Buying new bolt action

Hey guys looking at buying my first hunting rifle finally, and I'm just wondering if the .308 win is a suitable caliber for moose/deer hunting? Here is a version of the 700 I've been looking at http://www.cabelas.ca/product/4740/remington-model-700-sps-varmint-bolt-action-rifle . I'm unsure if this is suitable because of the varmint lable ?? I have limited choices the only reason I'm looking into .308 is because I cant seem to find a 30-06 in a rifle that I like.

 

The performance of the .308 is nearly equal to the '06. It is a reasonable choice. That particular model has a heavy barrel--not what I would want to be carrying in the woods. I owned a Remington '06 (model 721, predecessor to the 700) for about 50 years and found it to be an excellent choice. I replaced it with a Savage a couple of years ago and am quite happy with it.

 

i have always shot remingtons.....then i picked up a savage with the acutriger in SS 30-06 brought that and a 300RUM to south africa earlier this year....

killed everything withe savage


love it

i believe an accurate -06 will take care of all n american game withe the right bullet and shot placement..... well maybe not browns...

 

^The savage with nikon glass package is a hell of a deal. Since this is your first rifle, go with something economical that will do the basics well. Then move on to higher end stuff if you want/need it.

 

a .308 should take down anything you need it to. Remmington makes quality rifles for the money. The thing that is more important than even caliber is proper shot placement. Practice, practice, and then practice some more.

 

Peruse through GunBroker.com , I've picked up some crazy good deals over the years

 

If your looking for a comparable gun that is a little but less the ruler american is a great gun and it comes in 30-06. I actually have this exact gun and love it

 

If you want a good gun on a budget, I've got a Savage .270 I use for deer and love it. The bullet is just a hair smaller than the 30-06, but is just as capable of taking down anything in North America

If money is no option, you can't go wrong with the Remington 700 30-06; that's one of my favorite deer rifles, although I do love my Savage

 

thanks for all the advice guys, made my order today ill post pics and tell you what i got when i do get it

 

The .308 Winchester is an outstanding cartridge and it will do almost everything that a .30-06 will do. The 06 may have some slight advantage at extreme ranges (600 yards+) when heavy bullets are used.
Many experienced and skilled riflemen will claim the .308 is actually a more accurate cartridge than the .30-06 out to about 400 yards and I believe that to be true when all other factors are equal.
The .308 WIN., or 7.62 NATO as it is sometimes called, is a very efficient cartridge and produces excellent results with bullet weights between about 145 grains and 170 grains and a twist rate of 1 in 10". The .308 shines with bullets in the 165-170 grain range in terms of both accuracy and terminal ballistics. A soft point 165 grain bullet will get the job done!
The .308 can be chambered in a short action which allows for a slightly shorter over-all length with the same barrel length as a long action. That short action, with its corresponding shorter bolt/receiver, saves some weight when compared to a long action. Given the appropriate bullets, the cartridge is more than powerful enough to cleanly take most game in North America. The cartridge is readily available and is easy to reload.
In my opinion the .308 Winchester cartridge is one of the best all-around cartridges. Accurate, powerful and plentiful.

 

Bought a 30-06 seems to be the srandard/basline caliber. It's a Rem700 with 3x9x50 Nikon prostaff glass. A .308 was another option I looked at very closely and would like get my hands on one eventually but, for now this will do. Hoping I have a good bow season and take down my first moose that way. Bought the gun for some insurance on getting meat in the freezer, and possibly some future hunts. Having lots of fun with target practice been a few years since I've done any real shooting since the old man moved away.

 

Congrats, nice pick.

 

Great pick!

 

Just rules of thumb for an average'ish shooter.

30-06 will pretty much take care of north america if it's loaded correctly. Bare bones for the big bares and you'll make a guide really unhappy unless he really knows you know your stuff.

308 will do almost as well but peters out short of the big bears. .270 tops out around elk. 243 and 25-06 top out around deer.

And for a properly loaded and well placed round, the top can be extended. But for most, rules of thumb work pretty well. I know some folks use the 25 on elk, and I use it every year for smaller animals. I also know lots of people 'miss' several animals a year that in all likelihood end up dying a slow death over the couple weeks following it. I prefer a round with a little more room for error on a less than perfect shot, so adequate caliber and good bullets along with range time and basic anatomy lessons. There's more to hunting, ethically, than just buying a gun and a box of bullets.

 

Is 30-06 possibly too much for smaller animals like deer, i.e. body too disfigured for meat?

 

I killed my deer last year with a 300 Mag and had no problem with losing meat. All about shot placement.

 

Not at all, plus a wide variety of different loads available for it. Even more choices if you are a handloader. (Well that was true before the current scarcity of ammo and components anyway.)

I'm not a big guy (height wise, that is) so I would choose something lighter than 30-06 if I didn't plan on anything bigger than deer though.

 

I've taken down many white tails with 30-06. My favorite caliber for deer is .270, though.

 

I personally prefer a .243 for deer and iv'e killed all of my deer with one with the exception of 2. Never had any problem with dropping them in their tracks either as with some people saying its too weak for deer.

 

Like oldstick said, just go with a lighter load if you are worried about losing meat.