.308 win.. The forgotten hunting calibre??

Probably the reason nobody talks about it is that it has already established its credentials quite adequatly and spun off a bunch of very adequate cals to boot. Needs no support or defense. Now them there magnums-well everybody seems to feel the need to support them. My Savage 99c 308 is my fave gun and my Ruger 77 30-06 is along just in case. They are not ever in the sell pile.
Goes down to 100gr and up to 220 if I want to load. FYI 30cal is by far the best selection of boolits to stuff a case if you reload. The list of candidates is absolutely mind boggling.
 
I haven't forgotten the .308Winchester, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I still haven't finished the .303British.
 
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The reality is that pretty much everyting you need could be done with one of the garden variety, vanilla flavoured .270/30-06/308/6.5x55 and many others like them with a wood stocked 30 yr old mauser action of your choice with a $200 scope(or less).
But you will never ever read that in a magazine, and I will never ever admit that to my wife.
 
Both my father and i use 308's for moose, deer, bear, caribou and anything else we can get in our sights. i'm going to be getting rid of my'n pretty soon though......why!?!?! you may ask. we'll see i wasn't that smart when choosing the particular gun that i bought. i ended up buying a cheapy remington 770 and i really dislike it. the metal is cheap and i guess when it's fired the metal expands and for some reason the bolt doesn't want to slide back. and when it does, you have to pull on it very hard making the bolt slide out of the gun altogether because the bolt locking mechanism always moves after every shot. anyway enough with my rant about my piece of crap. i just hope none of you were as cheap/stupid as i was. i'll be lucky to get 200$ for it and thats only if i tricked someone into buying it. maybe i'll donate it to the local opp so they can melt it down or something. god knows it would be better if it were made into tire rims or something. later
 
I've used 308 for a couple years now. Happy with it.

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i have a remington model 760 pump in .308, with an 18" barrel. It has william's peeps on it and is a very quick handling rifle. I found it to be awsome for dogging through heavy cover. It has also reliably killed everything from groundhogs to moose. My 12 year old son plans on using it this spring on a grizzly hunt( pending leh draw). Although there will be a magnum handy as a back up i am confident the 08 will suffice just fine!
 
stefK said:
I have been noticing a mass exodus to the Magnum corral. Doe anyone still use the .308 win for hunting anymore? It seems as of late that the only time the .308 comes up it is strictly for target long range, tactical, enforcement, etc.. I can remember my Grandfather's Savage Model 99 .308 hanging up on his gunrack in the house. Its the only calibre he swore by. Harvested everything from whitetail to Moose. Anyone else with thoughts on the .308?
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40-50 years ago it went like this:

"I have been noticing a mass exodus to the 308 corral. Does anyone still use the .30/30 win for hunting anymore? It seems as of late that the only time the .30/30 comes up it is strictly the old experienced hunters. I can remember my Grandfather's Winchester 1894 in 30/30 hanging up on his gunrack in the house. Its the only calibre he swore by. Harvested everything from whitetail to Moose. Anyone else with thoughts on the 30/30?"

This was followed by the 30/30 snobs joking that deer must be tougher, about young fools falling for the marketing, and about rich city boys bragging about their new faster cartridge, but not getting the deer.

:rolleyes:
 
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1 ozzy said:
i have a remington model 760 pump in .308, with an 18" barrel. It has william's peeps on it and is a very quick handling rifle. I found it to be awsome for dogging through heavy cover. It has also reliably killed everything from groundhogs to moose. My 12 year old son plans on using it this spring on a grizzly hunt( pending leh draw). Although there will be a magnum handy as a back up i am confident the 08 will suffice just fine!
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Welcome to CGN.

A carbine 760 in .308. You have discerning taste in firearms. :)
 
stefK said:
I have been noticing a mass exodus to the Magnum corral. Doe anyone still use the .308 win for hunting anymore? It seems as of late that the only time the .308 comes up it is strictly for target long range, tactical, enforcement, etc.. I can remember my Grandfather's Savage Model 99 .308 hanging up on his gunrack in the house. Its the only calibre he swore by. Harvested everything from whitetail to Moose. Anyone else with thoughts on the .308?
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It's strictly a marketing/sales driven exodus created in order to increase sales. 308 Winchester will do anything you want from it, if you can do your part. Your Grandfather was right.
 
Excellent Long range, Yes, it may not be as "FLAT" and "FAST" . I have both mags and my .308. my mags are cabinet queens. My long range .308 is the best all around rifle a guy could want.It has taken many animals. I believe newer shooters should be using something besides a mag. It will increase there ability to get used to bullet drop, deflection etc. In terms making them more effecient shooters. :) But hey .. that just my 2cents.
 
Totaly marketing

Major Commander said:
It's strictly a marketing/sales driven exodus created in order to increase sales. 308 Winchester will do anything you want from it, if you can do your part. Your Grandfather was right.
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I couldn't agree more. And the Media, (the shooting magazines - all of them) are complicit with arms manufacturers. Think of it this way, how long would say a Remington stay in business if they made the same rifle/calibre, knowing that consumers/hunters/shooters want the latest and greatest gadget calibre all the time (We are in an insecure bunch). It's no coincidence that when ever a writer contributes an article of a firearm, there is an ad of that firearm right beside that article.
.308 is a great calibre for hunting and just in case you forgot to pack ammo, you can get it everywhere up north. I doubt it can be said for the newer magnum cartridges. Mind you, I use a 30.06 and can't understand why these kids like using that new fangled .308. :):)
 
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