dead_eye

Im 15 and am going to buy a gun but i cant decide between a 30-06 and a 7mm Mag, id apreaciate any imput.

Prarie_Boy1

It depends on what you are hunting. Their both an excellent callibre in my mind. For deer size game both will work equally well in their own ways. With the 7mm you get a lighter bullet with alot of powder behind it that is very flat shooting and good for longer ranges. A 30-06 gives you the option of choosing heavier bullets but it isn't quite as flat shooting. Both calibers hit hard. I use the .30-06 for all my hunting needs and it has preformed well in many situations. As far as for you im not sure you would have to handle both and maybe even shoot them to see what feels best. Both calibers are on the larger side for someone your age unless you dont mind recoil. When i was your age i hunted with a .270 it is a fine caliber that you might want to consider as well. Its hard to say which one would be better for you if your shots are going to be anywhere from 1-250 yards the 30-06 will do the trick.
Remember deer aren;t that hard to drop so you should look at something that fits you rather than something thats big and powerfull and is just going to develop bad habits.
hope that helps buddy!

dead_eye

Thanks for your imput it does help, im not not scared of a little recoil but i understand your point about larger bullets being nice. i think ill take your advice and shoot both sometime. Thanks again.

stubblejumper

The 7mm uses large enough bullets to easily take elk and moose sized game.Even in the .308" bore I never found any reason to use bullets heavier than 180gr.

jmfa1957

Both are fine cartridges, but I personally prefer the old tried and true .30-06. It has enough power for most anything you'd care to hunt in North America (except for maybe the ones that want to eat you.) The .30-06 recoil is tolerable, and good ammo it is available almost everywhere. Ammo for the .30-06 is usually a bit less expensive than 7mm mag. If you handload, you'll find that the 7mm mag cases don't last nearly as long as the .30-06 cases. The 7mm mag is also a little harder on barrels than the .30-06, so be careful if you're buying a usedf one so that you don't get one where the throat is so eroded that accuracy and velocity suffer. Still, ammo for the 7mm mag is common also, and it is a FINE cartridge.

Two other excellent calibers to consider are the .270 and the .280. I would prefer the .280 because I handload and there are a huge variety of 7mm bullets to choose from but loaded ammo is not nearly so common as for the .270. Both are hard hitting flat shooting claibers, and the .280 is only about 200 fps slower than the 7mm mag without the heavy recoil or short case life.

Whatever you decide, make sure that the rifle itself fits you comfortably, and practice until you can place your shots ewhere you want them. For most North American critters shot placement is more important than the differences in killing power from the cartidges we have discussed.

RWK

Dead-eye get the 06 you'll have it the rest of your life. Moose-deer-bear-elk- hogs all one caliber. Good shootin and hunting Rich

dead_eye

thanks for the imput, it much appreciated

stubblejumper

That can easily be said about either cartridge.

losthwy

I have had both and perfer the 30-06. A little less recoil, less muzzle blast, and shorter barrel that catches less brush.

speedgator

Agreed. Also, the 7mm Mag has a much flatter trajectory.