Help me pick a caliber for my next rifle

[Chamberman]

30 Sherm mag with N565, N568 or N570. H1000, retumbo and RL26 will work too.

I am at 2950 FPS, with a 24" Proof, N570 and a 245 Berger..... HAMMER!!!

 

[cardon1122]

Messed up this post and can't figure out how to delete it. See my post below. I find I shoot my smaller bores a lot more often than the big bores. Family and friends don't like shooting the hard recoil guns and they are quite expensive to use for fun at the range and plinking. Maybe you already have smaller cal guns and just didn't mention them. If that's the case I'd go with a 300 WM or if you really want more oomph a 28 or 30 Nosler.

 

[skookum]

+1 for the 30 Nosler. With a longer throat it really is a step above the PRC or Win Mag. I don't know much about the Sherman other than there is no factory brass.

 

[cardon1122]

You've already got a 7mm and 33 cal so you've got large big game covered . Why get a 30 cal? You might want to consider a speedy smaller caliber rifle that would be good for smaller big game and Varmints and give you greater versatility. You might consider a 6.5-284, 6.5 PRC, or a 6 Creedmoor. Pleasant to shoot and cheaper to load!

 

[Hunter609]

Another vote for 30nosler

 

[baldhunter]

308 Norma Magnum. 300WSM/300 Win Mag performance. Advantage is you can use Norma factory 308 Norma Magnum headstamped brass or make your brass from 7mag or 338 Win Mag brass.The later two will give you a shorter neck,so really you created a 30-338,but it shoots fine in the 308 Norma Magnum chamber.The other Advantage is the shorter long action case will probably give a little more Mag box room over the 300 Win Mag if you want to shoot long bullets.

 

[7.62 Gunner]

I've owned a 300 prc, 30 SM, and currently a 30 Nos.
The Nosler is the best in my opinion and the fastest.
Here's another big plus
Brass is available everywhere.
https://www.grafs.com/catalog/product/productId/83135

 

[William W.]

300 Norma Magnum? … when you want to send the very best and the biggest the very fastest

 

[Chamberman]

300 Norma Magnum? … when you want to send the very best and the biggest the very fastest

30-378 WBY would be the king!

 

[rblum]

edited below

 

[rblum]

I presume that you will hunt deer or elk out to a range of 300 yards. If that is the case, I don't think that you can go wrong with a .308 win or 30-06. Both are accurate and will kill deer or elk sized animals out to 300 yards. The .308 is particularly easy to shoot do to lesser recoil. This helps by lessening bad shooting habits. I view a lot of the "New Cartridge" buzz as marketing by rifle manufacturers to create demand. If you already have a certain caliber, the only way to sell you another gun is to create a new caliber. Since ballistics is all about compensation or trade offs, there is always a positive to push out when extolling the virtues of a new cartridge. Anyway That is my take on it. All of the deer and elk that I have taken did not care one bit that they were shot with 30-06 or .308

 

[FEENIX]

Curious to know this as well. Wouldnt mind hearing your what powder you are using as well!

See #11.

 

[Stevenstl86]

I've been sitting on this same issue. 300 win mag makes sense for larger game if you don't shoot long range targets. Not a fan of the belt though. Just add one extra step in reloading if the bump above the belt needs addressed.

The prc seems one small step above the 300 wm being beltless and holding longer bullets. As long as you use a modified reamer it sounds like you should be ok. 212 ammo would keep someone from reloading if they didn't want to.

I have no experience with any Sherman's or noslers but I have seen plenty of 30 nosler ammo on the shelf's.

 

[SteveBurton]

I went through a similar debate myself and decided on the 30 Sherman Mag. I was looking for something to work with a mag bolt face in a long action, so the NM was out. The performance, longevity and ammo availability make the Win Mag a strong contender but I'm just not a fan of the belt. It's just me. It came down to several cartridges. The 300 RUM, 30 Nosler, 300 PRC, 30-28 Nosler and 30 Sherman Mag. The performance differences between them are really just splitting hairs so you have to look at other aspects of the build.
-The 300 RUM is a great cartridge, but bullets need to be stuffed deep affecting performance. You can lengthen the mag well and throat to make it better. Factory ammo will still suffer, and the longer throat may be an issue with that ammo.
-The 30 Nosler was a strong contender due to factory ammo but that was also it's handicap. Bullets are stuffed deep, so you aren't getting the most performance without handloading. Throating it longer may affect factory ammo also.
-The 300 PRC is also a great cartridge that is here to stay due to Hornady's marketing AND it is a good design. Factory ammo is available when you can find it and pay a premium.
-The 30-28 was the leader in my choice for a long time due to overall performance. It needs to be handloaded but don't the majority of us on this forum already do that?
-The 30 Sherman Mag won my vote due to performance of handloads and the ability to shoot factory PRC ammo accurately. It just edged out the 30-28 for the ability to shoot factory 300 PRC ammo in a pinch.

None of the cartridges listed are bad or wrong, one just need to fit your personal criteria. Good luck with your choice. Here are a couple posts discussing 30 caliber cartridges.

30 Nosler & 300 PRC vs 30-28 Nosler & 300 PRC SI Wildcats

30 Sherman, 30 Nosler, 300 PRC