30-06 vs. 300 Win Mag

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If I were choosing a rifle for primarily elk hunting and ocasional deer hunting, I'd go with the 300 win mag.
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Well said... but...

If you can have two rifles...

Deer, 30-06 ;)

Deer and Elk, 300WM :)

Elk, .338 WinMag... or .340WM :cool:
 
We're talking a .300 mag here, not .22 lr vs .22 mg... :rolleyes:

Yes, the .300 WM is better for elk than the .30-06 which is wholey acceptable for it!
 
With the new "managed recoil" ammo from Remington, you can have your cake and eat it too. They have reduced recoil ammo in .300 Win. Mag and 7mm Mag. The recoil is about half of what the full-power loads are.

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/centerfire/managed-recoil.asp

That ammo is a great product. It allowed my grandson to use my .270 for deer hunting last month, (though he didn't shoot a deer). With the wide variety of good ammo available at reasonable prices, there's not as much need to reload any more. But, when I retire, I'll need something to keep me busy.

Picher
 
seriously look into federal's 180grn High Energy loads, they make that bullet pull over 3300 ftlbs of energy at the muzzle, and the heavy bullet keeps that energy
until WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy OFF in the bitty distance
Chase
 
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In North America the 30.06 will cover all the bases. It's a very versitile cartridge and can be had in many grains of bullets for every type of hunting.
 
Went out west with a fellow form Mobile Ala one time, many years ago and he had 11 rounds of 300weatherby magnum ammo.
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I thought he said 300Win Mag. I haven't found it particularly hard to find 300Win Mag ammo. Of course 300WbyMag can be hard to find but not the 300Win. Its an excellent cartridge provided you can shoot it accurately. It does help for the longer shots as it pushes a 180gr. bullet faster than typical 165gr. 30-06 loads.
 
Premium Bullets Turn a 30-06 into a Magnum

When comparing a bullet's energy in a 30-06 versus a 300 Win Mag, if you put a premium 180-gr. Nosler AccuBond bullet in a 30-06 at 2,750 fps MV and compare it to a plain jane Winchester 180-gr. Power Point in a 300 Win Mag at 2,960 fps MV, the 30-06 AccuBond will have an amazing 104 ft. lbs more energy at 300 yards: that's right - 2,005 versus 1,901 (Source: Winchester's 2005 Ammo Catalog, p. 10 - 13).

This is called Ballistic Efficiency!

Note: Federal, Hornady, and Remington all report similar data when comparing premium ballistically efficient bullets to their standard line, with a 30-06 being equal to 300 Win Mag performance. Basically, the principle is the same as outline above.
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Nosler AccuBond

The 30-06 180-gr. AccuBond with a BC of .509 easily makes up for and surpasses the 210 fps velocity advantage the 180-gr. Power Point had (to begin with) because of its much lower BC of only .349.

In short, an aerodynamic bullet with a high BC can turn a regular caliber like the 30-06 into a magnum, as far as performance is concerned and in this case, the 30-06 180-gr. AccuBond outperforms a 300 Win Mag 180-gr. Power Point at 300 yards, but give the 300 Win Mag the AccuBond and the tables are reversed.

In summary, there's two ways to get extra performance out of a 30-06:

1. Upgrade to High Energy or Lite Magnum ammo.
2. Upgrade to a premium bullet with a high BC for more energy downrange.
 
Awesome 147 grain! If it were my first rifle I'de buy the /06 hands down. It is just a better cartridge for a 1st rifle. I own a 300 Win Mag and handload it, but I remember that it took me a while to get use to the /06 recoil. I was only 16 then, but my point is to start off with a tamer load and build accuracy with confidence before shooting a Magnum and developing the permanent "flinches and trigger jerking". :p
 
I never fail to get a chuckle out of the guys shooting mags at the range, jerking like they've been slapped by a bear and congradulating each other on their 6 inch groups at 50 yards. If you can handle the recoil then definately the mag is a better Elk rifle, if you can handle the recoil, the 300 weatherby is even better, the rem ultra mag better still. But my dad killed dozens of elk with a 300savage. You wouldn't be too handicapped by the '06.
 
