**Newbie Alert** Looking For Help Selecting Proper Caliber

dont get me wrong but the 308 is very good....but its like throwing a stone..in my rifle with a 175gr SMK I need 49MOA from a 100 meter zero to get to 1K now have a look at the 260,243,and 7mm 08 less recoil way faster and a lot less drop and more energy down range
 
wildernessguy said:
Is the 30-06 known to buck like a mule? Or does it depend more on the rifle itself? The old rifle I used to borrow the odd time gave me the infamous "scope ring" in my forehead years ago, and I hate to admit it, however I still have that scar all these years later. I combined youth with inexperience back then, and wound up with the dreaded battle scar. Knocked me out cold for a few seconds. Maybe I just need to get back on the horse as it was mostly my fault althought that thing had some real punch to it.

I will definitely get into reloading. Months ago I started a thread regarding a reload clinic here in MB. There was alot of interest in putting something together but it wound up fizzling out. I think I would learn better hands on than vidoes, etc although that may just be my only option. Thanks!
Click to expand...

You will find that "kick like a mule" has more to do with stock configuration than cartridge, for the most part.

If you are a bit trigger shy from your past experience, get a 308 and practice lots. You need to learn lots of technique to shoot long range, by time you master the technique, you will likely be ready to upgrade to a larger cartridge should you feel the need. 308 is plenty for North America unless you are after grizzly.
 
joe-nwt said:
You will find that "kick like a mule" has more to do with stock configuration than cartridge, for the most part.

If you are a bit trigger shy from your past experience, get a 308 and practice lots. You need to learn lots of technique to shoot long range, by time you master the technique, you will likely be ready to upgrade to a larger cartridge should you feel the need. 308 is plenty for North America unless you are after grizzly.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the wise advice. I actually have to shoot another 30-06 at some point to get it out of my system, like an old score to settle. That old mule had no brake and it must have been 30 or 40 years old even then, so I am sure that will not happen again.

Sorry for referring to hunting so much in a precision section, it is simply the only means of reference I have based on my experience. I must say that the challenge of becoming a competent long range marksman is a tall order, and one I am itching to get going on. I figure if I can clear that hurdle with time the hunting thing will be that much easier in the long run.
 
Thanks for the replies.....

I'll chew things over a bit, and then I think I will be ready to purchase something. Once I can get a fair bit of practice time in and get somewhat proficient, I will see what Jerry and company can do at Mystic Precision to get the most out of it.

I will report back in a few weeks and let you folks know what I pick up!

Cheers!
 
If you like the 308, you should seriously consider 7mm-08 or 260rem (6.5mm-08). Factory ammo is easy to find, 7mm bullets are very flat shooting, high penatration to match.

If you want more boom, look into the 6.5x55 Sweedish Mauser, or for 7mm, 284win, 7mm Rem SAUM, 7mm WSM.... Plenty of good factory loads for these I'm sure.



Also, HANDLOAD! It saves you money in the long run and is FUN!
 
Haagen_Dazs said:
If you like the 308, you should seriously consider 7mm-08 or 260rem (6.5mm-08). Factory ammo is easy to find, 7mm bullets are very flat shooting, high penatration to match.

If you want more boom, look into the 6.5x55 Sweedish Mauser, or for 7mm, 284win, 7mm Rem SAUM, 7mm WSM.... Plenty of good factory loads for these I'm sure.



Also, HANDLOAD! It saves you money in the long run and is FUN!
Click to expand...

My hunting partner used to drop bull moose literally year after year with his Rem .270. and factory ammo. And the distance used to shock me, as I could barely make out what he was shooting at with my crummy scope. I was actually surprised nobody mentioned it here.

The day will come when I will make him look like the amateur I am now, with my handloads in my ### cal. Ah yes, that will be a proud moment......;)
 
If you want to target shoot and hunt a .308 is a good choose if you want to want to hunt .270 and 30 06 .300 win.mag are better but not by much and are not really target
shooting cal.I use a .270 for hunting and .308 for targets mainly because reloading components are geared for that caliber.
 
did i miss something, 308 and 30-06 and 300WM all use the same bullets, all 110 to 200 gr bullets can be used; speed of 308 190 gr, 2100 to 2398 ; speed of 30-06 190, 2309 to 2724 and 300WM is 2336 to 2897 but the price is more recoil( add lead to the rifle ) the 300 weatherby or 300-378 W is even better for a price
 
