.338 is not the gun - way overkill

I have used the 30-30 and 30-06.

If you are shooting farther than 100 yards, then the 30-06 is the gun for you.

Within 100 yards, the 30-30 is great. It brings up such a nostalgic feeling I think.

However, I think you are forgetting a great option. Practice with your shotgun shooting a slug and see how well and how consistent you can pattern. If you are as good with the .12 guage slug as you are the 30-30, I would consider using that. If you have hogs on the property, that might be a great way to practice. I have peep sights on my .12 guage for shooting slugs.

Hunt Hard. Fish Smart. Explore Texas.

Eric, Welcome to TexasHuntFish!  Glad to have you active in the forum.

I would go purchase ammo for each and go shoot each.  No hunter would go out without first sighting in his gun and then you will find one that you feel confident with and the one that shoots best.

Good luck and let us know how things go!    And we love to see pictures!!!

"A country boy will survive"

I agree with Jason, I have killed most of my deer with a 12 gauge and slugs. You put a good shot on them and you won't have a far tracking job. 30/30 is also a good bet and with the new Hornady Revolution ammunition I've heard that it can now be a 150-200 yard gun. I haven't tried the ammo yet, but I've heard nothing but good things so far. Good luck! (slugs are pretty cheap too)

Tight lines and true shots. -Chris

30-06 without question.  I wouldnt even consider the other 2.  30-30's have probably killed more deer, because they are inexpensive (on the cheap side).  Since you already own the guns, learn to shoot the 30-06 and you can kill anything in North America.  The 338 is alos a very fine caliber, but can be punishing to shoot.

It really all depends on how far a shot you are taking and which weapon you are comfortable with. I would agree with Jason that the .338 is waaaaaay too much weapon for a whitetail. If you were going to the north and were going to hunt elk, moose, or perhaps even bear then that would be a fair choice. I've never been a fan of the .30-06. To me it's too much recoil for what you get out of it. Balistics show the .270 with near the same efficiency as the aught six with lower recoil and better accuracy. The 30-30 is a fine choice for short distance. I say this because I know they are good to 100 yards but I have no first hand knowledge of the new Hornady ammo so that distance could increase if that ammo performs as I've heard. If you're shooting beyond 100 yards and these are your only choices the I would have to go with the aught six. I would assume that these particular weapons have centimental value to you. If they don't, and you're never going to hunt large game I might sell the .338 and look into a different caliber. I love the .270 and will not hunt with anything else for medium to small game. I would even use it for elk at short range (200 yards or less). There are so many calibers out there that work great for medium (deer sized) game. I'll mention several: .223, .243, .25-06, 7mm-08, .308, .270, 30-30, .257 Roberts, 7mm mauser, and .303 British. There are others that could be argued but these are all proven calibers. I know it's a lot to consider, but some time is always needed to make good choices if you want to be a ethical hunter, not to say that you're not now of course.

"Hate me if you want to, Love me if you can" Git-R-Done!

oops, sorry, don't know what happened with the text.

"Hate me if you want to, Love me if you can" Git-R-Done!

 Glen is right the -06 is the way to go. The 30-06 is accurate, doesn't kick like a mule and the bullet choices are nearly endless. The 30-30 is what it is, an old underpowered round that is suspect when it comes to accuracy even with the newest of ammo. A 30-30 zeroed at 100yds, has an avg. drop of 5 inches at  200 yds and 25 inches at 300yds. The -06 is 3 and 13 zeroed at 100, and has only a 7 inch drop at 300yrds if zeroed at 200yrds. If you make a bad shot or underestimate the yardage with the 30-30 you miss all together. With the -06 you still hit a vital.

The .338 just kicks way to hard, and ruins edible parts.

"It takes 32 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, but only 3 for a proper trigger pull."

Like everybody else, I think a .338 is too much gun. I've used both the 30-30 and 30-06 and enjoy both. I learned to shot with a 30-06, so everything since then has been easy to shot. The important thing is to practice, practice, and practice! oh yeah did I say practice. 

Brian M Thomas Yard of Dreams Landscape Co.

i figured a .338 would be too much and i know from messin around with all the rifles on random targets that my scope is way off after the recoil. I think ill prolly go with the aught six and i appreciate all the feedback, great stuff guys im glad i found this site, one more thing, if im sitting in the blind we have will copenhagen be a bad idea

I would also suggest the 30-06 and, if the recoil bothers you, find a ligher load for it to help a bit.  Especially if you already have a quality scope on that gun.  I have found, based on the areas I hunt, that most of my shots exceed 100 yards.  I have killed deer with my 30-30 at distances of more than 100 yards, but because I sometimes am presented with 200+ yard opportunities, I plan to use my 30-06 primarily from this point forward.  Don't want a big buck to get away based on poor weapon choice -- I don't see good bucks often enough to let that happen, and I am told there have been some granddaddys seen on the ranch in the last few weeks.  :-)

"Life's too short to hunt with a beardless dog . . ."

The -.06 if you dont want to buy anything. But I have grown closer to the .25-.06 in recent years or even the .243 but if not wanting to spend any thing take the -.06 and get after them!

Copenhagen is not a problem I've been dipping it as long as i've been deer hunting

Brian M Thomas Yard of Dreams Landscape Co.

The 30-06 is the best all-around choice. If the recoil is a problem, you can get reduced-recoil loads from Remington and Federal. They should reduce the recoil to no more than that of a 30-30 with improved ballistics and (usually, especially with a scope) better accuracy.

I put a muzzle brake on my 30-06 and 300 Win Mag.  The recoil on both is probably like a 243.  Just wear some ear plugs.

I put a muzzle brake on my 30-06 and 300 Win Mag.  The recoil on both is probably like a 243.  Just wear some ear plugs.

but i love the ringing in my ears....

you wont like that ringing when you turn 40, its all you hear...

but it blocks out  the wife and kids lol

haha i have a ways to go before 40, but ill keep that in mind

I'll separate from the herd here and suggest the 30-30.

If killing dder is your priority, then a scoped 30-06 is all you need for hunting in Texas.  You can kill tham at 500 yards easy with that.

But if having fun is your goal, you can't beat a lefver action 30-30. Unless you're enjoyment is measured on what you kill, limiting you weapon choice tends to increase the fun factor, while making you a better hunter.

You'll probably miss out on 30-40% of chances with a lever action 30-30 over a scoped 30-06.   But you'll be forced to modify your hunting style and have a lot more fun with the 30-30, IMO.....

I have a Browning A-bolt 280 with a BOSS and it is so loud you can't shoot it without some kind of hearing protection. I have to carry earplugs when I hunt. I think I will go pick up the BOSS CR at McBrides this week so I don't have to carry those plugs.