What should I buy next? 7mm-08, 30-06, 308

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Ok so I wanna keep my over head cost down. I have dies, bullets, and cases for these three. Obviously I’ve owned all three in the past. My current bolt action staple includes 223, 22-250 (Multiple 22-250s. I love 224 centerfire bolt actions) 243, 6.5 creed, 264 win mag and 30-30. Thinking about staying below 30 cal and going with the 7mm, but I have a 30 cal can coming in and it may be nice to have a bigger option outside of the 30-30. This would be for just rec shooting and maybe for a black bear hunt in the future.
 
What's the purpose behind the rifle/cartridge? I like .308, but then again I am a stubborn fool sometimes. I think 7mm has better bullets at longer distances but I can't take advantage of that. .30-06 goes beyond what I want or need in a rifle, and since I am not set up for reloading, .308 comes in cheaper than the other two.
 
With nothing bigger than the 264 win mag I would be thinking diversity and go with a 30 cal. So having all bases covered In smaller diameter calibers I think from your choices it would be the 308 for me.
 
06 is all I hunted with in the 90's through mid 2000's . Injury sidelined me for a while. Now I have a 7mm08 and it's my go to rifle. On average it costs less to reload because it burns less powder but still provides enough energy to kill feet past 500 yds, not that I shoot that far, with a flatter trajectory than 308.

As was stated earlier nothing wrong with Amy of your listed cartridges. None are a bad choice.
 
The .30-06 cartridge has a longer reach on the upper end. Bullets are the same .308" as the ..308 Winchester. The 200 and 220 grain bullets at .30-06 velocities give a larger margin of error for larger critters. Especially the ones that eat you if things go wrong.

In all likelihood, the 7mm-08 will serve you well in pretty much any situation you insert yourself.
You have a list to choose from for reasons of economy and I won't argue with that. But you seem to have the small to middle ground covered. I would thinking of something larger, like a .338 something, .35 Whelen or larger. You're a big kid and spending your own money. You choose.
 
You know, come to think of it, I've never hunted with a 308 or 06. The ones I owned were a M700 Police for fun and a garand. And I've only taken one deer, out of 27, with a 30 cal, my fathers pre 94 that he got stationed in Germany after WWII of all places. Killed my first buck with it. Maybe I should go with 308, How can I lose either way, right?
 
The .30-06 cartridge has a longer reach on the upper end. Bullets are the same .308" as the ..308 Winchester. The 200 and 220 grain bullets at .30-06 velocities give a larger margin of error for larger critters. Especially the ones that eat you if things go wrong.

In all likelihood, the 7mm-08 will serve you well in pretty much any situation you insert yourself.
You have a list to choose from for reasons of economy and I won't argue with that. But you seem to have the small to middle ground covered. I would thinking of something larger, like a .338 something, .35 Whelen or larger. You're a big kid and spending your own money. You choose.

Down the road I'd like to pick up a 350 rem mag. Just seems like a cool cartridge that gets overlooked.
 
The main drawback of the .350 Remington was the rifle with which it was paired. The initial 600 Remington was a bit light, resulting in recoil much like an irritated mule on angel dust and barrels were short. Therefore it was never terribly popular. It is however, short enough to work in a standard action. If you reload, it should be a dandy.
 
Forget about another rifle you have plenty. Start thinking about hunting with a handgun!
 
I’ve got all the ones you have as well as the three on your list. Hard to go wrong with any of the three. If you are serious about hunting bear, the 30-06, if not, the 7-08 is a great choice, mine is a heavy barrel Varmint/Target Remington 700. I don’t hunt with it, but would have no reservations doing it.
 
My vote goes to .30-06 for versatility especially outside your current battery. However I've been stepping down in recoil to .25-06 for deer and feral hogs, but the 24" barrel on that rifle, and the 26" barrel on my .264 Win Mag make stalk-and-shoot cumbersome with those rifles. So I've picked up a 7mm-08 with 22" barrel and 7X64mm Brenneke with 20" barrel and full stock (Mannlicher style) to use as brush country rifles.

If the use of Winchester StaBALL 6.5 powder lives up to its published load data, 7mm-08 has a wider performance window than ever before. Max 7mm-08 load with 175 grain Nosler Partition from a 24" test barrel muzzle velocity of 2669 fps is worth thinking about.
 
