New rifle suggestions

For most hunters, there is so little difference between the two that you will probably never notice the difference. .30-06 has a ~100 FPS advantage at the light end of the available bullets, and ~200 FPS with the heavier bullets over the .308, at the cost of a slightly longer/heavier rifle.

The deer won't know the difference, at any range most people have any business shooting at a game animal.
 
Pathfinder 45 said:
But we are not including military ammo, as it is unsuitable for deer and elk hunting and probably even illegal to hunt with in your State like it is in mine. Also, I mentioned ammo on the store shelf. I might be able to order ammo online and get it whenever it arrives. But if I need it tomorrow, I will certainly get it locally in person. Admittedly, there's suitable 308 ammo available again now that the buying panic has let up. I think saying the 308 is nearly is versatile as the 30-'06 may well be true. I just can't buy that it's more versatile.
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Well saying one if more versatile than the other really isn't correct. Simply put the .308 Win is now more popular. Online and in stores you are simply going to find more loaded ammunition options. For the reloader since they use the same exact bullets neither is more versatile one is only slightly faster, the other works a little better in semi auto and suppressed firearms. I'm not going to get into accuracy claims as for my needs they are both equally accurate.

Now as to your first statement as to legality of military ammunition for hunting big game, you are absolutely correct if it's FMJ military ammunition. Not all military ammunition is FMJ, the M118 175 grain long range load is a BTHP bullet (IIRC Sierra MK). Now we all know SMK's are not intended as hunting bullets per the companies web site, but I can show you countless video's of that bullet used successfully for hunting. Also the 147 FMJ 7.62X51 cartridge is perfectly legal in my state for the hunting of small game, varmints, and predators.

FWIW I've never owned a .308 Win (shot a ton of 7.62 in the Army) and had as many as six .30-06 rifles in my safe at times. Currently I'm down to one .30-06 and my daughter and I both have .300 Savage rifles, but no .308 Winchesters. I reload so I've never worried about needing a .308 Win, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at one if the right deal came along.
 
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I've narrowed my choices to savage, tc venture, ruger american, browning ab3, and howa 1500 any insight on those rifles.
 
I love my Ruger Americans but I am biased. I own a lot of Rugers and they are hard to beat. I have a couple of Savage but not in .308 or 30-06 so can't help you there.

All of those a good choices.......
 
stan5677 said:
I've narrowed my choices to savage, tc venture, ruger american, browning ab3, and howa 1500 any insight on those rifles.
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Out of your choices I like the Howa 1500 the best. I can pick up a 1500 Lightning rifle with shipping and transfer fees for less than $375 right now through Whittaker's. Howa rifles come with good triggers and hinged floor plates instead of detachable magazines (DBM) that is on most of the other rifles you've chosen. Biggest issue with Howa rifles is weight, they're among the heaviest out there.

The one Venture I owned in .270 wasn't finicky on ammunition and digested most into sub 1" groups. Federal blue box ammunition easily went around .5" while Remington Core-Lokt was the worse around 1.25". Things I didn't like about the Venture was the small size of the bolt handle and the DBM.

The Savage 110/10 THXP for a little over $500 gives you okay optics with the Nikon Prostaff scope. You also get the Accutrigger if that's important to you, I really don't care for the feel of the Accutrigger or clones of it. Biggest detractors to me are the DBM and the injection molded stock. It's a Savage so it'll be accurate enough for a hunting rifle out of the box.

I have a friend who uses the Ruger American in 7mm-08, and she swears by that rifle. Of course I'm sure she's like most women hunters I know and just like my daughter, they're only interested in end results and are less picky and shoot better than most men. I don't care for the trigger (accutrigger clone) or the DBM, but I've been looking seriously at the .300 BLK and 6.5 CM models to play with.

I have another friend who I hunt with on a regular basis and he usually either carries the older Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalkers in either .270 or .325 WSM. Both of his WSM rifles are easily sub MOA and probably closer to half MOA. He doesn't reload but shoots Federal Premium loaded with either 110 grain or 200 grain Barnes bullets in his WSM rifles. Again I don't like the DBM, but it isn't a deal breaker on any rifle.
 
308 is more than enough for deer, if 243 (or 30-30) is acceptable e then 308 is more than enough, any of the 260 caliber area for sure.

I like the 30-06 but its far more than is needed (308 is as well but certainly fine). Only time the 30-06 would come into play is if you were shooting really long distances (elk)

Also decide if you really need the great trigger, for hunting you really don't

Cabella, Dicks and Bass Pro (others?) cary some in house models that Savage does not list that may get you that combination.
 
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