The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

300magman · November 4, 2010, 01:34 PM

This is a little off topic, but after seeing the bashing someone gave the "long action" calibers I feel I must come running to thier defence.

There is nothing wrong with the 270 or the 30.06. (really big dramatic period)

While cheap plinking rounds in the form of mil-surp ammo is more plentiful for .308 there is still nothing the 308 can do that the 30.06 can't do just slightly better

True, you have to live with an action that is at least a half inch longer, but its a fairly minimal consideration to most average white tail hunters.

I also have to nit-pick a bit with the post about bullet weight - there are few if any 30.06 rounds in the 140gr range. There are some light varmints bullets, down around 120-130, then you generally jump up to 150, 165, 180. Depending on your shooting situation anything 150-180 will do, personally the white tail I hunt tend to be a bit larger than they are in the southern states (about eqaul with northern states) and I generally use cheap 180gr soft points. (because that's what my rifle likes to shoot) Don't let anyone tell you that is to much bullet, half the time it fails to penetrate fully at mid to long range. But IF my rifle liked 165s and I could afford something slighter better constructed than cheap lead soft points I would gladly try them.

Personally I would not use 150gr econobox soft points unless I was hunting smaller deer, they tend to come screaming out of the barrel at high velocity and nearly explode on contact with big thick skinned deer at close range, and at longer ranges they lack punch. A premium 150gr bullet would surely perform better, but that isn't my thing.

For economy scopes, I've had good luck with the Bushnell banner dusk to dawn series. I'm not sure what the general consensus is on them, but I've put a few years on one and it hasn't failed me yet.

November 4, 2010, 01:34 PM	#23
300magman Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2008 Posts: 714	This is a little off topic, but after seeing the bashing someone gave the "long action" calibers I feel I must come running to thier defence. There is nothing wrong with the 270 or the 30.06. (really big dramatic period) While cheap plinking rounds in the form of mil-surp ammo is more plentiful for .308 there is still nothing the 308 can do that the 30.06 can't do just slightly better True, you have to live with an action that is at least a half inch longer, but its a fairly minimal consideration to most average white tail hunters. I also have to nit-pick a bit with the post about bullet weight - there are few if any 30.06 rounds in the 140gr range. There are some light varmints bullets, down around 120-130, then you generally jump up to 150, 165, 180. Depending on your shooting situation anything 150-180 will do, personally the white tail I hunt tend to be a bit larger than they are in the southern states (about eqaul with northern states) and I generally use cheap 180gr soft points. (because that's what my rifle likes to shoot) Don't let anyone tell you that is to much bullet, half the time it fails to penetrate fully at mid to long range. But IF my rifle liked 165s and I could afford something slighter better constructed than cheap lead soft points I would gladly try them. Personally I would not use 150gr econobox soft points unless I was hunting smaller deer, they tend to come screaming out of the barrel at high velocity and nearly explode on contact with big thick skinned deer at close range, and at longer ranges they lack punch. A premium 150gr bullet would surely perform better, but that isn't my thing. For economy scopes, I've had good luck with the Bushnell banner dusk to dawn series. I'm not sure what the general consensus is on them, but I've put a few years on one and it hasn't failed me yet. Last edited by 300magman; November 4, 2010 at 01:53 PM.