In making a final decision about a new rifle that I will purchase for this years hunt im looking to get a little input about a few areas that i have no means to experiment with right now as im deployed in iraq. ive made a make and model choice, but im still considering what caliber to buy. among the ones that are in my head are the 3006, 7mm rem mag, and 300 win mag. ive shot both the 06 and 7mm in the past but never a 300. id like to know how much a step up from the others the 300 is as far as recoil, performance, and even bullet and load options go. unfortunately, im going to have to make a decision from over here as what to buy as deer hunting opening will be very close to the time that i should be coming back home. any input would be greatly appreciated.
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The 7mmrem mag and 300winmag bothoffer flatter trajectories than the 30-06 and both have sufficient power for any deer,elk or moose hunting.If you are going to hunt primarily deer,or are recoil sensitive the 7mmremmag is the better choice.If you are going to hunt primarily elk and moose and don't mind the extra recoil,the 300winmag might be the better choice.Other than cheaper factory loads,the 30-06 really offers no advantages over the other two choices.
I would say the 300 has alittle more kick than both the 06 and 7mm Mag.To me the 300 is a better choice if you are going magnum.There is not much diffrence between the 30-06 and 7 mag performance wise(use of factory bullets and SD aside).But then I'm partial to the .30 cal bullet(.300) than the 7mm's(.284)
BBJ
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All of them are good calibers, but if I was only going to have one rifle it would be a 30-06. It has the largest bulletweight range on the market (55gr to 220gr)and can be found all over. It will kill anything in north america out to 300 yards, which is further than what most people can shoot anyways. If you are going to hand load for it you can load 165gr bullets up to 3000 fps and 180 to about 2900 fps.
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For a fair number of shooters, the .300 Win. recoil is a little above their tolerance. You might invest in one of the Benchmaster or Caldwell Lead Sled rests. It will allow you to shoot a fairly hard kicking gun off the bench without pain, which can of course cause a flinch. In the field hunting, recoil is pretty oblivious.
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Will you be hunting only whitetails??? Which state??? What range do you usually shoot your deer??? If you are in a state where you aren't too concerned over grizzleys..and shots are within 300 yards...the 30-06 is more than enough gun...
If you want a gun to double as a deer/bear/elk/moose gun...the 30-06 is most likely still enough gun....I have several buddies that have 300 Mags stuck in their closets, here in NC that bought them "in case" they go out west...they don't ever shoot them because they are scared of them...I would bet more deer are lost each year due to flinching than being "under gunned"....Unless you are going to a state that has a good population of the larger grizzly/brown/polar bears the 30/06 will be plenty....If you are one of those guys that just has to have a 300 mag....go for it...
Just don't forget which closet you put it in later...LOL
It sounds like you plan on hunting mainly deer and not large game. I think that would lead me away from the win mag. If you compare the 06 and the 7MM you will find recoil to be less in the 06 and that the it shoots plenty flat see below:
This comparison is from the Barnes Reloading manual using XLC bullets. As you can see the 06 has approx 5 lbs less recoil on average but the 7 MMhas 16 yards more MPBRwhen usingthe light 140 grain bullet. Plenty heavy for deer sized game. Just trying to help quantify this for your comparison. My choice is the 06 due to the availble ammo, price of ammo and the fact that it shoots plenty flat. If you do not reload Hornady Light Magnum loads provide a 296 yard MPBR in the 06.
I pray for your safe return the american woods and cannot begin to thank you for your service to our country.
I see them as all great cartridges and readily available. One of my pet peeves is that many 30 06 makes come in 22 inch barrels, which I think is fine for heavy bullets but you really have quite a bit of powder to burn there. Manufacturers spend alot of time and money trying to ring out a few more fps and then put on short barrels. Eeyi! Shoot in the evening (if you legally can) and just see all the wasted powder burning out there. If I was hunting in Montana or Idaho I would go with the magnums. I saw elk at mortar range out there. The 30 06 is no tinker toy, so if that recoil is something you can work with, then I think you will be fine. There are some really good recoil pads, and be sure to get a scope with reasonable eye relief! Bench shooting you will always take a beating. Shooting from the stand, kneel, or sit will be much easier on you. Keep alert, I know it is hard when you get that tired.... and I look forward to hearing from you again.
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Since most rifles chambered in 30-06 are equipped with shorter barrels,they are slightly lighter which results in recoil being about the same as for the 7mmremmag.
Rifle recoil question
