sell the 308 and buy a 300 WM?

[TreGrizz]

This is my first year hunting. After doing some research, I chose to buy a 308. My reasoning was mainly recoil related. Because I didnt have experience shooting heavy recoil rifles, I wanted something that wouldnt make me develop a flinch response. I think it was the right decision for me at the time.

I have since had a lot of practice shooting my 308, as well as my brothers 300 rem mag, and feel confident in my ability to handle recoil. I live in Utah, and Elk hunting is really what Im excited for (no elk down this year unfortunately). I think a 300 win mag would be a more appropriate elk gun, while still being a good deer rifle. If I had to make the decision now, I would go with 300 win mag.

My issue is that I dont know if its worth upgrading, as a 308 is fine for elk killing. In a perfect world, I would like both, but currently I have a pretty big list of gear that I need to buy or upgrade that is more important than another rifle. The only scenario I can think of where I would feel under gunned with the 308 is if I draw a ram tag (not likely) or a limited entry elk, as I would be more willing to practice and shoot farther.

Just curios of everyone's perspective on this. If anyone has had a similar situation, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Thanks!

 

[Wrench]

It's never said that more bullet weight and speed is bad....but, many elk eat dirt to a 308 at ranges well into the 600's and beyond.

 

[Broomd]

I started rifle hunting with a .300wm /200grn..(Ruger M77 with boat paddle Zytel stock) Killed a ton of game with it whilst living in Alaska,....moose, caribou, sheep etc. Accurate!
I hunted with that gun for 10-12 years.
I got tired tired of such a hard hitting magnum recoil and settled on a LH Forbes .308 ultralight about 5 years ago.. Have done some real elk and deer damage with it too.
Love the rifle!
No more teeth-rattling recoil--it's actually fun to go shooting. And it's accurate as hell.
With 165 grn bullets it's sending some lead.

 

[jspradley]

You don't need a .300WM for what you want to do but if you just want one then go ahead.

I personally wouldn't do it because I want to enjoy shooting and not pay .300WM prices for ammo but that's just me

It always cracks me up when dudes around here break out .300 WM shoulder cannons to hunt little 150lb TX whitetails from a feeder 100 yards away... lol

 

[Jimbob]

I hunted with a 7mm rem mag for a few years and sold it. I was going to buy a .308 for the short cartridge and lightweight but decided on a Tikka and in that platform, you might as well go for 30-06 because the .308 is not any lighter.

Right now I have a 30-06, .308 and 7mm-08 and I have zero desire to get a 300 wm.

I love lightweight easy handling rifles, 300 wm doesn't fit that bill.

The only reason, I think, that one should consider the 300 wm is if they want to shoot big animals at long range.

 

[ODB]

Get as close as you can, then 20 yards closer.
- John Taylor

 

[Rich M]

I find that as I've gotten older I still don't like hard kicking and loud rifles. Muzzle breaks will blow your ears out and I won't shoot near em.

I find myself eyeing the 6.5 and 243 rounds more and more. Easy on the shoulder.

Do what you want but I'll tell you from experience that if you start flinching it stays with you for a long time.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

308 is just fine for elk.

 

[16Bore]

Don’t let the internet get into your head...

 

[Stonegoat]

The 308 Win is an excellent elk cartridge. I've killed several elk and moose with a 308.

 

[KHNC]

Guns are never for sale! lol. Just buy a new gun if you want another.

 

[Citrusdude]

Do what you want to do. Now that you have the experience in shooting (and hopefully confidence) in the 308, put it to good use if you want to. You will need to learn your ballistics for taking longer shots, but it is part of the fun.

 

[hodgeman]

Worth upgrading? Meh...if you want a .300 then get one later. Keep the .308 though- there's no harm in having both.

I'd think as a beginning hunter that there's a long list of stuff you need the $$$ for more. Better boots, raingear, tents- those are all things that make or break hunts. Rifles...not so much.

At this stage I'd concentrate on the best basic kit you can muster. You can add another rifle later on.

 

[Beendare]

Bro.......Its not the bow...its the Indian.

The 308 isn't hurting you.

Simple....If you want a new rifle...buy a new rifle...you don't need an excuse to spend $$ on yourself.

..

 

[cmahoney]

If you are new to shooting rifles, I would stick with the .308 and really practice out to farther distances with it. It’s way cheaper to shoot and the wind effects the slower. 308 rounds a lot more than .300 rounds. If you get good with the .308, shooting far with the .300 will be that much easier.

I’d probably keep the .308 anyway if you do get a .300 so you have something to practice with that isn’t so hard hitting and expensive.


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[RCB]

I’m a second year hunter. I bought the 308 for pretty much the same reason. Got my deer and elk last year no problem.

Clearly I’m no expert, but I think the return on an upgrade to 300wm will not be very high. Unless you are shooting long distances, my impression is that rifles and cartridges really aren’t very important. By that I mean, if you ask a hunter why he failed to punch his tag on a hunt, the answer is almost never “the rifle cartridge wasn’t big enough / flat-shooting enough”. I’m sure this is true from time to time, but it’s rare, I think.

The great majority deer and elk are shot within 300 yards (I’ve surveyed the forum), and the 308 is more than capable in that range. I’d suggest focusing your attention, time, and money on something else. Buy the 300 wm later if keeps calling to you.

 

[TreGrizz]

Great advice everyone! I appreciate the input a lot. I am going to take your advice and keep practicing / using the 308.

 

[Wolf76]

The 308 is a great round, especially when the distances are reasonable-sub 500 yards. Easy to shoot and very versatile.

The 300 wm is a better cartridge for elk in that it hits with authority. Just take whatever bullet your 308 shoots and add 400-500 fps. The energy impact is significant. So, both work, but one is more optimal as the distances increase.

All that said, you can't hit what you can't shoot. And handloading really makes a big difference in accuracy, affordability, and performance.

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[DangerRanger]

You’re better off taking up hand loading

 

[Fatcamp]

The . 300 is not fun to shoot in a hunting weight rifle. For a couple rounds, but more than that it starts to bite. Benefit is that it is really easy to spot hits on steel compared to the smaller calibers.