30-06 or 300 WinMag for a Remington 700

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Neither.

From an 8 lb rifle a 300 WM generates around 30 ft lbs of recoil, a 30-06 about 20 ft lbs recoil and a 308 about 15 ft lbs recoil. At only 600 yards a 308 will do exactly the same thing with 1/2 the recoil and powder as 300 WM and about 25% less recoil and powder than 30-06.

As a hunting cartridge a 180 gr 30 caliber bullet impacting at 2000 fps will kill any animal in the lower 48. A 308 still has 2000 fps out to 450 yards, a 30-06 to 500 and a 300 WM only gets you to 550.

The 300 WM would be a possibility if shooting targets past 2000 yards, A 308 will get you to almost 1000, while a 30-06 will easily reach 1000-1200.

I know lots of guys get tired of hearing it, but for target shooting out to a mile the 6.5 CM beats 30-06 and 308 with only about 12 ft lbs recoil. And the 300 WM doesn't do anything better until you get past 2000 yards.
 
I know lots of guys get tired of hearing it, but for target shooting out to a mile the 6.5 CM beats 30-06 and 308 with only about 12 ft lbs recoil. And the 300 WM doesn't do anything better until you get past 2000 yards.

By beats I assume maintaining speed vs affect?

Can't disagree with that. That is why 6.5 is not a fad, its been there all along, just never realized until the CM thingy came along.

It is just getting its just rewards now after being ignored. Target wise 6.5 will fade as the fad moves around but target alwyas has done that. As far as a very capable all around cartridge , in a lot of ways it rivals the 06 (which continues to be my favorite)
 
I like both 308 & 30/06, have taken a lot of deer with both. I never did like the
300WM because of short neck. I've had several of them mostly Rem 700s and
accuracy wasn't impressive. The best shooting 300WM I owned was a H&R Ultra
rifle. I know it's not one of the two choices but I've had good luck with 300H&H.
A little less pizazz than 300WN but the neck makes the difference for accuracy
in my opinion. The H&H was a popular long range target caliber for a long time.
 
06 for sure and I would invest in a Weatherby or tika but not Remington but that’s just me. My Weatherby 06 is amazing accurate
 
The reason for the "beat" is not just the OP. There are lurkers that enjoy the reading and opinions.
The .300 Mag, when reloaded is headspaced on the shoulder, not the belt. The belt is only used on the factory round.
The OP said the vast use of the rifle would be informal paper at 600 yards, and if THAT is the max, I would concure that the '06 would be fine. Align the sights and have fun. If he'd like to progress, and decides to shoot some form of long-range competition, he would be experienced with a popular caliber in a familiar rifle.
Where I shoot, there is a bunch of wind. It's so bad here that you get so used to standing against it that you fall over when it stops.
Under these conditions, I believe the .300 is an advantage, so use one, usually with 200gr target bullets at max velocity. I have used one long enough I don't have trouble with it. With the amount of shooting being done, the costs no longer matter.
The '06 was a wise choice,
have fun,
Gene
 
OK. Since the nag ain't gonna mind, I'll take a swing. '06 is a winner. Cheaper to reload, doesn't bang you around as much, and with the proper load for your rifle, you can get MOLB accuracy.
 
30-06 and 300 win mag indeed have the same bullet diameter. But 300 win mag is more limited in bullet choice. Something to do with the short neck and long brass length. Certain bullets simply can't be used in 300 win mag without exceeding COAL max. You will know when you handload that round enough.

-TL

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tangolima said:
But 300 win mag is more limited in bullet choice. Something to do with the short neck and long brass length. Certain bullets simply can't be used in 300 win mag without exceeding COAL max. You will know when you handload that round enough.

I don't see COAL being a major issue until you go heavier than 220 grains. You can get factory ammunition loaded with 220 grain SMK and 215 grain Berger VLD bullets loaded to SAAMI COAL, so I really don't see the .300 WM being all that limited by COAL. Those are all bullets you can't get in .30-06 ammunition unless you order custom or reload anyway so again COAL shouldn't be an issue.
 
Guess I'll get a few mad at me but the belt on a magnum cartridge is a non-issue. :eek: It's all in how you set up your sizing die. Do it right and for all practical purposes, the belt no longer exists. ;)

This is how I set up my sizing die for bottleneck cartridges and I load from .22 Hornet to .416 Rigby and it works. It's a cut and paste I have stored as I got tired typing it up every time someone had problems. It helps keep brass life last longer.

This is how I set up my sizing die for bottleneck cartridges.

1. Take a once fired factory round and blacken the neck and shoulders with a Magic Marker or Sharpee pen. Some people like to smoke the neck and shoulder, but I find the Magic Marker/Sharpee pen a bit better.

2. Carefully lubricate the case.

3. Loosen the lock ring on the sizing die and back off about two turns from when the die is set to touch the shell holder.

4. Size the case. Note where the marks are on the case and turn the die down about a half a turn and size again. Turn down some more, and resize again. What you are looking for is the marks on the blackening just touching the shoulder.

5. Clean the lube from the case and try it in the rifle. It may chamber just a bit on the snug side. If so, turn the die down ever so slightly, lube and size again. Wipe off the lube and try in the rifle. If it slides in as easily as a factory round, you should be good to go. If not, usually one more very slight adjustment should fix the problem.

6. Tighten the locking ring for the die and you're done. You have just set your sizing die up for a custom fit to your specific rifle, rather than a generic one size fits all guns.

Paul B.
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If it is going to be a hunting gun the 30.06 would be the one for me !!!

Well its a target gun, but still better all around than the 300 WM

That said, one of the best options is to buy a Savage, get a Bull Barrel from Shillen (which I did) and you have yourself one heck of a target rifle.

The best chassis is a Savage BTH, the TH stock oddly enough works really good for target shooting (at least recreational)

Older Savage is better as it has the top bolt release. It would come with a Segmented nut so easier to get the barrel off with the wrench.
 
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