308 vs 30-06

dirtymonroe

dirtymonroe

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I'm thinking of getting my first bolt action rifle for target shooting. I am going with the remington 700 but I know nothing about the difference between 308 and 30-06. How well they perform at a 1000 yards, recoil, price etc... Any other information would bet greatly appreciated, thanks.
 
If its strictly for target shooting, I'd get the 308. Its very efficient on powder and will make a 1000 yards. Curious to hear what the experts have to say.
 
I think you are going to get a lot of mixed answers but personaly i would go for the 308 plus there is more to choose from in 308 rifles compared to 3006 just my 2 cents
 
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308 tends to be a bit easier to load for accuracy.

Recoil is about the same.

The shorter action of a 308 is stiffer.

A single shot is much stiffer and has a fully bedded bottom. With a single shot you can add a 3rd actions screw.
 
I would say .308 for sure. Many, many, many different bullets, tons of proven loads, light recoil, and in a pinch you can buy cheap ammo at Cambodian Tire. With the right load/shooter combo 1000 yards is very doable with very resonable accuracy. Also factory match loads are available if you don't handload. My $0.02.
 
Ganderite said:
308 tends to be a bit easier to load for accuracy.

Recoil is about the same.

The shorter action of a 308 is stiffer.

A single shot is much stiffer and has a fully bedded bottom. With a single shot you can add a 3rd actions screw.
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Im not clear on how a shorter action can be more rigid as both a long and short action bolt will lock up at the front of the action, not putting any due stress on the length of the bolt. ??

I think this 30-06 .308 debate has been around since the introduction of .308
 
From a cartridge stand point, the 308 and '06 do pretty much the same thing until you get to bullets over 200gr. Then the 30'06 offers more horsepower.

Are there any Rem rifles offered today in 30-06 that could be described as target rifles?

Jerry
 
Well I'm not really a hunter, but the 700 seems to have everything I want in a long gun. Fit and finish, caliber... didn't really like the savage arms stuff. Those seemed to be the only choices in that price range. Unless you guys know of something I overlooked?
 
Short of 500 metres I'd be quite happy with a 308. In excess of 500m I want a heavier bullet with more ooomph behind it. However if this is the case and if a .30 cal is the desired bullet di. then you should probably start looking for a hvy barrelled rifle in .300 win mag or one of the short magnums. They you can start loading a 180+ gr bullet to the 3000 fps threshold and reach way out there :)
 
There are few if any factory rifles out there with barrels that are designed for target shooting with a 30-06.

There are two factory target rifles in 308, the Savage FTR and the Savage Palma.

Remington does not make a purpose built target gun in either caliber. too bad.
 
Unless you can find an old Winchester M-70 bull gun, .30/06 target rifles are not going to be that easy to find. You could go the custom route (I would) but one thing will lead to another and the cost can quickly become intimidating without any appreciable ballistic advantage. Getting an off the shelf target rifle is the most economical solution, and that means a .308 in preference to a .30/06 in a new rifle. The Remington 700 enjoys a strong following although in recent years Savage's line of target rifles have made serious inroads into Remington's niche market.
 
Advocates of the 30-06 will say that there isn't anything a .308 can do that a 30-06 can't do better and they may well be correct. However this isn't a discussion of which is the better cartridge, it is a discussion of which would be better for a particular application: target shooting. Given the original question, I'd have to say that the .308 is the better choice - a wider availability of heavy barrel target rifles in .308 and the wealth of information out there re accuracy loads tip the balance. If the stated use was for hunting however I would advocate the 30-06. I have rifles chambered in both calibres and choose based upon what I plan on doing that day.
 
Having shot both rounds I would prefer the 30-06. I consider it more fun round, more robust and satisfying to the shooter.
 
Obtunded said:
There are few if any factory rifles out there with barrels that are designed for target shooting with a 30-06.

There are two factory target rifles in 308, the Savage FTR and the Savage Palma.

Remington does not make a purpose built target gun in either caliber. too bad.
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I would disagree there - Rem 700 XCR Tactical and 5R are factory target rifles and will perform very well for the purpose.

Strictly for target practice, I would get .308 or, even .223. For hunting '06, .300 WM in .30 bullet caliber. I personally prefer 7RM for hunting - narrower bullet tend to be less impacted by wind, but this is me.
 
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