.308 vs .30-06??

pac_man

pac_man

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How much difference is there in power for hunting purposes between .308 and .30-06? I've heard that you don't give up much knock down power with .308 and I'm planning on buying a Tikka T3 Stainless synthetic in the next few weeks for hunting in the fall.

I originally planned on buying .30-06 but I've been told by a few different sources that it's not worth it to buy .30-06 and I'm not sure what to think. The same sources have said that at greater distances (above 200 meters) that .30-06 maintains a higher level of velocity than .308 but aside from that I'm not losing much in foot pounds of energy at close range. I'm primarily a .223 guy so I just don't know what to think.

I have a bunch of .308 around so if I'm not giving up much knock down power I guess that's the better choice for me but I need some more opinions and information. What are your suggestions?
 
If a little more recoil is not a problem the 06 will do great. And a better game getter on the longer shots. My vote is for the 06. If for target shooting the .308 would be a bit better I guess. :) For specs , just check any ballistic chart online.
 
It boils down to how you hunt, if your prone to taking longer shots yes the 30'06 has the edge. If you persue bigger critters such as moose the 30'06 has the edge with the heavier bullets.
But if your cranking game under 250yds the animal wont know the difference.

BTW: who makes the best pickup truck out there.( bet you get as many different answers for as many different guys)
 
Ballistically, they're identical. You get about 100fps more velocity in the same bullet weight with the .30-06 and you can use slightly heavier bullets, but other than that the difference is a half inch of case length.
You will not notice any difference in the felt recoil with a sythetic stock. It'll be stout with a lighter rifle using either cartridge.
You will usually get a slightly shorter rifle with the .308, if that matters to you.
You do not need heavier bullets for moose. A good 180, geez, a good 165 grain bullet, out of either, will drop a moose with no fuss.
 
sunray said:
Ballistically, they're identical. You get about 100fps more velocity in the same bullet weight with the .30-06 and you can use slightly heavier bullets, but other than that the difference is a half inch of case length.
You will not notice any difference in the felt recoil with a sythetic stock. It'll be stout with a lighter rifle using either cartridge.
You will usually get a slightly shorter rifle with the .308, if that matters to you.
You do not need heavier bullets for moose. A good 180, geez, a good 165 grain bullet, out of either, will drop a moose with no fuss.
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Ditto on sunray. Up to 300 yds there is not any significant ballistic difference and the .308 is as accurate as anything out there up to 400 yds. I have even shot .308 (7.62 NATO) at 600 m at military shoots.

An excellent article on this is in the Feb. 2006 issue of Handloader. You will not go wrong with either round so, ballistics aside, you just need to consider recoil, preferred action, bullet selection, etc.
 
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:)
Ballistically, they're identical. You get about 100fps more velocity
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:confused:
Oh well :D the 2 have quite a spread in power, the 06 can be loaded pretty hot, and the .308 can't come close, barrel length is another factor, most .308 hunting rifles have a 22 in tube, and the 06 24 in is the norm.
If deer is the game , the .308 is fine. If elk and moose are also on the menu , the 06 is hard to beat. :D
 
It depends on if you plan on feeding your rifle factory ammo or if you reload.

If shooting factory ammo there is not a great deal of difference between the two. The factory 30-06 loads are neutered due to the thousands of near 100 year old rifles still in service chambered for this round.

Hand-loading for the 30-06 in a modern rifle however is a different story. The 30-06 will beat nearly all 308 loads by 250 - 300 fps, which BTW is a bigger difference than that between the 30-06 and the 300 Win Mag.
 
I will also go on and mention that if you are set on buying a T- 3 you may as well buy one in 30-06. Both rifles - 308 & 30-06 - are the same weight as the T-3 only comes in one action length - long. As such you may as well go with the longer cartridge.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm going to be shooting factory ammo this year but do reload. I might be trying to take a moose this fall, but not at great distance. That above information gives me a lot to think about
 
My father and I both shoot 30.06's for deer,moose,and elk.We have had great results providing the right bullet choice.The only thing I prefer in the .308 is the smaller action,but I will take the extra power over that anyday.
 
I've got several .308 Win as well as .30-06 SPRG...between my brother and I, we've probably taken a dozen moose and several caribou using both calibers. Within sane hunting distances, i.e., 300 yards, not a single moose I've killed has ever told the difference between the 180gr Nosler Partition fired from my .308 as opposed to the 180gr Nosler Partition fired from my .30-06. Put your bullet where it counts and caliber doesn't really matter(within reason!) for the most part.

The .30-06 has the edge if you want to use 200, 220gr bullets etc...but I've never really seen the need. 180 gr Partitions will take any member of the deer family in North America easily in the .30 cals. If you reload, as I do, you can cook up your own handloads in .308WIN that will easily match current factory .30-06 loads.

