Here is what I know as fact starting a 280 Remington and 30-06 out at the same velocity, the 280 shoots flatter and hits harder than the 30-06 at distance. I did the research in college and educated the instructor about bigger is not always better. So with that, I'm wondering if the same would be true of the 7mm08 and 260 Remington. Guess it's back to the books.
You are correct 868. That is why I tell those involved in the 270,280, or 06 discussion the 280 is the 'best' from a scientific stand point, BUT they are so close I would not sell my 270 or 06 to buy a 280. However if I were going to buy the 'best' of the three it would be the 280. But back to reality. The selection of factory ammo for the 280 is very limited. Therefore for the non re loader, 'average' hunter the other two are probably the best choice. Or you can do what I did and go with the 7 RM!
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You are correct 868. That is why I tell those involved in the 270,280, or 06 discussion the 280 is the 'best' from a scientific stand point, BUT they are so close I would not sell my 270 or 06 to buy a 280. However if I were going to buy the 'best' of the three it would be the 280. But back to reality. The selection of factory ammo for the 280 is very limited. Therefore for the non re loader, 'average' hunter the other two are probably the best choice. Or you can do what I did and go with the 7 RM!
I have no use for any of the magnum rifle calibers, other than maybe the 22 Mag. I reload my own ammo so getting ammo is not an issue for me. For the hunting I do the non-magnum calibers work fine and don't burn as much powder, and kill deer just as dead. You are correct though, the best of the 3 is the 280, but the difference between the 270, 280, and the 30-06 for what hunting I do is a non-issue as well, I just like the 280 because it's something different and not everyone has one. I get rather bored going to the pawn shops and gun shops and 270's and 30-06's is about all you can find, that and the 7mm Rem Mag. I must apologize but when I decide it's time to start hunting with commercial rifles again, if I can't kill the deer with my 260, I'll quit.
I can tell from your last few words you don't get it!!! I have owned several 243's and even used one as a sniper on a swat team in years past but it is NOT the BEST caliber to carry for deer. If you divorce yourself of emotion and simple look at the facts (science) both the 260 and the 7-08 are far BETTER than the one you say is BEST!!! This not my opinion, it is a conclusion I came to after a logical comparison of the facts (testing, research and use).
"You can get away with violating the laws of man, but you can't get away with violating the laws of physics."
even straight from the barrel the 7-08 is only 500 ft/lb more and at 400 and 500 yards you have about 300 more ft/lb with the 7-08 than the .243. It's not a make it or break it so to speak to kill something and extra few hundred ft/lb are not gonna help you kill a deer. the 7-08 drop about 1 1/2 in more than 243 at 400 and 3 1/2 more at 500, also no more make or break than the difference in amount of energy. All three calibers will kill deer dead at 500 if you put it where it counts so the .243 shoots flatter and has less recoil so like i said IMHO for the southeast there isnt a better caliber for me anyway. As far as not being able to violate physics i would like an explination for a bumble bees flight.
.........i just dont know what to do. my brain wants to be frugal, my heart wants the best i can buy and my common sense says meet in the middle. just lookin for advice from everyone at G&G who have been out there and done what ive yet to do.
After all these opinions, do you have any better idea of what to do? LOL
I think the advice of cruising the used gun racks is the best. If you know how to inspect a used rifle, you can pick up a good deal. It's similar to buying a used car, you have to know what to look for.
I have Remington 700SPS in .30-06, and Marlin 1894XLR in .45-70, Savage Scout in .308, and the Marlin 336SS in .30-30 as my "dedicated" hunting guns.
I bought a used Savage Model 10 Scout, in .308, with a Leupold scope already mounted, off the used rifles rack. It is VERY accurate, and will handle any hunting situation I am going to encounter, locally. I got it for HALF the price I paid for my Remington 700SPS and Leupold Scope.
If I were going to choose one for the most versatile application, it would be the Remington 700SPS, because it is accurate, light weight, easy to carry, weather proof, easy to get on target quickly, and has adequate power for the game in my area. I think the .30-06 is the most versatile rifle, across the board for the whole continent. The Savage Scout would be my second choice.
Ammo selection, and availability, plays a critical role in the aspect of hunting gun selection.
