Vapodog

Stubblejumper has made some good points...the 7 Mag is a very fine cartridge.

Get your self a coin labeled 7 Mag on one side and .30-06 on the other side and flip it.....buy the one that shows in the flip.

You' ll be a winner either way.

BTB...immediately after ordering your rifle, you need to buy a rockchucker reloading press.....it' s just a must!!!

Partizano

Thanks guys. One more question. From some the numbers I' ve read the .308 has 15lbs of recoil with a 150 grain bullet but the 30-06 and 7mm both have closer to 20lbs recoil.

Can' t the .308 be loaded with the same bullet weights as a 30-06? I still don' t quite get what the difference is between these two bullets.

Right now I' m leaning towards the 30-06, I want to keep the rifle as light as I can and the 7mm mag only comes in the 24 inch barrel.

What is this rockchucker press all about? Are hand made bullets way better then the ones I can buy from a store?

Thanks again for all your help!

stubblejumper

Handloads enable one to develop loads specifically for a particular rifle if you know how to develop loads.This involves testing different powders,bullets and seating depths to determine which one will work better in your rifle.If however you do what some people do and merely pick a load from a manual ,and use it without testing other loads, you may or may not improve on factory loads.If you are going to shoot hundreds of rounds per year reloading will save you money.If you are only going to shoot a few boxes there won' t be any savings.The 308 has less recoil because it burns less powder and produces less velocity than the 30-06.As far as weight is concerned the weight difference between the 30-06 and 7mmremmag is a whopping three ounces in the t-3.Less than the weight of the meat patty in a quarter pounder.You would not likely even notice the difference.

Partizano

Stubblejumper

Is the velocity gain in the 30-06 over the .308 worth the extra recoil? I mean is the 30-06 a much flatter and harder hitting round?

I think I' ll get into reloading. I like the idea of making bullets taliored for my gun.

Smitty_nc1

Go with the 7mm. The recoil isn' t that bad. When you are shooting at a live animal (like a grizzlie) you will not even notice the recoil. You want a flat shooting, long range rifle with plenty of knock down power. The 7mm is the choice of the 3 you posted. However, my suggestion to you is that if you are legally allowed to hunt with it, get a 300 mag. Not a lot of diferance between the 7mm and the 300 but it has a little more power down range. Thats my 2 cents.

stubblejumper

Partizano-With heavier bullets the 30-06 does produce over 100fps more velocity than the 308win but the diffences are not great.To be honest recoil will be slightly less with the 308win than with either the 30-06 and 7mmremmag which are comparable but again the differences will not be great.In all honesty none of the three are hard to manage for the average person.
Reloading is a hobby within itself and if you have the time and patience you can learn a great deal and be able to get the maximum performance from your gun.The biggest hurdle is the initial cost of all the reloading gear and learning how to develop loads and how to recognize pressure signs which is necessary to prevent damage to your gun and yourself.

akbound

Hi stubblejumper,

I won' t argue with you that the 7mm Magnum is a very good caliber. Of course you will need the extra barrel length to take advantage of the velocity gains. In and of itself...not a big deal. I have been to the extreme North, including B.C. and both calibers are reasonably available. And the -06 still has more loads available, and usually at a little better price!

One point I would like to make...if I really thought big bear could be a problem....the 220' s would NOT be in my pocket! They' d be in the chamber and magazine. I' d gladly give up the extra 80 or 90 yards of PBR for the added insurance if bears were a REAL consideration. (Been there done that!) As a matter of fact one of my favorite carry loads in a little 760 Carbine (.30-06) that I sometimes used moose hunting were the 220 Nosler Partitions. Generally that gun rode in my truck and was frequently used for " hunts of opportunity" . Like 3 or 4 hours in the afternoon between shifts or errands. It wasn' t my " ride in" for several days rifle, (that usually was a stainless steel Ruger chambered for .338 Magnum loaded with 250 Nosler Partitions), but it was one of the rifles that was in the truck rack for those times when I could get an afternoon or morning hunt in. But with that particular load I never felt exactly undergunned even should I have bumped into a big bear!