30-06 is a great round. If armalite made an AR-30 in 30-06 i would buy it, But they have it in 308, 300 winn or 338 lapua Magnum ( CRAP!!!) I bought the 300 winn Mag and have killed 4 deer with it, all head shots, and a few hogs, and a coyote at 650 yards. Absolutley zero meat damage. Coyote meat aint very good , :barf: ( or bits of copper crap in your hamburger) Power wise the 30-06 is enough for the 48 states. I like a little extre power for those 300 yards ferrel hogs. It is probably just my opinion ( they are like butt holes, everybody has one) the the 300 mag is a bit more accurate thet the comparable 30-06. Mostly at longer ranges. the mag shoots flatter. I have no idea what a real 300 mag kicks like, cuz mine has a muzzle break on it. kicks like a 22LR. Get the 30-06 though. Ammo is cheap (er) ait as loud , or as hard hitting. at either end.
 
Either round is excellent for elk...

But the greater your "edge" the better...

I have killed elk with two of my three 30-06's...

BOTTOM line is use the one that gives you the edge and at the same time, ANCHORS the elk more CONSISTENTLY.

It's OBVIOUS that if you can't shoot "big nasty" without fearing the boom... use the 30-06 with the premium cartridges recommended in this thread.

The 50BMG would be the best... but it's difficult to shoot and more difficult to carry in the trees... :eek: :D :D

As long as you don't use a .270 (06) or 25-06... :p
Well you get the idea...

NOTE The .338 Win Mag and the .340WM have been "tagged" as "THE" elk cartridge for decades...

I now use the .340WM :) WM is Weatherby, and not the same as WinMag
 
I would go with a 30-06. I have a question for those who do shoot a .300 win mag... How does the recoil compare to a 12 ga shooting sabot slugs??
 
old thread but worth reviving, the 30-06 will do 3000 fps using much less powder than any 300 mag uses to get the same 3000 fps- same powder/same bullet, but just less powder in the '06- it's a more efficient round- beyond that size case, what happens is diminishing returns in a shoulder arm fired rifle used for hunting, in 30 caliber.

basically a hot 30-06, attains a starter load 300 mag velocity. so if you want to try a magnum but the entry level price is scary, load your 30-06 with 150, 180, 220 grain bullets and maximum safe loads, and shoot that- then you know what a magnum is like- esp. with the 220 grain bullets

having said that...I can relate this story that came from someone who does a lot of midwestern hunting.

he fired a 308 Winchester at a huge trophy whitetail at 400 yards, hit it, the deer ran off, they looked for the deer for 2 days, no luck.

day 3 his friend posted in the same area, sees this big trophy buck, shoots it, and kills it. While skinning it, they found the first guy's 308 slug mushroomed on the shoulder bone, just under the hide, and it did not penetrate the vitals. The 308 ran out of steam at 400 yards.

so there you have it. What range will you be shooting at ? I doubt whether many shots are taken at 400 yards, usually a smart hunter will stalk to 200 yards or less, or at least 250-300.

If you are apt to lob in rounds from ultra-long range due to your hunting habits or terrain where you hunt, then go for the magnum, and load it to the maximum velocity, otherwise it's not even worth it. A magnum loaded down with starter or reduced loads, is a 30-06.

and buy a lot of ammo and brass up front and reload it. Otherwise it's $2/shot just to put holes in paper and sight it in, for most 300 mag family cartridges.

per previous posters, there's hardware stores, grocery stores, and gas stations in remote areas such as Alaska and Canada, that sell 30-06 and 30-30 ammo. Our local Toro lawn tractor dealer sells 30-06 and 30-30 ammo here in Pa. Being the 2 best selling cartridges and rifles ever, you can get the ammo anywhere. Two world wars, Korea, Viet Nam made the 30-06 the most popular round in USA history, period.
 
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A problem with resurrecting ancient threads is that the originator might well be dead and gone. Thus no answer to that opening question can be helpful. If still alive, odds are that he's already made a decision.

IOW, necrothreadia is not at all useful.
 
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