Which caliber do you think is the best?

Which round do you think is the best?

  • Total voters
    227
  • Poll closed .
Altec said:
I’m looking at purchasing a new hunting rifle. I hunt mainly deer, bear and moose.
I am looking at three caliber types, 308, 300 WSM, and a 300 WM and wanted to get some feedback.
The rifle I purchase will have to act as an all purpose rifle with enough power to take down various types of larger game. I already have a Win 30-30 carbine for the bush so the new rifle will be for distance.

Which caliber do you think would be the best purchase?

Thanks,
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Out of the three choices, the 300 Winchester will be all the rifle you will need. The brass is available everywhere and is loaded ammo is at every store like Walmart, Cantire etc.
 
I would personaly stay away from a Magnum... I reload and the powder lasts longer and it is marginaly cheeper to choot... I am talking pennies tho.


I had a 300wsm and I sold it for a 30-06 for no reason other then there is no reason to be shooting a mag under 300 yds.

Actually the mags do a heck of a lot mpore meat damage then non mags because it is not the size of the round it is the speed the round is traveling at.

I think that another good option would eb a .270. It will be a lighter gun and again, the ammo is everywere. I think that the .308 is the best pick out of those 3 cartridges, but the 30-06 or the .270 would be my #1 choice!
 
Of the the three you mention, I would also recommend the .300 Win Mag. Overall though I would recommend the .30-06, available everywhere with more flavors and options that all the other choices you mentioned.
 
It is interesting that in Europe, one of the most popular cartridges for moose is the supposedly "puny" 6.5x55 Swede.

Go with the 308, only you will feel the difference.
 
I'll echo the .30-06 response as well for all the reasons already mentionned (affordable ammo, less recoil, higher mag capacity, all the power you'll ever need, etc.) Although I really like the .300 Win. mag, I do not consider it a general purpose rifle. Rather, I see it as a dedicated long range rifle preferably from a stand or dedicated spot where you sit most of the day. The extra weight and length renders it a pain if you do any stalking for deer. 8 1/2 pounds(with scope) and a 22 inch barrel in .30-06 (or .308 if you prefer stubbies and shorter actions) is what I'd consider about as heavy and long as I would want to carry and makes it my perfect general purpose rifle.

I think that "mentally" the .30-06 will make you feel like it's a true upgrade from the .30-30. (The .308 just looks like the .30-30's fat sister.:p)
 
next year will mark my 40th year of doing the east slopes of the rockies- we get everything except the really BIG brown bears - and the gun that's in my scabbard( i do the horseback thing) is a savage 99 in 308 loaded with 180's - moose, elk, bears, deer, you name it- everything else is just a 308 on steroids for SPEED- granted, i don't take 300 yard shots( i'm sneakier than that) but anything 267 and under- sure i've got a 338, but i got that for big bears, and that ak trip never came to pass
but if i was afoot, it would probably be an 06- you may need just a little more range- the 308/180 has a mpbr of 267, and the 06 is 280 roughly- it also uses 5-10 grains more powder- and i can get closer on horseback with a quiet pony than most get on foot
 
I'll vote for the 300 WM, it's a good killer & recoil is manageable. For $300+ less i would go WSM. I personaly do not like the 30-06, but there is nothing wrong with it. The 30 mags have a big fallowing and good resale. Ammo for the WSM is more but reloading the cost is little. As far as 308 goes its OK, my wife shoots one :). You are looking for more power, so go with more! Again this is only my .02 AJ
 
Thanks guys for the feedback.
Looks like everyone has their own preference so I added a voting poll to this thread to see which one is favored most.
 
While I've killed a ton of with them and still have an H&H and WM I don't use 300s any more. When I want flat shooting I use my STW, when I need more power I go to a larger dia. bullet, however if your big gun is a .30 I'd say take the WM and load it with big bullets.
 
