You guys that have used the .308win and the .30-06 (I guess every one has used one of them) Do you guys think that the .300 magnums (.300win mag, .300 wby etc) kills an animal better?
You guys that use them..
have you seen any differense?

sorry for my bad english!

I can't vouche for a 308, but I have used the 30/06 and the 300 Win Mag a lot...

The 06 is an all around choice... in most instances the 300 Winchester is overkill in my book...

but since that definition is part of your handle... well, the 300 Win Mag might be just the ticket to impress your fellow huntiing buddies there in Sweden.....

of the three, I am a 6.5 x 55 fan...

The 30-06 shoots the same bullets to the same velocity about 30 yards further out than the 308 does. The 300 Mag shoots the same bullets to the same velocities about 100-150yds further out than the 308 does.
The rest of the difference is in weight, recoil, and noise.
They will all work well I like the 308 unless I may have a long range shot.........................DJ

quote:

Originally posted by djpaintles:
The 30-06 shoots the same bullets to the same velocity about 30 yards further out than the 308 does. The 300 Mag shoots the same bullets to the same velocities about 100-150yds further out than the 308 does.
The rest of the difference is in weight, recoil, and noise.
They will all work well I like the 308 unless I may have a long range shot.........................DJ

DJ nailed it....it's range only!!

However I'd give the 30-06 a bit more range advantage over the .308 and the .300 Mags a bit less!

Compared to the 30-06, the 300WM gives you a little more range, a little more thump. Think of the 300 as a 30-06 with a 200gr payload instead of a 165gr payload.

Besides what it has neing written, normaly the two smaller cartridges have larger magazine capacity in most rifles, so you do not have to carry more on your belt

quote:

Originally posted by Overkill from sweden:
You guys that have used the .308win and the .30-06 (I guess every one has used one of them) Do you guys think that the .300 magnums (.300win mag, .300 wby etc) kills an animal better?
You guys that use them..
have you seen any differense?

sorry for my bad english!

The .300's give you a downrange energy level advantage over the '06/.308 Win. class cartridges of about 150 yards. Due to their higher velocity, the .300's shoot flatter, making hits easier at extended ranges.

But I have not noted that they kill any better, given good hits with either class of cartridge....

I have only owned one 308 that I remember,a Model 70 Varmint that was accurate beyond belief. Never fired at a game animal only paper.
Have had at least 2 300Win Mags and just cannot stand the recoil in any of them. Both quite accurate but again never fired at game. Have had and still have several 06's. The 2 I currently own are again both accurate ( I cannot abide and will not own an inaccurate rifle and by that I mean one that shoots at least 1 minute) and HAVE been fired at game. I have taken all the plains game animals in Zimbabwe with the 06 and 220gr Nosler Partitions with no trouble at all. Mostly one shot kills with one Wildebeest being at a measured 290yds. Have not seen the necessity for any more range than the 06 produces as I probably could not estimate the distance or the wind that well. I shot a Oribi at over 250yds paced and although I got it it was killed by the tracker with a knife as my shot was far to far back to kill cleanly. Ranged the distance with a rangefinder but could not estimate the windage properly. I can see no advantage the 300WinMag offers over the 06 and really don't tolerate the added recoil very well. In actual fact I hardly ever load the 06 or any round to max. The animals don't seem to complain and my shoulder surely doesn't.

I have used the 308 and the 300 Mags[Weatherby and Winchester] quite a bit.

They are 2 of my favorite cartridges.

While I have killed a few deer and a couple of pigs in TX with a 300 I do not normally use them when hunting locally, as I do not need what they do better than the 308.

I like the 300 when hunting in a place that I might have to take a long shot.

I have also loaded the 300 Mag down to 308/30-06 velocities with a Sierra 180gr RN [so I can tell them apart from full power loads] to shoot deer, because I just wantd to hunt with the 300 rifle.

I like having both.

Unless you just want to crunch numbers for reference, yes the 300 magnums have more energy, velocity and carry heavier bullets. If you are trying to make a choice between the three give consideration to where you hunt, how far you shoot, and what your shooting. Personally, I would go with the 300 mag. You can always load it down. You cannot load a 308 or 30-06 to equal 300 mag performance.

I shot a 30-30 and.308 for years and consider them a great Deer rifles. I then got a chance to hunt Elk and went to a .300 Winny and consider it considerably more rifle. Down through the years it went with me to Alaska for Brown Bear and Caribou, and put down many Elk. A 180 grain North Fork at 3100 fps and a 200 grainer at 2950 fps will drill ragged holes when I do my part. I shoot a lot of larger chamberings now, but it will never leave my safe with 6 grandsons and a great grandson who will need rifles to hunt with. Good shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by djpaintles:
The 30-06 shoots the same bullets to the same velocity about 30 yards further out than the 308 does. The 300 Mag shoots the same bullets to the same velocities about 100-150yds further out than the 308 does.
The rest of the difference is in weight, recoil, and noise.
They will all work well I like the 308 unless I may have a long range shot.........................DJ

My favorites are the 308 and 300 win mag.