I hunt in Illinois so I don't know a lot about rifles. I am thinking about buying a rifle to go out west for elk, mule deer, or bear. What would be a better caliber a 30.06 or the 300 win mag. The 300 seems to be a little faster, but does that come with a lot more recoil? A little kick does not bother me but I want to enjoy shooting it also.With never shooting one how do they compare recoil wise? Any info from someone that has shot these would be helpfull. Also I am thinking about a Browning x bolt. Is this that nice of a gun to get past it being made in japan. I try to buy american made. THANKS
There's nothing wrong with the venerable 30/06, but for larger animals there's nothing wrong with the .300WM either. I'd suggest upping to a .300 if that's what you're wondering, but I'd also suggest you take a look at the X-Bolt in .300WSM as well. The difference between the '06 and .300WM in an X-bolt is about 4" in OAL. To me, that's significant.
The .300WSM factory loaded will give you ballistics very close if not exactly like it's longer cousin, but it can also do it in a shorter tube, hence Browning's decision to barrel the SM version with a 23" barrel vs a 26" for the longer version.
In short, the OAL and weight of the X-Bolt in .300WSM is the same as the X-Bolt in 30/06 even with a longer barrel (action is shorter). And both are a full 4" shorter and a bit lighter than the .300WM.
Just something you might want to consider. :thumbup: