.30-06 vs. .338 win mag vs. 300 win mag
#32
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location:
Posts: 215
RE: .30-06 vs. .338 win mag vs. 300 win mag
If I only could have one.. for everything, the .338 WM is the only way to go, loaded with 200 X-bullets I'd take on anything that walks... it is a little expensive to plink around with but who is going to do that with such a horse.. recoil can be an issue off the bench but like someone else said, who feels it on game, no one...however I also like the .3oo WM, awesome cartridge also...
#33
RE: .30-06 vs. .338 win mag vs. 300 win mag
With the right bullets, of the caliber/cartridges listed, the 30-06 is plenty of gun for the 1 rifle person. The 30-06 is the chevy pickup of rifle cartridges-master of compromise, doing almost everything well. Does that mean it's "best" for any single purpose? No but it'll do anything you REASONABLY ask of it. It's a little bit more than you need on deer or antelope but not really my 1st choice for moose/elk/big bear.
#34
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 797
RE: .30-06 vs. .338 win mag vs. 300 win mag
I personally pick the 300 win mag. I have one and I don't need anything else for north america. Even though I have bigger calibers I pick this above all else. Speed, ft lbs, and trajectory all in one. It's the middle of the road of the three and out preforms the other two in different levels. The only advantage a 338 has is ft lbs at closer distance.
#35
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Garfield NJ USA
Posts: 3,067
RE: .30-06 vs. .338 win mag vs. 300 win mag
I own and regularly hunt with a 30-06 and have hunted with my buddies 300 WM. Will the 300 do anything the 30-06 can't, no it will however do it a couple hundred fps faster, will it kill an animal any deader, no. The real advantage comes in a slighter flatter trajectory. From what I understand many guides in bear country pack a carbine length 06. For a trip into bear country I imagine I'd be loading some 225-250 gr partitions or 225 gr triple shocks for my 35 Whelen, will I have the range of the 338WM, no but inside of 300 yds it's a wash.
#36
RE: .30-06 vs. .338 win mag vs. 300 win mag
If I had to pick just one of the mentioned ones, I would pick the 30-06.
#38
RE: .30-06 vs. .338 win mag vs. 300 win mag
Wow this thread was dug out of the weeds..
Really an apples to oranges comparison with a .308 bullet vs a .338. Between the 2 .308's I'd choose a 300wm. Why,faster, energyand more effecient with larger for caliber bullets.
Owned a 300wby butI'lltake my .338wm for animals elk sized and bigger thanks! Actually I think if you had only one choice forALL the big game animals in NAthe .338would be a good one to make. The onlyBUT or overkill is recoil which means not all can shoot it accurately. Other then that(assuming you can handle its report)it is adamn goodplatform for NA, which can be loaded up for the big/bad/ugly bears or down for pronghorn/deer. My .338wm using .225gr harvested 1 bull moose and 2 doe's last year, the only difference was I found the bullet on the moose. Terminal performance was excellent on all 3, resulting in soup for vitals, minimal meat damage and no tracking. It's a dedicated elk/moose/future considerations gun as i have others for deer but I just wanted to see how my load would perform on lighter skinned critters.IMO the.225gr bullet exiting at 3000fps is a pretty decent all arounder for NA.
Really an apples to oranges comparison with a .308 bullet vs a .338. Between the 2 .308's I'd choose a 300wm. Why,faster, energyand more effecient with larger for caliber bullets.
Owned a 300wby butI'lltake my .338wm for animals elk sized and bigger thanks! Actually I think if you had only one choice forALL the big game animals in NAthe .338would be a good one to make. The onlyBUT or overkill is recoil which means not all can shoot it accurately. Other then that(assuming you can handle its report)it is adamn goodplatform for NA, which can be loaded up for the big/bad/ugly bears or down for pronghorn/deer. My .338wm using .225gr harvested 1 bull moose and 2 doe's last year, the only difference was I found the bullet on the moose. Terminal performance was excellent on all 3, resulting in soup for vitals, minimal meat damage and no tracking. It's a dedicated elk/moose/future considerations gun as i have others for deer but I just wanted to see how my load would perform on lighter skinned critters.IMO the.225gr bullet exiting at 3000fps is a pretty decent all arounder for NA.
#39
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location:
Posts: 122
RE: .30-06 vs. .338 win mag vs. 300 win mag
The key to a successful kill is putting the bullet in the vitals, and choosing the right angle of the shot. A shot in the vitals with a .30-30 is always better than a non-vital shot with a .416 Rigby.....
For myself, I shoot much better with less recoil. A .300 win mag is maximum recoil for me. I can tolerate it, but three shots in a row with that gun takes it out of me. I can shoot a box of '06 ammo, and I'm fine.
A .30-06 is just as deadly at 300 yards or less as a .300 or .338..... that distance is also about it for me.
So in a nutshell, I'll keep the range of my shots within my shooting ability, and use a .30-06 that consistently shoots MOA. That makes me confident. If I can't get within 300 yards of an animal, then I have no business shooting at it. I'm sure that others are more capable at longer shots -- I am not.
Jack O'Connor shot plenty of N/A big game with a .270, and his wife shot plenty of African game with a 7x57 Mauser..... and today's bullets are much better constructed.....
For myself, I shoot much better with less recoil. A .300 win mag is maximum recoil for me. I can tolerate it, but three shots in a row with that gun takes it out of me. I can shoot a box of '06 ammo, and I'm fine.
A .30-06 is just as deadly at 300 yards or less as a .300 or .338..... that distance is also about it for me.
So in a nutshell, I'll keep the range of my shots within my shooting ability, and use a .30-06 that consistently shoots MOA. That makes me confident. If I can't get within 300 yards of an animal, then I have no business shooting at it. I'm sure that others are more capable at longer shots -- I am not.
Jack O'Connor shot plenty of N/A big game with a .270, and his wife shot plenty of African game with a 7x57 Mauser..... and today's bullets are much better constructed.....