.308 best hunting cartridge?

Bananatole

Bananatole

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I think so. Only after this year though. I always thought id need more but the .308 did good.

my 180 grain remington factories which me and my friend used this year were exceptional. Black bear died on the spot after i shot it in the heart. The bullet went right through leaving a large exit hole.

The calf my friend shot the bullet went all the way through and ended up in the hide. This was from a 200 yard shot on a larger than average calf. Someone else in my hunting party shot a .308 at a cow moose and boiler housed it and the bullet was in the hide on the other side.

I like the idea of my round stopping inside,

so my question is. Is it better to have the bullet in the outside of the hide or out the other side. I know a dead animal is dead and none of these creatures moved at all after being shot. the calf was alive but couldnt move.

i also love how i can shoot a dear with not too much damage and a moose with the same round. Between me and my partner we never had an animal run more than 30 yards. Every one i shot, dropped on the spot and was dead by the time i approached it.
 
There has been many a campfire arguement and the same here about through penetration.
Two holes equals more bleeding channels.
I think a through shot means unused umph being lost.
And shooting a dear shall git yu'all into a heap of trubble............. :p
 
I have used a .308 for a lot of my hunting, and it worked very well. Other chamberings have worked well too. If you like your .308, it is the best for you! I could do all my big game hunting in western Canada with a .308 and never feel handicapped. But it would be a very poor choice for shooting varmints, would destroy any fur animal shot with it, and does not fit or function is some action types that I enjoy using. I recently bought a .375 H & H that will be my "best" or most versatile choice for a planned African safari. So calling the .308 "best" for hunting is a little too broad IMHO.
 
Bananatole said:
I like the idea of my round stopping inside,so my question is. Is it better to have the bullet in the outside of the hide or out the other side. I know a dead animal is dead and none of these creatures moved at all after being shot. the calf was alive but couldnt move.

i also love how i can shoot a dear with not too much damage and a moose with the same round. Between me and my partner we never had an animal run more than 30 yards. Every one i shot, dropped on the spot and was dead by the time i approached it.
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Then you haven't shot that many animals. Some will run, even with a lot more power than the .308.

There is nothing magical about it; it is not necessarily the "best" by any means; it is a really good one. I don't own one because there are others that are better at some things than the .308 is. I see the .308 as a very good choice for a one gun hunter, because it is such a good general purpose round. I prefer specialized choices for specific situations.

I also prefer two holes over one.
 
I completely disagree with the whole "all the energy is used inside the critter if the bullet doesn't exit" theory. If it had more energy to give, it would poke a hole and exit.
And yes, the .308 is a great cartridge. There really is nothing better....but there is also nothing "better than" the ..30-06, the .280 Rem, the 7X57 or 8X57 or whatever. Just preferences, and tradeoffs between power and recoil.
 
I like them leaking out of both side personally. I bought a 338 Win Mag and am very happy I did. Last year I shot a cow moose at about 70 yards right behind the shoulder (200gr ballistic silver tips) and it ran 20 yards and layed down. I had to put another shot into her to finish her off. The first shot ran right through her. This year I shot a small bull moose with it(210gr Partitions). You can call me careless or whatever, but I hit a 1.5" poplar tree and the bullet was deflected and caught that moose in the neck just behind the head and he dropped like a stone. I got really lucky as I could have just as well hit him in the guts. Luck aside I'm not sure a smaller calibre would have done the same damage when it finnaly conected. Many will say I'm an idiot and should have not make the shot. That may be true, but sometimes things happen and it's a bit of insurance. I've learned my lesson and will be more careful in the future. In the meantime MY frezzer is full thanks in part to gunning up two years ago. My buddy just shot a cow moose this year at 70 yards three times. He was ussing a 7mm with Winchester 175gr power points. He hit her right behind the shoulder twice and she still ran into a lake, swam a ways and drowned. He had to borrow a canoe and paddle out to retreive it. He skinned it out in the dark and said he doesn't figure there were exit holes. Does any of this prove anything?? Not really, but I'm sticking with the 338 just the same.

If I were to shoot a 308 which is a fine moose calibre. I would go with a higher grain and/or better bullet and try to punch through.

George
 
rral22 said:
Then you haven't shot that many animals. Some will run, even with a lot more power than the .308.

There is nothing magical about it; it is not necessarily the "best" by any means; it is a really good one. I don't own one because there are others that are better at some things than the .308 is. I see the .308 as a very good choice for a one gun hunter, because it is such a good general purpose round. I prefer specialized choices for specific situations.

I also prefer two holes over one.
Click to expand...

You are right. I've only killed 2 Blackbears, 3 deer, and 1 moose. Sooner or later they will run but I have had all heart and spine shots so far. I hit where I was aiming. One day there will be a shot I'm uncertain of and I'm know sure if I will take it.
 
If it were only the 308, it would be fine, in the last 20 years all my hunting was done with my 308's and 44 mags, moose ,caribou, deer, bear, elk and within a year or two i should buy 15-20 rifles and i'd bet 10 of them will be 308... JP.
 
I've used .308 lots and I've never found it lacking.

To be honest though, I've never had to make long shots where more power or better trajectory may be needed, and most of my shots always seem to be around 100 yards, whether I'm shooting a .308 or .375 RUM.

As for "the best", well, who can say.

In regards to 30 caliber rifles, I'm finding that which 30 cal you shoot really seems to make no difference on game, as long as your shot placement is good. After 20+ years of observing big game being hit by 30 caliber bullets (among other things) I'm coming to the conclusion that the effects on game of a 30 caliber bullet impacting at 2000 fps, or 3000 fps are indistinguishable, and if you want something "more" than a .308 delivers in terms of terminal performance, you need to go with a bigger bullet, like a .338, or .35 cal. Even then, if you expect your moose to bang-flop upon being shot through the ribs, you will be sorely dissapointed. The only difference that magnums seem to offer IMO is better trajectory, which helps keeping shots on target when ranges are somewhat in question.
 
308 would do any game in canada except those 1000lb+ grizz or bigfoot.
i always carry light cal for open field hunt or big caliber for bush hike for my self.
 
I tend to look at the 308, as a 'inbetweener', because its in between alot more power calibres an alot less calibres..

Proven to take game, year round, day in day out... just do your bit!
 
I prefer the 3006 for a non magnum hunting 30. It just handles heavier bullets better. 110-220gr where as the 308 suffers with bullets greater then 180grs. I prefer heavy for caliber bullets. I also prefer to use a caliber designed for such game as I wish to hunt. 2506 for flat shooting at small to med size game. 4570 for big game in thick cover and the 3006 seems to fill the gap. The 308 is a great round no question about it. But its not the best choice for everything altho it may kill everything its pointless if the animal dies after killing you
 
I'm a 308'er since forever, and am playing with the 7mm-08 and the 260 at the moment, but my gut tells me that I'll be back to the 308 as the all around winner in my hands/mind, when all is said and done.
 
All those rifles siting in the safe after trying to replace the 308, it is mission impossible in my case... JP.
 
Am I the last guy who has survived this long without a 308? I do have other cartridges in the range, just never brought one home.
 
.308 Win, .30-06, .270 Win, .25-06, .280 Rem, 7mm RM, .300 WM, .338 WM, .260 Rem, 7x57, 6.5x55 ect. - they are all excellent cartridges for north american game and no one would be handicaped by using any of these cartridges. Some have minor advantages over others for a given situation, but in reality there is no "best". They are all fine choices. A bullet from any of these cals through the boiler room = dead animal.
 
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