.308 best hunting cartridge?

[martinbns]

I think the 308 Family of cartridges are excellent deer rounds. I've dumped a few truck loads of deer with a 308, 2x 260 remingtons, a swede(260 twin) and a 243. I think the 243 needs a good bullet, the others all work great on deer with standard cup and core bullets, deer are very easy to kill.

On animals bigger, say a moose or an elk, I think they are marginal. I hunt those animals with premium bullets only, generally TSX bullets of moderate weight for calibre, I think the beauty of those bullets is I can drive them harder, they will penetrate well and almost always exit.

The 308 doesn't have the velocity required for this way of thinking.

 

[BallCoeff.945]

IMHO the .308 cartridge is just OK for hunting medium deer and black bear to 150 yards, or maybe people in military settings to 250, but so are lots of other medium cart's.

The well-known general shortcomings are a relatively curved trajectory, significant wind drift, and lack of terminal energy at greater distances on larger animals. For all-round use on everything that I hunt up to my personal distance limit I use a heavier faster bullet from an appropriate cartridge. And from a rifle built well enough for great precision and heavy enough for lots of long-distance practice. I've also had to use that as a short-distance (30 yard) stopping cartridge on a charging whitetail buck and on a bull elk.

The best solution is to use 4 or 5 very different cartridges with appropriate rifles, to match the game and situation/range. From rabbits/gophers to smaller predators to farmland deer to heavy-cover moose/bear to long-range mountain elk/moose. Each application should have an optimized combination of bullet, cartridge and rifle. Can't see one where the 308 cartridge would be better than a .270, or .300WM, or 45-70, or 6BR, or 7mm-06 (280rem) or 338LM in an appropriate situation for any one of those alternatives.

 

[blasted_saber]

IMHO the .308 cartridge is just OK for hunting medium deer and black bear to 150 yards, or maybe people in military settings to 250, but so are lots of other medium cart's.

The well-known general shortcomings are a relatively curved trajectory, significant wind drift, and lack of terminal energy at greater distances on larger animals. For all-round use on everything that I hunt up to my personal distance limit I use a heavier faster bullet from an appropriate cartridge. And from a rifle built well enough for great precision and heavy enough for lots of long-distance practice. I've also had to use that as a short-distance (30 yard) stopping cartridge on a charging whitetail buck and on a bull elk.

The best solution is to use 4 or 5 very different cartridges with appropriate rifles, to match the game and situation/range. From rabbits/gophers to smaller predators to farmland deer to heavy-cover moose/bear to long-range mountain elk/moose. Each application should have an optimized combination of bullet, cartridge and rifle. Can't see one where the 308 cartridge would be better than a .270, or .300WM, or 45-70, or 6BR, or 7mm-06 (280rem) or 338LM in an appropriate situation for any one of those alternatives.

This HAS to be a troll post. 308 is "just OK" on medium game out to 150 yards.

lol. First it was the 3030 that stopped killing animals. Then all our old 303s inexplicably stopped killing to. Now the 308s on the way out. Ten years from now will a 300 win mag barely be suitable for a gopher at 18 feet?

 

[caramel]

The 308 is the reigning king since its birth, in 50 years it will still be one of the best if not the best, it is the perfect balanced round, and let not forget IT WAS THE FIRST SHORT MAGNUM... JP.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

My personal preference is for an exit wound, but the 308 has performed flawlessly for me. For moose, deer, and black bear it just plain works.

 

[Huntsman]

The 308 is the reigning king since its birth, in 50 years it will still be one of the best if not the best, it is the perfect balanced round, and let not forget IT WAS THE FIRST SHORT MAGNUM... JP.

I thought the .300 Savage was the 1st short mag?

Other than that, I truly admire the .308 ctg. I was introduced to by my father as it was his moose caliber of choice in the Win 88. This rifle is now mine to keep it company I picked up a model 100 which will accompany me next week north of Parry Sound. What a great versatile ctg the .308 is. It sure as hell aint dead...yet and it will continue to kill game for many more yrs to come.

 

[jaycee]

"Best" is a very subjective topic - I would agree that the 308 is one of the best deer rounds in exhistance, but you could pretty much say that about any of the rounds based on the 308 case.

Will the 308 work on either smaller or larger game as well? Sure, but there are "better" choices out there on either end of the spectrum.

I'm also in the "prefer and exit" camp. If a bullet stays inside on a broadside shot, it likely won't penetrate enough on a raking shot, especially from the rear.

