30-06 vs 300 Win Mag

[MarkCZ]

Just back from stalking. I took a Fallow doe at 220 yards with my 30-06 , bullet was 150 grain Sierra pro hunter, no hold over. At normal stalking ranges i don't see what a 300 win may can improve on. I use this combination for rutting stage in Scotland.
Markcz.

 

[tomahawker]

30-06 is King.

 

[Milan]

I know this is few months old and pretty much everything has been said. For me the difference was summed up best by my PH who likes both cartridges. He handloads Barnes TSX/TTSX bullets so he loads both cartridges hot for reliable expansion. He said that basically the 300WM allowed him to do the same he can do with the 30-06 but using heavier bullet. In his case use 180gr in the 300WM instead of 165 in the 06. I bet the same could be said about 200/180 or 220/200 pairs.

I also like both but the older I get the more I like softer recoiling rifles, mainly for the bigger pleasure of shooting them more.

 

[Dr Ray]

I figure that the 300 will cover you for situations that are less than ideal.
I like the30/06 and have owned 2.
But, for nailing the trophy of a lifetime, get the 300 fir “insurance”

 

[JPbowhunter]

Haven't hunted africa but I've shot plenty of red stags, sambar and tahr with 300wm and 30-06. Owned two of the former before selling and buying the latter. Can honestly say the only difference I've noticed is that the 06 kicks less! Animals have died just as dead from both.

 

[ChrisG]

A .300 will not kill things faster, It doesn't really hit that much harder and it is still just a .30 caliber. If you are looking for more dramatic results on game, move up in caliber and bullet weight. All a .300 Win will do is save you from having to stalk 75 yards closer. So in essence, it just extends your shootable range a little bit. Now take into account that 350 yard shots are reasonable with a .30-06 (though I personally never shoot past 300 if I can help it), and you start to see that the .300 really only starts to shine once distances get too far for most hunters to ethically take a shot anyway.

The one caveat to this is if you decide you want to shoot the 250 grain woodleighs and maybe with 220s. The case capacity of a .300 will start to make a difference here in terms of shooting them to respectable velocities so you can reach out past 200 yards with them without excessive holdover.

 

[Dirtdart]

I had the opportunity to observe 3 shooters finishing up a quota on mountain zebra. Two were using .30-06 with 180gr factory A-Frames and one was using a .300 win with factory 200gr A-frames. We never recovered any bullets but everything reacted and expired the same. Nothing shot more than 200 yards if memory serves.
I have loaded and used both cartridges quite a bit on game from moose on down. I went from a 06 to a .300 because I just couldn't get the velocity I wanted with a 200gr bullet in the 06. I thought I needed a heavier bullet because I didn't get a complete pass through on a broadside moose. In this stage of my life I have come to the conclusion that a good shooting .30-06 with a quality 180gr bullet (A-Frame personal fav) is a hard combo to beat and easy to shoot many times in a target rich environment. My .375 H&H is more pleasurable to shoot than my old .300 was but the win mag with a 200gr A-Frame was a deadly combo.

 

[JPbowhunter]

A .300 will not kill things faster, It doesn't really hit that much harder and it is still just a .30 caliber. If you are looking for more dramatic results on game, move up in caliber and bullet weight. All a .300 Win will do is save you from having to stalk 75 yards closer. So in essence, it just extends your shootable range a little bit. Now take into account that 350 yard shots are reasonable with a .30-06 (though I personally never shoot past 300 if I can help it), and you start to see that the .300 really only starts to shine once distances get too far for most hunters to ethically take a shot anyway.

The one caveat to this is if you decide you want to shoot the 250 grain woodleighs and maybe with 220s. The case capacity of a .300 will start to make a difference here in terms of shooting them to respectable velocities so you can reach out past 200 yards with them without excessive holdover.

I think people get caught in the theoretical realm too much. Ive seen a tahr run 30m and fall over dead from a 300wm and at the same time ive seen a tahr drop on the spot from a 30-06. Both at around 550m. I was shooting the 300wm in that instance.

I no longer shoot to that range out of lack of interest but i never found drop effected my shot. All you need these days is a range finder and ballistics program.

 

[Nosler guy]

I've hunted both the '06 and 300 Win Mag as well as the 300Weatherby Mag - all are fine cartridges and get the job done. A lot to be said for being comfortable and confident with your rig.

