.308 vs .300

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OctaRon1

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Would like to get into LR, the range I'm at only has 100 yd. but I hope to find a range that has more distance. I have a Tikka .308 and it shoots great. I would like to do a build this winter and have question. I see a lot on here like the .308. I don't see the .300 wsm or 300 mag very often, is it not very good for LR ? I also like the .338 but the rounds are a bit expensive .
Thanks for any info you have.
Ron
 
300 is a great long range round, but had 2x the recoil of 308 and 1/2 the barrel life, if your starting at 100 I'd go 308 it's cheaper to shoot and your less likely to develope bad habits from the recoil . A good 308 rifle and load will easily take you to 1000 yards
 
Hi Ron

The 300 short mags are super at long range using 210's but have a slight increase of recoil over the 284's and 7 short mags. If you can handle the recoil they perform very well.

They also seem (at least in my rifle) to be easier to tune and keep clean. The 284's seem to require cleaning everyday while I can shoot an entire match without cleaning.

Other than that, they are very good match cartridges, and in the US, 300's have won the important matches on a regular basis.

I would suggest the 300 WSM over the SAUM strictly due to the brass supply but I actually shoot the SAUM.

The 30-338 and 300 Win Mag have way too much recoil for F-Class IMHO.

Steve
 
a 300 is just a 308 on SPEED- more powder, same bullet, more velocity- think of it as a ladder- 308 is the bottom rung, then the 06 , then the 300- all do the same job, just at longer distances- the 308 has a mpbr of 267, the 06 is 276, and the 300 is 325- that's maximum point blank range- the range at which you can put plus or minus 3 inches- can you stalk an extra 50 or so yards?- for that 50 yard increase you have to almost 1.5 x the powder, and lose 3 rounds in the magazine, gain some weight in the rifle, and probably pay a premium in the rifle price- magnums cost more than standard action lengths- and that's IF you reload- if you BUY your ammo, well, let's just say they SEE YOU COMING
the 338, on the other hand JUSTIFIES the cost increase with a SIGNIFICANT increase in performance
 
T-Star:

I agree with you that the.338 Lapua class cartridges are super long range performers.

But so is the 300 magnums.
If the OP wants a gun that shoots 100 yards accurately. Stick with a .308(if you want 30cals)
If you want to stretch out past 1000, the 300 mags will do great!
If you want to go past 1500yards regularily, go .338Lapua.

I, myself, went with a very heavy rifle chambered for 300Win. Mag.
(Savage 110BA)
Why?
Because I can shoot two or three rounds for every one Lapua.
If you want to get good at long range, you have to shoot allot.
You can only shoot allot if you can afford the ammo.

The 300WinMag. Is good out to a mile with my handloads.(long range target shooting).
I reload my ammo. Way cheaper, and I can tailor it to my rifle.
And just to be clear, the point blank idea doesnt hold water.

Why do I say that?
Because a cartridges long range capabilities are more governed by its ability to deliver a bullet to a long distance still stable and miminimally affected by its trip through the transsonic zone and into the subsonic zone.

A 300 can cast a bullet allot further down range before it reaches this point than the .308.
If a rifle/cartridge set up in a .308 has the proper twist-vel-accuracy& stability as described above, a shooter is only limited by his scope/ring adjustment set up.
And also atmospheric conditions are always present.

Ask Mystic Preciscion about the extream distance thing.
Hes doing it with a .223!
 
And dont forget the 6.5 Creedmoor, i think i would hang there with the big boy, i am amaze by how good those bullets fly on long distance... JP.
 
the point blank idea, as you call it , DOES hold water- but i'm talking about HUNTING, and you're talking about punching paper- a MISS in your 'sport" has no consequences other than a lower mark on your score card- mine results in a wounded animal or worse- b/c you took a shot that was OUTSIDE THE KILL ZONE- it only broke a leg or sailed over the back altogether, and got the one behind- the mpbr defines the "kill zone" for each cartidge
 
OctaRon1 said:
Would like to get into LR, the range I'm at only has 100 yd. but I hope to find a range that has more distance. I have a Tikka .308 and it shoots great. I would like to do a build this winter and have question. I see a lot on here like the .308. I don't see the .300 wsm or 300 mag very often, is it not very good for LR ? I also like the .338 but the rounds are a bit expensive .
Thanks for any info you have.
Ron
Click to expand...

