Opinions on a 308 for an all around rifle?

Hard to beat the 308 for an all-rounder. I bought a tikka t3 in 308 around 2015. I shoot 150 ttsx for bigger game and the 155 scenar for coyotes and deer. Leupold vx3i with cds shoots both loads the same out to 350 and the 155 to 700 yards. I've take deer, bear, elk and a couple moose with it. Also a pile of coyotes. The whole package is right at 7lbs
 
Using my grandfather's parker Hale in 308 for 25 years and he did the same, 15 deer, 8 moose, 7 bears and about 40 coyotes, none required a second shot, some of them were an easy 300 ydsIMG_20240817_162400.jpg
 
The reason the .308 and 30/06 are so popular is because those happy to use factory ammunition can get it pretty much everywhere, and for most North American hunters that's all they need to fit their requirements. Furthermore, both calibers are available in any kind of rifle action you prefer.

With that said, if you want to do a lot of shooting with the rifle, versus primarily hunting with only a few outings to go shooting, then the 35 Whelen or 358 Winchester are a much better choice.

That means you're a reloader to begin with: factory ammunition for either caliber is not found everywhere, and while a couple of boxes of factory ammunition will last a hunter for five years or more, that won't work for regular recreational shooting throughout each year.

The appeal of these two .35 calibers is that they are quite capable of being big game rifles at the 300 yards you mentioned. But they are also a great cartridge for recreational shooting using handgun bullets bought in bulk, either jacketed or lead. My wife regularly heads out shooting gophers on a friends' ranch with 158 gr SWCs doing about 950 fps at the muzzle - quiet and cheap practice for hunting season. Works equally well ringing the steel at the range for fun.

Barnes as one example offers their TTSX line of bullets from 180 grains to 250 grains for big game hunting in the .35 caliber. The 30/06 and .308 Winchester are equally good hunting rifles and on the shelf hunting ammunition is easy to find - but they don't come even close to matching the versatility of the .35 calibers if you do more than fire a few rounds through your hunting rifle each year.
 
Paul_T said:
My Tikka T3x stainless laminates in 30-06 and 6.5x55 look pretty much exactly the same :D
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If you reload, a 6.5x55 in a modern rifle is hard to beat for the medium size animals on the planet. I hunt with 120gr ttsx going fast. I have tons of other hunting rifles, but my old blue and plastic Tikka T3 with a decent Burris 4.5-14 is the go to. If you reload or not, there is nothing wrong with a 308, 30/06 or the one I’m fond of, the .270 win though. I have 2 30/06 and a 308, but unfortunately, I sold the 270 to a friend who needed a rifle right before hunting season a couple years ago. She shot her first moose with it a couple weeks later. It went to a good home.
 
unstableryan said:
If you reload, a 6.5x55 in a modern rifle is hard to beat for the medium size animals on the planet. I hunt with 120gr ttsx going fast. I have tons of other hunting rifles, but my old blue and plastic Tikka T3 with a decent Burris 4.5-14 is the go to. If you reload or not, there is nothing wrong with a 308, 30/06 or the one I’m fond of, the .270 win though. I have 2 30/06 and a 308, but unfortunately, I sold the 270 to a friend who needed a rifle right before hunting season a couple years ago. She shot her first moose with it a couple weeks later. It went to a good home.
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You have good taste. Will you buy another .270?
 
Outdoorsman308 said:
Holy smokes really? I had no idea that was a regulation in Ontario. Thats too bad.
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A couple hours north of where I am, you can. but I discovered this caliber back in the '70s in the form of surplus military rifles. In the '80s I got sucked into a few "trends" and sold them all. Regretted it every day until I finally returned. Bought a Zastava brand new for hunting and have a 1900 Obendorf M96 and a Husky M38 for fun.
 
Meroh said:
A couple hours north of where I am, you can. but I discovered this caliber back in the '70s in the form of surplus military rifles. In the '80s I got sucked into a few "trends" and sold them all. Regretted it every day until I finally returned. Bought a Zastava brand new for hunting and have a 1900 Obendorf M96 and a Husky M38 for fun.
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Good for you. You have good taste.
 
I asked Bill Leeper to build me a complete rifle including doing the stock from scratch after 40 years of having him tighten up and rebarrel factory rifles. I was tempted by his suggestion to chamber it in 35 Newton to match my 30 Newton, but my sensible half seized the day and had him chamber it in 35 Whelen. Some day I might actually want to buy factory hunting ammunition.

At a bit less than six and a half pounds scoped and ready to go, short and handy, capable of everything from gopher hunting cheap shooting fun, pedestrian 30-30 type loads for whacking close range deer in the back forty, to 180 and 200 grain bullets easily capable for elk and moose out at 300 yards and a bit beyond if I do my part, this cartridge and this rifle are a reloading hunter's dream.

If this rifle and the accompanying reloading knowledge had been in my hands when I started spending my paycheques on new hunting rifles back in the early 70's... I'd probably only have one hunting rifle to my name 50+ years later.

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For reloading hunters, the medium sized 35 calibers are incredibly versatile.

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