looking to upgrade from 30-06

moverly · #1 12-07-2008, 01:06 PM

Im looking to upgarde from my Tikka T3, 30-06. I like the 300 Wby, well except for the cost of brass. I would like the gun for longer range shooting and more muzzle volicity. Im looking for suggestions on what calliber I should consider. Ive been considering a 7mm or a 300 win-mag, however I was recently told tht the 300wsm shoots flatter than either above.

Im also looking for S/S in theis new calliber, dose anyone have good things to say regarding the Rugger M77?
Thanks
Mike

Dick284 · #2 12-07-2008, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moverly

Im looking to upgarde from my Tikka T3, 30-06. I like the 300 Wby, well except for the cost of brass. I would like the gun for longer range shooting and more muzzle volicity. Im looking for suggestions on what calliber I should consider. Ive been considering a 7mm or a 300 win-mag, however I was recently told tht the 300wsm shoots flatter than either above.

Im also looking for S/S in theis new calliber, dose anyone have good things to say regarding the Rugger M77?
Thanks
Mike

Do you reload?
That is the only cost effective solutuion to the WTBY calibers.

The 300WSM is the equivelent to the 300Win mag in factory ammo, only if reloaded the Win Mag will come out ahead of the WSM easily.

By 7mm Do you mean Rem. Mag.?

Put a 30'06 in a 24" bbl, and the difference between it and a 7mm Rem. Mag is the thing cranked up and heated campfire converations are made of (too close to argue).
The same can be said of the 7mm WSM.

You also dont say what you hunt. If it is primarily deer sized game a 30 magnum is not required IMO.

As for the new Rugers well the trigger is worse than the old ones, and all the rest is about the same.

Good luck

harv3589 · #3 12-07-2008, 02:43 PM

Didn't think it was possible to upgrade from a 30-06....you already have the best choice out there

Your 30-06 can do anything a 7mm mag can do...the 300 WM will have alittle more behind it but if you can shoot your 30-06 accurately you don't need to change.

Pathfinder76 · #4 12-07-2008, 03:13 PM

Anything is better than a 30-06.

222rem · #5 12-07-2008, 04:10 PM

.300win mag got my nod.

Buckhead · #6 12-07-2008, 04:50 PM

I went with the .300 WSM. Didn't really need one, but the rifle just felt "right" when I shouldered it and the price was right.

Kevin R. · #7 12-07-2008, 05:00 PM

If it's for anything over deer sized game, what about a 338 wm?.

To go from a 30 06 to 7mm, IMO isn't really worth changing, the 300 is a good choice for longer range. The one thing with a 338 is, if it's your only rifle, it's a little toooo much for deer size game! But lethal on elk, moose or grizzly's!!

WABBIT · #8 12-07-2008, 06:04 PM

The 300 Weatherby Mag brass from Remington is only $10 more than the 300 Win Mag brass.

I have them both, chrono says the Wby 26" Barrel 3200 FPS, Win 24" Barrel 2990 FPS. Max for both rifles.

BMW Outfitters · #9 12-07-2008, 06:12 PM

I did the upgrade, from a ruger M77 30-06 to a ruger M77 .338 mag and have never regretted. The only problem I had was with the original scope, the mag was to much for the Leopold, had issues every 2 years, and have since upgraded to a Burris and have no issues since. Very quick calibre, though I have found that it's to big for deer.

Dick284 · #10 12-07-2008, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW Outfitters

Very quick calibre, .

???
Not by a long shot.

(210's @2900, 225"s@2850, 250's @ 2660)

FWIW: the 338WM pretty much mimicks the trajectory of the 30'06.

Trav · #11 12-07-2008, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dick284

???
Not by a long shot.

(210's @2900, 225"s@2850, 250's @ 2660)

FWIW: the 338WM pretty much mimicks the trajectory of the 30'06.

X2 on that That is why most guys like going to the 338 from the 06 same trajectory but heavier bullet

JohninAB · #12 12-07-2008, 07:03 PM

For the 300 WBY, can buy the Hornady Custom ammo for it at $38 a box with an advertised velocity of 3120, premium Weatherby ammo will run you $75 plus a box at an advertised 3240 to 3250 fps, Federal is just plain ridiculous at $100 plus a box for some and it advertises at 3080. The plus for the 300 Winny is the readily available ammo if you live in the sticks like me but I bought the WBY because my granddad had one and I always wanted one to.

Devlin · #13 12-07-2008, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harv3589

Didn't think it was possible to upgrade from a 30-06....you already have the best choice out there

Your 30-06 can do anything a 7mm mag can do...the 300 WM will have alittle more behind it but if you can shoot your 30-06 accurately you don't need to change.

