.308 or .300 For Hunting Pigs & Deer

[DFA]

Hey everybody, newbie here...I am wanting to get a new rifle. I am set on the Savage 10fp and cannot decide if I want a .300 or .308. I will be using the gun to hog hunt and deer hunt. I'm not worried about recoil, I would like to be able to kill in the 400 - 500 yard range(with lots of practice first). Does the .308 have plenty of knockdown power for hogs? I know the .300 does. Thanks for any advise

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

In my opnion at the range you stated the 308 will kill most anything in North America. That being said I would go with the 300.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

The 308win will meet 95% of your needs. However, if you want to reliably take biggame at 400-500yds then the 300win would clearly excel here for a variety of reasons:

Flatter trajectory - more velocity with any given bullet
Easier to dope the wind - heavier, higher BC bullets at greater velocity
Better terminal performance when shot placement is not quite what you anticipated - @ 400-500yds the point of impact is much harder to call then it is at 100-200yds.

Just my 2 cents

 

[liltank]

personally I would go with the .308with say a 175grn bullet. For that matter a 168 would work just fine. 4-500 yards is a drop in the bucket for the 308.They're killing people in Iraq at 800 plus. Snipers use both calibers. As far as cost efficency when reloading the .308 is better hands down.

 

[johnnyk]

DFA,
The Savage is a fine platform to start with. I've owned two 110FP's (7Mag & .223Rem) and both were sub 1/2" rifles and that's being conservative. The only LE model I found on Savages website that comes in .300WM is the 110FCP-K. Are you looking at one of the older 110FP's?
Anyway, I have owned, shot and hunted with both calibers before and prefer the .300WM. I like the extra energy, velocity and range. I can't see stepping back down to the .308 now. JohnnyK.

 

[txlongrange]

The 308win will meet 95% of your needs. However, if you want to reliably take biggame at 400-500yds then the 300win would clearly excel here for a variety of reasons:

Flatter trajectory - more velocity with any given bullet
Easier to dope the wind - heavier, higher BC bullets at greater velocity
Better terminal performance when shot placement is not quite what you anticipated - @ 400-500yds the point of impact is much harder to call then it is at 100-200yds.

Just my 2 cents

I agree completely....nothing to add.

TXLR

 

[Michael Eichele]

For 600 yards and less for deer size critters I will grab a 308 over ANY other cartridge any day.

Dont be fooled by "paper ballistics"

I know that magnums offer less drop and less drift ect....but with the cost of operation, barrel life, recoil ect.....You can practice with the 308 more often and without learning to flinch. When you practice regularly with a given weapon you become familiar with it enough to make clean kills regardless of drop and wind. Dont get caught up bigger is better. With its accuracy and my knowledge of it, I was able to drop a bull moose in his tracks at 438 yards with the 308 using ONE shot. My buddy had shot at him at 390 yards near dark and missed him. He was just getting ready to nose into the brush and stopped for a quick look. This is only one story of many that I give credit to my 308.

I do not "know" any other of my rifles like I do my 308. That is because with the short bbl life and HUGE amounts of powder burned along with the need for well constructed bullets which are expensive, I cannot afford to shoot my 300's the same amount as my 308. You may ask, then why do I own 300 mags? Because I need the retained velocity to reliably open bullets beyond 800 yards on game. My 308 will not do that. However for 600 yards and less, it does just fine. The all around accuracy and practicality of the 308 more than makes up for a minor energy loss. You will enjoy owning and shooting a 308 more than a magnum. Unless youre making up for something!

Now if you want to shoot bigger critters or deer at LONGER ranges than you specify, then it is time to concider a mag. There is always a price to be paid when doing something extreme. An elk at 800 yards is extreme. You will have to pay the price. That price is more recoil, less bbl life, more expensive powder ect....But if you stick to the critters AND the ranges you specified, the 308 is more than you will need.

 

[Broz]

In my opnion at the range you stated the 308 will kill most anything in North America. That being said I would go with the 300.

Took the words right out of my mouth. Everyone should own a 300. gun)

 

[MN Hunter]

The question is where do you deer hunt? Do you need a short barrel quick handling gun or is a bolt gun with a 26" barrel ok? We hunt deer in north west MN - we hunt from tree stands so a 26" bolt gun works - we also hunt hogs in south Texas where we shoot out to 300yds. My two boys and I all shoot 300 win mags. For hogs 200 grain nosler partitions work great for deer we shoot 180grain Barnes TTSX. To make a long story short if you need a short barrel quick handling gun get the 308. Personally I love the 300 win. Its done anything I ever asked of it.

 

[DFA]

Thanks for all the responses guys...I hunt North Texas where it can be really thick and in West Texas where you could have shots as far as you can see. I went to Wal Mart and their catalog has the Savage 10fp or maybe it was the 110fp(same gun) in the .300, but when I search the web all I find is the .308 in that model.

 

[MN Hunter]

My buddy owns several Savage rifles with the accu trigger - loves them. He has just ordered a Weather Warrior - 116FCSS in 300 win mag. - this not only has the accu trigger but the new acccu stock. He can hardly wait to get it.
Check out impact guns.

 

[sunshynjunky]

All you need for pigs and deer is a .223 (maybe .243 if state has min cal requirements) My freezer is full of deer harvested with a .223 with a 65gr Sierra GameKing. 24" barreled AR-15. 300yd or less is easy pickins. By Sierras Recomendation the 65gr Gameking carries all the energy you need to kill a 250lb buck at 350yds. It may not tear through it like a meat cleaver, buy hunting is about putting the round where it counts.
I got 4 deer this year with this load. Not one got further than 15ft.
Good luck bro.

 

[sunshynjunky]

A 300wm on deer is like picking up your groceries with a dump truck!

 

[MN Hunter]

Credibility is always lost when going from fact to oponion.