Can't select good hunting rifle/cartridge

I have 4 different rifles chambered for the 06.....used to have 5. The last one I bought was on clearance and was a Weatherby Vanguard. I bought a Nikon scope and mounted it, and it is sub MOA just as 3 of the others. The one that is not is a M77 Ruger and it knocks on the door of MOA being just a tad over.

After fine tuning the Vanguard, it clocks at average of 3065 fps with a 150 gr Hot Core and Superformance and averages 5/8" for 5 shots @ 100 yds.

I have been very tempted to get a Savage in the caliber, but figure I have enough for now.

By the way, the 5th one I don't have any more was a Rem M700 that I bought in 1970 new. It would not shoot with the rest and hurt more than my 338 WM just because of the stock. No one person that shot that gun could hold it for more than 5 shots off the bench, including me and I am not normally stricken with recoil. Stocks are the most important part of a gun to me because if it ain't a good one, then hang it up. A straight stock serves me best.

Forgot to mention that the rifle/scope/accessories was right at $500, with accessories being sling and case.
 
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Having shot both 308 and 30-06 chambered rifles with identical barreled actions in identically shaped stocks shooting different bullet weights but the same rifle weights, I could not tell the difference in recoil between them.

About 100 fps difference in muzzle velocity (SAAMI specs) for a given bullet weight isn't significant for either felt recoil, trajectory nor hunting performance. There can be that much difference between two people shooting the same ammo in the same rifle. A 26" 308 barrel puts out bullets equally as fast as a 22" 30-06 one with SAAMI spec chamber, bore, groove, bullet and pressure numbers.

Any comparison between two system's performance with only one part expected to be different will be flawed if two or more parts are actually changed. For example, a tight bore 308 will shoot a given SAAMI spec round's bullet faster than a 30-06 loose bore with the same spec ammo and both barrels are the same length and both rifles held identically.
 
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Ruger American in 308 or 06. Spend the extra money on glass. The rifle is lightweight and accurate.

I have one in 308. I prefer the 308 to the 30-06 just because I like to keep as few calibers on hand as possible. In my lifetime I would never be in a situation where the 30-06 would be the better choice. Also, 308 is usually cheaper.

Another nice thing about the ruger is that it's kinda ugly. It is not a rifle I would worry about scratching, dropping, getting dirty or lending it to a friend. Just food for though.
 
RC20 wrote:

I will strongly disagree that a 7mm kicks just a bit more than a 30-06

I have been shooing 06 a lot, shot the 7mm before I sold it, I remembered why I never shot it more than I needed to sight it in.

I have shot 338 WM, 375 HH and the 7mm is by far the worst.

Not that its not a good caliber, just not a fun one to shoot much.

Frankly I would be split between 308, 270 and the 30-06 with a bias to the 30-06 just because its such a great cartridge with wide capability.
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I have no doubt what you felt was real but a 30-06, 180 grain bullet shot through exactly the same model/weight rifle as a 7mm Rem Mag 160 grain bullet does not recoil enough that most people could even tell which was worse. Handloads.com has a recoil calculator that actually shows the 30-06 kicking harder when using load data from Hodgdon's website.
 
If I were to do it over I would get the 308,little flater shooting and about 100yrds better,right now I go 30-30,270,30-06 and thenI have a 338win mag backed up with a 45-70,I like the 06 so for me it's hard to get ride of but kinda wished it would of been 308 so now I have orderd a 308MX to get a 308 into the mix.
 
what will you be hunting is a major factor!

Simply put a lot of people cannot manage the recoil of the 7mm rem mag and heavier calibers, once I get to this much recoil I start to flinch. The 30/06 I can manage the recoil fine, why the 7mag does me in I have no clue, the 30/06 is my limit!! For what ever reason I cannot make a .308 my primary rifle, I like them just not enough to make one of them my primary rifle. I suppose what turns me off is the argument it will do everything an 30/06 will do but with a longer barrel. Every hunter has to figure out what his limit or likes or dislike when it comes to a primary rifle. If all I could afford is a lever gun I could be content with a lighter recoil big bore .307Win which I have and like and out to 200 yds it will take deer easily. I have had a 7mm mag, the reason I don't now is recoil recoil, you have to figure out what you can manage comfortably plus what you prefer... William
 
Either 30-06 or 7mm Mag will be great for hunting anywhere, and either one will do the job. It just comes down to the rifle that you like really.

From experience, I can tell you that the 7mm mag is going to destroy more of the meat (usually) than a .30-06 or 308 will. The .308 will also be fine for hunting. The 308 is not a .30-06. We hear a lot of the "all things being equal" debate, well that's almost never the case is it.

