30-06 vs .308??

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Sorry, I gotta do it to make an educated choice for my next gun. I am looking for a round to shoot deer at longer ranges, moose at all ranges, elk at all ranges and bear at all ranges. This will be in a bolt action model rifle if that makes any difference. I allready have a Winnie 30-30 for short shots on deer in the bush, so this will be my rifle for big Canadian game at all distances and deer at long distance.

What round out of the two would you choose for this purpose? Is one more accurate than the other at ranges out to 500yrds? I will be doing some target shooting and paper punching with it aswell. Is the 30-06 worth the extra kick to get the faster fps and more ft/lbs on animals?? I just wanna know if these two rounds are so simular how does one make a decision and live with it? Thanks
 
Assuming the rifle and shooter are equal, both cartridges will serve well for all your stated purposes. The .308 is flexible enough, and the .30-06 is a bit more flexible because it will allow you to choose some heavier bullets that the .308 doesn't offer. A rifle for a .308 can be made with a short action, which means if the maker does it right, the rifle can be a bit lighter than the same model in .30-06 (but whether it's enough lighter to make a difference is a subjective difference for you to judge) and the action can be made stiffer than the same model in .30-06, which can lead to the .308 being slightly more accurate. This theoretically possible improvement in potential accuracy may be so slight as to be immeasurable when you shoot it.

Choose which slight advantage you think is more likely to be applicable to your use. You aren't going to go wrong here, the options are right vs. even more right.
 
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They are both very similar with light and medium sized bullets. With the heavy bullets the '06 starts to pull away.

With the type of hunting you describe I would go for the '06.
 
The .30-06 was designed in 1903. The .308 was designed almost 50 years later to use modern propellents to give the same performance as the .30-06 in a shorter round, using 150grain bullets. That was the design goal.

For that reason, the .308 and .30-06 should be considered ballistic twins. Though, as others have said, the difference opens up with heavier bullets.
 
I am going with the .30-06 myself this season for deer and moose. Just purchased a SAFN 49. I like to hunt with mil-surps, and decided to upgrade from the bolt action .303 (don't know how it compares to a .308). These are the only two calibers I have hunted with, .303 and .30-06. I used a bolt action Colt .30-06 on one of my deer last year and was very impressed. I still love the old Enfield, and will continue to hunt with it, but when my choice came for a semi-auto, I knew I wanted it to be a bigger punching caliber than the .308.
 
Either will do the job. My preference is .308.

One other advantage to a short action that hasn't been mentioned yet is that it gives you a bit more flexibility in scope mounting and choice of scopes, at least without having to revert to extension (cantilevered) rings.
 
You might almost think more about 300 win mag if you really want to reach out and touch stuff at 500.
Barring that I would go 30-06 just because of the added flexibility in ammo.
 
For 500 yard shots on game bigger than deer I wouldn't use either one, I would move up to the 300 win mag.

I've shot both calibres alot and the longest shot I would take on either one with a dead rest at a live animal is about 350 yards, the 300 adds about 75 yards for me.
 
some good insight here and much is formed from personal knowledge. that being said if you are taking game out to and beyond 500 yards whether it be .308 30-06 300wm you best have mad skills for a humane kill. bullet placement will be the biggest deciding factor for longer range shooting and ballistics mean little if your skill is wanting.
 
For big game hunting beyond 300 yards I would chose neither round, but go with the 300 Win Mag. It is a very flat-shooting calibre at great distances and packs the necessary punch for everything out there. The 30-06 beats the 308 at greater distances with heavier bullets. I have a 308 as well for short range hunting (less than 300yds). I use it only for deer hunting when I am too lazy to carry my big 300 up the mountain. Still, for me the 300 is the best all-rounder.
 
You pretty well got a rundown on them. About the shorter action for the 308, so often hailed as an advantage, is often a bit of a fraud. A manufacturer of bolt rifles in several calibres, up to 30-06 length, will use the same action for all calibres. Thus, the 308 action is just as long as the 30-06, only it has a block in it to shorten it! Same weight and overall length.
I prefer the 30-06 for easier reloading and greater flexibility in bullet weights, plus at least 100 feet per second better velocity, with a 180 grain bullet. 220 grain bullets work great in a 30-06, but are unusable in a 308.
 
Excellent points above. One important question: do you handload?

As much as I love my .308s (I shoot more .308s each year than all others combined because I'm a competitive shooter), I'd have to say that the .30-06 runs away if you use modern handloading components.

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. That's edging mighty close to .300 magnum territory, and my rifle loves the load. There's no way you could load to this level in a .308.

As stated above, the reason for this difference is that the .308 is a much more modern design. Therefore, it's already loaded up to its maximum potential in factory ammo. The .30-06, on the other hand, is loaded by the factories so that it is safe to work in old 100-year-old military rifles and Garands. However, once you stuff that long .30-06 case full of modern, double-base magnum powders like Reloder 22 and N560, and use 165-grain or heavier bullets, the .30-06 really takes off, and in a good rifle, it can be accurate enough for serious target use, though, statistically, the .308 is a little more inherently accurate.

Personally, for long-range hunting, I've got a Sako .300 Winchester Magnum topped with a 3.5-10x scope with a mildot reticle, and my handload sends a 180-grain Nosler Accubond at 3,050. I also carry a laser rangefinder and I'm an experienced long-range competitive shooter. Nobody would disagree that this combination is superior to any .308 or .30-06 past 300 yards... but I've never had to shoot that far yet.

