Funny you mentioned that my dad uses a .243 and his buck last year looked like it had been hit with a cruise missle
308 fans please chime in!
- Thread starter KO
- Start date
Funny you mentioned that my dad uses a .243 and his buck last year looked like it had been hit with a cruise missle
Funny you mentioned that my dad uses a .243 and his buck last year looked like it had been hit with a cruise missle
My friend can't understand the frikken damage this thing does!
I told him to just get some FMJ's, and it should cut down on meat loss!
You don't need a heavy bullet out of either to take anything in North America, so the advantage of the .30-06 with heavier bullets has very little practical benefit, imo.
.308 Win 24" barrel 150gr TSX BT 2980fps
.30-06 24" barrel 150gr TSX BT 3056fps
6" diameter point blank range
For the .308 it is 287 yards
For the .30-06 : 294 yards
So at 300 yards there is no difference worth mentioning. Even at 400 yards the .30-06 has an advantage of less than 80 ft-lbs of energy. Judging by the way your buddy talks about the '06, I doubt he is a 400 yard shot type of hunter. Not that many of us are.
I would be very comfortable using a .308" 150gr TSX on Moose, Elk and such sized critters.
.308 Win 24" barrel 150gr TSX BT 2980fps
.30-06 24" barrel 150gr TSX BT 3056fps
6" diameter point blank range
For the .308 it is 287 yards
For the .30-06 : 294 yards
So at 300 yards there is no difference worth mentioning. Even at 400 yards the .30-06 has an advantage of less than 80 ft-lbs of energy. Judging by the way your buddy talks about the '06, I doubt he is a 400 yard shot type of hunter. Not that many of us are.
I would be very comfortable using a .308" 150gr TSX on Moose, Elk and such sized critters.
.308 on game
Recently saw some photos being passed around at our local range.
Two young fellows just got back from a fly-in hunt in northern BC. Both dropped moose with 50+ racks.
In one of the photos, there was a rifle nestled in the caped out rack that looked like a toy - a Remington Mohawk carbine in .308!
The other guy was also using a .308, both with 180 gr bullets. Both moose were one shot kills.
Both are experienced hunters and one was an employee in a guiding outfit.
They know what works and how to use it. Neither owns a magnoon in any calibre.
Recently saw some photos being passed around at our local range.
Two young fellows just got back from a fly-in hunt in northern BC. Both dropped moose with 50+ racks.
In one of the photos, there was a rifle nestled in the caped out rack that looked like a toy - a Remington Mohawk carbine in .308!
The other guy was also using a .308, both with 180 gr bullets. Both moose were one shot kills.
Both are experienced hunters and one was an employee in a guiding outfit.
They know what works and how to use it. Neither owns a magnoon in any calibre.
- Location
- Maple Ridge, BC
It's an interesting phenomenon that people never tire of discussing the merits of a .308 vs a .30-06, reminds of the never ending Ford vs Chevy conversations in high school.
They are both great classic cartridges, both great for hunting almost all North American game and both will insta-kill a zombie.
I like the .308 because I like short actions better and because I like it's "tactical" applications but.........the 06 is a great classic round that I have a lot of respect for.
They are both great classic cartridges, both great for hunting almost all North American game and both will insta-kill a zombie.
I like the .308 because I like short actions better and because I like it's "tactical" applications but.........the 06 is a great classic round that I have a lot of respect for.
I fire thousands of rounds a year from a couple of .308 Bench guns, I test cast bullets against factory j-word loads, and although it may not apply here, I have found the .308 a much more accurate caliber for my purposes. Early on I compared the two and the 30/06 came a distant second, now I'm comparing the .308 with a couple of smaller .30 cal. wildcats, and the .308 is still out front. I don't use these smaller cals. for hunting but from an accuracy standpoint, I'll take the .308, hands down.
.308 vs .30-'06
The .308 vs .30-'06 debate is not only tired, it's dead. Like the age old debate on the relative merits of the .270 vs .30-'06. I wish I had $10 for every article on that topic I've read over the years!
I have a hard time imagining that a moose or deer hit in the heart/lung area with a 150 gr .270 would know the difference if it was a 150 gr .30-'06.
The previous owner of my one and only .270 used it as his moose gun with 150 gr exclusively. I asked him why and he gave me a formula for ideal bullet weight for a bore size:
.277 x 5.5 = 1.5235 .308 x 5.5 = 1.694
Those numbers can be rounded out to 150 and 168 grs respectively. I don't know the ballistic theory to back up his claim, but it seems to work out. He said it was an old British rule of thumb.
Assuming a 1x10" twist for the .308, it makes sense.
Most modern powders obviate the need for a .30 calibre case length longer than the .308. My Speer loading manual mentions the fact that some of the published loads for the .308 exceed the velocity of the .30-'06 loads with the same bullet.
They offer no scientific explanation, just a comment that this is why ballisticians get grey hair.