Well, if you're hunting in the mountains and looking for long shots at elk I think a 30-06 barely cuts it. Take a look at load data. I'm not knocking a 30-06, it's easily one of the most popular if not THE most popular hunting gun. But that's because it's like all season tires. A whole lot of compromise.

IMHO you're better off having two guns, a larger caliber for the mountains that could also stop a grizz in his tracks if it had too and a deer gun for the prairies.

Just my thoughts.

roger · #14 12-07-2008, 07:19 PM

having had a 300wby i can tell you , that I became confident quickly at ranges that far exceed MY capability, but the cost performance is increased recoil, expensive brass, huge powder appetite. if your concerned about inital brass cost, id be tempted to look at other goals. wby's were meant to be full house rounds and the brass only lasts 3-4-5 reloads, then discard'm. although 300wby is available in several rifle breeds, a mark 5 wby is running about $1800-2000.
i kinda had a whim to build something unique, a close quarters deer rifle that could still open'r up on a 300 yard cutline.
in this foto, my 257 wby is on top and a ruger 10/22 is underneath for a OAL comparison
ruger77 in 300wsm out of a 16" bbl, with a leupold 2.75 fixed scope in a extended eye relief config. with a 5 or 6# gun, besides...you really dont want your facehole to close to it anyways when it flashes, dick284 calculated it to be equal to 3006 trajectories.
if you reload now at least you can use the same bullets for both a '06 and the wsm

harv3589 · #15 12-07-2008, 07:34 PM

I use the Federal HE 30-06 180gr partitions and this is what they have them listed at...I am thinking that it is no slouch. Given that they are probably high like all factory ammunition listings, but they aren't off by far I would think.

Velocity in Feet per Second to the nearest 10 FPS
Muzzle100 Y200 Y 300 Y 400 Y 500 Y
2880 2685 2498 2318 2147 1982

Energy in Foot Pounds to the nearest 5 foot pounds
Muzzle100 Y200 Y 300 Y 400 Y 500 Y
3315 2881 2494 2148 1842 1570

harv3589 · #16 12-07-2008, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devlin

Well, if you're hunting in the mountains and looking for long shots at elk I think a 30-06 barely cuts it. Take a look at load data. I'm not knocking a 30-06, it's easily one of the most popular if not THE most popular hunting gun. But that's because it's like all season tires. A whole lot of compromise.

IMHO you're better off having two guns, a larger caliber for the mountains that could also stop a grizz in his tracks if it had too and a deer gun for the prairies.

Just my thoughts.

Whats a long shot? How many people can make that type of shot accurately, or is the bigger caliber to compensate for poor shooting skills? And in no way am I saying yours are bad, but alot of people seem to think that a big magnum will help them get their animal.

I have complete confidence in my 30-06 and there isn't an animal in North America that I would even hesitate to hunt with it. But I know my limitation when it comes to long shots and I won't try an iffy one...

Pathfinder76 · #17 12-07-2008, 07:54 PM

The longest shot I've ever made on big game was with a 30-06, and it worked. I was stunned and dumbfounded. Still haven't gotten over it.

PoppaW · #18 12-07-2008, 08:02 PM

The 30-06 and 7mm Rem are the same in my mind. Step up to a 7mmSTW or WBY and you have a gain. Maybe not enough to worry about but shooters argue over less. The 300 Win is good and I shot one for years but I prefer the 300 WBY. Not as crazy as the 30-378 but fast and flat enough for anything. I still put the recoil into easy shooting unless you are sighting in. Even then I can hang onto it with one hand and not wear it if I roll with the gun. Cost of brass is a bit more and so is powder (all still cheap compared to bullets)but the end result is what you want. Flat shooting hard hitting and accurate. And still shootable by most.
As for the comment about the 300WSM being flatter than other 300's. You have to watch the source as some people don't have chrony's or understand basic ballistics, or even shot much and like to talk up their fave round.
Good luck.

Pathfinder76 · #19 12-07-2008, 08:14 PM

The difference between the 30-06 shooting a 180 gr bullet at 2700 fps and the 300 wby shooting the same bullet at 3100 fps is 1.5" at 300 yds and 5" at 400. Much more important than how "flat" your rifle shoots is knowing your distance.

PoppaW · #20 12-07-2008, 08:35 PM

A quick look at JBM shows 299 yard Point blank for the '06 and 340 yard for the 300 mag with 4" high to 4" low. 400yard drop is -18.8 for '06 and -10.8 for the 300 mag. I know my 300Wby will do better than 3100 but for this I include Win mag so left it at 3100fps. 40 extra yards PBR is pretty good for those range estimations. I know the '06 is nothing to sneaze at but the 300's do help if you know how to use their speed to your advantage.