If you get a 7mm Mag, you will probably need a 26" barrel to realize any advantage over the 270 Winchester, which would also be fine for your hunting needs.

At some point in the debate, we begin to start splitting hairs. In most hunting scenarios, the difference between any of them is going to be so small that the average hunter is not going to notice the difference. If you put any of those rounds right where it needs to go, you can fire up the grill.

It will take more shooting discipline to shoot a rifle that FOR YOU kicks hard, and you will not be as accurate with it, and you will not enjoy your hunting as much as you could as a result.

There is a lot more to the hunting experience than the rifle that you are using. Find one that handles well and feels good to you, and one that you like the way it looks. If you can do that, any acceptable cartridge will do.

If you practice enough to be accurate with the rifle, any of them will be great.

Shot placement trumps any of the minutia involved in the cartridge debate.
 
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At this point the OP really has no idea of what recoil he can handle. Is it possible that you can go shooting with a friend that has several different calibers so you can try them out?

My great uncle lived and hunted in Colorado and he weighed 140 pounds soaking wet. The largest caliber he could handle was a 25-35 but he dropped many a deer, elk and occasional bear with it.
 
I would actually go with the .308win. It is a very capable cartridge. When you start handloading, you can run a 125gr bullet for deer or jump up to a 150gr+ for Elk and such. Now I'm not knocking the 30-06. I mean between it and the 30-30 have probably killed more deer in north america than all other cartridges combined. If it was me, find a rifle that you are considering to purchase and handle a .308 and 30-06 version and see handles and fits you better. If the manufacture doesn't have a model in one of the calibers, I wouldn't even consider it. These are 2 of the most common/popular calibers in north america.
 
I would actually go with the .308win. It is a very capable cartridge. When you start handloading, you can run a 125gr bullet for deer or jump up to a 150gr+ for Elk and such.
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The first thought through my head was, "Why do folks constantly sugeest varmint weight bullets for deer, and deer weight bullets for elk ......." .... and then I see their location .....

I've seen the deer on the east coast, and the terrain. I'd use something like a 22-250 and a 55 grain hollow point in that situation :D:D:D

Colorado?

Big County.

At least a 30-06...... preferably with a 26" barrel.

Rather have a .270 or .280 with the same lenght barrel, though.
 
Just as a note: Hot loaded 7mm mag is not much worse than hot loaded 30-06, especially because magnum rifles often have a bit more 'heft'.

Savage 111 Trophy Hunter XP (8.25 lbs) in 7mm Mag (Hornady Superformance, 154 grain): 26.32 ft-lbs of recoil energy
Savage 111 Trophy Hunte XP (8.0 lbs) in 30-06 (Hornady Superformance, 150 grain): 23.02 ft-lbs of recoil energy.

I had a similar decision recently, and got the 30-06, but I live in the east and thought that the '06 would be easier to load down for short range deer hunting than the 7mm mag. Factory ammo is also ~$10 cheaper for the '06. I wanted a .280 but the logistics were too hard. If I lived in Colorado, I would more likely have gotten the 7mm mag.
 
I've seen the deer on the east coast, and the terrain. I'd use something like a 22-250 and a 55 grain hollow point in that situation
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If you had ever had to try and track a deer through a Pocosin with no blood trail, you'd realize those small bullets are a poor choice for anything larger than a Coyote
 
Like Snyper said, we don't allow anyone to hunt on our property for deer using anything smaller than a 100gr round. All you brought is a .223? Sorry not on my property. IF you bring a .243 in the 85-100gr range, we can work with that. And also, I killed a Mule deer out in Oregon a couple years ago with a .308 using a 125gr bullet. You don't need a 168gr or 200gr bullet to bring down a deer ethically.
 
I like every cartridge you're thinking of getting. I've owned most of them except the .300 WM, I have a .300 H&H.

I owned a really nice Model 70 in 7mm RM but sold it because in my opinion it kicked worse than the .300 H&H and wasn't as versatile. I have nothing against the 7mm RM but the .300 seemed to offer a wider choice of bullets.

Were I in your shoes I'd probably go with a .30-06, just a good choice.
 
Using the correct size bullet has to do with animal recovery. You want an exit wound every time.

I was bow hunting with my nephew and his friend. The friend was using these gimicky broadheads that cut curls of meat. The friend got off a good shot and there was a good blood trail but even though we were hunting in what amounts to my back yard above my cabin we could not find a downed cow elk in one of those smalll valleys the size of two wheelbarrows. Just too much brush and to many valleys.
 
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