.308?

[mike87]

HI, i was wondering why the .308 shoots flatter than the .30-06? and why the .308 is used more for long range sporting?

[Gangly]

cartridge design. Its shorter and wider which generally allows for better combustion of the powder from what i can tell. But there isnt a whole lotta difference between the accuracy of those two at moderate ranges in my opinion. The 308 is inherantly more accurate, but you cant tell until you start shooting out to really good distances which most people will never shoot.Most people wont be able totell a difference under 500 yards

[ipscshooter]

The .308 does NOT shoot flatter than the .30-06. You're welcome to check any ballistics chart comparing identical bullets.

[bigbulls]

The 308 never has and never will be able to shooot faster or flatter than a 30-06 unless a hand loader intentionally loaded the 30-06 with a reduced powder charge.

It gets used a lot for long range shooting because there is ahuge selection of heavy, 30 caliberbullets with high BC's that buck the wind very well and that retain velocity well. Recoil is mild. The case is short so the receiver is shorter and stiffer than along action receiver. It having its roots as a military cartridge doesn't hurt either. And a host of other reasons.

[coyote#68]

the 308 shoots a 150fps or so slower than the 30-06,which isn't a whole lot,the short action is some times a little more accurate than some long actions,but usually not enough to matter.The main difference in the two is the big availability of factory loads of heavy bullets for the 30-06 so if you are going to elk or moose hunt,the 30-06 would probably do better,for everything else they are similar enough to leave it to which rifle you want to use for the task!I shoot both of these awesome 30's.