 

[archie_james_c]

The only way you could make a 308 anything but 'good' is to neck the suck outta it and bump down to .284, .264 or .243...

 

[Bookworm]

Well lets see --- I have shot everything from Rabbits on up to Grizzly Bear with a 308. Seems to work real well for me. I know a friend of mine once shot a Elephant with a FNFAL (1 shot behind the ear), so it is just possible that it might work on a deer, moose, elk or black bear. Is it the ultimate big game cartridge ???? I don't know but it will work as long as you put the bullet in the right place.

IMHO the .308 cartridge is just OK for hunting medium deer and black bear to 150 yards, or maybe people in military settings to 250, but so are lots of other medium cart's.
Excuse me but I have seen 308's reach out to 1000 yards with enough punch to drop a man.

Sounds to me that the animals are getting so much stronger that we will need a Barret 50 soon to shoot gophers.

 

[sobo4303]

:stfun00

IMHO the .308 cartridge is just OK for hunting medium deer and black bear to 150 yards, or maybe people in military settings to 250, but so are lots of other medium cart's.

:stfun00

What internet goof told you that...or which rag did you read to pull THAT one out of? While I prefer a 30-06 due to it's SLIGHTLY greater velocity (and the fact that I got ample supplies of brass) since I acquired my 308's I rank them as almost equal. I have no qualms of smoking a moose at 300 or so yards with either of them - cause they are going to go down. Next time...do us all a favour and write about what you actually know rather than what you read in facebook or something. s

 

[bb07]

IMHO the .308 cartridge is just OK for hunting medium deer and black bear to 150 yards, or maybe people in military settings to 250, but so are lots of other medium cart's.

This HAS to be a troll post. 308 is "just OK" on medium game out to 150 yards.
lol. First it was the 3030 that stopped killing animals. Then all our old 303s inexplicably stopped killing to. Now the 308s on the way out. Ten years from now will a 300 win mag barely be suitable for a gopher at 18 feet?

Agreed. How did us old guys ever manage with these old obsolete calibers, generally regarded as unfit, (by some people), for anything bigger than a jackrabbit.

 

[RememberTheSomme]

The only way you could make a 308 anything but 'good' is to neck the suck outta it and bump down to .284, .264 or .243...

Archie trying to pull the chain on this one. The .308Win is all about a perfect balance. Short light fast handling carbines with a chamber area stamped .308Winchester are a reliable combination. While the 7mm-08 will do 99.79% of what a .308 can do, the .308s just be doing it all for 60 years and no improvements neccesary. Start hitting .264" , and you've created a more specialized offering with limitations, hit .243" in the parent case and you have a superb dual purpose super varmint-predator/medium White tail round. It's lost all it's versatility now,....sorry.

The .308 will not fade Archie in my life time or yours. The ballistics and case are such a balance, hard to replace because most of us can't hit reliably past 200 yards. It's like a well made adjustable wrench in your tool box, they'll bring out gear ratcheting, six sided, blah blah blah, but we always go for the old reliable adjustable. If you were only allowed to take one wrench to the surface of the Moon with you, in case your LEM bkoke, it would be an adjustable. If I could only have one cartridge here on Terra Firma, it would have to be an Adjustable, a .308Win!!!!! From corrosive eastern bloc milsurp to the most exotic 50dollars a box premium rolled fodder, no cartridge offers so much variety versatility and flexibility, None I'd say!

 

[kamlooky]

Archie trying to pull the chain on this one. The .308Win is all about a perfect balance. Short light fast handling carbines with a chamber area stamped .308Winchester are a reliable combination. While the 7mm-08 will do 99.79% of what a .308 can do, the .308s just be doing it all for 60 years and no improvements neccesary. Start hitting .264" , and you've created a more specialized offering with limitations, hit .243" in the parent case and you have a superb dual purpose super varmint-predator/medium White tail round. It's lost all it's versatility now,....sorry.

The .308 will not fade Archie in my life time or yours. The ballistics and case are such a balance, hard to replace because most of us can't hit reliably past 200 yards. It's like a well made adjustable wrench in your tool box, they'll bring out gear ratcheting, six sided, blah blah blah, but we always go for the old reliable adjustable. If you were only allowed to take one wrench to the surface of the Moon with you, in case your LEM bkoke, it would be an adjustable. If I could only have one cartridge here on Terra Firma, it would have to be an Adjustable, a .308Win!!!!! From corrosive eastern bloc milsurp to the most exotic 50dollars a box premium rolled fodder, no cartridge offers so much variety versatility and flexibility, None I'd say!

