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I prefer the .308 to the 30-06 but I've always told people if you only plan on owning one hunting rifle go with the 30-06.

Granted it depends what your hunting, but for most medium and larger game .30-06 is plenty of gun. .30-06 ammo is very versatile and can be applicable across many different species of game.
i like both actually. even own both. but agreed, if only going to own one or the other, i too suggest the 30-06 over the 308. IMO, the 30-06 does have a slight edge when shooting the heavier 30 caliber bullets over the 308 due to increased case size. recoil is a little sharper with the 30-06 over the 308, but still not too bad.

if i had to make the choice between the two, and it would be a hard choice, i would go with the 30-06. but for most people, the 308 can do just as well for them as the 30-06. both are very versatile rounds and both are proven performers.
 
axxe55 said:
i like both actually. even own both. but agreed, if only going to own one or the other, i too suggest the 30-06 over the 308. IMO, the 30-06 does have a slight edge when shooting the heavier 30 caliber bullets over the 308 due to increased case size. recoil is a little sharper with the 30-06 over the 308, but still not too bad.

if i had to make the choice between the two, and it would be a hard choice, i would go with the 30-06. but for most people, the 308 can do just as well for them as the 30-06. both are very versatile rounds and both are proven performers.
Exactly.. Everyone should own both lol. I love the 308 but if you want to shoot some heavier grains than 30-06 is the way to go. But for a range gun 308 is the best way to go. 30-06 is an iconic round and a hunting round IMO.
 
Gizord1 said:
.22

Light, no recoil, EXTREMELY versatile, and cheap (not right now)

Many peeps may argue this, but I think that .22 is the best all-round rifle caliber.
.22 is a great round for all the reasons you listed.

At the end of the day there is no "best" round. Every round serves a purpose. It's up to the shooter to decide what round serves their needs.

That being said.. If I could only shoot one round for the rest of my days it would be the .308.
 
Jersey700PB said:
.22 is a great round for all the reasons you listed.

At the end of the day there is no "best" round. Every round serves a purpose. It's up to the shooter to decide what round serves their needs.

That being said.. If I could only shoot one round for the rest of my days it would be the .308.
Oh yeah, as far as big calibers, it would prolly be 7.62. As far as versatility, it's .22. A .22 can take anything from a rat to a deer,and it's cheap.
 
22s are fun but for medium game that would be the last cartridge I would choose.
308s are great inside 300 yards, they don't kick bad at all, very little muzzle blast even in short 20-22" tubes and they hit with all the power you would expect from a 30 caliber, not the best all around gun IMHO since it's external ballistics suffer at longer ranges but up close they are hard to beat. My woods rifle is a 308.
 
another cartridge that i have come to love is the 7mm-08. great ballistics, very good accuracy, and very gentle on the shoulder. very easy to reload and can use a good variety of powders and bullets. it's one of those almost perfect cartridges. it's very hard to make a reload that doesn't shoot well in this caliber. brass life is very long as long as you don't go real hot on your loads. i have some that have over 10 loads with only minor trimming having to be done.
 
308, 7mm-08, 260 they are all good, that little case works well with everything from .243cal-.358 cal depending on the exact results you are looking for. IMHO the 7mm-08 and 260 have the best balance for all around use while the .308-.358 hit harder up close for hunting up close, the 243 is a stand alone in the varmint department, making it a fantastic varmint-deer combo gun.
 
308, 7mm-08, 260 they are all good, that little case works well with everything from .243cal-.358 cal depending on the exact results you are looking for. IMHO the 7mm-08 and 260 have the best balance for all around use while the .308-.358 hit harder up close for hunting up close, the 243 is a stand alone in the varmint department, making it a fantastic varmint-deer combo gun.
i agree. and the 260 is on my list of those if i ever run across one and have the money to buy guns!
 
Many have pointed out great chamberings. There is one that I was quite amazed by. That is the .300 WSM. I own a .300 Win. Mag. and am quite pleased with it. A friend allowed me to "play" with his Browning in .300 WSM and I was amazed to find it was throwing a 180 gr. bullet 100 fps faster than I was throwing a 165 gr. bullet, it was as accurate, and the whole package was shorter than my pride and joy. (Recoil was livable, but not comparable in that mine wears a factory muzzle brake. ) I'm not ready to do something silly and dump my rifle, the .300 WSM is impressive!
 
