300 Win Mag or 7MM
 

This is prob. beating a dead horse like a Ford vs. Chevy or .270 vs. .30-06 debate but I'm gonna ask it anyway... I'm in the market for a new rifle to be used for deer, elk, & black bear. For some of you very familiar w/ the ballistics of these 2 shooting out to 5-600 yds., what do you recommend? I know either will do fine but if you had to choose one, which would it be & why? Never shot a 300WM but own & shoot a .338WM, what's the recoil of a 7MM like compared to a 300WM? Thanks!

People use them for pretty much the same things. Everything's a trade off. You'll have a little more "reach-out-and-touch-ya" w/ a 7mm, but more energy at those longer ranges w/ the 300. Kind of depends which interests you more - range or sustained knock-down power. But in terms of deer, elk, and black bear, either will do the job well.

Neither. I'm about as far away from being a mag fan as one can get. A good .30-06 would take any of the 3 animals listed just as easily from just as far away as any ethical hunter should take a shot from and at around 1/2 the ammo cost! But if you are dead set on falling into magnumitis, you pretty much answered your own question in your post. Either one will be suitable for the 3 listed animals and more. It would ultimately be up to whichever rifle you felt best with at your shoulder.

Edit to add: Nice looking little Beagle Hound in your pic there cool!

Ole' saying;

"shoots as flat as a .270, and hits as hard as a .30-06" !

7MM Rem. Mag.

...................... but You decide ??

Already owning the 338wm, I'd say one of two options make the most sense:

1) Buy the .300wm as backup to stand in for your 338wm, if that makes any sense to you.

Or

2) Get the 7rm to get something significantly different than what you currently have.

Personally, I have and use both, and wouldn't find myself without either. If I could only have one and I went PURELY by objective logic, I'd only have a 7rm. If I go by purely subjective gut preference, I'd only have a 300.

They're both right answers to the same questions - there are very few applications where one is a right answer and one is wrong. But since you already have a heavy hitting 338, I'd lean towards option 2 above and find myself in a 7rm for a flatter trajectory and a very different weight class of bullets.

Simple...do a 7mm/300 Win or have us spin you up a .284 Diablo...best of both worlds ;)

I shoot a 300 WM and have for quite sometime now. Agree that the .06 will do all that you ask of of it on most critters. One thing I know that when my .300 goes off deer drop. I hunt mostly in WV so extended range doesn't come into play for me, maybe 150 yes at most in these hills. I have a hard time finding bullets that don't destroy meat. Shoot then in the neck and it darn near decapitates them. I used to shoot an .06 but I prefer my 300.

Agreed. You can't hit them unless you practice. The cost of the ammo and the recoil discourages a lot of practice. At practical hunting ranges, neither caliber has much over a 30-06. A bigger cartridge will not compensate for poor shooting. I've shot, one time or another all 3, dead, with one shot using calibers less powerful than a 30-06.

I purchased a 300WM a couple of years ago. Had always used my 30-06 for everything including elk. Like previously said, the 300 hits hard. I have only killed a few animals with my 300 but they didn't go far. I have a moose hunt coming up and am looking forward to seeing what it will do on a moose.

Incidentally, check out the Weatherby Vanguard Series 2. It's a very accurate rifle that is well priced.

Good luck . . . Rob

.300 Win. Mag.

Ford.