Aside from the Tikka, the .308 is typically available in a short action, saving you about 1/2 lb of weight to tote. However, as another poster has mentioned, since the Tikka is only available in long action, you aren't going to realize any weight savings there.

While I am an ardent fan of the .308WIN, if I were to be limited to just one hunting rifle for use on all game on the North American continent, I'd choose the .30-06 SPRG. It has taken every game animal in N.A., ammo is easy to find, even in little out of the way convenience stores and hardware stores, it is relatively inexpensive and the .30-06 is an inherently accurate round. While prehaps a little light for the monster brown bears, I wouldn't complain if my trusty '06 was all I had to stop a charge; when you consider the fact that Inuit in Labrador and NWT, Nunavut, etc...have taken Polar Bears with .22-250s & .243s on more than one occasion, the .30-06 shouldn't be discounted!
 
The three most important factors in stopping power are; bullet placement, bullet placement, and bullet placement!! There's another old saying; beware any man who only owns one gun, because he probably knows how to use it :p

Long story short, I wouldn't get too hung up on the velocity and energy comparo's. That's what I did with my 30-06, sat up late at night and pored over ballistic charts, and now every time I shoot the damn thing I think to myself "dammit, I shoulda got a .270!!" It has a lot to do with the particular rifle I got (Savage 111, the stock is very light and semi-hollow), but the recoil is almost too much, y'know? And I'm not a recoil sensitive guy, I can shoot 12 gauge slugs all day with no problems, no flinch, nuthin.

I think you should go with your gut, and err on the side of lower recoil if at all possible. Lower felt recoil = no flinching = better accuracy = better bullet placement = stopping power. My vote goes .308 in this case (don't worry, I'm sure that big bull elk won't notice that you're not shooting a .30-06 :rolleyes:)
 
X-man said:
...when you consider the fact that Inuit in Labrador and NWT, Nunavut, etc...have taken Polar Bears with .22-250s & .243s on more than one occasion, the .30-06 shouldn't be discounted!
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LOL You just reminded me of a Canadian Ranger from Taloyoak, Nunavut (named George) who was one of my tentmates back in '98. We were working for BHP at a gold exploration camp at Windy Lake, NWT (now Nunavut.) It is about 15 kms. south of the Arctic Ocean, and maybe 100 kms.east of the Bathurst Inlet.

We had a Remington Model 721 in .300 H&H Mag for protection from maurauding wildlife. One day I was cleaning the rifle and I asked my friend what caliber they liked to hunt with. I knew they were issued Lee-Enfields and had experience shooting C7’s. I was shocked when George looked me straight in the eye and told me straight-faced his favourite caliber for polar bear was .223 Rem. I couldn’t believe him……but he was serious.

I’ve had a nice sporterized BSA P17 in .30-06 that was very accurate (and I regret trading.) I ended up with a LH Rem 700 BDL in .270 Win that I ended up selling. I’m thinking of getting a LH Rem 700 VS in .308 Win for target shooting. However, if I was going to buy just one rifle for hunting; I would buy one chambered in .30-06 Springfield.

Besides the other arguments here are my findings:
The .308 Win apparently has trouble stabilizing bullets over 180 grs.
The .30-06 can use the heavier bullets more easily and be loaded with more powder.
The .30-06 can be loaded with a 150 gr. bullet to shoot as flat as a .270 Win.

As others have mentioned, you can pretty much handle all the big game in North America with confidence armed with a good rifle chambered in .30-06.
 
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Just a quick question, with so many voting for the 30-06, why aren't there more in the "percision" section? It seem s to be more towards the .308.
Sorry for interupting the thread, just curious. I own a ruger 30-06 and love the accuracy using Hornadys in 150 grain. Many deer have fallen at 300-400 yds and taste just the same as with any other calibur.
 
30-06 is the best all-round choice, particularly if 200 grain bullets are in the forcast at any time. There is not a North American Game animal that I would not hunt with the 30-06, and for those that might bite back, that 200 Partition at 2650+ will do the job quite well, thanks. There is nothing wrong with the 308, but with bullets above 165 grains, it does give up a substantial amount of energy due to smaller capacity. If you do not reload, the difference is negligible. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Just a quick question, with so many voting for the 30-06, why aren't there more in the "percision" section? It seem s to be more towards the .308.
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The .308 has proven to be more accurate in tgt shooting, with less power. The 06 is also accurate but not at that level of shooting.
Now take a hunting rifle, and you won't see that much difference because the .308 factory is 10 twist, as is the 06(most rifles, euro's have it a bit better), in tgt the .308 is 12 twist and can even be 14. The faster twist rate will allow more elbow room for bullet weights, ie 150 for deer, 220 for moose etc(accuracy over a wide range of bullet weights). its a give and take thing.
So you end up with 2 cal's (hunting rifle) that are now closer in accuracy but not at all close in power(mentioned above, case capacity), so the 06 wins:p
 
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