308? 30-06? or 7mm rem mag?

[waba520]

hi all, im hoping to pickup a my first big game bolt gun, right now my plan is to purchase a Tikka T3X hunter, with the wood stock. Im not set on a caliber yet, but considering a 7MM rem mag, 30-06, and 308. I have shot 30-06 bolt guns before, and i dont recall the recoil being a problem at all, so im wondering if the 7mm will be similar? Im hoping to get to the range with a friends 300 Win Mag, and if that doesn't bother me thats another option. i wouldn't say that i'm recoil shy, but i would prefer to have something that doesn't beat me up.

i'm anticipating 60/40 deer/elk hunts with this rifle and id like to have enough caliber to shoot 500 yards if i get to that point one day.


if anyone has any suggestions on the calibers i would appreciate it.

 

[clockworkgator]

Hard to go wrong with 06. Definitely shoot the 300wm before committing to it, especially in a light rifle. It's a noticeable step up in recoil and not really necessary for your 60% deer time. Remington quit making the managed recoil loads for 300wm, but you can still get the 06 if you want something really light for whitetails. If you handload, none of that really matters I guess.

 

[BigSky]

Your needs in your post describe a 308 in my mind. It will do everything a 7mm or 30-06 will do without the extra recoil.

 

[Oregonmuley]

I would add the 7MM-08 to your list, Tikka builds nice ones that tend to be uber accurate. For deer if you don't hand load and will be hunting deer the 120 grain Nosler Ballistic tip will do all you want, for elk move up to a good 140 grain bullet and kill stuff

 

[LightFoot]

I have and have had a bunch of big game rifles. I have never been on a hunt where I would not have felt comfortable with my 30-06. It has killed more than all the other combined and it is my "go to" rifle.

30-06 has the widest range of choices in factory ammo and will easily reach to 500+ yds on deer and elk.

The Tikka is light and will have a fair amount of felt recoil. The 7mm and 300 will be punishing at the range. (Though you'll never notice it when pulling the trigger on a 300+ inch bull )



>>>----JAKE----->

 

[menhaden_man]

Guys (and my wife) were poking at me for this long ass post, but there are data here if you’d like to look at the trade offs. The ones above all give good advice.

Adding numbers to the notorious caliber debate

In rethinking my hunting arsenal, I compiled some data to get a closer look at the caliber debate. Thought I'd share here since this discussion is never-ending. There are several shortcomings in this review, though I did it on the couch during the Rose Bowl so take that for what it's worth...

www.rokslide.com

 

[Newtosavage]

I would add the 7MM-08 to your list, Tikka builds nice ones that tend to be uber accurate. For deer if you don't hand load and will be hunting deer the 120 grain Nosler Ballistic tip will do all you want, for elk move up to a good 140 grain bullet and kill stuff

That's what I run but I also reload. I'd recommend a .308 to anyone getting their first big game rifle because ammo is so cheap and you can practice, practice, practice. Start with 150's and only work up if you feel the need to. 180's from a Tikka .308 can be punishing.

 

[BigSky]

I would like to ad that every caliber/catridge listed by the OP can qualify as a one rifle, do all for all of North American. I'm glad to see, so far, nobody is arguing the ballistic minutia differences here. I also like the suggestion of the 7/08. Although it wasn't mentioned by the OP, it, and several others fall within this class. Notwithstanding the aforementioned ballistic minutia differences, these are all similar. The exception is the reduced (significant in my opinion) recoil of the 308 and 7/08. One does not need to be bothered by the recoil of the 30/06, 270, 280, 7Mag, 300Mag to benefit from reduced recoil of other cartridges. I'm not recoil shy and own every one of those on my list. The fact is, I normally grab a 308/7-08/6.5 rather than the heavier recoiling ones. Note, I did not say "heavy recoiling" as that is clearly subjective. Good luck on whatever you choose. All of your listed choices are sound.

 

[elkguide]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[menhaden_man]

I would like to ad that every caliber/catridge listed by the OP can qualify as a one rifle, do all for all of North American. I'm glad to see, so far, nobody is arguing the ballistic minutia differences here. I also like the suggestion of the 7/08. Although it wasn't mentioned by the OP, it, and several others fall within this class. Notwithstanding the aforementioned ballistic minutia differences, these are all similar. The exception is the reduced (significant in my opinion) recoil of the 308 and 7/08. One does not need to be bothered by the recoil of the 30/06, 270, 280, 7Mag, 300Mag to benefit from reduced recoil of other cartridges. I'm not recoil shy and own every one of those on my list. The fact is, I normally grab a 308/7-08/6.5 rather than the heavier recoiling ones. Note, I did not say "heavy recoiling" as that is clearly subjective. Good luck on whatever you choose. All of your listed choices are sound.