Perhaps one of the reasons is better load density. I note that most of the loads listed with top end performance have the better load density.
Back to powders for a moment - we've never had it so good with the selection of good powders currently available. Very few are calibre specific, some offering almost universal application from .222 to medium bores.
I have an article that describes Varget as a "short cut 4064". Not that loads are interchangeable, but it would suggest that load density would vary and affect performance. I know that Varget meters very well and that alone may be reason enough to favour it.
The .308 vs .30-'06 debate is not only tired, it's dead. Like the age old debate on the relative merits of the .270 vs .30-'06. I wish I had $10 for every article on that topic I've read over the years!
I have a hard time imagining that a moose or deer hit in the heart/lung area with a 150 gr .270 would know the difference if it was a 150 gr .30-'06.
The previous owner of my one and only .270 used it as his moose gun with 150 gr exclusively. I asked him why and he gave me a formula for ideal bullet weight for a bore size:
.277 x 5.5 = 1.5235 .308 x 5.5 = 1.694
Those numbers can be rounded out to 150 and 168 grs respectively. I don't know the ballistic theory to back up his claim, but it seems to work out. He said it was an old British rule of thumb.
Assuming a 1x10" twist for the .308, it makes sense.
Most modern powders obviate the need for a .30 calibre case length longer than the .308. My Speer loading manual mentions the fact that some of the published loads for the .308 exceed the velocity of the .30-'06 loads with the same bullet.
They offer no scientific explanation, just a comment that this is why ballisticians get grey hair.
Perhaps one of the reasons is better load density. I note that most of the loads listed with top end performance have the better load density.
Back to powders for a moment - we've never had it so good with the selection of good powders currently available. Very few are calibre specific, some offering almost universal application from .222 to medium bores.
I have an article that describes Varget as a "short cut 4064". Not that loads are interchangeable, but it would suggest that load density would vary and affect performance. I know that Varget meters very well and that alone may be reason enough to favour it.
The .308 Win is probably my favorite all around cartridge. It is extremely efficient, easy to learn to shoot well, can easily harvest any game animal in North America and with certain limitations is the ballistic twin of it's older progenitor. The .30-06 does offer the ability to more efficiently utilize heavier bullet weights, i.e., 180+ grains than the .308, but for most hunters that really doesn't enter into the equation, as most are going to use factory ammo and that will usually equal a 180gr load for the '06. My own handloads in .308Win easily match or beat factory '06 loads and offer me the added advantage of utilizing a short-action rifle with a shorter bolt throw than the '06. That said, I've got nothing bad to say about the '06. If you were only going to own one rifle today, you wouldn't be going wrong chosing a .30-06SPRG!
So far the old Rem Model 600 in .308 has dropped everything I've pointed and pulled on. Last years moose no exception. My hunting partner with his 7mm mag (I only mention his rifle because we had just finished one of these conversations) asked which way it went after the shot. I replied "down".
Or a .308. Or a (fill in the blank).
Most guys have a bunch of different calibers because they want to. Some keep buying bigger and "better" calibers because they think that owning a superdupermagmnbearblaster will make them a better hunter, and a few guys actually shoot well enough to justify a need for a little (or a lot) more downrange reach.
The only thing an '06 wont do, that a .308 will, is fit in a .308 chamber.
(And to the guys who would whine at me for recommending that someone shoot .308 out of an '06, save it, because I'm not.)
Pick either, shoot it lots, and go whack deer/moose/elk as required.
I have a .308. I'm happy with it.
Cheers
Trev
- Location
- Vancouver Island BC
In reality the .308 will handle the same game as the 06,the advantage tips toward the 06 when 200 grain+ bullets are used. I haven't loaded or chronographed any 220 bullets out of a .308,but out of the 06 they show 2511 fps on the chrony.
canadaman30
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Far from the City
308 for sure but I use my 450 for the big stuff
Pretty much says it all...
Good bullet + .308/30-06 + shooting ability= dead animal
The first time I got involved in this debate 25 years ago we calculated the 30-06 is 6% faster but uses 17% more powder. This may not still apply with the new powders out now, but shows the 308 is an eficient round. I know an old timer who kills his moose every year with his 308 loaded with 200 grain partitions, he does not care about velocity, he never needs a second shot and no blood shot meat. Don't underestimate the 308 with 200 grain bullets, case capacity may limit the range to 200 yards but that will cover most hunting situations. With the 30-06 rifles I still love my handloaded 220 RN Hornady's
both are to old and slow should have got a .300RUM
.300RUM 180gr 3250fps 4220ftlb vs .30-06 180gr 2700fps 2913ftlb now thats a difference. Compairing the .308 to the .30-06 isnt even worth the time they are so close pick one get good at shooting it and thats all that matters.
.300RUM 180gr 3250fps 4220ftlb vs .30-06 180gr 2700fps 2913ftlb now thats a difference. Compairing the .308 to the .30-06 isnt even worth the time they are so close pick one get good at shooting it and thats all that matters.
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