If you're really serious about doing this kind of shooting, and you have the skill and experience to do it (only you can say this honestly), then I'd say go with a .300 Magnum. However, using a magnum creates a whole host of other issues, not the least of which is increased recoil, which really makes accurate shooting a question of focus and mind over matter (because recoil effects are cumulative, like lifting a dumbell -- the more reps you do in one session, the more your technique starts to fall apart as fatigue sets in).

At the end of the day, the .30-06 really is the choice to beat, especially if you handload. If you don't handload, then it's a toss-up because in factory loads, the .308 and '06 are pretty similarly matched. However, the .300 Winchester Magnum (or WSM) is head and shoulders above both of these -- as long as you don't mind the recoil, blast, cost, shorter barrel life, and increased barrel heating (which means longer waits between shots in a hunting weight rifle).
 
If your heart is stuck on the two calibres I would take the 06 no question about it, with the offerings on the market such as hornady 'light mag' you can now mimic the 300 win mag out to 3500 ft lbs

I have travelled through the Yukon, NWT, Northern BC and every nickle and dime 'hunting shop' or grocery store carries .22-12 gauge-303 british and you got it 30-06
 
If your reloading it really doesn't matter, because .308 Win and .30-06 use the exact same projectile! Build the round to your particular rifle. Novel thought.
 
Everyone raises good points for the 30-06. The only thing that I can add is that the 308 offers slightly more flexibility in that you can shoot it out of a Savage 99, so if you ever thought of a lever, 308 would have advantages. Having said that in a bolt, go for a 30-06 Brno. You'll love it.
 
Many years ago I was trying to choose a caliber for my "all around" rifle. I went with 30-06. I am happy I went with it and have never missed not having a 308. What I did miss was having a "flatter shooting" caliber, so I eventually added a 270 to the collection.

I did not ever believe my choice for an all around caliber would perform like what you are asking for.

I am looking for a round to shoot deer at longer ranges, moose at all ranges, elk at all ranges and bear at all ranges.
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For what you are asking you likely need a 300 magnum or equivalent. The problem is you will suffer the recoil for many years and not likely take many shots at game from that long range.

Consider using a 30-06 for your close range bush shots instead of your 30-30. Then consider it adequate on deer to 250 yards or meters, and barely adequate on moose and big bear from point blank to 150, maybe 200. This all around rifle would suffice for 95% of your hunting.

I don't hunt enough moose or big bear to need a 300 magnum. If those animals are not close to me, I will not fire with a 30-06. I understand I am limited to what I can do. If I wanted an "everything rifle" I would have to accept "magnum recoil" which I find uncomfortable. If I had more money I would have a magnum and just use it for large animal hunting at any range I can shoot, (not likely to exceed 300 yards).

Personally, I consider a 30-30 or a 44 magnum as "point blank" cartridges. I have several of both but only use them more or less defensively. You could be walking along in the bush and end up between a mother bear and her cubs. There could be a hungry wounded cranky bear around. Hungry or rabid wolves, a screwed up cougar, things like that. Personally, I spend a lot more time looking around and exploring in the bush, than I do actually hunting things. I am more interested in protecting myself or my kids, than adding more game meat to the freezer.
 
I've used both calibres and have to say, they are my preferred for hunting.

I recently got into Savage 99 lever actions (last year) and since they didn't come in 30-06 but do in .308, I had no choice between the two and had to opt for .308. I've purchased two this last year. These will be my main hunting rifles as I totally love the action and the calibre is right for everything I'll be hunting........which is; mule/white tail deer, moose, elk. I have no concerns or worries about a .308 killing any of the aforementioned animals. If a .300 Savage can kill all of them (and we killed all but elk last year and my partner and his father have killed elk with a .300 in the past) then I have no doubt a .308 will too.

Where I'm hunting there is a lot of bush, but also a lot of open fields. I made kills last year at 225 yards and 350 with a .300 Savage lever action. I opted for the .308 because it has better ballistics than a .300. I know I will be hunting at ranges up to 500+ yards and after spending all summer shooting paper at ranges of up to 500 yards, I feel quite confident in making a kill at that distance with a .308. Under similar circumstances, I'd feel the same way with a 30-06 (ie: practice practice practice).

I'd heard that the preferred calibre for US Army snipers was .308 prior to the big .50 sniper rifles being manufactured. I just did a quick check online (googled "us army sniper rifles") and looked over a handful of different sniper rifles on this link:
http://www.snipercentral.com/rifles.htm

The majority I looked at were .308 with a handful of 30-06 and a some smaller calibres. That kind of speaks for itself about the range/accuracy of said calibres, doesn't it..........

I didn't see any 300 win mags on the list so I guess that tells you what professional shooters think of that calibre (sorry guys, just had to say it........LOL) :p
 
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H4831 said:
Y About the shorter action for the 308, so often hailed as an advantage, is often a bit of a fraud. A manufacturer of bolt rifles in several calibres, up to 30-06 length, will use the same action for all calibres. Thus, the 308 action is just as long as the 30-06, only it has a block in it to shorten it! Same weight and overall length.
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I suppose some may and more used to but current Ruger, Remington, Savage and late Win 70 rifles in .308 are all true short actions.
 
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