Well, they're both for anyone really. Pretty sure we've all had both, and more powerful, and less powerful and... But that doesn't really address the substance.
When/where does 308 become "almost as good"? How's that measured in end results?
.308 or 30-06
- Thread starter bdplumbing
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Well, they're both for anyone really. Pretty sure we've all had both, and more powerful, and less powerful and... But that doesn't really address the substance.
When/where does 308 become "almost as good"? How's that measured in end results?
Only in gun owner forums will you see a 240+ post debate on two rounds with maybe 200 fps difference between them.
If you reload, get whatever tickles your fancy. If you don't, get what's more commercially available in the area you shoot/hunt.
So far I reload for: .308/762, 762x39, 5.56, 762x54r, 303Br, 8mm Mauser, 6.5 Swede, 8x56r, 7.5x55, etc. Most, save for the mid-size rounds will reliably drop anything on this continent within reasonable distances given the right range and ammo selection.
I'll await the next 9mm vs .40 cal debate thread... lol
If you reload, get whatever tickles your fancy. If you don't, get what's more commercially available in the area you shoot/hunt.
So far I reload for: .308/762, 762x39, 5.56, 762x54r, 303Br, 8mm Mauser, 6.5 Swede, 8x56r, 7.5x55, etc. Most, save for the mid-size rounds will reliably drop anything on this continent within reasonable distances given the right range and ammo selection.
I'll await the next 9mm vs .40 cal debate thread... lol
I can honestly say that I've never owned a 308; And it took me till I was 66 to finally buy my first 30-06. I don't mind the 30-06 but I don't feel that I missed out on anything by not having one for so many years. JMHO
Variety is the spice of life: Who wants to only own 1 rifle.
Variety is the spice of life: Who wants to only own 1 rifle.
and Eggs - I like Eggs
The same place the 308 becomes better.
Everybody decides their own truth for their self. If you've decided this is yours, good for you.
But the real truth doesn't change dependent on why you decide for your self.
Any bullet you can fire from a 308 can be fired a little faster and a little further and a little harder from a 30-06 OR a little slower like the 308. As you choose.
I said this in 2024 on this thread and I still believe it is true. Especially with modern bullets. The 30-06 is still more in the 308 class than the 300 magnum class. When I think of hunting in BC, I can't think of a situation where I would say...Well, the 308 isn't enough, I'll take the 30-06 instead! More likely I would take a 300 magnum or the NEW KING 375 Ruger if I wanted more horsepower than a 308.
However I love the nostalgia of the 30-06. I've owed a few 30-06 rifles including a M1 Garand which was my favorite platform for the cartridge. These days the only 30-06 I own is my late fathers Remington 740 semi auto which he bought because he was a lefty and left handed bolt actions didn't exist in the 1950's.
My favorite story of this rifle is when he and his buddies decided to go north to a real backwoods area to hunt moose instead of the deer they hunted locally. The rented a cabin and the morning after they arrived there was a knock on the door.
"Hi there, I hear you are going moose hunting? Well I'm your moose guide and you will pay me $XYZ. They are like "we didn't hire a guide, we know how to hunt and can do it on our own" and the guy basically said "You guys are in the middle of nowhere, and the locals run this place, there are no RCMP for 100 miles...if you refuse to hire me you are going to have a very sad time up here, and you will be walking home because your car will be on fire"
Anyway, they hired him as he wasn't that expensive and my dad said he was a really good guide, got them onto a moose pretty soon.
My dads friends were carrying 30-30's so the guide turned to my dad with the 30-06 and said "YOU! You got the BIG gun! You shoot the moose so we don't have to chase it for hours" My dad complied and floored the moose with one shot. Then the guide broke out his flask of whiskey and they all had a good time cutting up the moose. These days it's kind of funny to think that the 30-06 was considered a BIG cartridge back then. The 300 H&H existed and I think the 300 WBY had also been introduced but no blue collar guy had ever seen either one.
I've still got a few boxes of Imperial 30-06 that my dad ran in that rifle.
The real truth is that you could easily double that distance add another 400 yards and it still wouldn't change the outcome.Is it the real truth that the little faster and little further doesn't change the outcome except for fringe cases like shots over 400 yards?
R.
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I like both cartridges, both are pretty easy to find factory ammo for, and both are super easy to hand load for.
There are so very few absolute winning areas for either cartridge, except when it comes to a true short action, which for many is a non issue .
As far as shots on animals past 400 go, the extra bit of energy the 30/06 delivers can certainly be a factor however.
For "normal" big game hunting distances however, I see no advantage to either cartridge over the other.......
Cat
There are so very few absolute winning areas for either cartridge, except when it comes to a true short action, which for many is a non issue .
As far as shots on animals past 400 go, the extra bit of energy the 30/06 delivers can certainly be a factor however.
For "normal" big game hunting distances however, I see no advantage to either cartridge over the other.......
Cat
"Is the deer dead? Could it have been any deader?" - dan
This is true but what I don't understand is....
a 200-220gr bullet, slightly off target 'cause sh!t happens, hits a shoulder/upper leg bone from a quartering shot and the bone breaks/shatters and animal is down. Maybe not dead but down.
The same fvcked up shot with 130-165gr bullet hits a shoulder/upper leg, glances off and the animal is wounded and keeps on running.
That's my reasoning to prefer the heavy bullet in the '06.
Myself, for deer, I've used 308 Sako hammerhead and it worked well and got the job done. I've also used 9.3x62. This year, in different areas, I'm using a 375 Ruger and a 12ga sabot.
