.308 or 30.06 ?

John Y Cannuck said:
The 308 is maxed out at 180. It can't compete with the '06 in the 200 grain class.
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Bah. I shoot 220 grain Hornady's out of one of my 308's (oddly enough, the only bullet I can get to group worth a darn in that particular gun) at just shy of 2400 FPS. As with pretty much any bullet weight, that's only about 100FPS slower than a 30-06 will manage. If you can find a critter that will notice a 100 FPS difference, I'd be shocked!

:)
 
It's pretty much 6 of one, half dozen of the other. No animal will ever know the difference at any sane yardage. Either one is readily available anywhere ammo is sold. Either one is pretty cheap to feed compared to WSM's and such. Go down to the gun store and pick THE RIFLE that fits you the best. Once you've got that figured out, buy it in whichever of the two calibers they happen to have in stock. If they have both, buy the 308; for no good reason other than to annoy the 30-06 guys. :)
 
Well, you can make a .308 out of an ought 6, but you can't make an ought 6 outa a .308. IF you load your own, especially.

It's sort of like hp in cars, if you have more, you can let up on the throttle. If you have less, well..........

I'm not sure what the real deal is about short actions - I don't think it is really all that much difference in the real world. Marketing - yes. Hunting, no.

I've had an itch for a 7-08 for years, but as a .270 owner, I just can't see where I can gain, except in more bullet choices in 7mm.

I love these debates!

And as an old f**t, I have an attachment to older chamberings...;)
 
longleader said:
Well, you can make a .308 out of an ought 6, but you can't make an ought 6 outa a .308. IF you load your own, especially.

It's sort of like hp in cars, if you have more, you can let up on the throttle. If you have less, well..........

I'm not sure what the real deal is about short actions - I don't think it is really all that much difference in the real world. Marketing - yes. Hunting, no.

I've had an itch for a 7-08 for years, but as a .270 owner, I just can't see where I can gain, except in more bullet choices in 7mm.

I love these debates!

And as an old f**t, I have an attachment to older chamberings...;)
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On the tikkas they're all the same so no difference, on the savages the actions are brutally long, requiring extension rings for most scopes. The savage long action is harder to cycle on the shoulder because of the length.
 
Originally Posted by rooster22
I own 4 308 in different makes and models. Don't own a 30-06, wonder why that is .
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I wonder why too???

There is no denying the 30.06 is the superior and more versitile cartridge.

So why not the 30.06, if you have to choose between the two???
 
308 , 100-200 fps make little diff to me. 308 is a more efficient replacement with a smaller case and half the recoil. just my personal preference, plus i like really like that its military standard (lots of bullets)
 
mikepos said:
On the tikkas they're all the same so no difference, on the savages the actions are brutally long, requiring extension rings for most scopes. The savage long action is harder to cycle on the shoulder because of the length.
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I’ve only owned one short action rifle, which was a Rem. 700 BDL in 6mm Rem.
It, IMO, maybe should have been a long action though. After I’d gone to the effort to establish an ideal seating depth for 100 gr. Hornady bullets, I found the loads were much too long to function through the magazine, so I had had to scrap that idea and just make the cartridges fit. It shot pretty good anyway. I wonder if that limitation would apply to loading heavier bullets in the .308 as well. In my Rem. 700 CDL 30-06 even 220 gr. Hornadys can be seated way out without contacting the lands, so I just brought it back to the point where the bullet base is flush with the junction of case neck and shoulder, then the bullets are held securely by maximum neck contact without intruding on the case capacity. Right or wrong, it seems to work.

I imagine if you got really used to shooting short actions exclusively the long ones might seem cumbersome. I’m just more used to the long actions, so they seem pretty natural.

Just for interest I roughly measured a couple of things on 3 of my rifles, all long actions:

Bolt travel- 2008 Rem. CDL 30-06: 4.87”, 1965 CIL (aka Savage 110): 4.56”, 1991 Win. M70 Super Grade .270: 4.54”. The dates were when I bought the rifles new. The Rem. short action, had close to an inch shorter travel, I think. It isn’t functional anymore.

Approx. centre of scope bases are respectively- 5.28”, 5.5”, 4.55”, and the Rem. short about 4.33”. So scope tube length is more of an issue with the long actions, with the Savage being the longest stretch, as you mentioned.

