Looking for insight, 30 calibers

[SwampBuck]

Two questions.

Anyone ever dabble with a 30/06ai?
And
Does the 300wsm struggle on large for caliber bullets being it’s a short action round?

[Brute Killer]

I have a 300wm that I bought in 2000. I also have a 3006 that I bought, I think, in 1992.
I basically quit shooting the '06 when I got the 300.
It doesn't ruin meat. (Laugh at that)
Shot lots of deer with it. More does than bucks.
It pushes a 165-168 grain bullet at 3100 fps mv.

[Bigfootwolff]

I, like the OP, look for guns to fill a niche, and I am great at justifying the "need" to file the niche. That being said, I have a .270 Win that shoots like a laser, flat with half inch groups at 100 yards. In the 25 years I have been shooting it, this rifle has killed every deer, hog, and coyote I have shot, with all shots being less than 300 yards. The odds are I will never shoot anything but deer and hogs here in Texas, but maybe an exotic if I am lucky. I recently began thinking I needed to upgrade my back-up rifle, and also thought that if I were ever able to hunt elk or nilgai, I would like the idea of shooting 165-180 grain .30 caliber bullets vs 150 grain .270 caliber bullets. I know that a well constructed .270 Win is certainly enough bullet if shots are kept within a certain range, along with appropriate shot placement, but I felt the .30 caliber was a better option.

The truth is my .270 Win is so good at doing all I could ever ask out of a rifle that it is predictably boring, and I wanted to try something different to fill a niche. Before getting my .270 Win I really wanted a .308 Win, as it was a well known military round (7.62x51), proven sniper round, and popular hunting cartridge.
My great grandfather had always deer hunted with a .30-06, and it seemed to be an outdated .30 caliber round, not as efficient or sexy as the newer .308 Win. As a matter of fact after he died I traded his .30-06 Remington 742 for my current .270 Win.

Fast forward 25 plus years and I made the decision to get a .30 caliber rifle and began my research for the "right" caliber, which is half the fun when deciding to fill the niche. Since I don't handload, and post shoulder surgery several years ago, I also don't tolerate recoil like I used to, I crossed .30 caliber magnums off my list. I couldn't justify the extra ammo expense coupled with the extra/unnecessary recoil. That really left me with 2 viable options, .30-06 or .308. Initially I was not leaning towards the .30-06, since I viewed it as a boring plain Jane cartridge that was over 100 years old, and well past it's prime. In my mind it was a round my great grandfather shot, but the .308 was a newer and more efficient round. After a lot of research, coupled with the ability to shoot heavier for caliber bullets, I suprised myself and went with the .30-06 over the .308. After shooting the .30-06 to get it sighted in, I am glad I didn't get a .30 caliber magnum rifle, because I wouldn't want to add any additional recoil, as the .30-06 is clearly on the top end of my co fort level. I am a stickler for accuracy, and if recoil and muzzle blast cause me to flinch, accuracy suffers. My confidence in my rifle choice is based largely upon my ability to place a round precisely where I am aiming, and if I can't consistently do that, I won't be confident in the rifle.

The reality is I will likely never need anything more than my .270 Win, but should the opportunity present itself, I have that .30 caliber niche filled, and I am happy with my decision. To the OP, do your research and seek input from others (by posting here you are obviously doing that), and be realistic about your needs. I have no doubt you will make the "right" decision for you, and if you end up feeling like you made the "wrong" decision you can sell the rifle and start all over again, with you only being out time and money. Good luck in your search OP!

[Phillip Fields]

I bought my .300 Win Mag in 1977 and it's been my go-to rifle since. I've killed a truckload of deer with it. The right bullet plus proper bullet placement will go a long ways toward mitigating ruined meat.

[SwampBuck]

I, like the OP, look for guns to fill a niche, and I am great at justifying the "need" to file the niche. That being said, I have a .270 Win that shoots like a laser, flat with half inch groups at 100 yards. In the 25 years I have been shooting it, this rifle has killed every deer, hog, and coyote I have shot, with all shots being less than 300 yards. The odds are I will never shoot anything but deer and hogs here in Texas, but maybe an exotic if I am lucky. I recently began thinking I needed to upgrade my back-up rifle, and also thought that if I were ever able to hunt elk or nilgai, I would like the idea of shooting 165-180 grain .30 caliber bullets vs 150 grain .270 caliber bullets. I know that a well constructed .270 Win is certainly enough bullet if shots are kept within a certain range, along with appropriate shot placement, but I felt the .30 caliber was a better option.

The truth is my .270 Win is so good at doing all I could ever ask out of a rifle that it is predictably boring, and I wanted to try something different to fill a niche. Before getting my .270 Win I really wanted a .308 Win, as it was a well known military round (7.62x51), proven sniper round, and popular hunting cartridge.
My great grandfather had always deer hunted with a .30-06, and it seemed to be an outdated .30 caliber round, not as efficient or sexy as the newer .308 Win. As a matter of fact after he died I traded his .30-06 Remington 742 for my current .270 Win.