I hunt and target shoot with 300 win mag

Best compromise for me. Still affordable, reloads with 30 cal bullets, powerful, long range, recoil is manageable with a brake and some weight. All it costs me over 308 is a few cents of powder per round....
 
wildernessguy said:
Is the 30-06 known to buck like a mule? Or does it depend more on the rifle itself? The old rifle I used to borrow the odd time gave me the infamous "scope ring" in my forehead years ago, and I hate to admit it, however I still have that scar all these years later. I combined youth with inexperience back then, and wound up with the dreaded battle scar. Knocked me out cold for a few seconds. Maybe I just need to get back on the horse as it was mostly my fault althought that thing had some real punch to it.

I will definitely get into reloading. Months ago I started a thread regarding a reload clinic here in MB. There was alot of interest in putting something together but it wound up fizzling out. I think I would learn better hands on than vidoes, etc although that may just be my only option. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Lets have a look at the recoil calculator to see how the '06 and the .308 stack up against each other. We'll assume identical rifles in match configuration weighing 10 lbs.

Scenario #1
.308 150 @ 3000 = 13.39 ft-lbs
.30/06 150@ 3000 = 13.89 ft-lbs

Scenario #2
.308 180 @ 2600 = 14.7 ft-lbs.
.30/06 180 @ 2750 = 16.38 ft-lbs.

Scenario #3
.308 220 @ 2300 = 15.4 ft-lbs
.30/06 220 @ 2550 = 19.73 ft-lbs.

As we see when both cartridges are loaded to their potential with bullets of equal weight and velocity, recoil is similar. But as bullet weight increases and the performance of the .30/06 pulls away from the .308, recoil becomes proportionately heavier. But even with the heaviest bullets, the .30/06 is much more shooter friendly than a .300 magnum or a big case .338. It is unlikely that you could shoot the 150 gr bullet well but be intimidated by the recoil of the 220 gr bullet. Yet a similar rifle in .300 Winchester might prove to be too much requiring you to load it down to .30/06 levels anyway. Having said that a very light .30/06 with a poorly fitting stock without a recoil pad can be a bear to shoot well. My wife shoots her 6 pound 21" 30/06 with full power 180 gr loads without complaint, but that rifle was cut down to fit her properly, has a good quality pad, and she prefers a ghost ring and post to a scope, so there is nothing about that rifle which scares her.

With respect to the scope bite you took, if you get hit with the scope on a .30/30 you'll remember it, never mind a .30/06 or a big case .300 or a .338. I prefer not to have the eye piece of my scopes behind the cocking piece of the bolt, but in the case of the high magnification scopes common on precision rifles, this is not possible due to the critically short eye relief. The combination of a scope with a short eye relief mounted a couple of inches behind the cocking piece of a rifle with moderate recoil, and snap shooting or choosing a shooting position like prone or like sitting when sighting on a high angle target which brings your eye even closer to the scope, is a recipe for pain and bleeding.

I would advise you to have both a hunting scope and a target scope for your rifle. When you are big game hunting, you could mount a low power variable or fixed power scope far enough forward to mitigate the danger of being hit if you take a fast snap shot, or if you find yourself in an unusual shooting position such as one which has your feet higher on a slope than you shoulders. Big game animals are large enough that you shouldn't need the big magnification in order to see them, and your original post did not indicate that you would be shooting game at very long range. Leave the high powered target scope for those days when you'll be shooting at the range where you can optimize your position and eye relief.
 
Kryogen said:
I hunt and target shoot with 300 win mag

Best compromise for me. Still affordable, reloads with 30 cal bullets, powerful, long range, recoil is manageable with a brake and some weight. All it costs me over 308 is a few cents of powder per round....
Click to expand...


ah.....my 308 load is 45 grs of powder, my 300WM is 74grs thats 29 grains more my 223 loads are 24 grains that works out to more then a few pennies


and I dont think you need two scopes....Nightforce 3.5/15x 50 is all one would ever need for both worlds awesome eye relief and at 3.5 you can use it in the bush
 
308 is a good caliber to go with. 300WM,338EDGE,Lapua are all good choices but the bigger you go the more $$$ your going to have to put out when you go shooting also more recoil not a good thing for new shooter. 2 Cents Please
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom