Stubblejumper hit the nail on the head! The 7mm really shines at long range.

Does Savage offer the 280 in the 111 line? If so I don't think that the 111 is that much more. Check out Auctionarms.com, they seem to have alot of Savages for sale there. The 30.06 will take an elk at 400yds no problem and shoots flat with 165 Nosler Partition with 57.5gr of IMR4350. Sight it in 3in high at 100yds and you will be close to dead on at 300. 7mm with 160 Partition and 63gr of RL22 will be going 3058fps, the .06 is going 2872. These numbers are right out of Nosler Manual. I guess I'm just luckey to have a 270, .06, 7mm, 300 win, 338win and I lovem all!

Never pass up a shot!

7mm Mag. Good luck.

I'd pick the 30-06 if elk were on the plate. The 30 cal has heavier bullets and more importantly more cross sectional area which helps when the target gets bigger. No matter what anyone says, a 30 cal will always be better on larger game than a 7mm. This coming from a guy who's shot over 50 whitetails and a few other critters with a 7mm mag. It's a great round, but for versatility the 30-06 is the hands down winner.

I am with the 06 gang. I do own a 7mm and wouldnt tell you to shoot moose or elk with it, although its perfectly capable of killing them.

The 06 is the perfect all around hunting rifle out of your 3 choices! If one is worried about tajectory.....get closer. The 7mm is faster, but doenst pack the energy the 06 does. It will work on deer and pigs just as well as moose and kodiak brown bears!

When the season is over some of the hunters got game and some don't. About an equal number of both will be holding the same rifles. I'm purely a hunter, not a gunnut. I'm just not sure it makes a hoot of difference.Wouldn't go with 270 if you hunt critters bigger than deer often. Can't go wrong with '06. Cheaper ammo. Kills just as dead. Best long range game getter is using your feet to get closer. Most mod. cartridges shoot furthur than people can hit. Most guys who own a flatter shooter don't/can't practice at extended ranges and generally don't take advantage of capabilities.

Kodiak, in 'sponse ta yer thread "Best al'round gun fer big game" well thayr ain't no such thing. No one gun 'll do it all - its all a trade off 'n I thinks you knows that already. If yall wants ta take a wide range o' game then yous bett'r have more'n one rifle!

270, 3006, 7Mag? The onlyst choices allowed fer this here all round big game shoot'n iron? yer kinda limit'n yerself a bit. 30-06? 'Cordin' to whatya said earlier on 'nother thread yous already got an '06 so I'd recommend you not buy another! 270? If'ns you already got a '06 then 270 ain't movin' up. 7Mag? I hear you say'n yer afeared o' losin' yer hearin wit' a 7Mag so yall best not get one o' them either!

Gess I'd jus' have to suggest ya keep the ol' 30-06 'n save yer money or put the denero into 'd best scope yall kin stand, sumptin' like a Leupold 'r better. If y'all kin hit, then thet '06 will take care o' de middle of de road game! On the ot'r hand ifn's ya jus caint get rid of the urge to buy 'nother shoot'n iron 'n you want enuff select'n in yer rack to cover all the Nort' American continent 'n do a right fine job on elk then add a 338 sumpthin to yer rack 'n be done wit' it! Use a big recoil pad 'n use ear p'tect'n when shoot'n target 'n when its live fire it won'st matt'r none at all!

Wish'n fer a 280 'eh? 280 n' 7mag is both .284 bullit on diffr'nt casin's. Jus' use reduc'd load charges in the 7mag, slow it up 200-250fps 'n yer there but sure wudn't call it an "alroun' big game rifle."

I worry 'bout you kodiak

You worry about me? Aw! It's nice to know you care.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

You are very contraceptive in looking at the other posts I have. I sold my old 30-06 last week looking for something that wasn't so ugly. I can't stand a sythetic stock! I was hoping it would grow on me, but the more I looked at that thing the uglier it got.

I might get another '06. Probably a savage model 111G. The 7 mag just looked and sounded so, um...neat. I don't think the recoil or noise would bother me much once I got used to it. The reason I put the 270 down there was just because alot of people really like them.

Rackem, you sound like you know what you are talking about. What is the 338 like?

&quot;Hey ya'll, watch this&quot;

Rackem,

No offense meant, but please lose the ebonics and post in english. Judging by the way you threw in an apostrophe at every turn I think you actually know how to put together a sentence and are just trying to be cute. However, it makes your post very, very hard to read.

Kod,

how do you plan on getting used to the noise? By loosing your hearing enuf it wont matter? Sorry as a fairly young ex musician, I have to say its one of the best moves I have made EVER! (getting out of the music world completly) Getting away from trumpets blaring in the back of my head as loud, high, and piercing as they can without thought or care to whats happening or whose it affecting around them. Not to mention the rest of the myriad of instruments from 120 piece orchestra's to a small trio of xmas music playin fools....

Even shooting at game, each shot causes irreplacable hearing loss! It dont matter when you cant hear enuf to no better! Yup yer rit der! <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> Just another reason to be a bowhunter!!!