Any point in the .300 Win?

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Hugegoat

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Hello again everybody! Newbie questions again :D.

So last time I asked whether I should get a .308 or .30-06 caliber rifle. Most of the answers came up with they were almost the same and I would be happy with either. I decided on the .308 as it was cheaper to shoot factory ammo and also smaller (so more can be stored).

But after that, I would like a STRONGER caliber round, just for general purposes. Is their any point in getting a .300 Win or .338 weapon? Or should I just go ahead to a .45-70? And please no suggestions about a .50 caliber, as I'm not looking to spend over 5k on a rifle :runaway:.

Thanks again!
 
well what are you interested in doing with the rifle ? depending on your needs the the 300wm or 338 will either be an excellent choice or a terrible choice hehe.

your idea of general purpose might not be the same as someone else's.
 
Well I bought the 300 Win Mag and I Love it. I use 180 grain bullets for Moose and this year when I hunt deer, i'll be going down to 150's.

I know if I was only going to be hunting moose, bear or elk out west I would consider looking at the 325WSM
 
the 300 is just a 308 on super speed- it uses the exact same bullets but a LOT more powder to acheive that speed- you don't NEED anything 'STRONGER' than a 308- 30.06 unless you're going after BIG BEARS- and there's a CONSIDERABLE bump upwards in price in terms of recoil, powder, brass, bullets, -about the only thing in common is the primer- i've been in the hunting game 30+ years and i've got 1 338- it sits in the closet most of the time, ran all of 20 rounds through it over the years- granted, it's a heady rush when it fires, but it's definately not something you want to do on a regular basis- as to the rest of my hunting rifles- they're all 308's, but that's mostly because i'm left handed and short action were all that was available at the time- given now, i'd get a bolt 30-06 every time out
 
My bragging shot was a 6 pointer mulie at 450 yds, one shot in the heart, with a .308 Remington M788 using a Bushnell Banner 4x scope with a BDC using Remington 150 grain Core Lokt ammo. I suppose that if I had been going after a larger animal I could have chosen a heavier .308 diameter bullet. The key is practice, practice, practice. When I made that shot I generally put over 200 rds a year down range in practice from various positions, before I started hunting. A magnum cartridge cannot make up for poor marksmanship skills.
 
a magnum cartridge cannot make up for poor marksmanship skills- but it can sure make things go the other way in a hurry- ie amplify whatever mistakes you're making now, and add a flinch besides- like i said, the recoil of a 338/250 is about double the '06, with the '06 coming in at 17 foot pounds, the 338 win mag coming in at 32-
 
45/70 is a great short range round but without some special sights or optics it tops out at 150 to 200 yards. Just because it has a bigger bullet than a .30 cal doesn't make it more powerful. If I already owned a .308 and was looking to step up in calibre, I'd take a serious look at the .338 but in truth, it's not going to do much that the venerable .308 can't but then again, buying a new gun is always fun. If you want a nifty short/medium range gun, then the .45/70 is definitely worth a look but then again you could always go big and go .375 H&H...........
 
Depends on the shooter, I have a Shilo Sharps #3 Sporting Rifle in .45-70 and at a long range silhouette match last September, I had no problem taking down the rams at 500 meters. Practice, practice, practice.
 
Head out to the range. Talk to the range master. See if anyone will let you shoot their....338...375 etc. You'll decide plenty fast how much gun you want or need.
Just my 2 cents, but why not try purchasing different actions rather than calibers. A bolt is a bolt in my opinion, but why not try a single shot, then a levergun and a double or whatever. Spice it up a bit. I think different gun actions are more interesting than the calibers. As the guys have said, you can easily hunt near any game in Canada with any of the above calibers. (big bears excepted)
Cheers
 
So the .308 can take out anything HUMANELY up to a Grizzly bear sized animal in Canada? Can the .30-06 fair any better? And im partially guessing that the .375 H&H is basically an elephant gun from the sounds of it :p.
 
humanely DEPENDS on the shooter, not on the cartridge/rifle/bullet = know THE ANATOMY of your chosen game,where the vital spots are, and PRACTISE until you're good enough to hit that spot EVERY TIME OUT- cold or hot, in ANY WEATHER, and after you've been tired, etc- then you can guarentee HUMANELY-as for the 375 h- well, some fellows LIKE to beat themselves up- my speer manual lists the 375 as a 285 grain bullet moving at 2800 fps- the 338 lists a 275 at 2615- the 375 wins at 10 grains more at 200 fps- like the diff between an'06 and a 308win- according to speer
 
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Hugegoat said:
So the .308 can take out anything HUMANELY up to a Grizzly bear sized animal in Canada? Can the .30-06 fair any better? And im partially guessing that the .375 H&H is basically an elephant gun from the sounds of it :p.
Click to expand...

The difference between the .308 and the .30-06 is basically a wash as they shoot the same bullets to 180 grains and they deliver them at velocities that are fairly close. I'd have no hesitation shooting any North American game with either.

The .375 is not an elephant gun, it's a large bore magnum that delivers a larger calibre bullet at decent velocities. It does see use in Africa but it is widely used in NA for moose, bears and other big critters. The size of the hole in the barrel is only a small part of what a gun/calibre is designed for and can do.
 
remeber what i said- it's a major bump in COST as well as you give up typically 2 extra rounds b/c of the belt and the larger diameter of the case
 
I have a number of hunting rifles .270 .30 06 .300win mag .308,etc.I find myself takeing the .300 win mag most off the time as the rifle is the one that seems to suit me the most,It "fits" That said if you are looking for something a little more powerfull a 7mm rem mag or a 300 win mag or .300wsm would suit most hunting needs.If I were to buy a new rifle I would get one of the new win short mags to get a way from the belted rounds as they seem to be a problem reloading due to the belt and not being able to resize properly
 
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