I'm looking to buy a Remington 700 heavy barrel for an AICS stock but I'm torn between short action 308 and long action 300 Win Mag. I want long range, 500 yards and still have knock down power for whitetail, bear and moose. Can someone give me an honest ballistics comparison?
308 versus 300 Win Mag
- Thread starter kef
- Start date
- Location
- Vancouver Island BC
500 yard shots on a moose with a .308 is very risky, I would rather have the extra reach and punch of the 300.
The 300 Winchester has way more authority and is just as accurate at all ranges.
I have had dozens of .308's and no matter I hot I loaded them, they're still not a 300 mag by a far stretch.
The 300 Winchester has way more authority and is just as accurate at all ranges.
I have had dozens of .308's and no matter I hot I loaded them, they're still not a 300 mag by a far stretch.
If you had enough hunting experience to consider taking a clean 500 yard shot on large game, I'd find it highly unlikely that you'd need to come online and ponder such a question.
Oh, goody! Another noob who thinks it's a great idea to hunt with a heavy barelled rifle...It's been what, maybe a week since the last similar post?...
Actually, I should have been clearer in my post. Maybe I should have asked which you would prefer and why. I was asking for a valued opinion from someone who might have experience, not someone who's experience is in insulting strangers with their "2 cents" and now that you've spent it, hopefully your broke.
i consider the 308 as a 300 mbr rifle, meaning i limit my shots to about 300 yards or less- sighted in for 2or 250( the mbr on a 308 is 267) and not enough drop to cause a concern at 300- when the going gets above that, i drag out the 338 win mag- heavier bullets than any 300 and longer legs too
i don't consider there's all that much between the 308, the 06, and the 300- the bullets all weigh the same, so it's just a matter of how far out you want to reach- you MAY get an extra 100 yards out of the 300, but you're also burning twice the powder
i don't consider there's all that much between the 308, the 06, and the 300- the bullets all weigh the same, so it's just a matter of how far out you want to reach- you MAY get an extra 100 yards out of the 300, but you're also burning twice the powder
I can't comment on Moose at 500 yards, but if its for hunting big game, I see no reason not to get a 300 WM. It will push a heavier and / or faster bullet than the 308. I've seen some phenomenal shooting done with a 300 WM Remington 700 at 300 yards so I'm convinced its accurate. I'd go for it over the 308 as it never hurts to have extra range or the ability to shoot heavy bullets. That makes it more versatile in my mind. As for recoil, I have a light barreled Savage 300 WM and it really jumps up when you shoot it, but its nothing to be scared of. That said, I did shoot my deer this year with my 308.
Well a quick look at my ballistics table, shows shooting 180 gr bullets gives you these approx numbers. I threw in the RUM for a better choice at long range.
_________200yds 500yds fps/velocity
.308_____2200 1600
.300_____2482 2058
.300RUM__2742 2325
________200yds 500yds Ft/lbs energy
.308_____1930 1080
.300_____2653 1693
.300RUM__3260 2160
Roughly 25% more speed and knock down power .308 vs .300. I would say if your shooting at any kind of distance on bigger game like bear or moose, I would be packin the .300 no question about it. Or go for the .300 RUM.
_________200yds 500yds fps/velocity
.308_____2200 1600
.300_____2482 2058
.300RUM__2742 2325
________200yds 500yds Ft/lbs energy
.308_____1930 1080
.300_____2653 1693
.300RUM__3260 2160
Roughly 25% more speed and knock down power .308 vs .300. I would say if your shooting at any kind of distance on bigger game like bear or moose, I would be packin the .300 no question about it. Or go for the .300 RUM.
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Great info. I wanted the RUM but it won't go into AICS and operate. I had only the choice of 308 or 300 Win Mag. I had called Accuracy International reps and they had the same complaint from consumers that the Rem UM won't drop into the stock system. What a bummer...it would have been a great caliber.
Does anyone know of someone who has put Model 700 in a 300 Win Mag into an AICS 2.0?
Does anyone know of someone who has put Model 700 in a 300 Win Mag into an AICS 2.0?
Kef,
The most significant advantage the 300 Winchester brings to the table is in the use of heavy aerodynamic (200 grain) bullets. Bullets that are better in the wind, hold more long range energy, penetrate better (moose), and retain more on target velocity assisting bullet expansion.
A properly loaded 308 Win will hit anything it is pointed at out to way beyond 500 yards, but at some point bullet performance becomes fairly unrealiable. This is where the 300 Win. comes in to play.
The 300 Ultra and its kin offer no real additional advantage over the 300 Win inside 1000 yards. There will never be a hunting shot missed inside 1000 yards were the extra velocity offered by the "super 30's" would have made a solid hit (gophers and small game excluded).
