ORIGINAL: skeeter 7MM
Please enlighten me on the bullet fragmentation of 7mm rem mag???
When doing comparisons you should use bullets with similar Section Denisity vs gr size. In the .284 (7mm) 150gr bullet has SD of .266 vs. .308 (3006, 300, etc) 150gr has a SD of .226. ie: 140/.284 & 165/.308 both have a SD of .248.
I realize your talking about recoil numbers but you really should check what the bullets you'll be using in the .308's are producing vs a straight across gr size comparison. The heavier the bullet the more it jabs and you'll probably be using 165-180 gr bullets in either of the .308 calibers.
If you worried about the recoil the 300WM will be more then your first 2 choices. Whether it is tolerable or not is up to you. All 3 are more then capable of taking the biggest mule deer or elk, no fear of that just boils down to preference. Seeing you seem to be really worried about the jab the rifle will give youtry and shootthe 300 wm& 7mm rm, if not possible you might be best to stick with what you know in the 06'.
I know you've stated in a few different threads that you feel that bullet fragmentation on the 7mm Mag is more a result of a poor choice of bullets than a poor choice of caliber and I think you are probably correct. I just know several people (my brother included) that feel that the smaller 7mm bullet will fragment easier. His opinion is that if I suck up an take the recoil throwing a 180gr bullet out of the .300 Win Mag will result in less fragmentation chances than throwing a 150gr bullet out of the 7mm Rem Mag with the same trajectory out of both.
I'm thinking that I should have just gone out and bought a 7mm Rem Mag for my personal Christmas present a couple weeks ago and been done with this mess!
That's what I would have done on an impulse buy for sure and I would have probably never questioned it.
If I had to go out and buy a rifle and scope tomorrow I would buy a Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 7mm Rem Mag for $747.85 + $25 shipping and $25 FFL handling fee = $797.85 total + a Nikon Monarch 4-12x 40mm Scope with the BDC rectile for $279.95 + ? shipping. That gets me to $1,100ish plus another $50ish for scope rings and $30ish for a new trigger spring so I guess $1,200ish for the total package. [&:]
Quite a bit more than I wanted to spend but I guess it is better to buy quality than to go the cheap route. I could cut $150 off that if I went with a blue barrell vs. the stainless steel or I could cut $200 off that if I went with the Tikka T3 or the Remington 700 SPS in stainless but I would still be in the $1,000 range so for the difference I might as well get the one I want.
The Nikon scope is only on sale until the end of January so I will probably decide by then. If I go with the .30-06 I will get the 3-9x 40mm scope instead of the 4-12x.
I do appreciate the input from everyone!