__________________ Gun control is NOT about controlling CRIMINALS.
I have no use for any of the magnum rifle calibers, other than maybe the 22 Mag. I reload my own ammo so getting ammo is not an issue for me. For the hunting I do the non-magnum calibers work fine and don't burn as much powder, and kill deer just as dead. You are correct though, the best of the 3 is the 280, but the difference between the 270, 280, and the 30-06 for what hunting I do is a non-issue as well, I just like the 280 because it's something different and not everyone has one. I get rather bored going to the pawn shops and gun shops and 270's and 30-06's is about all you can find, that and the 7mm Rem Mag. I must apologize but when I decide it's time to start hunting with commercial rifles again, if I can't kill the deer with my 260, I'll quit.
Amen to that! I went with the 7-08 because I may (and have) need to hunt elk with it. I load the 160 NP for it and it is great for everything. I used the 140 gr Federal Fusion because I did not have any hand loads ready and the FF did a GREAT job on deer, elk, and hogs. I have never owned a 260, but I did own a 6.5x55 for a short time and enjoyed it and was impressed by it. It is the ballistic twin of the 260. (just as the 7x57 is the ballistic twin of the 7-08). I got the 7mm because, like you, I like to try different guns/calibers and like to get some first hand experience with them and do my own testing. Well I found the 7RM I got to be the most accurate rifle I have ever owned. One hole at 100 and 1 inch groups at 300 (on several occasions so it was not just a 'lucky' group). And this was with my hunting loads. This kind of accuracy is hard to find and the 160 NP put everything down I shot at. This kind of accuracy makes for a lot of confidence, I knew if I did my thing it would do it's part.
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An armed society is not always polite, but it is a FREE AND SAFE SOCIETY!
even straight from the barrel the 7-08 is only 500 ft/lb more and at 400 and 500 yards you have about 300 more ft/lb with the 7-08 than the .243. It's not a make it or break it so to speak to kill something and extra few hundred ft/lb are not gonna help you kill a deer. the 7-08 drop about 1 1/2 in more than 243 at 400 and 3 1/2 more at 500, also no more make or break than the difference in amount of energy. All three calibers will kill deer dead at 500 if you put it where it counts so the .243 shoots flatter and has less recoil so like i said IMHO for the southeast there isnt a better caliber for me anyway. As far as not being able to violate physics i would like an explination for a bumble bees flight.
I am not going to argue with you science is on my side and you are free to do as you please.
Have a nice day and enjoy the hunt.
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An armed society is not always polite, but it is a FREE AND SAFE SOCIETY!
As far as not being able to violate physics i would like an explination for a bumble bees flight.
A bumblebee, or for that matter, anything which flies including rockets, do NOT, nor have they ever, violated a single rule of physics. They adhere to each and every rule. Simple isn't it ?
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I would say if you're looking for a rifle that can handle deer and elk, then a 30-06 should do the trick. That being said, the .308 is an awesome round; however, I'm no expert, but I don't believe that the .308 has quite the bullet diversity as the 30-06, but a well placed 180 grain .308 should take an elk with relative ease. As to the talk of the .243, I don't like that round. Nearly every kid starts out his deer hunting career with a .243, but I don't feel comfortable shooting at a deer with it simply because I don't trust myself and I would rather have a larger bullet for humane killing reasons. As to the rifle, honestly, look at your local sporting goods used rack, you may find a gem. If you don't I would go for the Savage 110 (it could very well be the 111) or the Savage 10 (same thing could be the 11). Trust me, you may want to bang this gun up a little, they're uglier than an inbred duck, but lord do they shoot.
Good shooting and good luck!
thought this was a pretty decent shot i realize most hunters dont have adjustable turrets on their scopes but many do have mildots 1017 is twice what i would ever shoot with a .243 but here is some proof that it can be done with no mangled up aftermath to track down, besides more than likely even if u didnt get a good hit on one at that distance it would most likely bleed out by the time u walked over there
Well, Twitch, I rekon you can pay whatever you can afford to pay. I personally favor the .308 now that I have 4 of them--a M700 Mil Spec 5R topped with a NightForce 3.5-15X50 on a 20MOA mount, 2 NM M1A's and 1 standard M1A.
I am primarily hunting with the Mil Spec, but still grab my standard M1A as well (it is lighter than the others).
None of these rifles and scopes are cheap, but I hunt with them all. If you buy it you gotta use it and believe me---you will!!
