30-06 or .338 Win Mag and what bullet for hunting all BC Big game?

[hunting]

Want to upgrade from a .308 and leaning towards the 06 or .338 Win Mag. What calibre and bullet combo would you pick? Want only 1 calibre and one bullet for all BC hunting.

[ElectricDyck]

I shoot the "menno" 06 cause it's a little cheaper and better for the shoulder. One vote for the Tikka T3 lite in a Menno caliber :)

[Sofa King]

I'd go ott six.
bullet choice is all your own preference.

[two-feet]

I would stick with .308

[markomoose]

.338 would be a little heavy for deer IMO..06 is a good all around firearm even though most people hate the caliber.

[Dre]

30-06 is still the best all round caliber IMO. I also have a 338, a great rifle, but it collects a lot of dust, my 30-06 is a workhorse.

[Dre]

For hunting all game, Accubonds, Barnes TTSX, are my top picks, choose a bullet that holds together and shoots best out of your gun.

[180grainer]

One gun and bullet. 30.06 and 168 grain TTSX........if the gun will shoot them properly.

[Liveforthehunt]

One gun and bullet. 30.06 and 168 grain TTSX........if the gun will shoot them properly.

Couldn't of said it better .... There is nothing bad to say about the 06 all around for anything best gun you can buy far and wide big and small ... As long ad your not planning on long range shooting hits hard short range and not just that you you aren't as limited as a 7mm mag ect with bullets 150-220 7mm Max 175

[poper]

The 30-06 is the best of the 2 I think, but I'm all about the 7mm rem mag.

[r106]

I tend to agree with the rest that the 30-06 is great do everything cartridge but it's not much of a step up from the 308. If your looking to sell your 308 because you don't like the gun and still want an all round gun then get a 30-06. If your looking to step up in power then I would get the .338 but keep the 308 for deer.

The 30-06 with a 168gr TTSX would be great combo but so would a 308 and 150gr TTSX. A 168gr TTSX is only 100fps slower in the 308 compared to 30-06

[Moose Guide]

.338 WM with a 225 gr. Nosler Partition!

[Ry151]

338 if your keeping the 308 and plan to hunt gizz, if your getting rid of the 308 than get the 30-06.

[mikeman20]

186gr Barnes tsx in the 3006, overtop of 52 grains (warning, hot load) of imr 4064 and CCI br2 lr primers

Accurate, hard hitting, flatter shooting, lead free, enough oomph to take any north american animal at decent ranges.

People hate the 3006 because its the champ

[boxhitch]

ot-six , but with more than one bullet weight , any of the bonded lead cores will do it .

[boblly1]

I shoot 270 win for its distance ability and can still break a moose"s neck at 400 plus yrds and dosen,tdestroy an island and deer it also has a great bullet selection

[khoffnbud]

Nothing wrong with the 308, of the two I would go 06. If you feel the need for bigger, you should consider the 300 win mag

[Pioneerman]

I like the 30 cal because you have the widest range of bullets to choose from, nothing comes close. I did use the 300 savage for many years then 30-06 then settled on the 300 win mag. With the 300 man you can load up or down , when you start off with a smaller capacity case you can only load up so much, so why limit yourself. For those who talk about saving meat and using smaller caliber, it all comes down to bullet choice, not the size of bullet. I have shot a 3 point mule deer when hunting moose and had my 416 rem mag, using a Barnes all copper bullet caused less meat loss than the 165 HBSP out of my 30-06 . So what ever you choose pick a good bullet like the GMX or TTSX

[325 wsm]

Instead of buying a 30-06 and selling it because you feel underpowered and then buying and selling a 338 because you hate the recoil just but a 325 wsm and be happy. select either the 180 or 200gr. bullet and never have to resight. buy a gun that is actually a short action for the reduced weight and length. Have spent years guiding with all 3 to come to this conclusion.

[Neil 30-06]

The venerable 30-06 is the way to go. So many bullet choices for all types of game. The bigger the game, the higher in grain...

[rcar]

I wouldn't really consider changing your .308 for a .30-06. There just isn't enough of a difference to justify a change. Personally I LOVED my .338. If I were going to mostly hunt moose, big bear or elk, I would still own it. I did take a few deer with it and although it was a bit much, a well placed lung shot will still save the meat. The big issue was mountain shooting at steep angles. It is just too much recoil for that. My scope scars tell the story.

