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If you want a new rifle - good - want a new cartridge - good - but to say a 30-06 is not sufficent for Elk, I beleive to be wrong. Maybe your rifle is not but a good bolt action 30-06 will do most things asked of it with the right bullet. I myself like a heavier bullet and others prefer the same weight bullet as the -06 but faster. I have seen elk killed with a 30-06 and when I asked my gunsmith what cartridge he had killed the most elk with - he stated matter of factly - a 30-06. If I could only have one hunting rifle it would be a 30-06.

James Ruby
 
Caliber Wars, The Sequel

On a dark, forest covered mountain in the Pacific Northwest....


Seriously, I can't think of any reason the change calibers if you have an 06 already, just get a bolt gun in that caliber. That way, you only have to buy one caliber when you're at the store and don't have to worry about which box you pick up when you go out the door.
 
My experience is this. Shooting eastern seaboard whitetails is like shooting fish in a barrel compared to hunting blacktail or mule deer even. I've seen whitetails standing in the 7-11 parking lot in NY. There is a reason the seasons are so short back east. It's because they can be.
You likely won't be shooting any longer distances here as there. I know you hate this idea but there isn't much that is going to work better than what you have. I know you have hunted a long time, that's great....now go find a blacktail and '06 him and let us know how it didn't work out for you at 39 yds. in the brush. The only thing a super magnum would buy you is another expensive rifle that no one cares about in an expensive to shoot caliber that no one cares about and will likely be obsolete in 10 yrs anyway. If you still insist...ok I recommend a .25 WSSM. That would be your best choice for long range in Oregon.
 
Never was fond of the "new" magnums. Too much recoil for not enough gain in long range ballistics.

My first deer/elk rifle when I was a kid was a 20ga and a slug. When I turned 10 or 11 I started packing a Marlin 336 30-30, never made a long shot then, but mostly was hunting the foothills of the Rogue Valley. The first hunting rifle I bought was a Winchester Model 70 in 7mm Mag, with a composite stock, and I promptly destroyed the front half of a deer. Sold it, moved to the .308 in a Remington 700 with a heavy barrel and never looked back.

I don't like magnums, and I'm not terribly fond of the 30-06 recoil either. I like the fact that I can hunt with my rifle, or take it to the range and lob bullets out to 600 yards all day and never get sore.

Here, have a ballistic comparison. My little 7.62 looks awfully sad in that group, :s0114:

10807d1327325294-308-vs-30-06-vs-300-ballistics.jpg
 
I remember the first deer I killed - it was a 20 guage single shot shotgun back in Michigan on my dads farm. I remember that little spike jumping that fence, he made a twang when he did - looking down the crude sights on that shotgun. It was not a quick death - we tracked that deer for a hour plus and I remember my young eyes picking up the blood spots on the colored leafs and what frost was left. We heard a shot in the vicinty and it was a neighbor finishing off the deer. The deer was lieing down almost dead when the neighbor shot it. He was kind enough to let us have the deer. I remember that first shot at that deer as if it was yesterda and it has been 36 years ago. Today if I saw thart spike I probably would have not shot and let him grow up a bit more. White tail are not hard to hunt compared to Mulies and especially black tail IMHO.

James Ruby
 
I was the first guy to question your comment about the 30-06 so I guess maybe I should point this out. If a dozen guys who hunt here in the PNW come on and post about how they do not question the ability of the 30-06 to handle the game available then maybe you should listen.

Now I agree your 24 years of hunting shows you have experiance (but not here).

To that I'll put up that I first started hunting Blacktail in Western Oregon in the fall of 1968 (if your math challenged thats 44.5 years ago) I first carried a Winchester Model 94 carbine (19" barrel) in 30-30. This rifle did very well for the first 5) deer I harvested. I then hunted with a Winchster model 71 rifle (24) barrel in .348 Win (used a freckin Bear rifle in Alaska) this was due to a younger brother starting to hunt and the Win 30-30 going to him.

I then didn't hunt for a couple years when college, girls, cars and jobs got in the way. Starting in about 1979 I started hunting with a Sporterized Eddystone model 1917 Enfield WWI surplus bolt action 30-06 reloading my ammo with a Lee Loader and a plastic hammer. I was by then hunting both Western and Eastern Oregon taking both Blacktail (longest shot ever taken 125yards) and Mule deer (longest shot used to take an animal 270 paces) I then switched to a Ruger model M77R in 30-06 (24" barrel md wt.) And I have hunted with that rifle since about 1985 In the time since I have never felt like my hunting abilities were hampered by the caliber or the rifle/scope combo.

In between all that 30-06 hunting I have taken deer with a borrowed 100 year old model 1894 Winchester model 94 and a couple with a traditional .50 cal muzzle loader. And one 12ga shotgun. And a Savage Model 99 in .308

Sorry no Elk in my experiance.

My point is as said above if you want a new toy by all means go for it. BUT do not think that a 30-06 is not up to the job. As to your paticular rifle I can not say. Working the sight in benches at the Gun club every year I see a lot of Remington 740, 742, 7400 760, 7600 rifles in various calibers from 243 to 30-06 and all of them are capible of 2" groups with factory ammo at 100 yards. So thats my two cents expanded.
 
