[cottontop]

Jim,
I think you lean toward the Elmer Keith crowd, whereas I lean toward the Jack O'Conner crowd.
ct

[chloeshooter]

The 30-06 will take any game in North America. You mentioned elk as well as deer. I have a Remington 700 in 30-06 for my primary carry rifle for hunting. Ammo is all over the place, at least where I live. Corelockts for $17/20 rounds where I live

My only complaint about this caliber is the drop, which is 6-8 inches at 200 yds. I would like to go the Win 270 route for a flatter trajectory for Montana hunting.

[ninjatoth]

.308 is no better or no worse than .270 or 30-06 at it's respected range.Big difference is that a .308 drops off the 1,000 ft lbs energy mark at about 400 yards,as where a .270 or '06 will carry that energy mark out to 550 yards,so those are your big game range potential's right there.

[jpattersonnh]

Originally Posted by JimRau

Amen to that!!!
But if you do go with the 308 or the 30-06 stick with 165 gr bullets. The 150's are ok for small deer and antelope, but the 165's make for a GREAT 'one load' for all!!

+1

Originally Posted by RUG3R44

Excuse me, but did you really mean to use the word NOT in that sentence?
I've been using 150's for 4 decades and never had a problem. BTW 165's are great also.

fixed, I think he is still blushing

Originally Posted by cottontop

Jim,
I think you lean toward the Elmer Keith crowd, whereas I lean toward the Jack O'Conner crowd.
ct

Hmm, I see that 8x57 going away.

Originally Posted by ninjatoth

.308 is no better or no worse than .270 or 30-06 at it's respected range.Big difference is that a .308 drops off the 1,000 ft lbs energy mark at about 400 yards,as where a .270 or '06 will carry that energy mark out to 550 yards,so those are your big game range potential's right there.

Big game mark is 1500fpe, not 1000. You can drop that to 300 yards for .308 and 400 for .30-06. No use for a .270 as it is reduntant and not quite either.
Never liked the .270. W/ a Barnes 150gr FB at 2900fps in a .308, which is under max, at 350 yards it has 1450+fpe and at 550 yards, 1000+. Still only a 300 yard cartridge for a definite, not a tracking tour.

[ninjatoth]

Originally Posted by jpattersonnh

+1


fixed, I think he is still blushing



Hmm, I see that 8x57 going away.



Big game mark is 1500fpe, not 1000. You can drop that to 300 yards for .308 and 400 for .30-06. No use for a .270 as it is reduntant and not quite either.
Never liked the .270. W/ a Barnes 150gr FB at 2900fps in a .308, which is under max, at 350 yards it has 1450+fpe and at 550 yards, 1000+. Still only a 300 yard cartridge for a definite, not a tracking tour.

depends on what you consider big game I suppose,big game where I live is whitetail deer,so i'm not familiar with what the numbers are for other animals.

[jpattersonnh]

Originally Posted by ninjatoth

depends on what you consider big game I suppose,big game where I live is whitetail deer,so i'm not familiar with what the numbers are for other animals.

Fair enough. Get a 300lb black bear and 100 yards is sound, not because they are hard to kill, but its' a bear. On Elk, 400 yards is out there, 300 yards on any game is quite respectable. I still like getting close w/ open sights. It is about the hunt, not the shot distance. Closer is always good. Just me.

[ninjatoth]

Originally Posted by jpattersonnh

Fair enough. Get a 300lb black bear and 100 yards is sound, not because they are hard to kill, but its' a bear. On Elk, 400 yards is out there, 300 yards on any game is quite respectable. I still like getting close w/ open sights. It is about the hunt, not the shot distance. Closer is always good. Just me.

I hear you with all of that too,I usually hunt with my .44 mag revolver and 30-30 winchester both with open sights at no more than 40 yard shots,and I have a .308 but it has a 1.75-4X shotgun scope on it also for those close range shots of under 40 yards.

[locutus]

I've taken moose and elk cleanly with my .30-06 loaded with 150 Speer BTSP bullets at 3000 FPS.

OTOH, I like to stalk as close as I can get before shooting. I will shoot to 300 yards if I have to, but I much prefer to get within 100, or even a little closer.

[BlueTurf]

Of course the .308 cartridge is a good choice for deer hunting. It has the power and ballistics that are conducive for this type of hunting. The .308 cartridge gives you a wide range of bullet choices for different types of hunting, and it is one of the favorites for target shooting also. You won't go wrong with a .308.

[JimRau]

Originally Posted by cottontop

Jim,
I think you lean toward the Elmer Keith crowd, whereas I lean toward the Jack O'Conner crowd.
ct

I don't 'lean' either way. Both went to extremes. I 'lean' where science, history, and experience push me.