A buddy we shoot with on his Ranch here, was a Marine. He has this sweet old Remington Bolt action 300 Win Mag.
I have had to honor to shoot it a few times, and I'm not ashamed to say I can only shoot it from a rest and bench set up. It's def. a beast killer. It was like 3 times the recoil then shooting my uncles' Ruger 44 carbine....
 
DrFootball said:
A buddy we shoot with on his Ranch here, was a Marine. He has this sweet old Remington Bolt action 300 Win Mag.
I have had to honor to shoot it a few times, and I'm not ashamed to say I can only shoot it from a rest and bench set up. It's def. a beast killer. It was like 3 times the recoil then shooting my uncles' Ruger 44 carbine....
I think a .410 had 3x the recoil of a Ruger .44 mag carbine! :D
 
Gizord1 said:
I think a .410 had 3x the recoil of a Ruger .44 mag carbine! :D
It wasn't mine at that time, It belonged to my Uncle. Since I inherited it on his passing,I had it for about 10 Years and shot it twice in that time, so It was sold about 1998, but when I(we) Get a 410 we'll check it out vs. my Dan Wesson 41.....
 
I know I keep bringing it up but I have been loving shooting the .243 I picked up last year. It is like a grown up 22. No recoil but will hammer a deer.
 
nchunt101 said:
I know I keep bringing it up but I have been loving shooting the .243 I picked up last year. It is like a grown up 22. No recoil but will hammer a deer.
I have been thinking about a Bolt in .243, esp. since I have not bought a new Bolt action Gun in some time....That or the Ruger Gunsite Scout....
 
Go for it---I have had a couple over the years and can honestly say I have had more fun with them than any other rifles I have owned. I picked up the 700 for $250--since it was made it the sixties the irons came in a bag and it had a decent scope on it. If you shop you can really find some deals on them since most are not the most craptical looking rifles on the market.
 
I know I keep bringing it up but I have been loving shooting the .243 I picked up last year. It is like a grown up 22. No recoil but will hammer a deer.
the 243 is good for deer as long as you use the proper bullets, shot placement and respect it's limits. nad yes, it's recoil is very mild.

my father has and older Winchester M70 in 243 that was the first rifle i killed deer with when i was much younger. my father brought the rifle to me a couple of years ago to mount a new scope on it and clean it up, as it hadn't been out of his safe in over 15 years. got it cleaned up, and the scope mounted and sighted in and shot some of his old reloads he made for that rifle. it's still just as accurate and deadly! a three shot group at 100 yards, was pretty much a one ragged hole group! i also tested the trigger while i had it here at the house, and the trigger broke consistently at a little over 2 pounds every time. plus it's a beautiful rifle as well. a pure joy to shoot and look at.
 
I know I keep bringing it up but I have been loving shooting the .243 I picked up last year. It is like a grown up 22. No recoil but will hammer a deer.
True, as long as you are willing to play by the rules!!!!
1. Use ONLY heavy tough bullets.
2. NO quartering shots, only PERFECT presentation.
3. Keep the ranges SHORT, as small caliber bullets are light and run out of gas VERY fast (light weight bullets with low SD and BC).;)
 
I have owned a 30-06 since I was 16 years old and its always been a favorite! But if I could only have one rifle to hunt on the continent (N. America) I would chose the 35 Whelen, I know limited bullet choices but if the available ones work and they do, no problem. Recoil is mild, good ballistics out to 300 yards and just potent enough for the big stuff.
Now I keep hearing the .308 recoils less than the 30-06 can you guys really tell the difference? I have fired many of the larger rds in my youth when it was the "manly" thing to do and I have to say the most obnoxious one had to be the 378 Weatherby mag!
 
I have owned a 30-06 since I was 16 years old and its always been a favorite! But if I could only have one rifle to hunt on the continent (N. America) I would chose the 35 Whelen, I know limited bullet choices but if the available ones work and they do, no problem. Recoil is mild, good ballistics out to 300 yards and just potent enough for the big stuff.
Now I keep hearing the .308 recoils less than the 30-06 can you guys really tell the difference? I have fired many of the larger rds in my youth when it was the "manly" thing to do and I have to say the most obnoxious one had to be the 378 Weatherby mag!
Shooting equal weight loads out if a .308 and a .30-06, I wasn't able to tell much difference in recoil. The .308 rifle was a little lighter with the shorter action. But neither one was a killer in the recoil department, but neither one was marshmallow soft either.
 
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