My decision was to sell all of my rifles ( .243, 7mm, .338 ) and buy a single rifle for everything, along with a really high quality scope. I decided on a .300 Win Mag and a Swarovski Z5 scope. The extra eye relief allows the magnum to shoot at steep angles without the fear of a smack in the face and I can shoot 150, 165, 180gr. rounds.

[GotaGun]

30-06 is what I shoot.

[Salty]

As said if you want more of the same get a 30-06 but if you want a real noticeable step up get the 338. Problem being with this one gun crazy talk is just having a 338 leaves you with way more than you need or probably want for deer hunting. I'd sell the 308 get a 260 and plan on a 300 or 338 after that, next year or whatever.

[325]

Your 308 will do nearly everything a 30-06 will do. I wouldn't bother with that. I would keep your 308 and buy the 338.

[guest]

Huge difference 06 to 338. that said 308 to 3006 ........ not much difference at all. Stay with the 308 unless your taking, Grizz, Moose, and Elk at greater distances, then go with the 338. You will love the price of the .338 ammo compared to the 06 or 308.

Use 165 Nosler Partitions in the 308 and the 06, taken tons of game including grizz in the family with both of these calibers.

[hunting]

I like the 30 cal because you have the widest range of bullets to choose from, nothing comes close. I did use the 300 savage for many years then 30-06 then settled on the 300 win mag. With the 300 man you can load up or down , when you start off with a smaller capacity case you can only load up so much, so why limit yourself. For those who talk about saving meat and using smaller caliber, it all comes down to bullet choice, not the size of bullet. I have shot a 3 point mule deer when hunting moose and had my 416 rem mag, using a Barnes all copper bullet caused less meat loss than the 165 HBSP out of my 30-06 . So what ever you choose pick a good bullet like the GMX or TTSXThe one thing I find is the .300 Win Mag is just to snappy of a round VS the .338 Win Mag more of a push, from shooting the two, plus you can have the 45-70 affect at 300-400 yards from the .338 Win Mag and go from 185gr to 300gr in the .338 Win Mag.

[hunting]

The venerable 30-06 is the way to go. So many bullet choices for all types of game. The bigger the game, the higher in grain...

The 30-30 Winchester and the 30-06 probably taken more game in North American than any other rifle rounds.

[hunting]

Your 308 will do nearly everything a 30-06 will do. I wouldn't bother with that. I would keep your 308 and buy the 338.

I have buddies in AK that use .243 Win and .308 on Brownies and they work just fine with the right shot placement.

[REDGREEN]

I use 338's big brother, the 340 Weatherby. 250 grain Hornady or partition. It don't mess up a deer anywhere near as bad as some of the smaller calibers do. Super for elk and moose, and if you happen to run across a bear with attitude, you can make an instant attitude adjustment. BANG! Flop.

[The Hermit]

Best of both worlds is a .338-06 IMHO of course

[tuffteddyb]

Keep your 308 annd then get a 338 wm for the big stuff.
I usemy 338 wm for everything,use 185 for deerannd blackiesand then either 210
or 225's for the bigger stuff.
Personally dont like the 300 mags(they hurt!).Not a big fan of the 06 either for that matter.

[hunting]

Best of both worlds is a .338-06 IMHO of course
Believe it not just started reading on the .338-06 today, they run about 400-500 fps slower and just about the same in the ft lbs, energy department also.

[hunting]

Keep your 308 annd then get a 338 wm for the big stuff.
I usemy 338 wm for everything,use 185 for deerannd blackiesand then either 210
or 225's for the bigger stuff.
Personally dont like the 300 mags(they hurt!).Not a big fan of the 06 either for that matter.You think the 06 is snappy like 300 win mag?

[tuffteddyb]

I said that wrong.
I dont like the 300 mags because of the recoil.
Dont like the 30/06 just cuz I dont like it.lol

[todbartell]

I don't see how a 338-06 runs 500 fps behind a 338 Win Mag? Maybe 200fps at the most and it burns 25% less powder and holds more shells in the magazine

It gets my vote for the best all'round cartridge for BC hunting, when loaded with a 210gr Barnes TTSX @ 2750 fps, housed in a 7.5 lb scoped stainless/synthetic bolt action. I had one built a couple years ago and it hasn;t dissapointed in any way

[todbartell]

PS If I had to go with a factory loaded cartridge I'd opt for a 300 Win Mag loaded with either 168gr TTSX, 180gr TTSX, 180gr Accubonds or 200gr Accubonds - whatever shot best in that rifle

[hunting]

My mistake, about 200fps slower and 400 ft lbs of energy less in the .338-06 round.