I've been shooting a Ruger 280 for years and have never had a problem with it. I've hunted with it in Arizona, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. I've taken elk, Whitetail, Mule deer, Blacktail, and Hogs.
The .280 is based on the .30-06 Springfield necked down to accept 7 mm (.284in) bullets, with the neck moved forward .050in (1.27mm). Original loadings were 125, 150 and 165 grain bullet weights.The .280 Remington is capable of developing energy nearly equal to the .30-06 Springfield, but with lighter bullets having a better ballistic coefficient. The .30-06 produces more energy than the .280 with bullets heavier than 180 grains, though .284" 175 grain bullets have a high sectional density of .310, compared to the 30-06 180 grain bullet with a moderate sectional density of .271. The .280 is suitable for hunting any game in North America with good shot placement.
A lot of people don't know much about this caliber and I have to admit that I didn't either untill a friend turned me on to it. I am very happy with mine. Hope this helps.
 
Well, look at me with my "piddly" little .308

This is one of those cases where the shot placement argument really does matter. I read an article, years ago, that stated the .243 Win is the perfect deer round. But you gotta put that round where it counts, every time.
 
If you can't put the round where it counts, then you don't have any business taking the shot. Shot placement is a priority no matter how big or small your cannon is.
 
Personally I prefer the 30.06 - plenty of punch for deer or elk - recoil is not excessive as compared to 7mm or 300 Mag - and you find ammo anywhere. As for making amazing shots at super ranges - That is a myth - I don't know too many people who make shots at 600 yards at anything. If you don't mind lots of recoil then by all means get the bigger caliber. Although a friend who once had a 300 mag described it as getting kicked by a mule - not pleasant at all. 30.06 has been around forever and does the job.
 
check out 300wm, 7mm mag, 7mm08, 308. if you want to go big you can step up to 338, 375 or 8mm and if you reload you can drop down in bullet weight and still use big guns. 3006, 30 cal has a huge range of bullet weights to pick from. Even the types of bullets you can try, the nosler E-tips, hornady gmx, barnes ttsx or the real expensive rounds the trophy bonded bear claws.
 
Well, I'm not sure why I'm chiming in on this thread, as anyone shouldn't have a problem knocking down an elk with a 30.06, even with a short barrel at 600 yards (it's still supersonic at that range) but you can always try the caliber I've used as my "1" gun for game hunting, and that's the 25.06. I took my elk at just over 500 meters, with a 120 gr sp and he ran about 50 meters before dropping dead. The 25.06 is quite a bit flatter, and faster flying than the 30.06 but is still a very manageable rifle. It loses a bit of energy advantage to the 30.06 though, but not enough to make much difference. A Savage 111 hunter is an excellent low dollar investment rifle.
 
I know that there has to be a thread for this, but, I am looking for advice on what caliber to buy my next rifle in. I don't care for .270 and 30-06 is the only caliber I have for deer or elk. It isn't really good for long range stuff, and I want some unvarnished opinions as to what works for you guys and why you like it.

I'm looking to buy soon, and if anyone responding has rifles for sale, feel free to post your links in your response.

Thanks for your advise....look forward to reading opinions.

I'm kind of stumped, like some others here.
I never saw an elk or a deer that couldn't be conked with a .270 or '06. Last fall, I whacked a big mule deer over on the Snake River at 350 yards, one shot, with my '06 and a single handload pushing a 180-grain Nosler AccuTip (the white tipped bullet) ahead of 57 grains of Hodgdon Hybrid 100V. Nosler brass and CCI primer.

The late Jack O'Connor was a devotee of the .270 (a bit over the top actually) and he killed a lot of animals with it.

Get the right ammo, use a heavier bullet for elk and you should be just fine.
 
Well, look at me with my "piddly" little .308

This is one of those cases where the shot placement argument really does matter. I read an article, years ago, that stated the .243 Win is the perfect deer round. But you gotta put that round where it counts, every time.


Don't forget the .257 Roberts, which is superior to the .243. Back in the day, many said the .257 was the finest mule deer cartridge on the landscape. They may have been full of beans, but I've killed both muleys and whitetails with it and they never got up to argue.
 
Gosh, .270 win and 30-06 would be the two perfect calibers for those two, if you had to have one for both, that I would've suggested. Not sure what you have against them. .270 is super flat shooting and perfect for deer at all ranges (I wouldn't hesitate to take a 500 yards shot with mine), and elk out to 350 with proper bullet placement would work too. 30-06 was the gun of choice growing up in Alaska do to the fact that you could use so many different size loads, definitely one of the most versatile calibers of all time I think. It's what most of my friends used back then for moose! Take into account that we lived there so there was no hurry and we could wait for just the right shot.

.300 win mag is a great round, flat shooting and powerful, but I have seen a lot of meat lost on deer shot with it if you hit the shoulder. I've heard good and bad about the 7mm, but have no first hand experience to speak from. Purely from a ballistics on paper opinion it looks very good.

I use a .270 for both, myself, and feel that it is just right. It will drop an elk as fast as anything else if you put the shot in the right spot, and doesn't tear up deer too bad (I'm about the meat).

Been out there and seen guys carrying .338's for deer and thought to myself "what the hell?" Way too much in my opinion.

If I had to pick something other than .270 or 30-06, I would go .300 win mag. With the right load those things are the perfect balance of power and long range accuracy.
 
Well, Rvrcowboy, looks like there is only one way to satisfy everybody on this thread. You are just going to have to break down and buy several rifles :)

For the record, here is what I use:
.257 Roberts in a lightweight bolt action carbine for deer in brush environments
.30-'06 BAR for all around use. Absolute favorite hunting rifle with fantastic accuracy. If I could only have one, this would be it.
.300 Win Magnum bolt action for elk and long range. I push 180 grain Nosler partitions @ ~2850.
 

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