Is a .308 capable of taking big game in my area?

Boomer said:
Shortly after its introduction, Stewart Edward White took his .30/06, a custom Springfield rifle to Africa. Over a period of several months, he took dozens of game animals weighing up to a ton, with only a few requiring a backup shot. He used the only .30/06 load that was available at the time, a 150 gr FMJ bullet at 2700 fps. A .308 as factory loaded today bests that velocity by 200 fps, and the choice of .30 caliber game bullets we have today can be appropriately matched to game of almost any size and weight. The .308 can be chambered in shorter, lighter, rifles than the .30/06, with no practical difference in performance on game out to 300 yards. Thus its pretty hard to argue against the choice of a .308 as a viable big game cartridge, and handloading only makes it better, due to the greater selection of bullets available to the handloader.
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:agree: The only thing I can add to that is it's a great varmint cartridge as well with bullets from 86 to 130gr.
From bunnys to bear, it's just fine.
 
Hellbroke said:
Looking into buying a .308 hunting rifle for big game. Probably be using it for whitetail and moose here in New Brunswick. Just curious as to if a .308 is capable of dropping a moose out here. Won't be taking any crazy long shots, only what I felt comfortable with.
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Not a chance, for moose you'll need a .17 HMR Magnum! Put a 4-12X40 AO scope on that bad boy and you're all set for moose!!
LOL, seriously, a .308 with bonded bullets is great for moose! For a bullet that'll work well for both animals, and shoot accurately from
most rifles, I'd look at Federal Premium loaded with 150 grain Nosler Accubonds. Enjoy!
 
I will be the first neigh sayer , all these post are correct however ... if there is a " happenstance " and you make a less than desirable shot with a .308 even on a deer it will likely still drop but you might wonder for awhile ... Where ??? ... I like the 300wsm because it is a .308 with insurance. If a shot does not go as planned with a .308 you could be looking for awhile or dragging your moose out of a lake rather than it dropping. Ive found that if you run a 180 in a 300wsm and so much as catch fur, your game is generally going down !

.308 will do the job ... I just figure why not step up to the wsm ? ... its what its there for
 
It's a safe bet that more moose have been killed here in Newfoundland with the 303 British than any other. The key is shot placement. Having a bigger and/or faster bullet doesn't do much good if the shot doesn't hit its mark. The 308 will work just fine.
 
upnadam said:
I once saw a 308win bullet bounce right off a moose at 50yrds.
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I'm guessing...

Poe's law:: "Named after its author Nathan Poe, is an Internet adage reflecting the idea that without a clear indication of the author's intent, it is difficult or impossible to tell the difference between sincere extremism and an exaggerated parody of extremism."
;)
 
pisces-guy said:
Not a chance, for moose you'll need a .17 HMR Magnum! Put a 4-12X40 AO scope on that bad boy and you're all set for moose!!
LOL, seriously, a .308 with bonded bullets is great for moose! For a bullet that'll work well for both animals, and shoot accurately from
most rifles, I'd look at Federal Premium loaded with 150 grain Nosler Accubonds. Enjoy!
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I have a .17 HMR so I guess I have every angle covered ;). Thanks for all the input guys, next rifle will more than likely be a .308. Now just to decide on the rifle. I had a 22-250 in remi 700 which I really liked. Would like to use the gun for paper punching too.
 
Practice makes perfect on any rifle and if you are confident with a 308, using a quality, accurate load, there is no reason why this combination will not do you well.
 
pilot2001 said:
I will be the first neigh sayer , all these post are correct however ... if there is a " happenstance " and you make a less than desirable shot with a .308 even on a deer it will likely still drop but you might wonder for awhile ... Where ??? ... I like the 300wsm because it is a .308 with insurance. If a shot does not go as planned with a .308 you could be looking for awhile or dragging your moose out of a lake rather than it dropping. Ive found that if you run a 180 in a 300wsm and so much as catch fur, your game is generally going down !

.308 will do the job ... I just figure why not step up to the wsm ? ... its what its there for
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I can see a .300wsm for moose and elk but deer are commonly shot with a .243, lol...if you miss a .300wsm isn't going to be any better than a .308.
 
pilot2001 said:
I will be the first neigh sayer , all these post are correct however ... if there is a " happenstance " and you make a less than desirable shot with a .308 even on a deer it will likely still drop but you might wonder for awhile ... Where ??? ... I like the 300wsm because it is a .308 with insurance. If a shot does not go as planned with a .308 you could be looking for awhile or dragging your moose out of a lake rather than it dropping. Ive found that if you run a 180 in a 300wsm and so much as catch fur, your game is generally going down !

.308 will do the job ... I just figure why not step up to the wsm ? ... its what its there for
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A 300wsm will have the exact same results as a 308 "catching fur". The animal will run off.

Ignorance and magnumitis at its finest
 
Boomer said:
And if he's not it doesn't really matter what he shoots with.
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Truer words have never been spoken,probably the single most important part of the equation.As an aside, I never thought the day would come when I would see a question wondering whether or not a 308 would be adequate for moose.
 
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