Educate me on caliber differences?

[North Nick]

I am looking to get a new bolt action rifle.  It will be used mainly for bigger animals like elk, moose and caribou.  The calibers I am considering are the .30-06, 7 mm Rem Mag and the .300 Win Mag.  I am leaning toward the 7mm Rem Mag. 

Is it that much better than an .30-06?

From a previous post I see that the 7mm Mag recoil is slightly less than a .300 Mag.  For a few extra lbs of recoil is it worth going to the the .300 mag?

Thanks for the help,

North Nick

[Graybeard]

I am looking to get a new bolt action rifle.  It will be used mainly for bigger animals like elk, moose and caribou.  The calibers I am considering are the .30-06, 7 mm Rem Mag and the .300 Win Mag.  I am leaning toward the 7mm Rem Mag. 

Is it that much better than an .30-06? NO

From a previous post I see that the 7mm Mag recoil is slightly less than a .300 Mag.  For a few extra lbs of recoil is it worth going to the the .300 mag? NO

Thanks for the help,

North Nick

Given your three choices listed go with the '06 and never look back. Use 180 or better yet 200 grain bullets, put them in the right place and collect your game.

[Zachary]

Keep in mind that there is a difference between "caliber" and "cartridges."  Many people incorrectly and improperly use them interchangeably.  Caliber refers to how wide a bullet is.  A .308 caliber bullet is wider than a .284 caliber bullet.  A .30-06 and .300 Win Mag both use the same caliber bullet - .308, but the .30-06 and the .300 Win Mag are different cartridges.

That said, the .30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, and the .300 Win Mag are all fine choices for game up to elk.  The .300 is the better choice for elk at longer ranges, but the .30-06 will work just fine on elk within 200 to 300 yards or so.  The .300 just shoots the same bullet faster, that's about it.

The 7mm Rem Mag is one of my favorite cartridges.  However, on big game such as Elk, I think that the .300 (with its .308 caliber bullet) is a better choice.

Forget about what the numbers tell you.  Go out and shoot each gun if you can, and determine what recoil level you can handle.  If the .30-06 is the most you can handle (and that is, if you can really notice the different in recoil), then get the .30-06.  No gun in the world is any good if you can't shoot it accurately because of flinching from the recoil.

Whatever you do, just make sure that you use premium bullets. In the .30-06 use 180 grainers, and no less than 165 grainers.  In the .300 don't use any bullets lighter than 165 and, if on elk, use at least 180 and go up to 200 grains.  In the 7mm Rem Mag, use no lighter than 160, and go up to 175 on elk.  Premium choices are Nosler Partitions, barnes X (TSX), Trophy Bonded, etc.

Zachary

[379 Peterbilt]

To add further, and assuming you are looking to purchase a new gun, how about we slip you into a nice 338 Win Mag? You will be armed for anything in N. America for the rest of your life. Nuttin wrong with the above calibers at all, I just liken this to choosing the horsepower for your car/truck. Nobody regrets having slightly more than adaquate.

Selecting the caliber of a new gun is a nice delema to have, aye? 

[roper]

I'm a 30 cal mag fan and don't own a 30-06.  If you look at the starting loads say with a 300 Win Mag or 300Wby you are pretty close to max loads for the 30-06.  There is always plus and minus with all calibers.  

[K.K]

I just finished the book "One Man, One Rifle, One Land". It is the story of one man's quest to take all 27 species of North American big game with one rifle. Deer, sheep, bison, polar bears, Kodiak bear, etc, all taken with the same 30-06. Choose your bullets wisely, and you can do it all with one of the world's greatest cartridges.

The others are great too, though, just know that the 30-0 is NEVER a poor choice!

Best,

K.K

[Rangr44]

To quote someone a lot more famous than me: "The .30-06 is never a mistake". 

