spaniel

One could argue that nothing more than a 30-30 is "needed" for any game in North America but that's not the point -- some will do things better than others so it's all relative.

If you are going to hunt elk within 400 yards, a 270 or 30-06 will do the job fine. So will dozens of other rounds. If you have the equipment, skills, and need to shoot further, the equation changes and a 300WM becomes extremely attractive. For people who may only get to hunt an animal like elk once every few years, one may be prudent to be prepared to take what shots are offered, even if the desire is to see the whites of their eyes.

I stalked hard for an hour to get within 80 yards of my bull this year....but couldn't get a clear shot. Found him again the next day at 600+ yards in a situation where we could not get in closer on him, fortunately I had a 300WM and not a 270 and the equipment/practice for the job. The local that was with me helping me get in on the bull told me if that had been him with his 270, he would have just turned and gone home and drank to the one that got away because it would have been beyond his gun and ability and it was not stalkable. Difference is he could have gone back out the next weekend, I may not draw again for 3-4 years. IMHO that's the primary reason many destination hunters opt for more firepower than the locals think necessary (though I'd argue many of them don't put the practice time and effort necessary into mastering the use of said firepower).

ths78

your real problem is that you're a Klampsun fan, when you should be a NCSU fan for football and Duke fan for basketball.

probably a good move with terry bowden, although I don't know off hand who could replace him, that is available, to do a better job. he'd keep you ranked in the top 25, but never be a serious contender.

I really like oliver purnell. you had bad luck against the tar holes last year, and since i detest them, i hope you beat them twice this year

glockman55

I think you could get a New Savage for under $400. my .02...

homers brother

I'd have toside with those who wonder why you'd want to rebarrel your .270 into a .25-06, but to each his own.

Considering that you'll already have either a .25-06, or in the event you want to keep the .270, and as much a fan of the .30-06 thatI am, I'd probably suggest you go with the .300 Win Mag. Like someone else has already posted, any time I see .30-06 ammo on the dealer's shelf, I generally see .300 Win Mag there as well. I can't say the same for the "other .300s" though(Ultras, ShortMags, Weatherbys, etc.). But, I can't say that I see all that much .25-06 ammo anymore, unlike .270 which is everywhere.

Your .25-06 (or .270)will easily cover deer-sized game, and you're not gaining much but bullet weight by going to the .30-06. Truth be known, if all I had were a .25-06 or a .270, I'd still go elk hunting with it. I don't think you NEED a .300 to down an elk, but seems you don't have as much in between as you would if your deer rifle were a .243 and you were looking for a .30 for your elk rifle. In that case, I'd lean more toward the .30-06.

If you were to have only ONE rifle, I'd recommend the .30-06.

rifle_man

Here I will make this simple go with the 300 mag. you’re not gaining that much with the 30-06 over your 270win.
Even if you do go with a 25-06 I would still go with a 300 mag.

Hurricanespg

I would go with the 30-06. More than adequate for elk farther than most people shoot (more than 1500 ft lbs at 500 yards with a 180gr bullet), and can easily be loaded down for deer or even varmints if that is what you want. You wont really gain all that much going from 30-06 to a 300 Win. Basically you gain around 250fps, a little flatter trajectory (about 4" @ 400yds, and 8" @ 500), and some more recoil if both are shooting 180gr bullets.

Wolf killer

I would buy the 300-win mag. You will not shoot it enough in one year to notice a huge dent in your wallet over the 30-06.

Gromky

My hunting partner (really, my coach) has her baby. A Springfield that was heavily modified, which she bought and converted to .300 Win Mag. To hunt in New Mexico, and set up for a 1,000 yard range shot (longest animal taken at about 310 yards).

She shot a deer here in Idaho at 40 yards, and from the story it was spectacular (both in effect and meat damage). After that she switched to a very cold load...to ".30-06 levels."

I don't think it's a bad idea to have a deer/general rifle and an elk rifle, but I don't see why you'd want to spend money to go to .25-06. The only reason to go for it is for coyotes or something like that. And ammo can be so expensive for the less common rounds you'd probably be better off just using .270 for coyotes anyway. Or hell, even a good bolt action .22 and practice.

I'd say keep the rifle as is, a general purpose rifle. Talk to your friends to see about borrowing bigger guns and buy a couple boxes of ammo...see if anything fits (in both caliber and model). If you find something you like to shoot, go for it.

Alaska Bush Man

The only difference between the 2 are you gain 100yards with the 300 Win.

excalibur43

300 is not needed for hunting ? Actually, neither is a 30-06, if you want to go to that extreme.if you are hunting deer and Elk, just get into bow range and all you need is a 22 Mag. , or if you prefer 200 yards or under, why use anymore than a 243?