have 30.06 buying 300 win mag worth it?
 

I'm sure this question has been asked a few times over the years. I've been reading a lot of posts in the gun forum. People are saying with some of the new factory loads you can come comparably close to the 300 win mag with a 30.06. I was thinking of buying a new 300 win mag but I already have a 30.06, should I opt for another caliber like the 338 win mag? One problem being is I don't reload myself, but I have 2 friends I shoot with that do reload for themselves and me. They have been shooting the 300 win mag for years and have worked up some great loads for it. Combined they have killed every big game animal in North Ameria with the 300 win mag. But, I'm not sure if it couldn't have been done with the .06. I live in Massachusetts and it's shotgun only here, the only time I use the .06 is one week a year in Maine, and any other one week hunts I may go on throughout the course of the year. This year I have two other hunts coming up, a black bear hunt in the spring, which I feel fine using the .06 as it's over bait and in a treestand. And a moose hunt in Newfoundland, which I'm not sure about the .06. I know moose have been killed with far less firepower than the .06 but I'm going to have a good amount of money invested in this hunt and don't want to get out there and find the .06 not enough. I'd like to shoot a 200gr bullet but it looks like they drop off the table pretty fast in the .06. Any suggestions on any other calibers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks..............John

RE: have 30.06 buying 300 win mag worth it?
 

A premium 180gr bullet out of your 30-06 will easily kill any moose that you encounter.

RE: have 30.06 buying 300 win mag worth it?
 

The .30-06 is available in several lightweight rifles including the M-70 featherweight and the difference is weight verses a couple hundred feet/second.

The same arguement is had over the .338-06 and the .338 win mag and again over the .375 Taylor and the .375 H&H however in those cases the weight factor isn't that great. Featherweight barrels seem to end at 30 caliber.

When you can push a 200 grain Swift A-frame out of a 22" barrel at 2,800'/sec you have serious power and for those that want more I'd say pay the weight penalty and get a .300 magnum.

I own both a .30-06 M-70 FWT and a couple .300 mags and when I return to Africa hunting, the .30-06 is going with me.......the .300 mags will be left home.

The .30-06 is a truly powerful cartridge and IMO if you need more I suggest you get a .375 Magnum.

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RE: have 30.06 buying 300 win mag worth it?
 

IMO, the 30.06 is more than enough gun for bear or moose.

RE: have 30.06 buying 300 win mag worth it?
 

Buying a 300Win mag worth it? Absolutely. If your on this page, then you probabley interested in guns. And you can't have too many.

RE: have 30.06 buying 300 win mag worth it?
 

I wouldn't be afraid to face any animial in north America with my 30-06 "includeing" the big bears. And YES i've hunted and shot big bears.

Like the others have said, is all hangs on what bullet you use. For big bears and moose, i use 200 grain nosler partitions. For elk sized game, use 180's, and for deer use 150's or 165's..

You quite often here read about guys saying "they" shoot "at" game animials at 500 and 600 yards away. (or more) In my opinion, these guys should measure out, and see just how far away 600 yards REALLY is. "If" they REALLY are shooting that far away at game animials, then i have less respect for that action, than i do for useing a "properly loaded" center fire 22 on deer at reasonable ranges!!

My point is, a 30-06 is MORE than enough gun for game animials "if" you keep the ranges down to where they should be!!! A MEASURED 300 yards is a LONG ways to be shooting at game animials!!

The 30-06 is easily the best all around cartridge ever invented, and i prefer it over any of the 30 cal magnums!!

Drilling Man

RE: have 30.06 buying 300 win mag worth it?
 

If you're just looking to expand your battery, there's no real reason not to buy a .300win mag, however, there's no reason you'll need one either, since you already have a .30-06...as far as hunting goes, the practical range of the fast/big 30 cals are all about the same (.308, .30-06, .300win mag, .300WSM, .300SAUM, .30-378, etc), going for more power than a .308 or a .30-06 and stopping at another 30 cal usually only ends you up with a heavier recoiling rifle that's not any better. You can hunt deer to any range you shoot accurately enough to hit them with a .30-06 or a .300win mag, neither of them kills them any more dead...the same balance applies to moose, the ranges are shorter, but the difference between the two's (or all of them really) performance is so insignificant, neither you nor the bull will ever know the difference in killing performance-recoil wise, yes, you'd notice that, but they're evenly matched as far as practical performance.

RE: have 30.06 buying 300 win mag worth it?
 

Sound cartridge/caliber spacing is a good thing. IMHO, for most practical purposes the 30-06 and the 300WinMag are too "close" to each other to justify having both. If you have one, then don't get the other, unless you just wanna. If you are going to make a step up, then make a "worthwhile/significant" step up, e.g. 338 or 375 that way your rack of rifles will have some width and breadth to it and you will be well set to hunt a wider range of game.

Good Luck and Good Hunting,
EKM

RE: have 30.06 buying 300 win mag worth it?
 

I'm like several here and feel that the 30-06 will do the trick for most anything and buying a 300 Win Mag won't gain you anything but another rifle.

If I liked a particular caliber like the -06, and just wanted another rifle, I'd be more inclined to buy a Browning BLR or BAR, or a Remington semi-auto or pump action, in that same caliber and leave it with open sights and use it for when hunting in brushy terrain where close fast shots are likely saving the scoped rifle for longer, open range type shots.