Any suposed difference in killing power is stricly cyber space induced and the trajectory thing is pretty much just a few more clicks (you are clicking on at 500 yards).
The most significant advantage the 300 Winchester brings to the table is in the use of heavy aerodynamic (200 grain) bullets. Bullets that are better in the wind, hold more long range energy, penetrate better (moose), and retain more on target velocity assisting bullet expansion.
A properly loaded 308 Win will hit anything it is pointed at out to way beyond 500 yards, but at some point bullet performance becomes fairly unrealiable. This is where the 300 Win. comes in to play.
The 300 Ultra and its kin offer no real additional advantage over the 300 Win inside 1000 yards. There will never be a hunting shot missed inside 1000 yards were the extra velocity offered by the "super 30's" would have made a solid hit (gophers and small game excluded).
Any suposed difference in killing power is stricly cyber space induced and the trajectory thing is pretty much just a few more clicks (you are clicking on at 500 yards).
Steve David
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Oshawa, Ontario
If you had enough hunting experience to consider taking a clean 500 yard shot on large game, I'd find it highly unlikely that you'd need to come online and ponder such a question.
Oh, goody! Another noob who thinks it's a great idea to hunt with a heavy barelled rifle...It's been what, maybe a week since the last similar post?...
Bravo, fantastic reply, 2bad4u2 you should be commended for your positive support of a fellow shooter.
Steve David
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Oshawa, Ontario
Go for the 300win mag. I have hunted with a heavy barrel. If one has a gun that they target shoot with, and are very comfortable with the accuracy and if the calibre will preformt he way the hunter/shooter want is to then why not use the target rifle for hunting as well. I know many hunters who hunt with a 700P.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
How long a barrel do you want and what level of recoil can you tolerate? I have a 28" barrel on my .308 target rifle and I'm chronographing 200 gr MK's at 2700+. A switch to an aerodynamic hunting bullet of equal weight would undoubtedly harvest a moose at 500 yards, if that was the style of hunting I was interested in. Having said that, if you can manage it, a .300 Winchester, is superior to the .308 as a dedicated long range big game round.
Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
???? Holy self contradiction batman.
Lets see....if I substitute a few words in your own post, you'll see where the RUM's shine:
I can push 220's out of my ultra faster than you can push 200's out of your win mag. This tells me that there is a real advantage to the ultra "under 1000 yards"...and for the exact same reasons you say the WM has an advantage over .308. And yes, as far as the "killing power" you mentioned, a 220 gr. pill out of my ultra at over 3000 FPS has plenty of "killing power"
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
I use a .308 myself. It's a joy to shoot. I can sit with it on a range all day. I've killed deer, and moose upwards of 400yards.
My buddy says it's too small...he has to have that 300wm...
(...I think he's just compensating for something!)
I've shot a few rifles in 300wm and 338wm, and they're all nasty. Lots of hittin power, but if you don't enjoy shooting it....what's the point?
My buddy says it's too small...he has to have that 300wm...
(...I think he's just compensating for something!)
I've shot a few rifles in 300wm and 338wm, and they're all nasty. Lots of hittin power, but if you don't enjoy shooting it....what's the point?
I'm with Steve on this one. That being said, all of the deer I ever killed were with a 6mm throwing an 85gr bullet so what do I know but, I've owned a 308 and knowing that it drops 12MOA from 100yd zero wouldn't stop me from killing something small out to as far as I can throw the bullet. You're going for animals that have thick hide and don't like to die just because they get hit by a bullet and it's like like prairie hunting where bullet placement is a lot of times easier. The 300WM, because you want to do the AI stock thing would be the way I'd go. 308 is a great caliber but clean kills at that distance are what you're really after. The flip side of that is when you're not hunting big game, the gun will give you the look you're after and the performance with either the 200gr SMK or the 208gr Hornady way past 1000yds. A good friend of mine cleanly killed his deer this last year through and through at 675yds-ish with the 208gr Hornady Ballistic tips. It's also an awesome target bullet.
Keebler750
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta!!!
Doesn't the 300WM and the 308 both use the same 30cal bullets?
That being said the Win Mag will have better penetration at distance due to velocity differences. When the 308 starts pushing the big bullets they are more prone to windage and have less on-target energy than an equivalent bullet out of a WM.
I'm seriously thinking of stepping up to 300WM for precision and hunting. I use a 270WSM right now but I want to build a decent rig.
That being said the Win Mag will have better penetration at distance due to velocity differences. When the 308 starts pushing the big bullets they are more prone to windage and have less on-target energy than an equivalent bullet out of a WM.
I'm seriously thinking of stepping up to 300WM for precision and hunting. I use a 270WSM right now but I want to build a decent rig.
