.300 WinMag or 8x68S as Magnum Hunting rifle?

[Para Bellum]

What would you pick and why?
IMHO it seems the 8x68S outperforms the 300WinMag, whereas the 300WinMag offers more different factory ammo and is wider spread worldwide...

 

[Jimro]

The 8x68s never really caught on in the U.S. So unless you live in Germany you might want to go with the 300 Win Mag.

Jimro

 

[Para Bellum]

Europe, so ammo is no problem at all.

I wonder why at all the 300WinMag was created. The 8x68S is older, rather similar and outperforms the 300WinMag...

 

[Jimro]

The US is "30 Cal Country". Winchester went ahead and made their own 300 Win Mag instead of legitimizing the 30-338 Win Mag wildcat that became the 308 Norma Mag.

Our military has used the following 30 Caliber loadings...

30-40 Krag, 30-06, 308 Win, 300 Win Mag.

The 8mm Euro Equivalent is roughly

8x56r, 8x57JS, and 8x68S

For some reason 8mm has never done well in the US, even the 8mm Rem Mag and .325 WSM have failed to gain anything more than a dedicated cult following.

I guess it is because a "If you need bigger than 30 Cal, might as well go straight to .338 or bigger" exists since the 30-06 handily takes care of all North American game.

Jimro

 

[SPUSCG]

I love 8x57. Get privi partisan ammo about as cheap as any other economy ammo for standard calibers. Now this 8x68 just sounds cool.

 

[Para Bellum]

Which one would be more accurate 8x68S or 300 WinMag?

Which one would be more accurate 8x68S or 300 WinMag?

 

[garryc]

The 8mm seems to have the same kind of curse on it as the 6.5mm. In the 8mm's case it's probably because U.S. loads are no better than 30-30's. The thing is, I can do anything with my 8mm mauser that someone can do with a 30-06. Anything except buy factory ammo loaded for the capacity of a modern rifle. Same is the story for the 7x57 compaired to the 7mm-08 or even a 280.

The problem with the 8mm mag was the original rifle came out with the popular big Monti Carlo cheek piece of the day. That thing will knock your teeth out. My uncle has one, he dropped it in a classic cut stock with a nice recoil pad, made it a whole differant rifle recoil wise.

 

[Jimro]

Which one would be more accurate 8x68S or 300 WinMag?

If accuracy is your goal go with the 300 Win Mag. A lot of ammo is available so you can find loads your rifle likes, and a lot of reloading components are available so you can tune a load to your rifle really well.

You can always tune a load in any caliber and make any caliber accurate. But sometimes having more choices is better.

Jimro

 

[Para Bellum]

You can always tune a load in any caliber and make any caliber accurate. But sometimes having more choices is better.

Especially if you don't handlod (I don't).
Pitty, I kind of like the 8x68S more. It seems to be more capable. I'll keep thinking.

BTW, RWS makes at least four modern 8x68S cartridges:
http://www.rws-munition.de/en/rifle_cartridges/ballistic_data.htm?navid=10