Overkill:yes or no?
 

I really want this .308 that i found, and it comes in .308 and 30-06. this isnt overkill for deer hunting is it? Im 16 and 6'0, 176 lbs< my dad said a .300 win mag is too much umph for me..
what do ya'll think?

I'm the same hieght & wieght as you,personally I don't like shooting a 300 win. mag.
Here's the recoil energy of the 3 cal. you mentioned: 308 150gr 15.8....... 30 06 150gr 17.6........300 win mag 180gr 25.9

I don't think that the .300 Win Mag would have too much umph for you, I am 6'2" 185 lbs and the recoil of a 8.5 lb rifle doesn't start to bother me until I have about 30 rounds down the barrel, then I start to pull my shots a little. But unless you are chasing elk or moose as often as you are hunting deer and hunting them at the same time, I wouldn't worry about a .300 Win Mag.

I think either of those calibers are perfect for deer hunting. The 300 WINMAG on the otherhand is overkill IMO.

308 is a fine deer rifle,thats all the knockdown power you need for whitetails!!!

The 300 mag,30-06 and 308,when you put the crosshairs on a deer,you'll never notice the kick.300 mag is WAY to much gun for deer,unless your taking shots 500-600 yards.

well, i dont want to start a war, but which of the two, 30-06 or 308 would you guys say to use? im really leaning towards the .308

I have a .300 win mag and a 30-30. I use the 30-30 when in the woods or when I wont be taking shots any further than 100 yards. If I am hunting a field and might need to make a pretty long shot, I use the .300 win mag. Its a heavy bitch compared to that 30-30.

Yeah, what im worried about is i can only buy one. where i'll be hunting illl ber shooting anywhere from 30-250 yards. and if you guys have any recommendations on a brand gun feel free to share. im looking at the savages.

I'd go with the 30-06 simply for ammo prices/availability. The ballistics between the two are close enough that you won't notice a difference.

I'll try and shoot both, seems like the only way to really know.

I would also recommend a .30-06 over the .308. I've had both and the .30-06 does everything the .308 can do and a little more.

I've used a Savage in 308 Win. for 40 years or more on antelope, whitetail, mule deer and moose. It's never let me down and all have been one shot kills. The added beaquty of the 308 is that it is easy shooting.

Which ever you choose, get one that fits properly and enjoy !!

Which models should I look at?

The model you choose is the one that feels right in your hands, I like the Remington 700 best of all. Savage also makes a darn good gun.

Savage makes some really good guns , my 110 .270 shoots 1/2" groups with hornady 130Gr SP's out of the box..remington 700's are good aswell , just stay away from the 710's and 770 series.

and a .300 isn't overkill , i love when people say that ... i often wonder why people consider it overkill ?....shot placement is more important then everything...with a 300 , it's just more important then with like a 243 if your hunting for the meat , my hunting buddy been shooting a 300 MAG for 6-7 years and very rarely destroys meat....like i said , shot placement , shot placement and shot placement.

I had a 30-06 and got rid of it immediately. I wasn't impressed and I didn't give a rat's arse if I could use a variety of bullets with it. So what. Last I saw, it wasn't burning up any shooting competitions. Never heard of a 30-06 sniper, but the .308 has established itself on the competition line, the tactical forces and out in the deer woods. I love the caliber and am trying not to buy another one as we speak. LOL! It's noted as a very good long distance gun on the competition line for a reason. Back in the day at snipercountry, gawd, probably almost 10 years now, we had some serious debates on the -06 vs the .308, but it was apparent which one was better for sniping. So if you want to snipe a deer, and if you go with the consensus, you'd opt for the .308. I don't think the deer cared either way though. They both provide some serious dirt naps.

Anyway, they're both good rounds for deer honestly. I just personally prefer it over the -06. Either way, you place the bullet where it needs to be, you'll be eaten some fine backstraps!

Good luck,

iSnipe

Back before the .308 was invented---back in the olden days---the sniper caliber was the 30-06---the rifle, the 1903 Springfield---lot's of dead SOB's because of it.

Well, my dad just made a cal to his friend who owns a store, and hes getting all his .308s ready for me to come look at in the morning. looking at a savage package deal.

Savage

Model 11fxp3 .308

Overall Length 41.75"
Barrel Length 22”
Weight 6.5 lbs
Magazine Capacity 4 rnds
StockBlack synthetic with positive checkering, dual pillar bedding.
Sights 3-9x40mm scope, mounted and bore-sighted
Rifling Rate of Twist 1 in 10”
Features; Accu-Trigger, blued barreled action, free-floating
and button-rifled barrel, top loading internal box magazine, nylon sling and swivel studs,1/2 inch MOA at100yrds out of the box.



IMO, All you will ever need for Whitetails to Moose.

