New rifle ... Should I go 30-06 or a magnum?

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Kirk_Ferentz

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Feb 16, 2010
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So looks like I'll be getting a decent bonus, so I'm going to set some aside for a rifle purchase within the next six months or so. I will have other posts about what rifle and the scope, but first off, I want to decide on the caliber.

I always thought that I would definitely want a 30-06. It was always my favorite caliber to hunt deer with, and I shot .243, .270, .280, 30-30, and others. Definitely is a caliber with a lot of umph, but I always thought of the mags like .300 winchester and 7mm remington as being overkill, unless you are taking super long shots, which I never saw myself doing. Also, practically any load will come in 30-06. .308 sounds like a great caliber for deer--cheap ammo, short action and smaller gun ... but for my money, I'd rather have some more power if I am going after moose, elk, etc.

But I am now considering that maybe someday I will want to make longer shots, and so maybe I should give the mags and their nice long-range trajectories consideration. Looking at the guns, they are longer-barreled and heavier, and I know the mag ammo is going to be considerably more expensive. I always thought that the 30-06 has a very nice trajectory, and unless you are doing 400+ yard shots, it seemed to be as good or better to work with than the mags. So, I am still leaning towards the good ole' 30-06, but thought I would ask you all what you thought.

To be clear, I want a caliber that I can use for all of my medium and large game needs, from hogs and whitetails to moose and bighorn.
 
Sounds like good reasoning for the 30-06 to me. With modern bullets and powder you can get a lot of performance from that cartridge.

Not like it won't do the long shots if you need it to, just have to aim higher...a lot higher:D
 
A 30-06 is a darn good all around caliber. It has accounted for a lot of game since 1906.
 
.308 would have plenty of power for moose. Its just a shortened 30-06. 30-06 would be better. I love mine :D
 
A 30-06 will handle 180 to 200 gr bullets a little better than a 308. Just sayin.
 
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I shoot a Rem 700 7mm Mag and it is not overkill. You can shoot 125-185gr and it is a flat shooter. I just shot a nice 4x4 this year at 200 yards and I couldn't be any more pleased. I am on copper ammo (thanks CA) shooting 140gr Barnes All Copper Triple-Shock X Bullet.
That said .308 rounds have been perfected for years and given the right model rifle you could knock the nuts of a gnat. Its an all around great round.
 
another vote for 30-06.
there are some phenomenal deals out there currently on some very good basic, no frills rifles (like Savage & Howa) out there that would leave you enough to put a healthy down payment on a .300 win or 7mm remmy mag if you really see the need for future long distance shooting.
or just buy the 30-06 now and sock back $20 a check or $50 a month in your "long distance rifle fund".
 
30-06 will handle any shots you're going to take at 500 yards or less. Some of the new loads actually put it up close into .300 Winchester Magnum territory, and actually exceed the .300 H&H magnum.

150gr loads at 3100fps, 180gr loads at 2900fps, and 200 grain loads at 2600fps. It WILL take any animal that walks in North America handily.

Plus you can get that performance in a standard length action with a 24" barrel. You have to have at least a 26" barrel for the magnums, and if you get anything other than the 7mm Remington or .300 Winchester, you have to have a magnum length action. An added plus, most bolt actions hold 4 rds of 30-06, but only 3 rounds of magnum rounds. Add one up the pipe to give you 5 shots VS 4 shots.

You can get ammo for the 30-06 ANYWHERE. The local mom & pop store located in "The Middle of Nowhere, North America" is going to have a couple boxes of 30-06 ammo. Can't say that about any of the magnum rounds.
 
I had a 7MM mag. For all the roar, expense and recoil it is one very over-bore; and inefficient caliber. It provides very little advantage down range on the beasties over a .280 Remington.

I have a .300 WM, but it is not really necessary for anything, except possibly the big bears otherwise the old Springfield round will do just as well, and you will probably shoot it better, because you will be able to afford to practice with it. I've got the 300 because I got a really good deal on the rifle (Win. mod. 70 classic). I was going to send it back to Winchester to be re-barreled in .270Win., but you all know what happened in New Haven, Conn.

So, long answer short, stick with the .30/06.
Dan
 
Started hunting with a 30-06. Then added a .338 which i really liked. Decided to sell one to fund an AR. Sold the .338. Then sold the AR. I now have 2 30-06's.
 