[beemanbeme]

300 Win Mag. 200gr NP or Grand Slam.  Shoot it often enough to stay sharp and you're good to go.  The shoot it often enough goes for your other two choices also. 

[dw06]

Take your pick,I choose the 06 and never regretted it.Main thing is to shoot & shoot & then shoot some more till you become as good as you can be.

[Heavy C]

30-06!  It's been around for over 100 years now for a reason.

[TNrifleman]

To quote someone a lot more famous than me: "The .30-06 is never a mistake". 

+1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kenjs1]

Zachary answered your question very well in his post.  I, in turn,  had a whole valid spiel on how newer bullets enable standard cartridges to  perform like magnums of just a few a years ago..... but then thought..... really.... isn't the definitive elk round the 300 Win Mag?  It will allow you heavier bullets than the others if you feel the need.   I kind of prefer the 300wsm and for your application am very intrigued by the 325wsm.  I might be inclined to lean that way if elk\caribou were on the 'lighter' side of what you are looking to hunt.  I was thinking you had all these northern ungulates in your sights but no mention of bear??

[Coyote Hunter]

I am looking to get a new bolt action rifle.  It will be used mainly for bigger animals like elk, moose and caribou.  The calibers I am considering are the .30-06, 7 mm Rem Mag and the .300 Win Mag.  I am leaning toward the 7mm Rem Mag. 

Is it that much better than an .30-06?

From a previous post I see that the 7mm Mag recoil is slightly less than a .300 Mag.  For a few extra lbs of recoil is it worth going to the the .300 mag?

Thanks for the help,

North Nick

When I chose my first centerfire back in ’82 I did it for hunting Colorado’s elk and deer.  I chose the 7mm Rem Mag and it has worked very well ever since, killing everything I’ve shot with it with no lost game and no tracking jobs.  I had a hankering for a .300 Win Mag, however, and scratched that itch a couple years back.  Last fall I scratched the itch for a .30-06.

Here’s the way I see them...

In terms of recoil, the 7mm Rem Mag and .30-06 are very much at a par.  On the light side, in an 8.3 pound rifle and scope combo, both have good loads that come in around 18-19 foot-pounds.  On the heavy side the 7mm Rem Mag tops out about 29 foot-pounds with a 175g bullet and the .30-06 tops out about 27 foot-pounds with a 220g bullet.  My 7mm Rem Mag 160g loads come iin around 23 foot-pounds.  The .300 Win Mag will run about 32 foot-pounds with a good 180g load but it can easily be downloaded to .308 Win performance and recoil levels (which is exactly what I did for my first .300 Win Mag loads).

The .300 Win Mag is the flattest shooter and delivers the most downrange energy, followed by the 7mm Rem Mag.  For inexpensive practice ammo for the non-reloader the .30-06 is the easy winner and it shoots plenty flat enough for 400 yard shots, and then some, depending on the load.

If moose was on the agenda I would probably opt for the .300 Win Mag.  If elk was the largest the 7mm Rem Mag will do fine.  And as they say, the .30-06 is never wrong.

From a practical standpoint, in 25 years of hunting Colorado elk and deer I have never taken a shot I couldn’t have taken as easily with a .308 Win (350 yards has been the maximum).  That one shot at 350 yards was, in fact, the only one over 300 yards.

If I was to go back and choose my first centerfire rifle again, but with the experience gained over the last 25 years, the 7mm Rem Mag would probably be the one.  If I didn’t plan to reload the .30-06 would probably get the nod.  If I was going to be hunting moose every year or two or three I’d probably get the .300 Win Mag.

[Aardvark]

My question is---How much do you want to spend on ammo and how much will you shoot the gun?
Mags are more expensive and harder on barrels if you shoot a lot...If you handload, the cost difference is negligible.If you only shoot to hunt, chances are you will never wear one out either way.
If it were me, I'd go with the '06...Unless you plan to shoot 400yds or more.

