RE: what caliber do i want?
 

Kyle, accuracy is not dependent on caliber or cartridge except that most people can shoot small calibers easier. Certainly there' s no advantage of a .308 or .30-06 over a 7-08 or a .260 in accuracy.

RE: what caliber do i want?
 

Why not give the .270 Winchester or the .308 a close look. Relative low recoil and good accuracy!

Take care,
Boltaction

RE: what caliber do i want?
 

Kyle,

If inherent accuracy/target shooting were the sole criteria, then I wouldn' t recommend the 30-06 at all (nor the 338WinMag for that matter -- both are just plain good hunting cartridges). I can' t speak from a personal perspective regarding 260' s or 7mm-08' s -- seems like a lot of folks do like them.

Caliber and cartridge unrelated to accuracy? All cartridges created equal when it comes to accuracy? I guess it could be, but I don' t think so. At least in my world some are easy, not picky what you feed them, and they close in on the bullseye like they WANT to. Others, like a 220 Swift I once had (and I wasn' t alone) were just the opposite. Most the ranges I frequent, the 308 boys whip butt on a pretty regulation basis. The U.S. military uses it as a sniper rifle as do many SWAT/Tactical teams, and now even the Slav' s --- perhaps I have been misled. You will have to judge that to your own satisfaction:

FYI, as a starting point
Go to Google
Enter:
" .308" and " rifle" and " record"
" .260" and " rifle" and " record"
" 7mm-08" and " rifle" and " record"
or
" XXX Cartridge" and " rifle" and " record"

Thumb through the pedigrees. It may provide an interesting starting point. .308 has been around longer so that will skew things some in its favor but I think its target/accuracy credentials are quite respectable. I' ll stand by the " .308/friendly/accurate/joy" comment. It was not intended (and still isn' t intended) to " put down" the .260 or 7mm-08 in any way. Ultimately it' s your choice.

BTW, was there another rifle that you already own?

Good Hunting,
EKM

RE: what caliber do i want?
 

I would opt for a smaller caliber for deer, and maybe a larger caliber later. How about a 25-05, .257, .260, or .270.

You could go with a 30-06...I just personally don' t feel that it' s enough for moose. Others will disagree, and they may be right, but I' ve been witness to several moose shot...and like I said, I would opt for a larger caliber.

RE: what caliber do i want?
 

There are plenty of good choices for your needs but personally I' de buy the tikka in 7mm-08 now & a m70 winchester in 300wsm when I wanted to hunt game bigger than deer.

I think the 7mm-08 is a very accurate cartridge & plenty of gun for deer,I have a tikka & love all of it.

Good luck

RE: what caliber do i want?
 

You have some good choices listed. I would look at a .270 Win or a 7mm Rem Mag.The 35 Whelen is another fine round that would fit your needs.The 30-06 is a good all around cartridge with so many different bullet weights available.
Ruger Redhawk

RE: what caliber do i want?
 

a 308 or 3006 are great choices......ive dropped deer with both...and both will stand up to a black bear im sure........and elk...and maybe moose i dont know though they are big! i mean a good shot from a 3006 it wont live forever....a 308 is a great deer round....not to big....but not to small.....i rather have a gun i know will do the job then one that is kinda iffy.......and i dont wanna be shootin no 600lb black bear with a 260 or 7mm-08...i mean....they can probally do it.......but i wouldnt want to chance it.....them bullets are kinda small imo...........gold luck.....

RE: what caliber do i want?
 

well i think i have decided on the .308. in either a win. model 70 feather weight or a remington 700 mountain. with either a vx ll or vx lll 2-7x. what do you guys think? i dont plan on shooting a moose or elk with it. i think that i will buy another gun for that like a .300 win mag or somthing along that line. do you think that a .308 isa big enough for an elk though if i were to use it? just wondering what you guys think about this setup? thanks again i really appreciate it.
-kyle

RE: what caliber do i want?
 

The .308 is a great choice. Personally, I would opt for the Winchester over the Rem.

As far as elk goes it is plenty enough gun for elk. Factory premium ammo with a controled expansion bullet like a partition, failsafe, TBBC in either 165 or 180 grain will kill any elk out there. In my elk hunting camp I use a .270, my brother uses a .308. we also have two 30-06' s and my father uses a 7mm mag. None of us have ever had a problem harvesting an elk with any of these rifles.

If you were going to buy a new rifle for elk and moose then I would opt for a 338. No sence in having two 30 cal. rifles. I fall along the same line of thought as EKM in that until you have many many rifles you should spread out he calibers to cover a wider range of game.

Good luck with your new rifle.

RE: what caliber do i want?
 

The winchester featherweight is a fine rifle, but I' d opt for a 30-06 over the 308. The 30-06 does everything the 308 does only better, and there' s not been the person invented who could tell the difference in recoil between the two. If short actions get you giddy then get a 300 WSM, it' s a 30-06 on steroids.