308 vs 30-06

H4831 said:
Can't resist my two cents worth. Any discussion on this subject always brings up the comment about the 308 being more accurate.
Shortly after the 308 came on the commercial market it became very popular with the bench rest shooters. The question was asked why it was more accurate than a 30-06. One of the top bench rest shooters, can't remember if it was Warren Page, or not, answered. Paraphrased here is the answer given. The 308 has no more potential for accuracy than does the 30-06. The 308 has a bit less recoil making it easier to shoot and that is why it is more popular in accuracy shooting.
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As for recoil on 308 vs. 30-06, the same can be said for the 300 WSM vs. 300 WinMag. Though one may have a touch less recoil, guns chambered in 308 and WSM are usually lighter and perceived recoil is the same.
 
The big difference is the long action vs the short action. If one rifle suits you better than the other, then that is the real difference.

For deer, both are more than is needed. Can't think of an animal where 30-06 is ok and 308 is not.

But if i was buying a hunting rifle where moose was the smallest animal I was hunting, then I would buy a 30-06 if the rifle was ok for me.
 
I like the .308 because they never chamberred 30-06 in a Savage 99. In my mind this gives it an advantage over the 30-06 and I would never buy a 30-06 because the 300 Win Mag is faster than both of them. We could go on all day
 
My first and current hunting rifle/caliber is the 30-06. At first I didn't fully understand why I picked it asides from a lot of people saying that it is one of the most common and all-purpose cartridge. Now that I understand it, I've concluded that it's superior compared to other .30 cal's such as the .308. Reasons because the 30-06 has the option to be faster (+200fps) and heavier(220gr bullet compared to a 180gr), yet share a light possible load down 110gr. I doubt there is much if any better characteristics that a .308 has compared to the advantages of a 30-06. The advantages aren't drastic at all. If I owned a .308 instead, my argument would have been that it works just as well and the ballistic are pretty much the same, and gets the job done pretty much equally the same, because it's true.
 
"...200 fps and a 180 grain limit with the 308..." More like 100 fps with like bullet weights and 200 grains for a .308.
Ballistically the two are identical. That being the whole purpose of the .308. .30-06 ballistics in a shorter case.
"...big difference is the long action vs the short action..." That is the only practical difference.
 
OldSavage said:
I like the .308 because they never chamberred 30-06 in a Savage 99. In my mind this gives it an advantage over the 30-06 and I would never buy a 30-06 because the 300 Win Mag is faster than both of them. We could go on all day
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x2. My first rifle was a .308 99, 20 years ago.I have yet to feel the need to pick up a 30-06 anything.
 
I have both, love them both, and have taken game with both.

The only reason I own both is that I found a rifle I really liked and it was a .308, and I bought it. Then I found another rifle I really liked and it was a 30-06, and I bought it.

And then I found another rifle that I really liked.....
 
308 is more efficient.

For a hunting rifle it doesn't matter what bullet you use. It is all about shot placement. You want to shoot a moose in the ass, well you need something big to keep it down.
 
I can't believe this topic is up again! We might have a new record.

They're both great calibres.
The 30-06 has a broader range of bullet weights.
You'll get a bit more speed/distance out of the 30-06, but it's almost splitting hairs.

It's all personal preference.

I have a .308 and use it for all Ontario big game.

It makes things just as dead as the 30-06.

Either/or - great calibres.
 
sunray said:
"...200 fps and a 180 grain limit with the 308..." More like 100 fps with like bullet weights and 200 grains for a .308.
Ballistically the two are identical. That being the whole purpose of the .308. .30-06 ballistics in a shorter case.
"...big difference is the long action vs the short action..." That is the only practical difference.
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with a 200 grain bullet factory load, you will find the bullet's tail SITTING IN THE POWDER- carve one apart some time- i KNOW this from the old cil loadings- the velocity differences are straight from the speer reloading manual 11-
 
I'm running a 150gr TSX bullet out of my .308 at 2900fps on average. Does anybody think that a .30-06 actually gives any real advantage over this setup?

Let the games begin!! :D

Both cartridges work about the same. The .30-06 is older and more established, as well as sentimentally thought of.
 
A 30-06 with a 24" barrel will usually make 3100 or very close with a 150 grain bullet, 2950 with the 165, 2850 with the 180 and 2700 with a 200. The difference between the 30-06 and the 308 is definitely more pronounced as bullet weight increases.
Without any prejudice, the 30-06 trumps the 308 in velocity and energy regardless of bullet weight.
The price paid is a bit more recoil in the same weight rifles, and the longer action [which to me is a non-issue, but for some is a factor]
Accuracy? Depends a lot more on the individual rifle than the chambering, IMHO.
Bottom line....while a difference exists, in 99.5% of all hunting situations in North America, which chambering you choose to use will not make one iota of difference. Regards, Eagleye.
 
H4831 said:
Can't resist my two cents worth. Any discussion on this subject always brings up the comment about the 308 being more accurate.
Shortly after the 308 came on the commercial market it became very popular with the bench rest shooters. The question was asked why it was more accurate than a 30-06. One of the top bench rest shooters, can't remember if it was Warren Page, or not, answered. Paraphrased here is the answer given. The 308 has no more potential for accuracy than does the 30-06. The 308 has a bit less recoil making it easier to shoot and that is why it is more popular in accuracy shooting.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine was an executive with Winchester and wound up being Warren Page's bunkie during a couple of the gun writers seminars/hunts that WW used to sponsor. He said Page used to eat raw onions and fart a lot so he wasn't always the ideal room/tentmate:redface:. Maybe that it why Page and some of the other writers were full of a lot of hot air.;) Seriously, I have Page's book, The Accurate Rifle, and he does make sense on the .308. My same friend used to do a lot of bench shooting and was very fond of the .308. He used to put it's accuracy down to the short case with a full load of powder and his pet powder was BLC2. He was an ex-marine and ex- NFL player and was big enough to handle the .308 off the bench. :cool:
 
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