308 or 300 win. mag.

I start by stating that I own both. Be careful with the recoil in heavy bullets on the Win Mag...they can be punishing. I opted for a Remy 700 Sendero which greatly reduces the felt recoil compared to a sporter...definately would not recommend a light weight here.

The .308 is a staple that can be used from prairie dogs to elk. It is a great choice if you can only have one gun. Ammo is always readily available as well as usually a large selection too.

My main decision when choosing which rifle is, what is my intended use? Elk, bear or moose, I will take the Win Mag. Anything else and it will be a smaller rifle.

I have shot deer with the Win Mag and it produces bang flops, but it will also creates a pretty big wound. I shot too far forward on a muley at 150 yards and it destroyed the outside shoulder. The shrapnel from the shoulder took out a softball sized hole on both rib cages and shredded the far side shoulder too. A waste of meet. Yeah, it was me and a bad shot, but I believe with the same shot in a .308 it would not have been so devestating.

Thinking it was a fluke and a bad shot that produced such a wreck, I shot my next one in the neck just below the head. Again it produces bang flops, but man, what a mess. It almost completly tore the head off. It was held on by skin only.

I have never used the win mag for deer since....dedicated elk rifle now....which is a role it fills very well. 19 elk and counting.
 
I'm a big fan of the .308. Like ColoradoOsprey said it's very versatile. I use mine for everything from coyotes to elk. Taking it prairie dog'n this weekend. I shoot extremely well with mine(Rem 700 LTR) and that's probrably why I use it. Great selection of ammo, although I do reload for mine. I've shot my dads .300 win mag and I just didn't like it. I couldn't shoot it accurately and it's pretty much overkill for everything I hunt except elk. I think it depends on what you want to use it for. They're both great calibers. Just my 2 cents.
 
ShotTaker,

I have both also, but the 308 is my choice for deer and bear.

Like ColoradoOsprey said, the recoil (300 WM) can be more than some want to endure, but muzzle breaks can reduce this when shooting heavier bullets. On the other hand some guys don't want to shoot their WMs with breaks installed because of muzzle blast.

If you go with a bolt rifle the WM will be a long action, the 308 a short action.

Both rounds can give incredible accuracy. All other things being equal, the WM will have a velocity advantage.

If you reload, components for both are plentiful. If you don't, I think the 308 has more of a variety of commercial loadings.

If you have plans for hunting large NA game or an African hunt than the WM would be my choice.

I can shoot either at any time on my range. The 308 is just fun to shoot. BTW I hunted many years with a 30-06 and killed many deer and bear. I can still use the 30-06 but my choice now is the 308.

Jim
 
I do not have a 308 but my Remington Sendero Stainless Fluted in 300 Win Mag is one of my favorite rifles. Just like the others said it will produce bang flops on deer, hogs, pretty much anything that I have shot. The recoil is very managable since I added a Vias muzzle brake to it (less than my 25-06) and it will drive a tack at 200yds. I have also found that it likes the 180gr bullets much better than the lighter ones that I have loaded for it. I would think that anywhere you fing 308 rounds you will also find 300 Win Mag rounds. It is a very popular round.
 
I was in the same situation but with 270 or 308 for deer hunting. I thought about it for a long time and just couldn't decide. Then while searching Sniper info online I came across this saying.

"Silent Souls Leave 308 Holes"

Decision made, I have just added the 308 Bull Barrel to my gunsafe for my Encore. Watch out big bucks, after 23 years I'll be comming after you now.

t/c223encore.
 
The 300WM certainly has the advantage ballistically, especially when you get way out there. I guess the question you have to ask yourself is, do I need that advantage ? I'd be more concerned about picking the rifle than the caliber in this case.
 
ShotTaker,

Just a thought but take a look at the short mags also. The 325.WSM has every bit as much knockdown power as the 300. but has a signifigant reduction in recoil. I shoot 180 grain BST's through mine and the recoil is really a non- issue. The A-Bolt is extremly accurate and will drop anything from Whitetails to Grizzly's in there tracks. Although its a relatively new round it has a solid record and new ammo for it is short comming. It would be a happy medium of the two calibers you are interested in.

Dave
 
I have shot a 308 since I started deer hunting, and maybe im biast, but it has less recoil, a little cheaper ammo, does less damage, and can do everything a 300 can do. I have a freind who is a great shot that uses a 300 mag for deer, and it does lots of meat damage. I get just as many bang-flops with my 308 with 150 grainers as he does with 180's.

-Curt
 
The 308 and 300WM are very different, even though they can shoot a few of the same bullets. Really have to evaluate your needs and wants in a rifle and I think it'll naturally lean hard to one or the other. I shoot a 300 Mag as my go-to big game gun. It's a boomer, but the ballistics can't be denied. The 308 is kinda like the 22 of 30cals, reliable and consistent, accurate in just about any gun, but won't reach out like the 300 mag will. Apples and pears. Not quite apples and oranges, but apples and pears in my opinion! Evaluate your needs looking at ballistics and ft.lbs. and I think it'll be obvious.
 
You haven't told us what you are planning on shooting. The .308 is good for game running between 50 to 300 pounds at rational hunting ranges (ie less than 500 yards). It will take more, but you start pushing the envelope of accuracy and power. You can use it on smaller game, but then you will want smaller bullets if you are trying to get the meat or the pelt. The .300 Win Mag with proper bullets is the choice for larger game or greater than 500 yard shots. It is noted you jumped right over .300 Savage and .30-06 either of which filled the gap between the .308 and the .300WM. If all you are planning on is whitetail or black bear at 200 yards or less, stick with the .308 and less recoil to do the same task.
 
What is the primary use of the rifle going to be? Deer hunting? Long range yotes? Paper puncher? Bangin steel at 1000yds?

I am a little biased also toward the 308. Here in michigan big game is deer, bear and elk. When it comes to bear and deer my nod goes to the bow, so not much help there. I have never drawn an elk tag, but when I do It will probably be shot with a muzzleloader. I am recoil sensitive and I can put 175 gr 308 boolets anywhere I need to. I cant say the same about the 300 for me. Just to be fair though the only 300 I have shot was on the same platform as my 308, rem 700 pss. I am sure a break would help for me.As a deer bear or elk round out to 300 yards I would have all the confidence in the world in my 308. I just enjoy it much more settling in behind my 308 as compared to a 300. I agree with all of the responses above, you really just have to evaluate YOUR needs. Just my .02$
 
You really need two rifles! [Ha! Bet that got your attention!:)]

A .270 or a 7 or a .308 for deer and smaller and a .300 or 8 or .338 for larger. While your at it, may as well add a .224 cal for smaller stuff.
 
Just wondering, out of curiosity, what were the factors that left you with the .308 and .300 WM as the two options? There is quite a bit of difference between the two rounds and it seems that .30-06 would be the bridge between the two.
 
If you dont really have any use for shooting large game past 500yds stick with the 308. I have a very nice 300win and even with the break I just dont shoot it that much. I have shot numerous rounds through my 308's and am planning on getting another.
 
New factory loads push the 30-06 very close to the 300 WM in performance. I would second the notion that is the way to go. Besides it is 100 years old this year...
 
I would get a 30-06 before either the .308 or the 300 winnie. It can be loaded light for deer and smaller game or loaded with 200 or 220's it can take anything on this continent.
 
For me, the decision would be based on the rifle first and the caliber second.
Personally, I much prefer a short action so I would go with a 308.
There are bettr calibers out there for just about any specific situation that you can mention but for an all around "go to" rifle a 308 is pretty darn good.
 


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