7mm mag vs 300wm vs .308

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shell_guy

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I'm trying to decide on a new rifle and am having a hard time. I cant narrow it down between the 7mm mag, 300wm or a good old .308. My shooting will be done anywhere from 300m-1000m, F-class, I also might take it in the woods during deer season. Opinions and personal preference would be great.

Thanks
Mike
 
I would choose the 7mm because it has an excellent choice of high B.C. bullets and enough horse power to push them. The next would be the 300wm and last the 308.

Comparing the 308 against the other two is interesting. I call the 308 ballisticly challenged when it comes to long range. Although it is very accurate with light recoil when it comes to shooting long range you want to be able to push a high B.C. bullet (which are generally heavier) as fast as you can to reduce the effects of the wind. You can load big heavy bullets with a high B.C. into the 308 but they will not go very fast which means more flight time for the wind to push it around.

As for hunting, the 308 is a max 350yard deer gun in my opinion. If you want to shoot deer or bigger game beyond that I highly recommend a magnum.

The only reason the 308 is popular is because it is a military cartridge. There are cartridges out there that do everything better than the 308.

If you do not plan to shoot in a competition that only allows military cartridges, and want a non magnum due to the recoil and cost I'd go with a 7mm/08 or better yet a 260rem before I'd go with the 308.

All that being said I own two guns in 308 and enjoy shooting them so I guess I'm a hypocrite, but they are the last ones I take off the shelf for a competition or to go hunting with.

What kind of gun are you thinking of getting? (Rem, savage, etc.)


Dave
 
Shell guy, if you plan on shooting at Bul Meadow I advise you check range rules on magnums. Most use 308Win or you can opt fpr 6.5 or 6mm cartridges. We can help.

Regards,

Peter
 
Yes, Bull Meadows. Are magnums allowed in F-Class there? Also I have no intention of shooting deer past 300 yards, the gun will be a range queen except the odd weekend.
 
I am not a huge fan of the 308 as a caliber, personally preferring BIGGER calibers, but from what you are planning to use the rifle for, I think the 308 would be your best choice of the calibers you list. Personally I think there are better options in caliber than what you have listed.
Both magnums will have more recoil than the 308, even with a brake, you will find it taxing to put out the near 100 rnds in a day that some competitions shoot. Many competitions do not allow brakes, so that is another consideration.
Barrel life will be double with the 308 what either of the magnums is.
Cost of shooting the magnums will be slightly higher due to powder volume, this is not a big deal, but it all adds up. Precision brass for the magnums is significantly higher in cost compared to the 308.
You can easily kill deer out to 500 yards with the 308 so no need for the magnums at that range.
Not all competitions and ranges are magnum friendly.
If your intent was opposite, with more long range hunting involved the 300 Win Mag would get my vote. I have killed game at 1000 plus yards with a 7Rem Mag, but I believe it is at the very end of its capability to do so at that distance.
The big 30 cal bullets are a far better way to go in that regard, simply because of the greater retained down range energy and velocity, not to mention wind drift is less noticed on a heavy bullet.
I tried a fun type competition last year with my 338LAI and found it was physically exhausting more from the muzzle blast and concussion than the recoil as the brakes I build are extremely effective. For 1500 yards and beyond the 338LAI is hard to beat, but there are no formal competitions that will allow it yet and there are very few ranges that are that long, so this years comp rifle will be a 308, for all the above noted reasons.
 
7mm AIM Wildcat cartridge.

aka 7mm WSSM / 7mm BR.

I'm trying to get it together to buy a rig from another gun nut in this wildcat caliber. It looked interesting and should be fun. I trust the guy I'm buying it from, and the accuracy claims are good.

When I get this rifle I'll be giving longer distance shooting a shot at least informally on Crown land :D.
 
Dave42 said:
I would choose the 7mm because it has an excellent choice of high B.C. bullets and enough horse power to push them. The next would be the 300wm and last the 308.

Comparing the 308 against the other two is interesting. I call the 308 ballisticly challenged when it comes to long range. Although it is very accurate with light recoil when it comes to shooting long range you want to be able to push a high B.C. bullet (which are generally heavier) as fast as you can to reduce the effects of the wind. You can load big heavy bullets with a high B.C. into the 308 but they will not go very fast which means more flight time for the wind to push it around.