Fast forward 25 plus years and I made the decision to get a .30 caliber rifle and began my research for the "right" caliber, which is half the fun when deciding to fill the niche. Since I don't handload, and post shoulder surgery several years ago, I also don't tolerate recoil like I used to, I crossed .30 caliber magnums off my list. I couldn't justify the extra ammo expense coupled with the extra/unnecessary recoil. That really left me with 2 viable options, .30-06 or .308. Initially I was not leaning towards the .30-06, since I viewed it as a boring plain Jane cartridge that was over 100 years old, and well past it's prime. In my mind it was a round my great grandfather shot, but the .308 was a newer and more efficient round. After a lot of research, coupled with the ability to shoot heavier for caliber bullets, I suprised myself and went with the .30-06 over the .308. After shooting the .30-06 to get it sighted in, I am glad I didn't get a .30 caliber magnum rifle, because I wouldn't want to add any additional recoil, as the .30-06 is clearly on the top end of my co fort level. I am a stickler for accuracy, and if recoil and muzzle blast cause me to flinch, accuracy suffers. My confidence in my rifle choice is based largely upon my ability to place a round precisely where I am aiming, and if I can't consistently do that, I won't be confident in the rifle.

The reality is I will likely never need anything more than my .270 Win, but should the opportunity present itself, I have that .30 caliber niche filled, and I am happy with my decision. To the OP, do your research and seek input from others (by posting here you are obviously doing that), and be realistic about your needs. I have no doubt you will make the "right" decision for you, and if you end up feeling like you made the "wrong" decision you can sell the rifle and start all over again, with you only being out time and money. Good luck in your search OP!

You definitely sound a lot like me with your rifle choices and how you gather confidence in them.

[SwampBuck]

I bought my .300 Win Mag in 1977 and it's been my go-to rifle since. I've killed a truckload of deer with it. The right bullet plus proper bullet placement will go a long ways toward mitigating ruined meat.

Right now I’m definitely between the 06 and the win mag. I did see a barrel for sale recently that’s a .338 caliber though. So options may change.

Doing some reading last night I specifically looked into the 200 class bullets out of a 06. A lot of guys (Alaskans especially) talked about it killing ability above it’s league when using partitions. Found several instances where guys in other areas talked about having no issues shooting the 200-220’s out to 400 yards.

Ultimately everyone seems to sit at the 180 grain being the absolute do all for anything in North America.

If I AI’d it I don’t expect to gain a massive amount of velocity but being as it’s going to be a custom, as long as I can maintain the ability to shoot factory ammo didn’t seem to be any reason not to go with that….. if I don’t ultimately end up doing the win mag.

[jdg13]

I have one .30 cal, and it's an 06. I keep looking at a 300WM just because, but with the way I hunt (300yds or less like you) it's just extra $ and more recoil. I have killed deer, hogs, antelope and elk with 150gr Barnes TTSX because that's what my guns likes the best. Never had issue with ruining meat or killing stuff if I did my part. The .30-06 is old and outdated, and no longer gets you in the cool club, but it just works. Long range on big animals, a magnum wins, and if you just want one that's the best reason to get one. I'm sticking with my fuddy-06 Enjoy whatever you get and go blast something!

[wytex]

Spouse and I both shoot 300wsm's. He loads up 180 gr partitions and I load up 165 gr Grand Slams.
Both have taken everything Wyoming has to offer and numerous hogs and whitetail deer in Texas.
It works very well even on thin skinned pronghorn without ruining a bunch of meat.
I would load bonded or quality bullets and they will hold together for whitetail and works great on hogs.
My cow bison was a 1 shot kill with my 300wsm, same for the spouse's cow bison. It will drop a deer in it's tracks as well.
Recoil is not an issue for me and I load it up near max. Nice flat shooting 30 cal without the heavy recoil and can be a lighter weight rifle with the short action.

[SwampBuck]

Thanks for the input

[TacticalCowboy]

30-06… problem solved.

That said, I am kinda intrigued by a 30-06ai

[Texas Grown]

One thing to consider: availability of ammo in times like these. Of the three you listed, I've seen '06 ammo more available than the other two. Followed by 300WM. And have a bud who's been starving for 300WSM. If you reload, then it won't matter much as long as you have all the components.



I've got three 30-06. And have pushed one of them to 300WM velocities with 150gr. Course I lost all my accuracy due to the loads I was using (got it back after testing). But I was just wondering what the rifle would do/handle before pressure took to much of a hold.


The ammo shortages are a good reason to own multiple calibers.

[SwampBuck]

30/06 and 300 wm definitely edge out the 300wsm for ammo availability.
Heck here lately I see more 300 wm on the shelf than 30/06 surprisingly

But yes, like you said. Having multiple rifles that can fill do all status is nice when ammo gets short. I normally stick with my 280 but ammo was lean this year and I still haven’t worked up a good load for it. Luckily I was able to order a couple of boxes. Had that not been the case, the 270 would have been my go to gun just because I had more than enough ammo for it.