My theory - carry the biggest stick that you are comfortable with, might make the difference on a borderline shot or situation, and the rest of the time, well you just can't kill em' too dead

 

[sgt_zim]

A .300 will not kill things faster, It doesn't really hit that much harder and it is still just a .30 caliber. If you are looking for more dramatic results on game, move up in caliber and bullet weight. All a .300 Win will do is save you from having to stalk 75 yards closer. So in essence, it just extends your shootable range a little bit. Now take into account that 350 yard shots are reasonable with a .30-06 (though I personally never shoot past 300 if I can help it), and you start to see that the .300 really only starts to shine once distances get too far for most hunters to ethically take a shot anyway.

The one caveat to this is if you decide you want to shoot the 250 grain woodleighs and maybe with 220s. The case capacity of a .300 will start to make a difference here in terms of shooting them to respectable velocities so you can reach out past 200 yards with them without excessive holdover.

Exactly this.

If a guy ain't practicing out past 300, all that extra juice in a 300 WM doesn't do a lot. A 180 gr Accubond at 2800 fps for medium sized antelope will have an MPBR of about 370 yards, and at 3200 fps, it'll have an MPBR of about 415 yards, both well past the distance many hunters can take ethical shots.

 

[cagkt3]

I ended up with 5 animals with my set up (180gr A-Frames out of my .30-06). All were one shot kills except a gemsbok that I pulled my shot on.

 

[BenH2016]

I used to hunt a fair bit back in the late 90s, all my hunting buddies and I used 30/06s. Back then I imagine it was due to availability and the fact that that cartridge is a great killer of PG. One year we got buffalo tags and my one buddy took his first buff with his trusty 30/06. he crawled up to a group of old bulls that were lying in the shade and slid a solid in through one of the bulls eye sockets. That old bull never breathed again, just rolled over right where it lay.

Recently a friend invited me hunting and said I could use his rifle, a single shot Baikal in 30/06. The rifle was open sited with a thick post of a front site. He had a mixture of ammo in a small bucket so I have no idea what I was loading in the little rifle. Everything I shot died within seconds of being hit. All the shots were at close range.

Having caught the hunting bug again I decided to buy my own rifle and put the word out with all my PH mates that I was looking for a 30/06. A few guys recommended I get a 300wm instead as it would allow me to "reach out" further. Being as I prefer the traditionalism of open sited hunting I have no need or desire for long shots, so stuck with my quest for a 30/06. I found one and I love it.

So in my case a 30/06 was and is all I need. That said the 300wm has become popular here by proving itself as an effective cartridge.

 

[JPbowhunter]

I'd add another little nugget to this topic, last time i was on alaska's game department website i recall reading their recommendation for grizzly as a 30-06. The justification was a good hit with an 06 is better than a bad hit with a big cal.

Put a shot in the boiler room and an animal isnt going to live long no matter what its hit with. Within reason obviously

 

[Hogpatrol]

I've hunted both the '06 and 300 Win Mag as well as the 300Weatherby Mag - all are fine cartridges and get the job done. A lot to be said for being comfortable and confident with your rig.

My theory - carry the biggest stick that you are comfortable with, might make the difference on a borderline shot or situation, and the rest of the time, well you just can't kill em' too dead

Roger that.

 

[CTDolan]

I've shot many critters with 220 grain round nose bullets in the Limpopo District of South Africa and here in Alaska as well, from the .30-06.

It is amazing to me how many people do not use that combination.
It is extremely effective (especially on large animals like wildebeest, zebra, waterbuck, moose, bear and such) but yet does not splatter edible meat all over the bush like lighter bullets often do.

220 grain Partition bullets is all I shoot in my 30-06. The two make for a marvelous combination.

 

[JakeH]

I kinda feel like the .30-06 is like the Nosler Partition. You can pick something better for a specific situation, but you can’t pick something better for every situation.

 

[tarbe]

I'd add another little nugget to this topic, last time i was on alaska's game department website i recall reading their recommendation for grizzly as a 30-06. The justification was a good hit with an 06 is better than a bad hit with a big cal.

Put a shot in the boiler room and an animal isnt going to live long no matter what its hit with. Within reason obviously

Any gun good, shoot-um good!

As you say, within reason. And the '06 is certainly within reason!

 

[Milehighshooter]

Take a 30-06 and add 100 yards of performance, and you get the 300 WM. Walk closer!

 

[Dr Ray]

Roger that.

I agree. The 300 will give you better range and crunch. Don’t get me wrong though about the 30/06. But, it’s just that the 300 gives you more horse power which, you can bet, you’ll need sometime on your hunt.

 

[sgt_zim]

I kinda feel like the .30-06 is like the Nosler Partition. You can pick something better for a specific situation, but you can’t pick something better for every situation.

Completely agree.

And when you're a jack-of-all-trades like I am, it just sort of fits in with my basic philosophy on life.

A quote from Robert Heinlein (a sci-fi author) sums it up pretty well:

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”