There is nothing wrong with the 7mm Magnum....but neither is the .30-06 ever a mistake! And as popular as the 7mm Remington Magnum is....the .30-06 is one of the few world wide popular cartridges. You can find them nearly anywhere in the America' s, Europe, Asia, Australia, or Africa. They can be had in " run of the mill" loss leader ammo, the best Premium soft points, FMJ, and even good Solids for thick skinned game! And as good as the 7mm Rem. Mag. is.....you can' t say that about it. (Heck, for that matter you can get noncorrosive government ball M2 ammo for a little less than $5.00 per 20 rounds for cheap practice in .30-06.......another you can' t say for the 7mmRemMag.)

I stand by my original assertion....as great as the 7mm Remington Magnum is....the number one sporting cartridge in the world.....is the .30-06 Springfield! And with darn good justification!

Partizano.....having said all of that....buy either caliber and in the end I am sure you will be satisfied! Good luck with your decision!

akbound

Partizano,

The reference to the Rockchucker...was a reloading press! (A subtle suggestion to take up the hobby of reloading, and a great way to pass some of those dark winter nights you' ll have in your future.) Plus a great way to start the learning process with ballistics. It will also open up a few possibilities you won' t have with " factory only" ......though with good factory premium today that is no where as true as it use to be. But none the less....a great hobby.

On the other hand....if you have NO desire to learn reloading...pass on the suggestion! You will undoubtedly be able to find more than a few " good" loads that will shoot well in whichever rifle you decide upon!

Once again...good luck with your endeavor!

andy_o

Hey,


I have a 7mm rem mag. Its a remingtion 700 and its a real accurate gun out at 400 and 500 yards if shot rite. It does kick a little, but if u get yourself a few boxes of shells and a good recoile pad and shoot before you go out and get your shoulder used to the recoil you will have no problem.

I use remingtion core loct 175 gr. bullets and they will do enough damage on the longer shots. I will advise that when you practice in many different posotions if you plan on taking longer shots as with any gun.


P.S. You are very lucky to live whare you live.

Partizano

Howdy gents!

Been busy getting ready for my move so I haven' t had a chance to get on here.

After carefully weighting all your advise, doing some ballistic research and tossing a coin 27 times I' ve made my decison. I need 2 guns!! LOL

I believe there is simply to many different game species and to many different condintons to have any rifle do it all up there.

For the first gun I' ve decided on a light 18 -20 inch barrel " mountian rifle" chambered in either the 30-06 or .308. I would use this gun primarily for sheep, goats, elk and anything else I' d be hunting in high altitudes. This will be the gun I bring with me on those long 1-2 week back-country hunts the require lots of hiking, climbing and walking.

I' m either going get a remington model 7 20" , Winchester Shadow 20" or a Ruger Carbine with the 18.5 inch barrel. I also found a pretty cool remington pump action 7400 or 7600 that is chambered in the 30-06 with a 18.5 inch barrel. If kept clean can this rifle counted on? The price is good and it would nice for quick follow up shots and GREAT for bear defense.

For the second rifle i' m going to go with the Tikka T3 in 7mm Mag or 300win Mag. This will be my bear/moose rifle and the gun I' ll use for 1 -2 day hunts close to home.

I also talked to my uncle who lives up there. He has all the reloading stuff and he will show me how it' s done. I' m also going to shoot his rifles (300 wby mag and 7mm STW) to get a feel for the recoil I handle without flinching. I' ve never shot anything bigger the a .22LR!

Anyway thanks again for the advise guys, I imagine I' ll have more questions and maybe even a hunting story or two . I' ve been reading everything I can about Sheep, bear and Elk. I' m so pumped, I can' t WAIT to get up there!

Cheers!

PS - Anyone here have lots of exp with a .308? What can I expect from this bullet downrange, say 250 - 300 yards for sheep and maybe elk. Thanks!