[roper]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/recreation_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_85_5174117,00.html

You should select a caliber based on type of conditions you plan on hunting.  As you see by the article a 30-30 was good enough.  I hunt some fairly open country here in Co so I prefer a 30 cal mag.  Myself I'd just as soon be alittle over gun hate to come into a clear spot and see a good bull maybe past 300yds and wonder if I have enough rifle.  I really cann't  recall how the recoil was when I've shot an elk too many other things that distracted me.

[North Nick]

Thanks for all the advice.  I think I am going to go with either the 7mm Mag or the .300 mag.  They seem to bring a Little more to the party.  I have shot them all and find the recoil tolerable on each.  The WSM's are interesting but I am not sure they are going to be around in 10 years.

This rifle will be a hunting rifle that I will probably shoot 100 yrds a year getting ready for a hunt, so I am not too concerned about the wear on the barrel.

Now to decide which left handed rifle I will buy.  Leaning away from the Browning, slightly toward the Remington 700 or a Tikka.

Thanks again for the help,

Northnick

[Mattkc]

One question you got to ask yourself is can you hit anything with a 300 mag.. I see a lot of guys show up at the range with a new 300 mag. and try their best to handle the recoil like real men but they can't hit the broadside of a barn.  Hell just shooting next to a 300 mag. makes me start flinching.  Last time at the range a guy showed up with his new 300 mag was nice enough to warn me so I could put in ear plugs and a head set.  At 50 yards he was shooting 10" groups which got bigger the more he shot.  I asked him what he was going to hunt and he said he was planning a mule deer hunt and wanted more gun then his 270.  Heck the 270 is about the perfect mule deer gun why would you want to beat yourself up with a 300 mag..  If I ever decided I had to have a mag. I would skip the 7 & 300's and go to 338 or 350 why screw around with just pushing more powder behind a 7mm or 30cal. get a bigger bullet.   

[gunnut69]

All the calibers listed are fine for your purpose. All should be used with premium bullets for elk and all will do just fine. The 30-06 is very popular as all our military rounds get. I killed a couple of moose with one and it worked very well indeed. Only a single 308 caliber partition was recovered and it had passed thru probably 6 feet of moose and a couple of large bones to get to the hide on the offside shoulder.. The moose tasted great. The 7mm RemMag produces velocities about the same as a 30-06 with similar weight bullets but the bullets being smaller in diameter have a lot better sectional density and retain that velocity better, It is one of the most popular magnum rounds for a good reason, it's a 30-06 but shoots flatter and hits a bit harder when it arrives.. The 300 WinMag is a favorite of mine and is the 1st rifle I built.. Loaded to its highest potential in a rifle that allows the extra length it will provide amazing long range performance and is crazy accurate as its several long range match wins will attest. It provides significantly more energy and flatter trajectory than either the 30-06 or the 7mmMag. You pay for this with more recoil but it is controllable. The 300 H&H is more of a good thing and feeds slicker than any belted round had oughta. The 338 WinMag is another great round. With lighter bullets it works great and adds diameter to the impact. It suffers ballisticly at longer ranges with the lighter bullets but hits considerably harder than the others. It's true greatness comes when loaded with the 250 grain bullets. It is a good choice for thin skinned critters that bite back and if you need to generate some truly astounding penetration. It's recoil with the 210-250 grain bullets is uncomfortable, especially from a bench.. The premium bullets such as the FailSafes and the Nosler Partitions add to the performance of each of these cartridges. I used 165-180 Partitions in the 30-06, 160 grain Partitions in the 7mm RemMag and 200 grain Partitions in the 300 WinMag/300 H&H. With any the elk may just as well surrender!! Good luck.. Note- I use the 7mm and 300 WinMag as lot on whitetail and have never had a cripple,, from any angle..

[californiahunter93]

i like high velocity cartridges my first being the 300 weatherby my second the 300 win mag the 7 mag is also good but here is a sight you can go to with a recoil table.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm