.308 vs .30-06

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Easyrider

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Can someone explain to me why the precision/long range crowd favours the .308 over the 30-06. The '06 has a larger case volume, slightly higher velocities, and energies, is readily available, and has been a standard military cartridge for generations...and yet all the talk on this forum, and others, is .308.
I have been a shooter since I was a kid, reloading for years, but have never done any bench rest shooting, so my knowledge of the finer technical aspects is limited. Mostly, I am a self-taught, trial and error kinda guy. Enlighten me, please.
 
There are a huge number of factors that many people with more knowlege then me will talk about, but cost is a major one, followed by increased recoil.

.308 will get out to 1200 meters just as well as .30-06 will for punching paper.

That out of the way, I stongly favor 30-06 to .308, but I own several guns in both calibers.
 
The 06's advantages over the 08 are so small as to be hardly worth the extra powder.

It isn't what case you use in competitive shooting, it is what bullet you use. The best bullets are the heaviest and longest bullets with the best BC's, and intermediate cases like the 06 and 08 just don't have enough oomph to push the biggest bullets. It is why "open" class either use a 30 cal magnum, or they use the better bullets available in 6.5mm or 7mm. These work better than almost all 30 cal bullets.

TR shooting and FTR are descendants of military shooting and they shoot 223 and 308 cartridges by convention, not out of any disdain for the '06. As a hunting cartridge, it is one of my favorites.
 
To appreciate the advantages of the '06 over the .308, you have to shoot heavy bullets, as with bullet weights up to 180 and maybe even as high as 200 grs, no appreciable difference can be realized. To muddy up the water even further, a custom rifle can be chambered for .308 with the lead cut long enough so that even the heaviest bullets do not extend below the shoulder of the case. Thus .30/06 performance can be generated with a .308 loaded with 210 or even 220 gr bullets.
 
Obtunded said:
. The best bullets are the heaviest and longest bullets with the best BC's, and intermediate cases like the 06 and 08 just don't have enough oomph to push the biggest bullets. It is why "open" class either use a 30 cal magnum, or they use the better bullets available in 6.5mm or 7mm. These work better than almost all 30 cal bullets.
Click to expand...

Funny how an improved 30-06 case has pretty much the same case volume as the 30 RSAUM.

I heard that the RSAUM can do pretty darn well in LR F class competition.:cheers:

If F open had retained the limitation on 'magnum' cartridges, we would have all the old favorites built off the 06 case - from the AI to the Gibbs.

But short fat is a prefered shape over long skinny and thus the 06 case languishes. Sorry, there is no accuracy advantage in case shape.

I put a 280AI variant together several years back with the Berger 7mm 180gr VLD first came out AND the magnum rule was in place. It worked wonderfully, did what the case volume suggested and would be a great option for todays F open comps.

Jerry
 
One reason the 308 is favoured is that it just flat shoots better! The 30/06 will push bullets faster but it is easier to get accuracy out of a 308. It is really tough to achieve true 1/2 moa accuracy from a 30/06 while sub-3/8 is achievable with a 308.
You can throat a 308 any way you like and it will not really match a 30/06 in velocity. Powder capacity gives the 06 an insurmountable edge here. I like the 30/06 and shot one in 1000 yd BR for a while. It was not bad but was not as good as the same barrel set back and re-chambered to 308.
There are some who may wish to dispute this and they are welcome to do so but will have to prove it in competition for their assertion to be valid. Regards, Bill
 
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