My Next Rifle: 30-06 or 300 WIN MAG?

Aaaaaaaand GO

What do you have currently that is close to either of these calibers?

What kind of setup is this going to be? i.e. General hunting rifle, treestand gun, lightweight setup, long-range rifle, etc?

I want magnum caliber rifle.....I have ZERO use for one - I already have a .308 and a .30-06 and the most I will be shooting on a regular basis is a couple hundred yds at deer/pigs - but I just want one, maybe a 7mmRM.

Between those, I'd 30/06.

I have always hunted with a .270 Win Browning A-Bolt that my dad handed down to me. I'm wanting to retire it to be kept for a hopeful son one day, or at least in the family.

Looking to shoot a little bigger caliber with more punch in my next rifle.

It would be used for deer hunting in general.

If you want more punch, try a 338 Winchester magnum or a 375 H&H magnum. They work great on deer.

If you have a .270 I would not go 30-06 just because you could probably debate for hours which one of those two are better than the other. There is a reason they are two of the most popular North American cartridges. They both work for about anything and work well.

I'd probably do the 300 win mag. Don't need the extra burned powder or recoil to kill a deer but if you want something bigger.....

.338 Federal.(.308 necked to .338) Or .300H&H mag.

7mm mag

.358 Win

Only reason anyone ever chambered a rifle in 338 Federal instead of .358 is they would have to step up the barrel contour and it would no longer work in the same stock. No reason otherwise and a poor excuse IMO.

7mm Mag is also another possibility I've been looking at.

I've heard a few stories of that round not expanding, anyone had that experience?

If a bullet didn't expand that would that would be on the bullet manufacturer, not the caliber.

Unless long range Elk are on the agenda,and I mean more than a distant possibility,30-06 is plenty. Actually 30-06 is plenty for anything in NA but the 300 has a little more horsepower ,especially at longer range.

For just deer hunting no need to burn that much powder. Even the 30-06 is more than necessary. 7mm-08 is excellent as are any of the 6.5's, 270 etc.

That's what I thought too, thanks.

I agree, '06 should do it.

My 300WM and 300WSM are interesting and have a nice kill list. No such thing as too much dead.

I have hunted with a browning a bolt 300 win mag for more than 30 yrs. I use cheap 150 grain core locks that shoot great and cost 25 bucks a box. Love it. No need to change. No need to track the game. They drop in their tracks. Rarely ever had one run very far.

.243

Here is a nice article by John Barness
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/12360417/3

I wouldn't tote a big ol' long, heavy, over kill magnum for little ol whitetail deer if you gave me the gun.

Well, you asked.

You never mentioned what ranges you would be shooting but my choice between
Those 2 it would be the 06. More than enough out to 300 or so yards provided you understand ballistics.
My choice in caliber after 20+ years of trying everything is the .257 Weatherby
300 yards is the max i will even try to hit a deer and with the 257 i can hold dead on from 0-300. No ranging/thinking/clicking/bullet drop scope crap. Just aim and shoot. The only negatives to me would be dealing with the 26’’ barrel in a shooting house and the high cost of ammo. Just my 2 cents.

You want a 7mm Rem Mag.

I'll even sell you one!

The ole 06 will be good for 5-600 yds if you know how to shoot it. The 300 will have more energy and will usually drop them in their tracks, just depends on what yardage you want to shoot, I have two 06 trued in at 250yds and will handle any shot I use them for. If I hunt clearcuts or pipelines I'm using the 308 where I feel comfortable out to 600 with it, a quick dial up to 4.1 mils and I'm zeroed at 600.

300 all day long. As mentioned however the 7 mag will get you the same results with less recoil, better BC, and still about the same ammo availability

They make them in 24" & you can load them. No negatives.

When talking big magnum calibers it reminds me of that tv commercial where people like banging their head, paper cuts and sleeping in poison ivy. .

If you are just hunting here in Alabama; between those two calibers I’d go with the 30-06. I won’t go over all the reason because they have been mentioned above.

If you aren’t hung up between 30-06 and 300 win mag, as mentioned above I’d lean hard towards a .257 Wby.

In all honesty,I could have killed every deer I've killed in the last 10 years except for one with my cheapest single barrel shotgun and either a slug or buckshot.

Most times we get way too hung up on stuff that don't matter.There's not one of us in 10,000 that will be shooting so far at a deer that a 300 win would kill it but a 243 wouldn't,and that guy is just showing out.LOL He could have and should have set up closer.

Yep.

I never worry about the power. For me it is the flat trajectory. I consider myself an above average shot if i know the range. Problem is i am really bad at ranging deer. So the 257 zeroed at 250 yd i can hold dead on at 300 which is the longest possible shot on the property i hunt. It just works for me to not do all that thinking and second guessing about the range. I will also say that 80 percent of the deer i have shot on my property in the last 25 yrs have been within 100yds

I love .30 cals, all of them! Have a .308, 30-06, .300wm, .300wby, and .300wsm

I also would always rather be over-gunned. I look it at it like having 4WD, better have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

And at 260lbs recoil don't rattle my cage at all.

SO, I say go for the .300 OP! Plenty of good ammo options from 150grain all the way up to 220!

Thanks for all the input guys.

Where I am after reading it all, is probably going to go with a 300 Win Mag. I know I don't need it to kill a deer, but I want one

Before buying the 300 win mag, you might as well step it up to the 300 RUM, or the 30-378 wetherby, then you can really walk around with a hard on.

That's the only reason you need to buy another gun. Be careful. It can become addictive.

May as well go all in and get the .338 Lapua Magnum.

Go ahead and get a light weight one and get cured of magnumitus before you get any older.

.300 WBY with the "cheaper" 180 Norma bullets will run 3200 and drop a whitetail like a sack of taters. 200-250yds like a lightening bolt. That's my favorite cutover cartridge. So will the same ammo in .257 on whitetail. Still like $40 a box though.

All that being said the best terminal performance on Whitetails in any cartridge I've used are .35 caliber. If I was only shooting 200-250 I'd take a Whelen over any of them.

I have a 35 Whelen AI I load with 250 grain hornady round nose bullets. Drops deer like the hammer of Thor.

Had a Sendero in 300WM; super accurate but just did not find a need for that much thump. Do my longer range stands with either my .257 WBY B78 or .270 WBy MKV. Don't overlook the .270 Bee; 140g @3300 is pretty effective and zero to 325-350.

7mag would be a step above the 06 and 270. 300 win is a different animal.

New gun day is the best.

PM me when you pick up that new 300WM. I've got some good factory loads I'll sell you cheap. I need to get them organized and get them out of my shop.

Sweet, sounds good I may holler at you when I do. Right now just waiting on a little bonus to come in at work any day now and I'll be ready to buy.

Of the 2 in the original post, I'd go 300. I hunt everything with my 7mm mag. I've taken most Alaskan game, a few elk, and lots of deer. Never had an issue with ammo or the choice of sticking with that gun.

expansion problems are going to be the particular bullet not the cartridge itself. 7mm will have all the power of the 300 with less recoil. FWIW I have both

Get the original, 300 H&H. I had one once, neat round to play with. Would like to take one to Africa.