I would say 30-06. Handles 180gr bullets better than 308 does, with less recoil and cheaper ammo than the 300 Magnums. Within 350 yards it doesnt give up much to the bigger magnums. Great all purpose gun
 
I would choose the 30-06. Great for your standard hunting ranges. Different loads for it are plentiful just about anywhere for your different aplications. Unless you are a dedicated long range hunter due to terrain where you hunt, I believe you will be more than happy with it. If you feel you really need the extra range for where you are hunting, my next choice would be the 300 win mag.
 
also keep in mind your magazine capacity- both the 308 and 06 have typically 5, your typical magnum has only 3- i'd rather give up a few hundred fps for 2 extra rounds- now if you want to get into the ridiculous, forget about the law, etc- the 308 in some configs will hold 20( m14, fn. g3 etc) and the 06 -8 ( garand) as to whether the 06 "handles " a 180 better than a 308, i'd argue that point- in some guns yes- but the 308 in 180 is at the top of it's theoretical limit ( most have a 1/12 twist- check out the greenhill formula) whereas the 06 still has some room to play- all the way to 220 if need be-
 
But wasn't the greenhill formula designed for black powder rounds? I say this because I have a .444 marlin with the micro groove rifling (1:38 twist) and it says my gun shouldn't stabilize any projectiles over .82 inches. Yet, mine has no problem with bullets nearing .94 inches in length. I don't think the greenhill formula is always applicable to todays rounds. But I think the .308's ceiling for performance is around 165 grains. (velocity and range) There is nothing wrong with the round, its just that powder capacity does limit its performance in the upper bullet weights.
 
sgt.rock said:
But wasn't the greenhill formula designed for black powder rounds? I say this because I have a .444 marlin with the micro groove rifling (1:38 twist) and it says my gun shouldn't stabilize any projectiles over .82 inches. Yet, mine has no problem with bullets nearing .94 inches in length. I don't think the greenhill formula is always applicable to todays rounds. But I think the .308's ceiling for performance is around 165 grains. (velocity and range) There is nothing wrong with the round, its just that powder capacity does limit its performance in the upper bullet weights.
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not necessairly- the guns and ammo article i have mentions it and has a chart that shows i need a twist of 13.2 to establish a 180 grain bullet- that's why it's a "rule of thumb- not necessarily applicable in all circumstances- there's quite an extensive explaination including the formula on google
 
The question was, "Which round do you think is the best."
If it is gopher shooting you are talking about, I think they are all a mite heavy.
 
.308 - cheap to load, easy to shoot, thus easy to get good at.

.30-06 offers a bit more powder capacity than the .308 thus maybe a little more flexibility in loading.

Between the .308 and .30-06 (and likely the others) the right bullet selection probably negates any difference (165g TSX good for any of the game you identified).

Rate of twist, barrel length, overall weight, magazine type, safety type, action type may be a more relevant consideration.

H4831 said:
The question was, "Which round do you think is the best."
If it is gopher shooting you are talking about, I think they are all a mite heavy.
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Altec said:
I’m looking at purchasing a new hunting rifle. I hunt mainly deer, bear and moose.
I am looking at three caliber types, 308, 300 WSM, and a 300 WM and wanted to get some feedback.
The rifle I purchase will have to act as an all purpose rifle with enough power to take down various types of larger game.
Click to expand...

Think the OP is looking at something a little larger than gophers, at least the gophers I'd seen :p
 
:D

.308 Win./7.62 NATO hands down !

Have 4 of them: Remington Model 7 bolt, Baikal O/U (12 gauge/.308 Win.), Browning BLR, Remington VTR

With the right bullet & bullet placement placement the '08 will take any North American game from white tailed deer to Polar Bear.

The round is inherently accurate.

Ammo is available just about everywhere.

Short stubby cartridge made for full automatic military firearms & never jams.

I owned a Remington Model 7400 semi in .308 Win.

I cut the barrel down to 19" & polished up the trigger group so that it broke cleaner & crisper than any stock Remington semi.

That 7400 never jammed once in my recollection.

I sold it after much pleading from a friend who fell in love with it.
 
SandRoad said:
It is interesting that in Europe, one of the most popular cartridges for moose is the supposedly "puny" 6.5x55 Swede.

Go with the 308, only you will feel the difference.
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Since 6.5x55 Swede was left off the list for some reason, I'll go with the 308, but my first chose would be the Swede. :)
I seriously doubt many on this board hunt beyond 400 meters, but if you had to...

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?t=124814

:)

Darn I clicked on 300 win Mag by accident. :eek: :mad:
 
Best is a BIG word....308 cal is .308 only difference is how fast you push them..

Accuracy wise I like the 308, shootability, barrel life, loading, brass life, 308 wins.

The 308 out of the all is by far the most efficient powder to velocity ratio..

l good reasons for picking a 308 win, however I perfer a bit more juice so give me the 300 wm.
 
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