As for hunting, the 308 is a max 350yard deer gun in my opinion. If you want to shoot deer or bigger game beyond that I highly recommend a magnum.

The only reason the 308 is popular is because it is a military cartridge. There are cartridges out there that do everything better than the 308.

If you do not plan to shoot in a competition that only allows military cartridges, and want a non magnum due to the recoil and cost I'd go with a 7mm/08 or better yet a 260rem before I'd go with the 308.

All that being said I own two guns in 308 and enjoy shooting them so I guess I'm a hypocrite, but they are the last ones I take off the shelf for a competition or to go hunting with.

What kind of gun are you thinking of getting? (Rem, savage, etc.)


Dave
Click to expand...

Agree, 7mm rem mag would have an edge in range and BC over the 300Wm, with a more tame recoil, even my 300WM are not comfortable to shoot, because of the recoil, my next choice would be either a 260 rem in a rem700SA, and if I can't a find another action, LA in 6.5X55SM, because of the High BC...
 
I had this same choice to make, and I went with 300WM. It's just a more powerful round, overall, despite its punishing recoil.

You can't spell "overkill" without "kill"!

Just my two cents...
 
As Peter said, check your rules. Most F class ranges will not allow magnums or performance over their range templates. Besides, magnums will overheat most pipes during a summer relay.

Decide if you want to shoot F(O) or (F). If F(F), the 223 is not going to give up much, if any, to the 308. If F(O), 6mm and 6.5mm's tend to rule that class.

There are no prizes for bruised shoulders or blurry vision. Also, if your barrel can't hold 1/2 MOA because it gets too hot, you loose simple as that.

A 260AI/Mystic or Swede can easily do dual duties as an F(O) and moderate range hunting rifle. Will be a big heavy pig to carry in the bush but for static hunting, sure works great.

Jerry
 
shell guy, you are limited to .308 Winchester max. at Bull Meadow and that is the favourite F(F) class calibre and used almost exclusively, locally. You may wish to build a 6mm or 6.5 for F(O) and these are ballistically superior to 308W. We work with a superior local gunsmith should you wish to discuss this further.
 
shell_guy said:
What is the difference between F(F) and F(O)? Keep in mind that the rifle might see the woods one weekend per year.
Click to expand...

F(F) is .223 or .308 with the same bullet weight restrictions as target rifle, 81 gr for .223 and 156gr for .308. F(O) is Open to any caliber any bullet weight within the restrictions of the range (.50 BMG need not apply in most cases). If you decided to shoot 178 gr bullets or 220gr in your .308 this bumps you to the F(O) class.
 
I think most of the important points have been made... Magnums are not permitted at many club level shoots.

If you are at an "entry level" competition-wise as your question implies, I am quite sure you do not want to be shooting a 100 round competitions with something as punishing as a magnum anyway. If you want good factory ammo offerings, 260, 6.5 Swedish Mauser, or even 7-08 are good choices and all are more than capable of competing at 1000. The new Savage F/TR guns in 6BR and particularly 6.5-284 are impressive, and factory match ammo is out there, although specialized (See Peter Dobson). 6.5-284 is still the cartridge to beat in 1000 meter competition.

F(O) <open> is essentially open to any caliber (non magnum) F(F) is 308 or 223 only.
 
peterdobson said:
shell guy, you are limited to .308 Winchester max. at Bull Meadow and that is the favourite F(F) class calibre and used almost exclusively, locally. You may wish to build a 6mm or 6.5 for F(O) and these are ballistically superior to 308W. We work with a superior local gunsmith should you wish to discuss this further.
Click to expand...

Thanks, i guess that solves my debate. .308 it is, I have to use 156grain bullets? Hmm no Federal GMM, I'll have to start reloading.
 
156 gr bullet is the max weight to stay in the F(F) class. There are enough 155 gr bullets to try out to keep you testing for a year or so. For the price of 10 boxes (200 round) of Fed GMM, you can have a nice reloading kit to roll your own. This will allow you to tune the load to your rifle. Just because the box says "Match" doesn't mean it will shoot well in your rifle. You won't find too many competitors shooting factory ammo.
 
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