.308 just for range?

IM_Lugger

IM_Lugger

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I'm deciding between .308 and .223 for a range gun (700SPS Tactical).

Most people tell me to go with .223 if I'm just paper punching because of lower ammo cost and lower recoil... But I'd like to have the extra power of the .308, just in case If I'll ever need it.:)

So does anyone have a 308win for range only?
 
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^So you don't own any handguns or AR's?^

BTW by 'range' I meant target shooting (at the range or bush) ie not for hunting.
 
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3/4 of what I own are pure target rifles for no other purpose than shooting at the range. A dedicated range-only rifle is a great idea. I'm tired of people expecting perfect results from a gopher/moose/hunting/target combination. If 308 is what you want, get 308. Nothing wrong with it and easy to make work. There are more economical ways to go, but there are no shortage of bits for a 308
 
I'm thinking of getting a Savage 12FVSS. I struggled for about 5 seconds on .308 or a smaller round. The fact is that .308 can be had for reasonably cheap and if I feel like it I can go hunting larger game with the gun. I couldn't really justify buying a range gun that can't easily take down whatever I want. It might be different if the .308 was an inferior round compared to the .223 or 22-250.
 
.308 uses double the powder... for the last 8 or so years I have had a .223 paper puncher... its fantastic... shot it out to 600 yards pretty well. I just picked up a m-14 from marstar my first .308, probably in the future pick up a .308 bolt precision gun

There are few products out there to maximize the ballistic performance of the .223 you need to look at the ballistic coefficient the higher the number the better they should fly at long range.

But one thing is you put a .224 beside .308 and its apparent that one is much bigger then the other. If your looking for a good 30 cal well 308 is probably a good choice... I been looking too at .308, 300 win mag, and 300 ultra and the benefits of an ultra when you look at how much more powder it has to use to archive marginal results why beat yourself up with the recoil for %10 more performance.
 
I recently bought a .308 that will likely never see other than range use. Maybe a stand for deer, but it's way to heavy for a walking gun.
 
A fast twist .223 shooting 75-80 gr bullets will keep up with a .308 shooting 155's out to 1000 yards. Cheaper to feed and almost no recoil is something to think about when you are starting off learning how to shoot. What ends up happening is you shoot twice as much as you would with a .308. Not really a money saver but you end up with more trigger time.
Once you burn out the barrel around 7000-8000 rounds then ask yourself if you need a .308.
Unless your goal is to make a Bisley or Palma team that requires shooting a.308 why bother?
I have 3 "range only" .308's and only one range only .223.
 
between my son and i we have 5 308 target rifles for competing and one .223.
Our "range rifles" consist of 223's and other small case sized rifles etc,but a range rifle to me is not a competition rifle.

Our modern hunting rifles are 6.5's- 6.5/284 and 6.5X55.
Cat
 
Once you burn out the barrel around 7000-8000 rounds then ask yourself if you need a .308.
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So, .308 barrel will only last for 8,000 rounds? :confused: How long does a .223 barrel last? I'm mainly a centerfire hangun, rimfire rifle shooter, and yes I do reload...
 
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IM_Lugger said:
So, .308 barrel will only last for 8,000 rounds? :confused: How long does a .223 barrel last? I'm mainly a centerfire hangun, rimfire rifle shooter, and yes I do reload...
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I'm pretty sure he was referring to a .223, though barrel life in .308 iirc is very similar.

That's A LOT of shooting for a centerfire. I might have 1000 out of my .223 in 10 months of teaching myself how to shoot. I know some will put out more than that. To me, the cost of a rebarrel is mitigated somewhat knowing that a custom barrel is likely to be more accurate than the factory tube. And, I just take it as a cost of wear and tear. Compare with a .243 or 6.5x284 or 7mm Rem Mag with (GENERALIZING HERE, PLEASE DON'T JUMP ON ME) target accuracy barrel life of 1000-1500. Still usable after that for hunting etc.
 
IM_Lugger said:
So, .308 barrel will only last for 8,000 rounds? :confused: How long does a .223 barrel last? I'm mainly a centerfire hangun, rimfire rifle shooter, and yes I do reload...
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If I can get 3-4 seasons out of a barrel they own me nothing. Remember this is competitive shooting, so most people will never wear out a barrel. I am sure once I am done with them they would still make a good hunting barrel.
I have had .308 barrels shot out at 4000 rounds, I have had them go 6000. I know a guy that made a Bisley team with over 8000 down the tube. I have a .308 barrels that didn't shoot worth crap from the time it was put on (scores went down and the V count was a joke) I wasted two years on that barrel thinking it was me, blaming a new stock, or thinking I wasn't seeing the target as well as I thought.

A friend of mine has a .223 that has over 8000 rounds. His gunsmith told him there was no rifling for the first 4 inches. He still shot perfect scores and won matches with it.
 
One of our local shooters has been shooting the same .308 Mick McPhee barrel in competition for 7 years and he figures he has 10 thousand down the bore. He swears by Moly. That rifle hums!
 
btw I'm interested in long range shooting, my curent range is only 100yards :( which is fine for .22LR but would like to try 300yads+ and even 1000yards if I ever find a place like that (with a centerfire of course). How much of an advatage is it to shot a .308 over .223 when it comes to acctracy? Say at 300yards will one be more accurate than other?
 
A fast twist .223 shooting heavy 75-80 gr bullets gives up nothing to a .308 shooting 155's out to 600 yards. From 600-1000 yards when the .308 shooter is using say 5-6 MOA for wind the .223 might be using 6-7 minutes.
You want a place to shoot 1000 yards? Check out the ORA web page at www.ontariorifleassociation.org
 
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