cgturner7

Another " Yeah" vote for the .308. I, too, was considering many of the options you listed. For me it was between the .308 and 7mm-08. I chose .308 because it has been used by many military and police snipers (which says something about its accuracy) and because of availability of ammo. I' m still getting comfortable with it and zeroing in my scope but I can tell it will be a lifelong friend. Go with the .308, you won' t be disappointed.

skeeter 7MM

Any of the calibers you mentioned will work. I don' t think the 7 mag is too much, but it will punch the shoulder more than the others you mentioned...so that may be a factor, if recoil shy. It certainly is acceptable(recoil) and will allow you more range and game options, if that is a concern. It also is not nessecary for a whitetail only gun, just preference and confidence.

Just buy what you want and you' ll be fine.

dodger02

When I first brought up the idea of buying a new rifle to a good budy of mine (who btw knows more about guns than I' ll ever know), his first thought was a .308. He mentioned that if I wanted to go with a .30 I should seriously consider the .308. He mentioned the military/police sniper usage and it' s reputation as an accurate, readily available round.

I' ve heard nothing but echos since.

I' m going to look again at the Rugers that are available in .308 (most of them are) and compare them to the Browning that I really like. The first Ruger that I looked at had such a herky-jerky action that I' m starting to think that it may have been an anomaly.

Thanks, ya' ll!

Quilly

how did the action feel on the brwoning? mine is slicker than snot and feels good.

dodger02

Excellent. I loved it.

The Browning, Win., and Remingtons all felt great.

The Ruger wasn' t as smooth, so I' m going back tomorrow to check it out further.

The only thing I don' t particularly like about the Browning is the safety. I prefer the 3 position on the Win. and Ruger.

clearanceman

I have a .308 Abolt and 30-06. They are pretty much interchangeable. I agree with everyone so far, the .308 is a great round, so is the .270. If you are buying a new .308 get one that has a 1 in 10 twist. Mine has 1 in 12 and it doesn' t like heavy bullets much. 1 in 10s should shoot 180s as good as the 30 -06....

TREEDOG

ALL cartridges mentioned will work nicely. Ive never heard of a 308 having poor accuracy. I belive my dad once told me his first elk was killed using an old .308 rifle he has. good luck with whatever cartrdige u decide on.

JagMagMan

I have been shooting the .308 Winchester for years! For an all around deer caliber, the .308 takes a back seat to no one!
As others have said there are many good calibers that will suit your purposes. The .308 is as good or better than any of them!
The pluses are : it has been around a long time and is well proven.
While guns will vary, the .308 caliber is a very accurate caliber.
It is a top ten seller, so ammo is available anywhere and being a military caliber there is always a lots of cheap surpluss ammo for practicing.
The .308 within reasonable ranges is capable of taking larger game than just deer.
It does all this and more, with managable recoil.
So, to each their own, but you cannot go wrong with the .308 Winchester!

dodger02

I compared the Browning and Ruger side-by-side, today. I still like the Browning.

I' m going to pick it up some time in the next couple of weeks. I figure I' ll pick up some surplus ammo and take it out for a spin.

Thanks for your help, guys. I' ll let everyone know how things turn out.

Gig ' Em!

Mainehunter

My Dad' s all purpose rifle for everything up to and including moose and black bear is his Savage Mod. 99 in .308. That rifle/cartridge have brought down more game animals in his hands than I have seen in my lifetime.

Although I have never used the .308 for hunting purposes it is what my Main Battle Rifle is chambered in. Well known for accuracy and dropping power at longer ranges it is a superb proven round.

Now, as soon as I pick up a 5 round mag for my CETME I might just take it out hunting.