30-06. It's always been "enough gun" but now that we have super premium bullets and powders you can shoot less bullet weight at higher velocity, giving you more killing power with less recoil and more accuracy.

If you need more power than an "ought six" then get a .375 to go along with it!
 
black mamba said:
30-06. It's always been "enough gun" but now that we have super premium bullets and powders you can shoot less bullet weight at higher velocity, giving you more killing power with less recoil and more accuracy.

If you need more power than an "ought six" then get a .375 to go along with it!
Click to expand...

I think black mamba says it real well here!!!:thumbup::cool: But I love this part: "If you need more power than an "ought six" then get a .375 to go along with it!"
I reach for my ........458 Mag in Bear country, but have thought of stepping down to the .375 H&H...
 
I have a .300 winchester mag and a few .308's and I can honestly say that the .300 just has too much kick to be comfortable. I'm 6'1 and 180 and my .300 hurts and I have a flinch when I shoot it more than once. I don't really think you need that high powered of a round for anything smaller than a moose. Also .300 rounds are ridiculously expensive.

Go .308 or 30-06. They're both great rounds that you can find anywhere. .300 is way overkill for deer. If you had something like a 50 yard shot I don't think there would be any bambi left to take home.
 
.30-06 sounds good to me as a do-everything rifle. If you took moose out of the equation I'd prefer a .270, and without elk a .243. If the big game are 'one day' hunts I would buy a .243 now and get a .7mm mag when I needed it. -a trophy moose can be 10 times more massive than an average whitetail-

Happy shopping!
 
Its been awhile since I messed with 30 caliber stuff, but IIRC, out to around 300 yards, there isn't much difference in trajectory between the 06 and 300 win mag...

I've owned almost every caliber made, with the exception of the short mags.
I have no use for them, and still think it was an answer to a problem that never existed. All about marketing.

If you look at my user name, you can tell which two calibers are my favorites.:D
When I was still rifle hunting, I used the 338 win mag for everything for about 6 years. Some say its overkill especially for deer, but I disagree.
I've seen a lot more meat wasted by small, fast, calibers.
However, my main hunting is Elk...

It is just my opinion, but a magnum in 30 cal. or smaller is a waste. If I'm going to be burning up more powder, I want it to push a bigger bullet.
A 300 win mag would be fine, if you use a 200 grain bullet.

You have to be honest with yourself about shooting at long distances. 3-500 yards is a long ways, and there are variables to contend with.
Not saying it can't be done, it can, but it takes a lot a practice...

Part of hunting I enjoy, is getting as close to the animal as possible. Its a game. Sometimes you win, other times the animal wins. Thats why I started archery hunting about 7 years ago.
I never saw much sport in tossing lead at an animal 500 yards away.

The 06 will do just about everything you need, with a premium bullet.
As others have mentioned, its always easy to find ammo, and its fairly inexpensive.
Even more important than the caliber of the gun, is shot placement.
If you put the bullet where its suppose to be, it really doesn't take much to bring an animal down.

The Swedes have been whacking Moose for years with a 6.5...:cool:
 
RussMo said:
"If you need more power than an "ought six" then get a .375 to go along with it!"
Click to expand...
+1 :thumbup:

The .30 and 7mm mags are fine guns that can do the job, but I honestly don't think they really offer all that much advantage over the 30-06 to make up for the greater cost, more recoil, etc. If you really think the 30-06 isn't enough gun, then step up enough to make a difference. ;)
 
7mm Mag is a step above 30-06... look at Remingtons Swift Scirocco Bonded round both in 150gr. 7mm is 3221 ft-lbs Energy @ Muzzle, 30-06 is 2820. Zero at 100 yards the 7mm drops 34" at 500 yards and the 30-06 drops 42.3". To a true shooter/hunter 8.3" is a lot.
 
338375 said:
The 06 will do just about everything you need, with a premium bullet.
As others have mentioned, its always easy to find ammo, and its fairly inexpensive.
Even more important than the caliber of the gun, is shot placement.
If you put the bullet where its suppose to be, it really doesn't take much to bring an animal down.
Click to expand...

+1:thumbup:

I could not agree more and with ammo for the '06 still being reasonable you can practice.........:)

With the exception of thick skinned dangerous game there is almost nothing in Africa that you could not take with a '06 and the right load.

It would certainly be part of my 3 rifle African safari armory. (that is if I did'nt just have to look out the window to see the Elephants:D)

Good luck with your search and POST PICS!

Steven
 
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