Scope tube lengths vary quite a bit too, My Leupold Vari-X III is about 5.2”, whereas my Bushnell Elite 3200 is around 6.6”, making mounting a bit easier. But then you have to try to adjust the scope position to your liking, forward and aft, as well. There is a pretty good selection of quality bases, including reversible, which will accommodate most actions and scopes, though.

Cheers.
 
bobbyjack said:
Yes but what about that 264Win Mag ? That has got to be the cats meow!

Bob
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Yup, that's a fine one too...

But the .30-06 is still a better "all round" choice.... ;)

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
popcan said:
Or.... if you go .308, then maybe you should look at 7mm-08! :stirthepot2:



:rolleyes:


:popCorn:
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if you're new to shooting, go with the 308 if you're choices are limited to just those two, reason: lighter recoil, don't ruin yourself right of the bat! if you can extend your choices, definitely look hard at the 7mm-08, it's nothing less than awesome!
 
Haven't read all the posts, but I don't imagine this will be there.
We all know there is not a great deal of difference, ballistically, between the two, with either factory loaded ammo, or with loads from standard reloading manuals.
However, because of the great number of years the 30-06 has been around and because they have been made by every country that makes sporting rifles, in every action ever devised, they are loaded to lower pressures.
If you have a modern, meaning made after World War One, bolt action and load it to the same pressures as 308s are loaded, the 30-06 will be far superior, ballistically.
 
H4831 said:
Haven't read all the posts, but I don't imagine this will be there.
We all know there is not a great deal of difference, ballistically, between the two, with either factory loaded ammo, or with loads from standard reloading manuals.
However, because of the great number of years the 30-06 has been around and because they have been made by every country that makes sporting rifles, in every action ever devised, they are loaded to lower pressures.
If you have a modern, meaning made after World War One, bolt action and load it to the same pressures as 308s are loaded, the 30-06 will be far superior, ballistically.
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:agree:
 
I don't believe that "more is better". The .308 is about perfect for medium sized game at normal ranges and high volume practise shooting. I currently own three .308's and one .30-06. The ballistics of the .30-06 are 100 fps faster. So what? The .308 does everything that I need, and I have no need for 100fps more velocity in this type of firearm. If I need a bigger bullet for critters heavier than deer, I use a .35 Whelen. If I need a faster bullet, I use a 25-06. If I want more reach for big game while maintaining manageable recoil I use a 7x64. If I need a varmint rifle, I use one of several .22 centrefires or a .243.
 
This question is kind of simliar to "what is the meaning of life" in that their is really no correct answer and a million + one opinions.

.308 gives you the ability to find and shoot FMJ (either factory or milsurp) for plinking a lot easier and cheaper

And it recoils less, and is a short action (generally)

Price and availability of hunting ammo are close enough it doesnt matter.
 
I own levers in winy's and 99's that 's probably the reason, I only have 308's I would own a 30-06 I'm actually considering a pump when I find the right deal.
liberty said:
Originally Posted by rooster22

I wonder why too???

There is no denying the 30.06 is the superior and more versitile cartridge.

So why not the 30.06, if you have to choose between the two???
Click to expand...
 
Interesingly enough a recent survey of Canadian hunting guides concluded that the best "overall" caliber is the '06. Now I don't hunt, have never fired the '06 (have fired the 308 sufficiently) but were I to go searching for a hunting rifle I think I will go with the sage advice of men who hunt for a living and help others to do the same i.e. I will choose an '06.
 
6.5x55 if you're a new shooter: very accurate, quite deadly and light recoil. :stirthepot2:

And of course, there's good old .303, which is about the same as .308...oh, you said you wanted a new rifle...good of you to help stimulate the economy like that.:D
 
06 got more power for moose, but heck its what you shoot well that counts, I would handle a few rifles of a maker that you want it in. Then find a good scope with excellent eye relief, in quality ring/mounts that will allow mounting in proper position where it won't get in the way of operating the bolt if a bolt gun, or be too far back , and result in scope eye.
practice lots at 50-100 meters offhand where most snap shots are taken. some form of rest if more than 100 meters, or sitting.
 
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