I used Hornady 180 BTSP on this.

huntinstuff · #21 12-07-2008, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harv3589

Didn't think it was possible to upgrade from a 30-06....you already have the best choice out there

Your 30-06 can do anything a 7mm mag can do...the 300 WM will have alittle more behind it but if you can shoot your 30-06 accurately you don't need to change.

Exactly.............upgrade from a 30-06 ...... Now that's just crazy talk

Maybe Zeus will give you his trident.....aside from that, you are at the pinnacle with the 30-06. (Maybe a 30-30 might come close tho)

Devlin · #22 12-08-2008, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harv3589

Whats a long shot? How many people can make that type of shot accurately, or is the bigger caliber to compensate for poor shooting skills? And in no way am I saying yours are bad, but alot of people seem to think that a big magnum will help them get their animal.

I have complete confidence in my 30-06 and there isn't an animal in North America that I would even hesitate to hunt with it. But I know my limitation when it comes to long shots and I won't try an iffy one...

I agree 100% and if I already owned a gun that was working perfectly fine and it was a 30-06 I'd probably keep it. But if I was looking for a gun I wouldn't buy a 30-06.

Lots of people attack powerful guns for some reason. If you're not worried about recoil what's the problem with having more power on tap? I'd suggest for anyone that's looking for an elk/moose/bear gun to go with as much power as they can comfortably shoot.

A 300 WSM or 300 WM in my opinion is a pretty darn good gun. More oomph than a 30-06 but you can still load down a little for deer. Just my thoughts.

The OP might not be best served by swapping out his gun if it's working fine though. He may be better off spending his money on accurizing, reloading equip (if he doesn't already) things like that.

Again, just my thoughts.

davis · #23 12-08-2008, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devlin

Lots of people attack powerful guns for some reason. If you're not worried about recoil what's the problem with having more power on tap? I'd suggest for anyone that's looking for an elk/moose/bear gun to go with as much power as they can comfortably shoot.

A 300 WSM or 300 WM in my opinion is a pretty darn good gun. More oomph than a 30-06 but you can still load down a little for deer. Just my thoughts.

I agree with that! I'd much rather have more power than not enough; and if you find yourself heading into a situation where you don't need all that muscle then you can lighten the shot load a bit. Lovely little 135 or maybe 150 gr. for the deer, and bust out the mother 180-200 grains for the bigger animals.

Cal · #24 12-08-2008, 10:02 AM

At 300 yards away from an animal you would think you could just crawl 40 yards closer, more in many cases. I agree with the fellow who said you couldnt upgrade from a 30-06, The hornady light magnum loads put it very close to the 300 mag. If you correctly anticipate a lot of shots at over 300 yards maby its your hunting tactics that need an upgrade rather than your rifle. 300 yards is as far as anyone I know should be shooting at an animal anyways, especily if they are of a species tough enough to justify using a cannon to hunt.

harv3589 · #25 12-08-2008, 04:27 PM

I am not a fan of the real long range hunting...I would rather use my hunting skills and abilities to out smart the animal and get closer...it takes no hunting skills to shoot an animal at real long ranges.

Okotokian · #26 12-08-2008, 04:57 PM

I guess the question I'd ask Moverly is... do you find you are having to pass up shots on large game because you are at extreme ranges or have to make the shot through shoulders, etc.? If the answer is "no", what makes the 30-06 not enough gun?

YoungBuck · #27 12-08-2008, 05:42 PM

i enjoy be closer to the animal when i shoot. it takes a good hunter to get the big buck within 80 yards. and at that distance it doesn't matter if you shoot a 250 or a 300.

JohninAB · #28 12-08-2008, 06:35 PM

The 30-06 is too vanilla fudge for me as a fine member once stated here. I shoot my 300 Bee and enjoy it. Does not make me a poor hunter with no skills cause my gun can pack a whallop at long range, just ask the moose this fall at 442 yards.

I also hunt with a bow and have gotten in close enough to game to harvest them. Elk at 5 and moose at 20 yards. I have shot more moose and elk with my bow than a rifle by far.

harv3589 · #29 12-08-2008, 06:49 PM

I saw another saying on another site, "only an idiot sells an accurate 30-06"

Cal · #30 12-08-2008, 07:49 PM

I want a gun to use as a means for downing animals, not as a status symbol. Never been much interested in joining the cock parade that seems to be an unfortunate part of every activity I take up.