308 vs 300 WM vs 30.06 Question

[TrapperBR549]

I’m new to hunting not to shooting. I want to purchase a deer hunting rifle that represents the best chance for success from a caliber perspective.

Please let me know what caliber is the best (if that’s possible). I’m open to any and all feedback.

Thanks!

Your choice of which caliber is probably the least important factor in your chances for success. All 3 and a hundred others are more than adequate for killing a deer (even though the .257 Roberts is the best).
Figuring out where a deer is going to be and putting yourself in a position to shoot him will be the most important factor.

 

[Dub]

I am a die hard 308 fan and hunt with it all the time. Great cartridge. As other have said though, all 3 of these have their merits

 

[STOMP442]

I live in an area where long-range deer hunting is more prevalent than most. Typical cross canyon shots are 400 yards plus on small 80-100lb deer. I build and tune numerous rifles for hunters in this area and I am constantly surprised at how many "must have" a .300 Win mag or larger for these little deer. I tune up a ton of 300 Win Mags every year that end up shooting their best at velocities not much faster than the 06 but the clients are happy because their wonder mag dropped that deer in its tracks at 500 yards. What they don't realize is that the deer would have been just as dead just as quickly if shot with an 06 or even a .308 at that range. Ignorance is bliss as they say. One good thing I will say about the Creedmoor is that it is making hunters around here realize they don't have to punish themselves with these big magnums all the time when the little 6.5 is providing the same DRT performance. I will say a big magnum has its place but most of the time it's really not needed, especially for deer sized game at any reasonable range. Whatever you are comfortable and confident with is the correct answer in this case.

 

[searcher]

the .257 Roberts is the best)

I have, and l love my .257 Roberts - but the best?.....

 

[K22]

Definitely a 308 or 30.06 - you don't need or want a 300 Win Mag.

With the right bullet both the 308 or 30.06 will handle just about anything in North America. It all comes down to proper shot placement and bullet selection. There are some outstanding bullets for these calibers - Nosler Partition and Accubond are two that come to mind that are very effective for large big game.

For deer, bullets designed for big game will handle them quite effectively. I've used the Sierra 150 grain Pro Hunter bullets in the 308 for years and shot many deer with it. It's flat base no frills bullet that works great. Deer are not hard to kill if your shot placement is proper.

I've hunted and shot both. About 20 years ago I switched from the 30.06 to the 308 because I like the short action. But you can't go wrong with either one.

 

[Evan]

30-06 is the answer. Always has been, always will be. The 308 was just a silly military exercise in wasteful spending of taxpayer money. But if you're not going to hunt anything bigger than deer or the occasional elk, then I'd really go smaller. 243, 25-06, 6.5 Creedmoor, 270 Winny are all much better deer choices.

If you want the Cadillac, then there's nothing better than a 257 Weatherby.

 

[Evan]

Oh, to add in: 150gn Hornady Interlock is a great deer bullet. My preference is from my grandpa's favorite: 300 Savage. Another great one from the way back days is the 130gn Norma silverjackets. Don't recall their real name, but they worked great too.

 

[sw282]

Looking at a Speer manual for a 180gr bullet, 308=2613fps, 30-06=2759fps, 300Win=3056fps

 

[TrapperBR549]

I have, and l love my .257 Roberts - but the best?.....

Tongue in cheek. I have seen these threads drag on for pages and pages with folks arguing that a particular projectile traveling at a particular speed drops deers in their tracks while a slightly different projectile traveling at a slightly different speed is inadequate. It gets to be kind of silly.
I have killed deer with everything from a 223 to a 375 and all will do just fine with proper bullet selection and placement. The Roberts just does it a little better than the rest!

 

[searcher]

Gotcha!

 

[K22]

Looking at a Speer manual for a 180gr bullet, 308=2613fps, 30-06=2759fps, 300Win=3056fps

For deer, the 150 grain is optimum in the 308. The 125 grain Nosler is also an excellent choice - this is big game bullet, not a varmint bullet.

 

[Evan]

I have killed deer with everything from a 223 to a 375 and all will do just fine with proper bullet selection and placement. The Roberts just does it a little better than the rest!

Bullet selection becomes less important when you approach the 375 side of the spectrum though, haha.

 

[dolek]

I once killed a deer with a shovel, and then...

 

[DirtySteve]

Bullet placement kills. The easier the rifle is to shoot comfortably the better you will shoot. The 308 has mild recoil and gives up little to the 30-06 for deer hunting. So I would go with the 308 of the cartridges you listed. That being said why not a (Yes I hate to be the one to say it, but here it comes) 6.5 Creedmoor or 6.5X47 Lapua. A 243 Winchester, 6 Creedmoor or 6X47 Lapua would also be good choices. Heck you can watch your bullet impact with a 6 X 47 Lapua... Very little recoil..

 

[TrapperBR549]

Bullet selection becomes less important when you approach the 375 side of the spectrum though, haha.

Agreed. I was using cast bullets with gas checks and a reduced load. Ruger #1 in 375 H&H isn't a lot of fun to shoot full power loads through.

 

[XTR]

405 grain cast from my 45-70 will do the trick too. Not what was asked though.

 

[rmr]

with that criteria, for me it would be more a question of the rifle i wanted, not specifically the cartridge. (since all three cartridges will work fine)

I.E.. you might want a semi auto hunting rifle that is chambered in 308, but not 30-06 or 300WSM.. etc....

personally, for deer inside of 300y, i would probably stick with a 308.

 

[Papa Charlie]

You didn't mention what you were hunting. If you are hunting small deer then the I think the .308 is a great round. It preforms very well up to a 185gr bullet up to around 500 yards. For larger game, I like a heavier bullet above 200gr and up to about 215gr depending on the distance. If you are shooting Moose or Elk the .30-06 or .300 WM is hard to beat. It allows you to put a larger charge which when combined with the heavier round has a harder impact on the game and has better chance of dropping it and preventing you having to track.

Like most things, every hunter has a different opinion and each is the best, so to speak.

 

[LRnAZ]

You didn't mention what you were hunting. If you are hunting small deer then the I think the .308 is a great round. It preforms very well up to a 185gr bullet up to around 500 yards. For larger game, I like a heavier bullet above 200gr and up to about 215gr depending on the distance. If you are shooting Moose or Elk the .30-06 or .300 WM is hard to beat. It allows you to put a larger charge which when combined with the heavier round has a harder impact on the game and has better chance of dropping it and preventing you having to track.

Like most things, every hunter has a different opinion and each is the best, so to speak.

First sentence, "a deer hunting rifle".

 

[ckrifles]

If the planets have to be aligned then there is only one choice. 308 Winchester The Military had this figured out during the Vietnam War.