LOL!

iSnipe

I'd go .30-06.

is there really a such thing as overkill.... I dont honestly think so..... the way i see it is different strokes for different folks.... i think all the guns you mentioned are fine for any big game you want to hunt

I'm shooting a Savage Model 16 in 308 and love it. I havent harvested a deer yet with it, so I can't report on that side of things, but for my first .30 cal rifle, I love how easy the .308 shoots.

250 yards - two hundred and fifty real yards - is a long way to hit the heart/shoulder of a deer, at least in my world. Savages are fine; anything over 30-06 is far more than needed for deer, and I'd go so far as to say the 30-06 is more than req'd, for the vast majority of shots made (or, that should be made - there's a diff)

The 308 or 3006 would both be great for deer hunting. the 300 is more than what you need.

308 works great for deer, and recoil isn't a problem, especially if you go with an AR-style rifle. I shoot an Armalite Rifle myself in 308. and it has killed many deer. In the ten years I've had it My average annual deer kill is probably around 3. some years more some years less but never less than 2. So anyway it does a great job and I've never lost one, or had one move more than ten yds after being hit.
DPMS also used to make a quality rifle if you can find a good used one, but their new ones have problems. A buddy bought one and had major trouble last year, but finally got it solved, so at least they stand behind and fix them if you get a bad one. The Armalites are also guaranteed for life for the original purchaser. AR-10's are becoming very popular in hunting camps everywhere now and you can find an article on that in the Oct. North American Hunter's, the View From Here, by Bill Miller, page 10. The AR-10 as you probably know is a larger version of an AR-15 that shoots semi auto, and is chambered now in many calibers including 308, 243, and some of the super short magnum rounds that are now being made.
A 300 win mag in my opinion is going way, way overboard for just shooting deer, but many people do use them, and if it makes you happy do it. One of the big problems for me besides the fact that it's too big for the job, is it's too expensive to buy rounds for, when you can do the same job for 1/3rd the cost in ammo with the 308.

nothing wrong with 308. i almost purshased one but i got a better buy on my 30-06. I have been shooting the same 30-06 for 30 plus years.

Thanks Mark

I've got a DPMS AR-15 .223 its about 6 years old. its an awesome coyote gun. I think between the two the .308 sounds like a better overall rifle and for the elk/ram hunting im supposed to do next year itd suit my purposes.

just shoot what your comfortable with

The .308/'06 's are great, if not perfect calibers for big game hunting.
Fine balance of power and accuracy. Can load heavy to light, over the counter.
Easy to roll, if you handload.
Both winners.




Over the years, Ive decided you can't kill some things dead enough.

Yes it is overkill. As to why, refer to this thread:

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/deer...r-hunting.html

Like others have said you can't kill something dead enough.

I have never lost one animal with my 300 win mag, in fact, they have all gone down immediately. I'm not saying one couldn't escape, but if you do your part the 300 has always been perfect for me.

Can we get the Cliff's Notes version? I dont want to read 7 pages of jargon to find out why you think its overkill.

That gun will be perfect. I prefer a 270 for deer but 308 will be great for deer. I have shot a deer with a 300 weatherby mag. it is way to much for a deer.

After all I said earlier about the 308 and I do love my AR-10. If I were definitly going to buy a bolt action rifle, I'd go with a 270 or 280 just as easily as 308. The 308 is my choice for semi auto because the AR-10 and 308's in general win more competitions for accuracy at long range. They also are very easy to find all kinds of ammo for, for hunting ,and military surplus ammo for just shooting paper. They also have killed every deer I've ever shot at with them. But I think the 270's, and slightly better, if not as well known 280's are the best whitetail guns out there, short of an AR-10. 06's work fine if you like excessive recoil without any gain in accuracy or effectivness, and if you use the right load. My semi auto Remington 06 did a fine job for me for years.

I get so tired of the overkill arguement. As long as they can shoot actually with their rifle of choice, I really could care less what someone uses as long as it meets the mininum legal requirements.
If someone shoots deer with a 460 Wby , what difference does it make.... absolutely none, you're not the one pulling the trigger.

And for the record, I do not use a 300 Win Mag.

I was fortunate
 

When I was sixteen I was a questionable 5' 4" and not much over 100 lbs.

I started my hunting with a 35 Remington and used it for years. It was amazing to tell people in later years, that it knocked down every deer I shot. I learned to lean more on accuracy, instead of raw power.

MY son shot his first elk at age 12 using my .300 Win mag. He did not "overkill it" whatever that is. It died...period. He has shot many heads of game since from coyotes and antelope to large mule deer and uses the same rifle. We rarely waste any meat and generally pick our shots quite well.

Buy what you like but its doubtful you will see much difference between the .308 and the 30-06.

I'm 21 and have the same frame(5'-10'' 175) pretty much as u. I have a 30-06 love it for deer plus there are soooo many different bullet weights u can get for an 06...I'd go with the 06