Definitely agree with this suggestion, though point out that there’s a 15”-ish difference in trajectory between the flattest (7 MM) and the 308 from the OP’s list at 500 yards with standard factory ammo. Maybe that doesn’t matter, though...

Like you, I own most of these but prefer the easier shooting options and have never killed any animals (many dozen) at over 400 yards.

Just wanted to suggest that trajectory and BC offsets error of a shooter, but comes at a cost in shootability/recoil. I believe that is the key reason for the success of cartridges like the 7-08, 6.5 CM, or 280 AI (or mainstay of the 308).

These posts are all solid, though - these will all stack animals at 500 yards. I’d probably lean towards the easier shooters for a first rifle like this guy suggests.

 

[Oklahomahunter]

As said above, the 7-08 kill far bigger that it’s case size. I typically reload, but this season I’ve been running the Hornady Precision Hunter with the 150gr ELDX. I couldn’t ask for better on game performance. I’ve taken 6 animals so far and they’ve all fallen where they stood, but distances haven’t been past 300 yards. I would be more than confident to take elk with that load, or my typical load of the 120gr ballistic tip. The best thing about your answer is there isn’t a wrong one as long as you aren’t recoil averse. Buy something you WANT to shoot a lot at the range, from field positions, and you’ll be light years ahead.


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[16Bore]

270

 

[Forest]

My favorite low recoil rifle that can do it all is the 7mm-08. Many elk in my household have been killed with it. The .308 is also a solid option

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[Rob5589]

7/08, Tikka T3 offers a lot of value

 

[howl]

"first big game bolt gun" "to shoot 500 yards if i get to that point one day." This leads to wanting to buy lots of ammo for practice. That usually means .308. You can get other common rounds almost as cheaply, but .308 is always cheapest.

 

[wildwilderness]

270 win!!

If its a Tikka you already have the long action so a 7mm-08, 308 etc is a waste of action space! (unless you reload, seat your bullets long, and convert the mag and bolt stop to LA)

The 270 is great for everything and less recoil than the 30-06 (which would be my second choice if elk were an option). Plenty of factory ammo. I would like a 6.5x55 SE tikka some day, but ammo availability is less for you.

Definitely NOT a magnum for your first rifle!

 

[menhaden_man]

"first big game bolt gun" "to shoot 500 yards if i get to that point one day." This leads to wanting to buy lots of ammo for practice. That usually means .308. You can get other common rounds almost as cheaply, but .308 is always cheapest.

Seems like cheap 308 (like TulAmmo) is going for maybe $0.30/round compared to others at around $0.60-0.85/round (i.e., 6.5 CM, 270, etc.)? If that's right, it'd help the OP think through costs based on how much time he has to shoot.

 

[waba520]

I want to clarify that I'm not a new shooter, I have owned several bolt guns, and shot others up to 30-06. I just have never owned a larger bolt gun because I cannot hunt with them in my area.

Im open to smaller calibers then the mags, but I'm fully capable of handling them, it's just not as enjoyable as somthing like a 308.

My hang-up is the knockdown power of smaller calibers, I know shot placement is more important, I just need someone to talk me into a specific caliber.... So let's say it's now between 7-08, 308, and 30-06.

Im not factoring ammo cost in my decision. My decision is solely based on cartridge performance and recoil

 

[30338]

All 3 will do fine. Could be as easy as which one you can get the best deal on really. I'd use the 30-06 but mine is suppressed and recoil is pretty mild.

 

[Billinsd]

The 7mm Rem Mag has the best ballistics. The greater drop with other calibers isn't a big deal with range finders and ballistic scope turrets. However, wind drift at longer ranges, could be an issue with a lower ballistic coefficient bullet. The 7mm Rem Mag has a bit more recoil than a 30-06 I think. I got both and I don't really notice a difference. If you have no problem shooting a 30-06, you should be fine with a 7mm Rem Mag. The bullet weight of either will be more of a factor of recoil. Go find a 7mm Rem Mag with 160 grain bullets and shoot and compare with 30-06,180 grain bullets, the ones you'd shoot an elk. The 7-08 sure looks nice!! Less recoil, shorter action, bolt, lighter gun. You could shoot accubond 140s out to 500 yds for elk. You need 1,800 fps velocity, minimum for accubonds to open. You'd get that out to 600 yards with 1,000 foot -pounds. You would get 700 yds 1,800 fps and 1,100 foot-pounds energy with 160, 7mm Rem Mag. That 7-08 looks great for a lighter, smaller rifle. Bill