Turn the dial on your scope UP 35 mins and send one.

1000yds should be exciting enough for a bit.

There is nothing wrong with the rifle you have. Spend resources on making the best ammo you can and mount a quality scope suited to the distances and tasks you want.

I shoot my 223 and 90gr bullets out to 1500yds all the time.

A larger case offers you higher muzzle velocity and that higher velocity increases the distance to the same result - no more no less.

Does it matter? Depends on what you want to do but LR shooting on paper has more to do with launching quality bullets as well as possible.

Dialing an extra few numbers on your scope is what separates a standard and magnum cartridge.

The furthest I know shooters use the 308win is around 3000m.

How far do you want to go?

Jerry
 
T-Star, dont get upset!
I merely wanted to point out that the OP wanted a long range rifle. He said nothing about hunting.

Point blank concept is primarily used for hunting I aggree.
Using the term(doesnt hold water) wasnt the best phrase to to use.
Lets say the PBR system doesnt apply for the OP's post.
There, thats what I was trying to get accross.

By the way, my "sport" encompases everything to do about the fun of shooting.
"Including" hunting. I have been blessed with many opportunities over the years. And take my share of exceptional animals. Not so much this year though.

I would think a person who is proficient at very long ranges "on paper" stands a very good chance at hitting the hair at normal hunting distances, so to speak.

And if a guy wants to shoot at animals outside of the PBR, thats where skill, and rangefinders take over.
Everyones ability is different with this.
And yes we should be very careful!
 
ultimate_monkey said:
300 is a great long range round, but had 2x the recoil of 308 and 1/2 the barrel life, if your starting at 100 I'd go 308 it's cheaper to shoot and your less likely to develope bad habits from the recoil . A good 308 rifle and load will easily take you to 1000 yards
Click to expand...

You nailed it on the head, double the recoil, 1/2 the barrel life, and as for .338

it is pretty much the perfect DM round, but bit expensive for civilians
 
Custom rifle, for long range

Back to your question what to build for LR. I would build a rifle, conisting of a 700 action and a custom barrel with a 1-8 twist, br stock chambered in 243WIN or 243 WIN ack, This caliber has almost NO RECOIL and allows you to consentrate on the target. It doesn't get any bettter.
Bill
 
I shoot a 300 WSM in F class. I am using 210Gr SMKs and getting them up to about 2900 FPS. My bullet is still supersonic at 1500 yards, which I think makes it a pretty decent long distance round.

To add to what Mystic has said, if you know what your doing the only difference is the number of clicks on your scope.

My ballistic drop/wind corrections seem to be about 1/3rd less than what the .308 guys are using. Heavier bullets with higher Ballistic Coefficients travelling faster = more forgiving if you get the wind WRONG. Which I do often. I pay for this forgiveness in recoil.

I get whooped by .308 and even .223 shooters all the time. My next f class gun will be a .223 for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I've seen them prove themselves in LR competition. Second is the recoil thing, which I think it would be interesting to try a gun on the other end of the spectrum from my current set up. 3rd is componant cost. Even when reloading, the .223 will be about half as much.

i think the OP mentioned specifically precision rifle, not sure you mean the precision rifle competition, but either way, I don't think you would be disappointed with .223. make sure your handloading techniques are up to snuff though...I'm told the .223 is a little more sensitive to inconsistencies.
 
Kryogen said:
I love my 300 mag.... 308 is for kitties and antis.
Click to expand...

What a pile of bull.

I have a bunch of .308's; a HB .300WM and a HB .338 Lapua. My .308's get shot in a ratio of 5:1 .338 Lapua and 10:1 300wm. Certainly if you are shooting any distance less than 1000m the .308 is more than sufficient. It is also the most cost-effective of all three and is also the superior platform for training and learning
 
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