.308 vs 30-06 vs 300 win mag

[Tiiger]

Hi All,

I've been keen on shooting for ages but only ever been on the side lines until now... Finally got my act sorted out and am now shopping for new rifles

I'm looking to get a pair of rifles, 1 in a smaller calibre for plinking/varmints and 1 in a game calibre.

30 calibre seems like the way to go for the game rifle as I'd like to get something which will be suitable for all hunting, but don't want to go overboard.

So, .308 or 30-06 are the obvious ones, and I have 300 win mag lurking in my mind but wonder if that's a bit overkill for shooting in Aus?

What's everyone's opinion?

[Broom]

Assuming you're hunting in the "usual" 100m - 300m type range, any of those calibres will do the trick for Australian game.

[Monty]

Would really need to know more about your intended game to give accurate advice. In general though...

.308 will do fine for deer, pigs, goats.

30-06 will launch heavier pills better if you want/need more power, and handles much like a .308

300 win mag is obviously the most powerful. It shoots flatter and hits harder which is all well and good, but recoil increases accordingly. Whether or not that's an issue for you...

Really need to know what/where you're shooting to give anything other than general info.

[Tiiger]

This is to be my 1 game rifle, so I'd like it to do everything I might get to in the future but without going overboard.

Goats, pigs, deer would all be good. Typical hunting too, I'm not out to set any records for distance or monster deer or anything.

Basically I didn't wan't to buy the 300 win mag and get knocked around by it all day long when I could have been happy with the .308, if you get what I mean...

[Blackened]

This is to be my 1 game rifle, so I'd like it to do everything I might get to in the future but without going overboard.

Goats, pigs, deer would all be good. Typical hunting too, I'm not out to set any records for distance or monster deer or anything.

Basically I didn't wan't to buy the 300 win mag and get knocked around by it all day long when I could have been happy with the .308, if you get what I mean...

300 win mag is a fine cartridge. Same BC and weight pills available as the other 2 options but spits them out faster and flatter.

As you obviously new to shooting though, I'd say .308 is going to be enough to keep you going for a while until if/when you want to shoot bigger/better/further/whatever down the road.

Track down some mates with them or make friends with someone at a range and have a few shots with the calibres you're interested in.

If you shoot the 300 win mag and love it, go for it.

If it's killing you to shoot it, get yourself a .308 instead.

[Yelp]

Depends on how much you're shooting too...

If your only shooting half a dozen rounds on a day trip, 300 win mag is fine.

If you're putting 100 rounds down range in an afternoon, the recoil is going to get more tiring.