Were it me, .308. It's not me, though. It's you. Were it me going by what you wrote, 7mm-08. That's based on the fact that you seem to want that little bit of ballistic edge over a .308 (or you wouldn't be considering an '06), which you can get from the 7mm-08. It's plenty for bigger animals like bears that are routinely taken (with hounds) in front of the muzzles of 30-30s. It is much better on paper, though, and does not have the recoil of a 30-06 with all other factors being equal (stock, rifle, pad, etc...). You can maximize the advantage, because you reload. And so, since you're not buying it for me, 7mm-08.
 
I'd lose the 243 to make room in my safe 1st. While it is a great compromise round between varmints and deer size game you already own multiple 22 centerfires. Any of them are better varmint rigs and the 6.5 CM near perfect for deer size game and viable for game as big as elk. The 264 WM does the same job as 6.5 CM at longer ranges. With those options in my safe I'd never find a use for 243.

Here are my thoughts. #1, I hunted almost exclusively with 30-06 for almost 40 years but by todays standards with the better rifles, ammo, and optics it is bigger than needed for 90% of hunters. If I mainly hunted elk size game in the same parts of the country where grizzly lived then it would be my top pick. But my 30-06 rifles have pretty much been retired for years now.

I like the 22 centerfires for varmints and shooting at the range out to 400-600 yards. Most any of the modern cartridges 26 caliber and up will cleanly take any big game in North America. Some would be really pushing the limits on the big bear in Alaska but most of us will never hunt anything bigger than elk. You've got that covered with your 6.5 and 264.

I don't see a NEED to add another cartridge. But if you WANT to add another keep some things in mind. The 7-08 and 308 are ballistic twins. The 7-08 is a tiny bit better on paper, but were talking about 1" less drop at 400 yards and about 35 ft lbs more energy than 308 at 400 yards with comparable loads. Flip a coin, I chose 308 because ammo is cheaper and easier to find.

30-06 does EXACTLY the same thing as 308 and 7-08, but at slightly longer ranges. The 308/7-08 reach the point after about 400 yards where bullet impact is too slow to ensure expansion. The 30-06/270/280 extend that range to about 500 yards. The 27, 7mm, and 30 caliber magnums do exactly the same thing as 308/7-08, but at closer to 600 yards.

How far do you have the skills to shoot? When I asked myself that question I decided 400 was pushing it and closer to 300 was better. With that in mind I sold off my magnums and retired the 30-06.
 
Having owned and hunted with all 3. I would go with the 30-06. All big game rifles seem to be compared with the 06 so why not own the most popular and versatile big game rifle in North America
 
I got rid of my last .30 cal a couple years ago. The 7mm-08 is an outstanding cartridge. If you want a bit more oomph, .280 Rem, 280 AI, 7mm Rem Mag, or 7mm STW are all available. My go-to hunting rifle for many years was a .308, but after switching to 6.5 and 7mm cartridges, I don't miss it.

Generally speaking, the .308 is a very good do-everything cartridge. However, if I decided I needed a .30 caliber again, I'd probably go .30-06 because of its ability to drive heavier bullets. But if I needed something heavier than one of the 7mm options, I'd bypass the .30 cals altogether and jump to a .375 Ruger.

So if you feel the need for a .30 cal, .30-06. If that's not a pressing need, 7mm-08. It's a far more efficient cartridge.
 
As stated I am a big fan of the 7-08, in my younger days I hunted a lot with 30-06's. There was some satisfying about that big muzzle blast and knowing whatever you had your sights on, It's going down. Still vote 7-08 . 308 is pretty much the same at hunting ranges with a little more recoil. It's a hard choice because all three are great cartridges.
 
As a reloader, I feel 30 cal gives you the widest assortment of bullet weights and styles and options on inexpensive mil surplus bullets.

I am a 30 cal guy a and always will be.
 
They'll all work. I'd favor 308 if economy is a consideration, since brass and loaded ammo is cheaper and more available. Unless you have a particular use for '06, the shorter action length of the others is a plus.

On the other hand, why not cruise the LGS market and see if any classics available in those chamberings call to you. It sounds as though you've already got some great modern iron; an older Winchester or Mauser in '06 might just thump that string connected to your soul.
 
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