[webley]

Before the magnums I don,t know how a hunter ever got out of the bush without being eaten, Stick with the rifle you shoot the best.Steve!

[brian]

I will echo that there is not much difference between an 30-06 and a 308. If you are not happy with the 308 then the 30-06 will not fill the void. My vote would go to the 338 for big game or stick with the 308 if recoil is going to be an issue.

[604redneck]

06 with 180 partitions

[BigSlapper]

Best of both worlds is a .338-06 IMHO of course
Agreed -Just got mine built (338-06) ... and loving it. Had the same type of dilemma wanting something with a little more muscle when in grizz country.
http://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w475/Tunkwa/338-06Build003_zps9fabacd8.jpg (http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/Tunkwa/media/338-06Build003_zps9fabacd8.jpg.html)

[deepwater]

I have both .... never let down either way - my 06 liked 200 gr. Nosler Partition and also Barnes tsx in 165 ... they dsjust don't quite shoot to the same place .. very easy to tailer for the hunt your going on

[riflebuilder]

I used to own an ammo company and have owned rifles in almost every caliber you can name. If I was only going to have one rifle it would be the 338 win mag. It is a great round a very accurate bullet (225g Accubonds or TTSX). The most accurate bullets by caliber are the 6.5, 7mm and the 338's. The argument that a 338 is to big for deer is ridiculous, DEAD is DEAD. I would rather be over powered for a deer than under powered for a coastal grizzly. I have shot many deer with the 338 and had minimal meat damage from bullets through the ribs. In my opinion and that is all it is go with the 338.

[338 Mag]

Want to upgrade from a .308 and leaning towards the 06 or .338 Win Mag. What calibre and bullet combo would you pick? Want only 1 calibre and one bullet for all BC hunting.

I shoot a T3Tikka Lit 300 short 165 barnes....Does it all

[fearnodeer]

I love my 338 Mag from a 160 to a 300 grain bullet, I shot 185 grain barns but back it up with 250 grain they both hit the same at 100 & 200 yards.

[bambi slayer]

ought six (ol reliable)

[Grolar]

Id go with a 300 win mag 180gr accubond at 2800 to 3000 fps.......good for vancouver island blacktail all the way to rocky mountain grizzly

[pro 111]

The 06 is hardly an upgrade from your 308 , and the game wont know the differance between the two when they get smacked with the bullet. I
would go with the 338 if you wanted a true upgrade. You can not have too large of a caliber for the game you are hunting but you can deffinitly have a caliber that is too small . The 30-06 is too small for a number of animals we have here in BC . I can not say the same for the 338. My choice would be the 338 if I was in your shoes with a good quality bullet such as the barnes tripple shock.
Good luck with your choice.

[Salmon Belly]

I shoot a T3Tikka Lit 300 short 165 barnes....Does it all

That made me chuckle considering your handle. You have a 338 when you reigistered for HBC? What happened?

SB

[quaint bucket]

06. Picked one up in model 110 on Saturday. Have shot it before in a R700, I liked it and the recoil is manageable.

[colemanwsm]

338 with 225 hornaday sst , kill anything in the country last forever

[emerson]

Small, fast bullets don't mess up meat unless you use cheap bullets. I shoot the -06 with 150 GMX Hornady bullets, very similar in performance and cost to Barnes TSX. I've shot rear quarter to front shoulder and double lung on moose both under 60yds. My mv is 3015fps chronographed. Textbook expansion but not explosion, just like the pics of both GMX and TSX online. SST on the other hand have EXPLODED when hitting bone (black bear shoulder) when at similar ranges and velocities. -06 is hard to beat for its flexibility, you could try 180SST, but I would be concerned about lack of penetration on big bears.

The above not withstanding, if I were you the 300WM would be my choice. Shoot 165gr at the the same velocity as -06 with 150gr.

[browningboy]

338 win mag, been shooting one for 20 years and nothing has ever ran, all dropped..