gregrn43

Both are fine rounds, no question about that. I would choose the 06 because I have much more experience with it. It is easy to reload for, not picky with powder or bullets. For brown bear wow im sure there has been many brown bears killed with the 06, but I think I would choose something in the .338 win magand up for anything that can bite back.

BigTiny

I just bought a new rifle in .30-06. I have much more experience with the .308, but went back to the 06 this time. I had several reasons, first, the 06 was my first centerfire rifle, and when I sold my old 760, I missed having it around. The .308 is going to provide more consistent ballistics than the .30-06 as a general rule, but you don't really notice much of a change until you start shooting out to 800-1000 yards. I don't know about you, but my hunting doesn't afford me an opportunity for a 1000 yard shot. I also like the 06 for shooting up to a 200 gr. round. It can be loaded down to 120 grain if you want to do it as well. Not to mention I can still get boxes of 06 Federal for $13. The same box of .308 is going for around $22. I did kick around the idea of getting a 7mm-08, lots of guys on here love them, and if I had not sold the 760, I may have gone for that. Maybe next time.

Hurricanespg

I have used the 30-06 for everything from groundhogs (90gr) to brown bear (180-220gr), and could not be happier with the perfomance.
The only experience I have with the 308 is on deer....it did the job just fine, but the recoil was the same as the 30-06. I just don't see the need for the 308 when the 30-06 outperforms it in practically every aspect.

RemingtonGuy1991

If you going to hunt bear you better drop the BB guns and get a 300 WIN MAG Lol
No I use 270 but I would Say 30-06 for sure

Hoytshooter002

I love my 06, but for deer sized game, I mostly use my .270. When we go Elk hunting I use the -06 for the heavier bullet weights available. Any one know why the military switched from the -06 to the .308? I figure there must be a reason...
John-

txhunt

The way I understand it, the military switched because the short action .308 case got jammed less often then the long action 30.06. I like my 06 Remington 760. It gets the job done just fine, but I've often thought about going to a .308 thinking it has less recoil. I'm glad I read this thread.

nosualc

With bullets in the 150gr-168gr range, the two cartridges are more or less equivalent (the .308 was designed as a 30-06 replacement by the military). The 30-06 can be a little faster, the .308 a little more accurate, and recoils just a little bit less. For hunting, these differences are so minor that neither you or your game can tell the difference. Either cartridge will kill any deer on the planet with ease.

For hunting, the real differences are:

The .308 uses a shorter action. If a rifle maker chooses to (and they don’t always) a .308 rifle can be made a little lighter and a little handier than an equivalent 30-06.

The 30-06 has a larger case. It can be loaded with heavier bullets (180gr-220gr), and still have enough room for the necessary powder. Heavier bullets may be a better choice for moose and elk. This makes the 30-06 a little more versatile.

For things with teeth and nasty temperaments like brown bear, you’re talking a different class of rifle (eg – 338WM, .375HH). Sure, a .308/30-06 can kill a brown bear, but IMO that’s looking for trouble.

nosualc

The military designed the .308 to replace the 30-06 mostly because a shorter case worked better in automatic/semi-automatic applications, and worked better in box magazines. Also, being smaller, they required less brass, less powder, and a soldier could carry more rounds with the same weight.

Using the same bullet, advances in powder technology allowed more or less the same ballistics as the .30-06 ball ammo used in WWII.

vabyrd

Can anyone read between the lines here? The short magnum concept was originally a government conspiracy fueled by WWII and the search for the same efficiency in a compact cartridge. Hmmph, and Winchester thought they were going to corner the market on those things.....

jklink

I own a .308. My brother owns a 30-06. We shoot fairly regularly. We are 6'3", 250lbs and 6"6, 290lbs (recoil not much of in issue). We hunt together a majority of the time. .308 is accurate. 30-06 is accurate, but not as much as .308. I prefer the .308, but do not have anything bad to say about the other. When I buy a new rifle, it will be another .308. My brother has recently purchased a new rifle in a .243 and has used it quite a bit over the past year. as he is the bigger of us, he dosen't like to admit, but the recoil did have a factor in it. As far as ammo goes, i preferred round is the Winchester balistic silvertip .308, 150 gn.