.308 best hunting cartridge?

gtrussell said:
Expected.
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Im well aware, that common sense is completely germane to you 'Russ.

Cartridges coupled with a gun, kill. Small carts, mid-sized carts, and big carts. They kill tiny critters, big ones, and stuff in between, they even hit things that cant be killed (targets)...its not a shocking discovery. Some cartridges however, excel in different aspects of the game. And to slum a cartridge that does nothing well, is pointless. Dont get me wrong I'll never talk a man outta' buying his ass a gun. But we live in a day and age were we can have our cake and eat it too.
 
I have used the 180 grain Winchester Silvertips out of a .308 and have found them to work very well. Perfect mushrooms and great penetration. Hammers elk and moose. Doesn't break the bank either.
 
I don't think a 308 is best....sorry to say to the 308 lovers.....I think its a great cartridge for deer, black bear, and moose at normal hunting ranges. If strictly a "jack of all trades" hunting rifle is needed, then I feel a 30/06 is the better choice, because the wider range/variety of ammunition available, and especially because 220 gr ammo is available. I also think that a 300 win mag is best over all 3, if you hunt only moose, or hunt at places that long range shots are possible. 300 mag is the best also if you reload, because you can duplicate a 308, or make ammunition that is much more powerful, for long range shooting.

btw, I have a 308 & love it, but I don't consider it my "go to" deer, moose or bear rifle. My 300 win mag is my big game rifle, because I reload.

If the question was asked, what is the best big game hunting rifle, that is also good for target shooting, then I would say a 308.
 
My 308 is my top power rifle for all my hunting, i dont hunt big bear and when i went elk and bison hunting in the state a Winchester quality round of 180 gr was doing a great job, now for Africa i am slowly taming my 416 Rigby....Ouch...Ouch and Ouch... JP.
 
Handloading increases the versatility of all centerfire cartridges. Thus an argument might be made that the cartridge with the largest case capacity is then the most versatile, as any can be made lesser but none can be made greater. That is until one considers that the .30-378 cannot be squeezed into the same sized package as a .308 chambered rifle, and if attempted the short barrel velocities will look more like a .30/06, which isn't bad, but its not what the cartridge was envisioned as doing.

The advantages of the .308 cannot be fully realized without taking the rifle into account. The .308, and the similar .300 Savage were conceived as being short .30/06s, capable of performing in short rifles with short barrels. On medium sized game, which is where a .308 shines, a high BC bullet of 150 grs driven to a velocity of 2700 fps, (or a 130 gr TTSX at 2900) shoots flat out as far as the average hunter has any business shooting at live targets, before hold over becomes necessary. A talented marksman can take that a bit farther should the need arise. But the .308 in a small, light, and short rifle is a better tool for those who hunt in heavy cover, where a long rifle is a problem to point a swing on target without getting tangled up in tree branches or willow limbs. Yet the cartridge is quite capable of stretching its legs should there be an opportunity for a longer shot along a power line or lake shore. Thus the .308 encroaches on the long range ground of the big case .30s, but conversely a small rifle has advantages in the field over long heavy ones, making it more versatile.
 
saskcop said:
I have used the 180 grain Winchester Silvertips out of a .308 and have found them to work very well. Perfect mushrooms and great penetration. Hammers elk and moose. Doesn't break the bank either.
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my youngest son loves those, he uses them in his stainless/walnut M77 270 (what a fine combo that is) and he is gonna try them in his new X-Bolt 7mm-08. I mostly use Hornady in my 308, but I think I shall give those Silvertips a shot!
 
thats what i was thinking. my rifle is short and light, to me at least. i barely notice the thing. So the only advantage of two holes is tracking? I have never tracked an animal yet since they just died where they stood. I have been lucky though and didnt have to rush any shots and only took one shot unsupported. About 175 yards right in the heart. Sooner or later i will have to follow an animal into the bush and 2 holes definitely seems to be an advantage.
 
Bananatole said:
thats what i was thinking. my rifle is short and light, to me at least. i barely notice the thing. So the only advantage of two holes is tracking? I have never tracked an animal yet since they just died where they stood. I have been lucky though and didnt have to rush any shots and only took one shot unsupported. About 175 yards right in the heart. Sooner or later i will have to follow an animal into the bush and 2 holes definitely seems to be an advantage.
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the 175 yrds is from the downed game, back to the truck!
 
Ive heard nothing but good things about the .308. Just picked up a mint Remington 788 this summer in .308. This gun shoots amazingly and coupled with the power of the .308, I feel I could take anything that I may encounter in my neck of the woods. Id prefer the punch of a 300 WM if I was going for big adult moose though, but with the right shot even a .308 would suffice.
 
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Its Archie_James_C. No CJ in my name. .308s are OK. But theres a lot of stuff that does a lot of things...a lot better.
 
Bananatole said:
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.
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I always answer this question with another question. How is your 30 cal 180gr bullet any better than another cartridges 30 cal 180gr bullet traveling at the same speed?

If your .308 makes you horny and happy all over then you should stick with it, but just because you got snail marks on the front of your t-shirt, you really don't qualify to make an argument.
 
archie_james_c said:
.308 Improved :D
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ya I hear ya Arch, improved to a purdy rainbow trajectory, very colorfull indeed, and to a snot runny nosed ass kicked nose bleeden body whippen scope eye injecten purple shoulder whippen punishment! Ha-ha! No, I didn't say that, just heard it or read it somewhere! So, I'll stick to the 308, just in case it may be true!
 
two-dogs said:
ya I hear ya Arch, improved to a purdy rainbow trajectory, very colorfull indeed, and to a snot runny nosed ass kicked nose bleeden body whippen scope eye injecten purple shoulder whippen punishment! Ha-ha! No, I didn't say that, just heard it or read it somewhere! So, I'll stick to the 308, just in case it may be true!
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Theres no doubt about it the Sucks '06 packs a decent wollop for a non-magnum. I just cant find a point to shooting it for any reason, whether its target or animals. .308s are lovely as far as recoil is concerned and the .260 is even better in that department and a whole lot of others. For some reason though many people think its a pea-shooter (the .260) :D
 
i like magnums ... thats just me , I like 180 grain + bullets, and I dont give a sh*t if the bullet is inside it or blown out the otherside... I just want it to fall where it stands and be dead before it hits the ground :)
 
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