What wouldn't you do with a .308 Winchester?

[Boomer]

I would not choose a .308 in a situation where I had to protect other people from dangerous animals. I would not intentionally choose a .308 to go into heavy cover with after a wounded dangerous animal, while it can be used in an emergency, it wouldn't be my first choice. I would not choose a .308 hunting rifle if a .30/06 was available. For all the talk about them being the same, I've yet to see a .308 launch a 220 gr bullet at 2500 fps from a normal hunting rifle. The .308 shines in situations where a short light rifle is required for non-dangerous big game hunting out to 300 yards.

 

[Boston James]

The best 30 cal bullets (180gr good - 200gr better) are too heavy for the little fart. In my books this makes it a poor over all selection for larger game....Especially when there are so many other better choices availabe.

I've personally meet about 2 dozen Moose, Deer and Bear that would have to disagree.
But I wouldn't use it for the big bears if I ever had the chance to hunt them.

 

[2fat2fly]

I wouldn't use it for big brown bears or grizzly, but other than that, it's just fine.

As has been mentioned, a lot of elephants have been culled using 7.62 Ball, which is near identical to 308 win.

 

[t-star]

i've had a savage 99 in my scabbard since the 70's - 308/180s will take just about anything i encounter, the only reason i have a 338 is b/c i was planning the "hunt of a lifetime" at one point ( in ak) and was told large elmer didn't respect anything smaller than 30 - well , the hunt never did come to pass, and that little 308 has taken a fair bit of game- most of it edible- and you can ALWAYS get either loaded cartridges or components- sonner or later, there comes a point your dealer doesn't have the other calibers in stock
btw, have you ever LOOKED AT THE STATS for the 165 grain bullet- it does even better than the 180- it's just i can't get them in bulk

 

[Longwalker]

Out of the hundreds of thousands of big game animals taken by hunters in Canada each year, NONE are brown bears, they live in another country. Grizzly bears are not so big that a .308 isn't fully adequate with good bullets. Polar bears are so seldom hunted that they hardly count, and when hunted with dogs most Inuit shoot them with rifles no more powerful than .308.
I'm getting very tired of theoretical experts dissing perfectly good all-around game loads because "you can't hunt the big bears with them" or the are "only" good to 300 yards! Gimme a break!

 

[MTM]

Good for paper but I wouldn't hunt with one. You asked.

 

[Amphibious]

any NA game except Polar/grizzle bear inside 300m

yes it's boring, but it is very efficient for this task.

 

[Calum]

I'm getting very tired of theoretical experts dissing perfectly good all-around game loads because "you can't hunt the big bears with them" or the are "only" good to 300 yards! Gimme a break!

X2 it is getting to sound rather silly.

 

[Dogleg]

Good for paper but I wouldn't hunt with one. You asked.

That's basically where I'm at too. Why would I hunt with a light accurate .308 when I can hunt with a light accurate .300 Win Mag? I've done it, don't see the sense. Shooting at the range is different, there I'm looking for something that I can shoot alot without burning myself. My little Anschutz shines there.

 

[2fat2fly]

Ammo availability is excellent, and cost is reasonable. I bought some reasonable quality 180gr SP ammo for $20/box. Can you get 300 Win Mag or 338 for $20/box?

 

[brenden270]

A .308 will kill anything on this planet. Elephants included. Bullet selection, shot distance and shot placement are everything. I would/do hunt every species in B.C. with mine.

 

[aka-jdub]

imo. the .308 is arguably one of the most versatile out there. sure there are ballistics to be found that are superior in areas, but in real world day to day stuff it is a hard cartridge to beat.
safe bet that at 100yds nothing on this planet would survive one well placed shot.

 

[Camp Cook]

What I wouldn't do with a 308 Win is own one.........

 

[Boomer]

Out of the hundreds of thousands of big game animals taken by hunters in Canada each year, NONE are brown bears, they live in another country.

I would suggest that the coastal grizzlies of BC, Alaska, and those of the Kamchatka Peninsula the same species and about the same size.

 

[Boomer]

A .308 will kill anything on this planet. Elephants included. Bullet selection, shot distance and shot placement are everything. I would/do hunt every species in B.C. with mine.

While true to an extent, this statement is an over simplification of the problem if we are to require that there be a reasonable expectation of the animal being killed with a single shot from any angle, within the practical range of that cartridge. This should be the basic requirement when any big game cartridge is considered for any particular big game animal, including elephant.

 

[blargon]

For all the talk about them being the same, I've yet to see a .308 launch a 220 gr bullet at 2500 fps from a normal hunting rifle.

Same on game performance. It will launch the 220gr at 2400fps, and I doubt a moose would tell the difference. That said, you need the mag space to seat them out further, which I have in the Sako, at 2.95"...

All this heavy bullet talk, I think I'll pick up a box of 220's and givem' a go...

 

[Boomer]

Same on game performance. It will launch the 220gr at 2400fps, and I doubt a moose would tell the difference. That said, you need the mag space to seat them out further, which I have in the Sako, at 2.95"...

My manuals show 200's at 2400 fps in a .308, so 220's that fast might be a stretch unless you can seat them out as you say, but for this you need a longish lead, and a long barrel as well as a long magazine. I get 2400 fps with 240 gr Woodleighs in my '06.

 

[blargon]

My manuals show 200's at 2400 fps in a .308, so 220's that fast might be a stretch unless you can seat them out as you say, but for this you need a longish lead, and a long barrel as well as a long magazine. I get 2400 fps with 240 gr Woodleighs in my '06.

My Lee manual shows the 200gr at 2500, and 225gr @ 2360, all in the same ballpark though, and a moose would surely drop to any of those rounds...

 

[Gatehouse]

Out of the hundreds of thousands of big game animals taken by hunters in Canada each year, NONE are brown bears, they live in another country. Grizzly bears are not so big that a .308 isn't fully adequate with good bullets. Polar bears are so seldom hunted that they hardly count, and when hunted with dogs most Inuit shoot them with rifles no more powerful than .308.

I think the so called "brown bears" of Alaska are just grizzlies that live on the coastal areas, are they not? I don't think they have different DNA.

I'm getting very tired of theoretical experts dissing perfectly good all-around game loads because "you can't hunt the big bears with them" or the are "only" good to 300 yards! Gimme a break!

I'll diss the .308 cause it's boring, but not because you can't hunt big bears with it. If I was hunting big bears I'd probably take something in a different class of cartridges than the .308/30-06/300WM class.

And in the unlikely event a grizzly bear charged me while I was deer or moose hunting, I'd defend myself with what ever I was carrying.

 

[Camp Cook]

If I was hunting big bears I'd probably take something in a different class of cartridges than the .308/30-06/300WM class.

For me that equals...

- 300RUM = 200gr A-Frame @ 3200fps

- 375RUM = 300gr A-Frame @ 2800fps