Well I shoot a 7MM Rem Mag and a 30-06 a lot and I dont even feel a dif between them. A 300 Win Mag isnt that bad either and all will take big game down at 300 yards. Just dont make my mistake and get the recoil of a 300 WBY Mag to the face it hurts BAD!

I'd say 7mm, 30-06, 300 in order from least to hardest kicking.

If you can get to a range, gpcinc, and give each a try that will be your best bet for deciding which is right for you.

How did you manage to take a WBY to the face Zippy? Get a little too close to the scope?

Well it was on a rest kuz i was sighting it in and the rest sort of broke leting go of the gun. Then Wam it came back and busted me really good I was spitin blood for about 15 minutes. But I managed to fire 15 more shots after that so I was happy. So my advice do not use a cheap gun rest or vise on big calibers.

from everything i've read (mind you that i am a novice and am seeking advice/input) it seems that a 30-06 will take most everything that you could hunt in north america. and if you were going to hunt big bear, then you would step up past a 300 to say a 338 or so? so why would i buy a 300 win mag?....

Well personally i would not buy a 338 for bear i would just take a 300 win mag kuz it will take any bear as long as u can make a vital shot. I know people that have taken kodiak bear win 300 win mag so it will work.
So why buy a 300 win mag kuz u can use it on deer, bear, elk, and all for less recoil than a 338.

Yes the rule of thumb is that a 30-06 is sufficient for all north american game except brown bear.

Why shoot a 300 WIN MAG? Some people prefer to shoot the largest caliber they can accurately so they have more knock down power.

Sounds like you got thumped pretty good Zippy240sx, ouch.

[ This Message was edited by: bitmasher on 2003-09-14 22:20 ]

I saw it happen. We had just put a Zeiss Conquest on the rifle and we were sighting it in when he fired a shot and the gun came off the rest and slammed right into his head.

Yea Captain did see it and he laughed at it. So shhh its our secret when he goes deer huntin he will find out i took the firing pin out of his gun.

well, i looked up the recoil of the 300,7mm, and 06.......the 300 win mag recoils with about 25lbs. that's apparently the same as a 20ga shotgun. is that right? if so, then why do so many complain about the recoil? i grew up with a 20ga. comments? thanks. scott.

Its complicated, it all depends on loads. A 180 grain bullet fired from a typical 300 Winchester Magnum rifle weighing 8.5 lbs will have approximately 26.5 ft-lbs. This is more than the average shooter can handle on a continuing basis, and excessive exposure to this may result in either flinching or jerking the trigger, which causes erratic or inaccurate shot placement. There are differences in the manner in which a rifle or shotgun is fired, which probably accounts for that discrepency.