Well AJ, this here chap just read a biblical prayer to you.
Pretty hard to argue the logic in his offering.
Funny thing is, I do agree with him.
So much so, there is a 308win, 358win and the 308 Norma Mag here too.
Too bad they didn't call it the 308 Winchester Mag.
There would be none of this other nonsense to praise about.

 

[two-dogs]

Archie trying to pull the chain on this one. The .308Win is all about a perfect balance. Short light fast handling carbines with a chamber area stamped .308Winchester are a reliable combination. While the 7mm-08 will do 99.79% of what a .308 can do, the .308s just be doing it all for 60 years and no improvements neccesary. Start hitting .264" , and you've created a more specialized offering with limitations, hit .243" in the parent case and you have a superb dual purpose super varmint-predator/medium White tail round. It's lost all it's versatility now,....sorry.

The .308 will not fade Archie in my life time or yours. The ballistics and case are such a balance, hard to replace because most of us can't hit reliably past 200 yards. It's like a well made adjustable wrench in your tool box, they'll bring out gear ratcheting, six sided, blah blah blah, but we always go for the old reliable adjustable. If you were only allowed to take one wrench to the surface of the Moon with you, in case your LEM bkoke, it would be an adjustable. If I could only have one cartridge here on Terra Firma, it would have to be an Adjustable, a .308Win!!!!! From corrosive eastern bloc milsurp to the most exotic 50dollars a box premium rolled fodder, no cartridge offers so much variety versatility and flexibility, None I'd say!

2 thumbs up Man! I like what you say!

 

[caramel]

Archie trying to pull the chain on this one. The .308Win is all about a perfect balance. Short light fast handling carbines with a chamber area stamped .308Winchester are a reliable combination. While the 7mm-08 will do 99.79% of what a .308 can do, the .308s just be doing it all for 60 years and no improvements neccesary. Start hitting .264" , and you've created a more specialized offering with limitations, hit .243" in the parent case and you have a superb dual purpose super varmint-predator/medium White tail round. It's lost all it's versatility now,....sorry.

The .308 will not fade Archie in my life time or yours. The ballistics and case are such a balance, hard to replace because most of us can't hit reliably past 200 yards. It's like a well made adjustable wrench in your tool box, they'll bring out gear ratcheting, six sided, blah blah blah, but we always go for the old reliable adjustable. If you were only allowed to take one wrench to the surface of the Moon with you, in case your LEM bkoke, it would be an adjustable. If I could only have one cartridge here on Terra Firma, it would have to be an Adjustable, a .308Win!!!!! From corrosive eastern bloc milsurp to the most exotic 50dollars a box premium rolled fodder, no cartridge offers so much variety versatility and flexibility, None I'd say!

Sir, you just stated a fact of life and reading it made me proud and i repeat, if the 308 was not here, i may not be in the shooting sport... Thanks. JP.

 

[archie_james_c]

Guys, guys, guys. From my first post in this thread I never claimed the 308 was useless. You guys just heard that for some reason. I simply said there were a lot better tools to do most any of the jobs we need done.

Sub 300 yard brush thumper? Pass the 350 Rem Mag/.35 Whelan...

0-500 yard gong smasher? I'll take a fast twist 223.

0-1000 yard bone breaker and ballistic missile? 7 mag....obviously.

0-1000 gong and deer killer? 7-08 or 260 please.

Again....so you guys heard it right...."The .308 is OK at most things but far from the best, at anything....".

 

[Cleftwynd]

Why did I just read this thread? I knew by the title it was another "my daddy can beat up your daddy!" thread... I have to stop looking at these, lol

 

[Dogleg]

"my daddy can beat up your daddy!"

Oh yeah? What would something like that cost me?

 

[two-dogs]

Guys, guys, guys. From my first post in this thread I never claimed the 308 was useless. You guys just heard that for some reason. I simply said there were a lot better tools to do most any of the jobs we need done.

Sub 300 yard brush thumper? Pass the 350 Rem Mag/.35 Whelan...

0-500 yard gong smasher? I'll take a fast twist 223.

0-1000 yard bone breaker and ballistic missile? 7 mag....obviously.

0-1000 gong and deer killer? 7-08 or 260 please.
Again....so you guys heard it right...."The .308 is OK at most things but far from the best, at anything....".

I do like that, Arch!

 

[two-dogs]

Oh yeah? What would something like that cost me?

If I quoted you a price, I'd likely get painted pink and banned! . And your neighbour Shawn would be all over me with is hammer , apparentally he doesn't condone the stronger methods!