30-06 vs .308??

Just for the record, while I did mention practicing up to 500 yards and feeling confident about making a shot at that range....my preference always has, and always will be to take it as close as possible. If I had my 'druthers' I'd be shooting every animal at 150 to 200 yards.

If the Savage 99 lever action came in 30-06 I'd have been looking for those instead of (or "as well as") .308. I like both, have owned and hunted with both. Having grown up in Saskatchewan, I've used mainly those two and .270 for big game.

I'm not a reloader (yet) and the different bullet weights don't mean squat to me. Sorry guys, but I'm not going to sight a rifle in with 150 grain bullets and then swap to a 180 or 200 to shoot a moose. It changes your aim point too darn much and unless you practice a lot with every size bullet, you're going to make a mistake when it really matters. Me, I'd rather put a 165 grain through a moose's hump and watch him drop in his tracks then change to a 180 in the field and see dirt fly under his belly and watch him run away......

So I've opted for 165 grain leads for hunting. I'll use those for moose, elk, or deer and I won't swap between weights.

My partner uses 150's for deer and 180's for moose/elk with his .300 Savage. Just out of curiosity last year while sighting his (and the one he leant me) in, I shot some 180's after sighting in with 150's. At 200 yards, there's a noticable difference. So personally, I'd recommend against changing bullet weights.

One thing I do know for sure beyond a shadow of a doubt is, a guy cannot go wrong with either calibre for hunting.

So look around, decide what you want and go for it. Get it sighted in and get out to the range as often as you can before hunting season and get to know your firearm.
 
Just my $0.02 cents:

It could be terribly uninformed, but I was in a similar position last year when I was picking my rifle. And if I had to do it again I could only recommend that you don't get caught up in the caliber wars if they're in the same ballpark - ie 30-06 and .308.

I figure their plus and minus over each other make it a wash.

If you're looking to really reach out and touch something big at distance and are not planning to fire 100s of rounds through it for target practice (so you're not overly concerned with you or your rifle getting beat up at the range or price of ammo) in between seasons I would recommend is that you look at something like a 7mm RemMag or something with a little more range. This isn't saying the .30 cals won't do the job - they will. But I believe 500yard fatalities on big game maybe pushing their envelope while something a little bigger is just entering its comfort zone at that range.

I picked .308 because I wanted to shoot my gun weekly for target practice and didn't want the additional recoil, cost of ammo and barrel wear and knew I'd be making all my kills within 300 yards.

When I do it again for a strictly hunting rifle, I will be looking at the bigger rounds.

These are just my personal thoughts and may or may not be accurate.

Moral of the story - in hindsight I don't believe the 30-06 and .308 are different enough to lose sleep over after all is tallied.
 
30 06 has been around for 100 years and popular for that long for a reason. Versatile, accurate, There is published load data for bullets up to 240GR Which would be a good heavy brush load, and then for open country 165Gr gives the old girl a little more velocity = flatter.

my personal experience My 30 06 shoots better than I do Most days. and I'm comfortable to 400 from a good rest .I don't shoot a t things further away cause I don't have to. I walk. bottomline You pick what your comfortable shooting. If you don't like recoil you won't be happy with a gun the kicks the crap out of you and you won't be accurate

I have a several friends who hate recoil and shoot 243 I have seen that calibre skid deer to a stop at 300 yards no problem the key is shot placement I have also seen a 243 tip a moose again shot placement and a quality bullet

remember game animals don't care if your shooting 375 rum or 30 06, 308, 30/30 or 243 But They do care when you hit them so buy something that makes you confident and comfortable and the most important thing.... Accurate!
 
303carbine said:
If you are concerned about 3 ounces more weight on your rifle, then it's time to bake cookies and stay out of the bush.
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If someone wants to throw his money at shaving 3 ounces off his rifle, I don't mind. I still lug my Enfield No.4 with all the wood on it as issued and a full magazine, which is eight more rounds than I expect to use. And I bake my own cookies to take hunting with me. :)
 
my saddle gun has always been a savage 99c in 308- it's been in the scabbard since 1972 or so and i've spent a lot of time eastern slopes rockies- and it's always loaded 308/180-
 
sogetthis said:
Yes, it does. It says that hunting humans is a little different than hunting animals. :rolleyes:
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I agree 100%. It always irks me when people start comparing sniper weapons with hunting rifles. Two totally different activities, means different tools & methods. Just because a .300 WSM is not listed, doesn't mean it is not a good hunting rifle.

Getting back to the real topic :D, IMHO the .30-06 would be the better choice.

1) Better selection of factory ammo.
2) Better availability of ammo.
3) Ability to utilize heavier bullets.
4) More selection of rifles chambered in .30-06. (debatable I know).
 
I'd give the nod to the 30-06 personally (because they kill moose much deader than 308's, which only kill them regular dead :D ) BUT - to play devil's advocate...

Just like modern powders allow you to upgun the 30-06, modern bullets allow you to upgun the 308 beyond it's original lethality too. Consider for example that a 165 - 168 grain triple shock bullet will hit and penetrate as well as most 180 grain 'old school' bullets used to. Or that a 150 grain will hit as hard as a 165 'old school' bullet.

Which means shooting factory 165 grain tsx rounds at 2700 fps, you still have plenty of moose-crushing horsepower (about 1500 ftlbs, more than plenty for moose) out past 400 yards, and you only have just over a 21 inch drop at that range. So you're probably not even holding over - just resting the crosshairs on the top of the hump.

That's pretty much old school 30-06 performance similar to factory 180 grain loads, and no fancy powders used. Hornady does make a light magnum for the 308 if you really want the extra range.

So really - how much harder and farther do you need to hit?

I shoot 168 grain tsx's out of my 30-06 at only 150 fps faster ... that's just not much of a difference till you start getting to 450 plus yards. And seriously - at that point it's just easier to practice your calling than it is to practice your shooting :)
 
for me , back then it boiled down to whether or not i was RIGHT HANDED- if you're a righty , then the WHOLE FIELD was open to you- being left. however, left you with few choices- now the field is even- but the 308 has proven to be a REALLY good friend esp in the savage 99c
 
Well, the 30-06 has been doing it for over 100 years. Probably the most common round out there. A gun collection is just not the same without at least one 30-06;)


Flip a coin, let us know which one you get.
 
Excellent points above. One important question: do you handload?
For example, I've got a hunting load with my .30-06 that uses a heavy charge of Vihtavuori N560 to push a Barnes 168-grain TSX out around 3,000 fps.
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I'm going to add my 0.02 to the argument in favour of the 30.06. It's able to push a larger bullet out further and faster, which would come into play for moose.... but I would hesitate to use out to 500 yards like you've indicated, and g to a 300 Win Mag like many others have recommended.
My hunting load for the ought-six is 59 grains of Hodgdon H4350, CCI #250 magnum primer, and a 180gr. Hornady BTSP, and it's been chrony'd at 2860 fps... more than enough medicine for moose.
 
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