308 or 3006

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Jadham

I like this article:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/myth_busting_calibers.htm

Sort of makes you wonder why so many "hunters" love magnum calibers ??

Because, according to the article anyway, if you took the recoil part out of the equation the best rifle to use in all situations would be a magnum rifle. Maybe there are allot of "hunters" that can handle them okay and that's why they love them?

"If the criterion for versatility was what can be used, then the .338 RUM would be the clear winner because it is the only caliber evaluated which can humanely kill game in all 36 scenarios."

According to the author the 308 and the 3006 had the same 11 fp recoil with Rem 125 gr PSP bullets. With Rem 150 gr Swift it was 16 fp for the 308 and 19 fp for the 3006. Then it went up to 17 fp for the 308 with Rem 165 gr Swift and 21 fp for the 3006 using Rem 180 gr Swift. I'm assuming that the 27 fp of recoil for the 3006 mentioned below is related to a 220 gr bullet?

After reading the article, I'm going to stick with my original statement that the 3006 is the better caliber to own over a 308 (not that I think that there's anything wrong with the 308). If you think that flinching is going to be a problem start with a 125 gr bullet at you have the same 11 fp as the 308. As you progress with your shooting you can move right up to a 220 gr bullet.

"Some may argue that this scoring method does not really reflect versatility, because, for example, the .30-06 can be used in more hunting situations than the .308 Win."
"If you can shoot a rifle with 21 to 27 foot pounds of recoil without flinching, then the .30-06 would arguably be a more versatile rifle for you than the .308 Win. If you are like the average shooter and recoil over 20 pounds can adversely affect your accuracy, then the .308 Win is arguably the most versatile caliber for you."


Just to stir the pot a bit.....what about felt recoil? I've shot different rifles of the same caliber and one might kick like a mule while the other felt like it had half the kick. Using Rem 150 gr Swift bullets in both rifles, isn't it possible that a 308 Stevens (16 fp) vs a 3006 Weatherby (19 fp) feel like it had more kick?

[catnthehat]

According to the article the 338 RUM is the BEST??
I think that article was way off base.

The RUM is so overpowered and also EXPENSIVE for most hunting situations and HUNTERS that I cannot even look at that cartridge without laughing.

Those that have never shot one but think they need one should take a few shots at the range with one first.

Cannons like that will not put down an animal any faster than a 30'06 inside 300 yards if both shots are properly placed.
If the shot is not properly placed, it's a crap shoot with any calibre.
Real world , actual kill stats would be a better baseline to go by, and the '06 has more than enough.
Not that the 300 Rum doesn't kill well, but then so does the 308, likely BETTER in the hands of most hunters who cannot handle the felt recoil of big magnums
Cat

[elkhunter11]

To start with,both the 308win and 30-06 are the same caliber.Either cartridge is suitable to hunt pretty much any game in North America,both can be found in a large variety of factory loadings,and both are chambered in a large variety of factory rifles.As far as bullet weights are concerned,they both work well with 150gr to 180gr bullets,which are all that is needed for hunting big game in North America.The only real difference is that the 30-06 provides a little more velocity,and that the 308win is available in shorter actions.If you want a little more velocity,go with a 30-06,if you prefer a shorter action,and a slightly lighter,more compact rifle,go with the 308win.

[M70]

"If the criterion for versatility was what can be used, then the .338 RUM would be the clear winner because it is the only caliber evaluated which can humanely kill game in all 36 scenarios."

If you read further down the paragraph, it says that few people would agree with the versatility of .338 RUM because of the recoil. What I took out of this is that the .308 and the 30-06's that I own, are still pretty darn useful.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

According to the article the 338 RUM is the BEST??
I think that article was way off base.
Cat

Well, that's what I understood the article to say, not that I agree with it. I can't think of any reason for me to hunt with a cannon like that although to each their own. I suppose that it would be useful if you wanted to fill all of your tags at once by shooting 3 deer with one bullet by lining them up.

I think that the article would be useful to someone just starting out who is unfamiliar with rifles, in particular rifle recoil. For me I don't think that 4 or 5 fp of recoil is going to make much of a difference.

[Jadham]

The article doesn't say that the 338 magnum is best.... they say it is the only calibre that can be used in every scenario.

As an interesting side note, one of the reasons the US military switched from the 30-06 to the 308 as the standard calibre for their infantry was to address soldier's complaints about the recoil.... of course they didn't have fancy recoil pads back then.

The article has both the 308 and 30-06 coming out on top (within two "points" of each other) over all the other calibers. This reinforces what most people are saying on this thread.... half dozen of one or six of the other. The article does recommend the 30-06 if your mixed bag has a greater proportion of heavy game (moose & brown bear - guess not applicable in alberta), otherwise the 308, since added recoil of -06 doesn't really give extra killing power for all the other types of game.

I don't know if I personally would purchase a calibre that gives more recoil for unneccessary power, even if I can "handle it". It is sort of like buying car A that always uses 20% more gas than car B, without any real difference in performance. Additionally, most shooters improve their markmanship at the range when they move down a calibre.... highlighting the fact that we may not be as "honest" with ourselves as we believe when it comes to "handling" recoil.

I shot both calibres (as well as others) extensively as a teenager and in the military. Given their (near) equivalency, the first hunting rifle I bought had more to do with the rifle package I liked at the time rather than the calibre.

[Andrzej]

I read this article and my impression was that 338 RUM with 57 ft/lbs of recoil is very inefficient and not acceptable to most hunters.
This sentence below taken from this article summms this up for me.


(The above analyses show the same four calibers to be the most optimum, versatile and efficient. The logical succession of these big game calibers, in order of increasing power, is .260 Rem, .308 Win, .30-06 and .338 Win Mag.)

Andrew