question- even if you ARE into reloading, it's the POWDER CONSUMPTION that gets me with the magnums- you typically put half again as much powder in for only a few hundred fps- ie your typical powder charge in an 06 is about 50-55 grains of powder , with a 300 your typical powder charge is about 75 or so, but you only gain a few hundred fps- not even 5
i live in alberta and use a 338 win mag, which nobody has mentioned yet- and it's very popular
 
I've owned both .300 Winchesters and WSM's, plus a few .30-06. Mostly Model 70 Winchesters. They all generally weighed around 7 or 8 pounds, and all had a fair amount of kick. But all were managable once a Decelerator was put on the back. It took the snap out of the recoil, and made shooting off the bench even comfortable. As for hunting with them, I like the shorter barrels of the '06 rifles. Two inches may not seem like a big deal at the end of your barrel, but it's noticable when going through tree's. Plus a 22" rifle has a nicer balance off hand than a 26" does. Just my opinion though. As for performance, they are both excellent cartridges. A good bullet from either will drop the biggest bull elk or moose, and still be great for deer or antelope. You have to decide for yourself what you will most be comfortable with. The appeal of the .300 comes when you imagine yourself in Alaska hunting big bears. That's where you see the cartridge most useful. But the '06 is more than capable of that too, plus it's more pleasant to shoot and saves a bit of powder per shot, if your a reloader. Factory ammo is cheaper, if your not. Either way, you picked a beautiful rifle, and are considering two fine cartridges. It's your call, have fun deciding.

P.S: If you do choose the .300, don't load the 150 grain Hornady SST full power and shoot speedgoats. Just saying, that's all. :p
 
pharaoh2 said:
P.S: If you do choose the .300, don't load the 150 grain Hornady SST full power and shoot speedgoats. Just saying, that's all. :p
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Hey, I've done that...what's the problem? :D

Anyway, I've hunted w/ both and I think the main questions are how much are you going to shoot and do you reload? If you're going to shoot regularly and you don't reload, the 30-06 is the way to go. And if you're only going to sight in once a year and hunt the 30-06 is still probably the best choice. ;)
 
For those who asked about reloading, I don't reload at all and will be using all factory ammo
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Then you're better off with the .30-06 as others have said. For that matter if you aren't going to be stretching shots, a .308 win. may even be a better choice...
 
You sound liek a new shooter to me. Start with the 30-06. Easier to manage the recoil and become a good shot/good shooter with the '06 than to start with the 300. Most people don't like recoil much and can only tolerate a certain amount of shooting in one sitting with a 300 mag. If you're lookign to build your shooting skills, better to start with the '06.
 
if your a brand new shooter and going after those game i'd look at the .270

the 06 can kick a lot for new shooters.

Stay away from the magnums if you don't reload!!
 
If this is going to be your one hunting rifle, I'd suggest the 300 mag. I really like the 30-06, but to be honest, anything the 30-06 can do, the 300 can do better and it's really just as simple as that. The ammo is more expensive, but unless you shoot significantly, it's not going to be that big of a deal.
 
practicing with your rifle is more likely to happen if the ammo is lower priced and recoil is easy to master. Advantage 30-06

Id say the 30-06 is more versatile because due to its moderate velocity, almost any load will give excellent performance. In a 300 Mag, how is a 150 grain soft point going to perform?
 
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