308WIN. I love this caliber, my favorite of all. I have a hard time getting a 308 to shoot bad. I know the 30-06 is just as good. But 308 makes the perfect mountain short action rifle. Good for any animal besides a bear.

My vote would be for the Weatherby chambered for the .308Win.. The 54 degree bolt throw in a short action would be a real treat. The Kimber and Sako are also fine choices. I also like the other mentioned calibers of 7mm-08Rem. and .260Rem.. Ballistically and phsyical size they are very similar. The .308Win. has the advantage of more factory load selections and is easier to find ammo for. The 30-06 is a great cartridge, I belive the best all around. I however can't think of anything that it would be perfect for.

Since you already have a 7MM mag, I'd go to something lighter. The 25-06, .260 and 7MM-08 are 3 good choices! I shoot a 7MM RM and a .308.
I love 'em both, but I would like to widen the gap with something lighter.

don't forget if you reload the two calibers are the same bullet....as the same for the 30-30....same dia.........................bob

Hi turkeyreaper,

I'm not quite sure why you'd pick either the .308 or the .30-06 since you already own the 7mmMag. They all come awfully close to fulfilling the same function. Personally, I'd probably go with something different enough to serve some additional purpose, like a .260 Remington or something very similar.

But, if I were to get either the .308 or the .30-06 for deer, I'd pick the rifle first! If it is a long action....take the .30-06, (no sense in putting a short action cartridge in a long action rifle and needlessly carrying the extra weight). If the rifle I liked came in a short action....I'd take the .308. It will do all you ever need for deer and have the benefit of a little reduction in size and weight.

Other than that...I don't see much difference between the two, for deer hunting!

Best of luck with your decision!

If you want something light and handy, then a .308 length cartridge is the way to go because of the shorter action. The '06 is so close to the 7 Mag. in capability, I'd go with the .308 instead of the '06. For just deer, you might look at a roiund like the .260 or 7mm/'08. But the .308 is hard to beat as an all-round short action cartridge!

You allready have a 7mm mag, for the heavy stuff, the 30-06 and 308 are almost identical with the light bullets (150gr) used for deer and are not far behind your 7mm mag. I would widen the gap by going with a 7mm-08 or the .260 rem. Both great deer cartridges and you can get light weight rifles in these calibers.

I would look at the Remington Model Seven in 260, 7mm-08 or 308. I would be happy and well served with any of those calibers and the weight of the rifle. Happy New Year to all.

For deer only you don't need a .308" caliber bullet.The 7mm-08 offers less recoil and plenty of power for deer.

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