Difference- 30-06 and 308
 

Besides the smaller cartridge of the 308, are these two any different at all?

Up to a 165gr bullet, not really. But once you hit 180gr bullet the 30.06 has a decided advantage. The 308 is about 95% of what the 30.06 is.

In factory ammo there is little separation. The 06 will shoot the next heavier bullet at the same velocity as the 308. Meaning an 06 will shoot a 180 at the velocity that a 308 will shoot a 165 grain bullet etc. Down range the heavier 06 bullets usually carry energy better at range.

When handloading the difference is a little greater because the 06 has around 15 grains higher case capacity and the same classic pressure signs apply equally to 06 and 308.

The 06 is limited to 60,000 psi in factory loads which makes the factory load peformance similar.

If you are only hunting deer and blackbear the 308 is more than you will ever need. If elk are in the mix the 06 is the ticket.

the .308 is complete garbage, the 30-06 is awesome! Thats a joke here, I frankly love the .308, I dont own one but my father in law does and it is a splendid deer round. I have an 06 and like it as well, but the noticeable reduced recoil in the .308 is getting to be a real attractant for me. Everything previously said about buttlet weight is true though. The 06 has a slight edge in velocity in the 180 grain and up area. EJ

You know with 2 equal guns with 22" barrels you can reload the 308 to faster velocities with the 150grn bullets and lower due to higher pressures that come with the 308's. I always thought that was pretty interesting.

Not much difference until you hit the 180gr mark.

Yes one xtra number!

Something tells me I could push a 30-06 a bit faster, regardless of bullet weight. :confused:

Not to get into a getting wet contest but I've got 2 reloading manuals that discuss this and up to 165 they even give the 08 a hair advantage. But I don't own a 06 anymore (unless you count my 8-06) but I do have the full range of 308 based rounds. I find them easier to find loads that work, easier on the shoulder (ok my 338 fed is right there with an 06 pushing 180 pills) and I get more loads out of a pound of powder.

To the heart and lung area of your favorite big game animal..NONE..the hundred or so feet per second isn't even worth talking about.. however I do beg to differ with all that talk about the short one being more accurate..I've owned a few long ones that amazed me at times off the bench and I've never owned a short one that really shot worth S---...must be me.

Wow.
 

Do a search...... this topic has been around the block so many times..........

As others have advised, the 308 Win. is a fine round for medium game hunting. I own and have hunted with many different cartridges over the past 47 years. too many to mention here. My favorite has been and clearly is the 308 Win. The 308 Win. cartridge is pretty much ideal for bullets in the 150-168 gr. range. Don't get me wrong, the 30.06 Spr. is without a doubt one of the all time great hunging cartridges. You won't go wrong with either. If you hunt bigger game that would require a hard hitting 180-200 gr. bullet for a clean kill, then of the two, go with the 30.06 Spr.

Yea you would think that but its not the case. Kind of suprised me too.

My chronograph has never shown these results. A friend of mine spent a whole summer with his .308 and his .30-06 pushing 150 and 165 grain bullets with every available powder. He used his two .308rifles ( a Remington and a Winchester) his Remington .30-06 and my Winchester .30-06 and filled up a log book with his results. He started with 200 new pieces of brass (Remington and Winchester) for each rifle and discarded them after 5 loadings each - at which time he put new brass from different lots into use. Using my chronograph he always noted higher velocities from the .30-06 rifles and better accuracy with the highest velocity loads from both .30-06s. The .308s were very accurate rifles but only really showed it with their mid velocity loads. Overall he found tighter groups with his .308s than with the .30-06s (but not by a significant amount) and higher velocities - and most importantly higher usable velocities - with the .30-06s.

The Nosler book I have shows it mainly with 150's and under. Im just using the information "Nosler" printed.

Were they the exact same rifle?

I have noticed many differences between reoalding manuals and real life.

The rifles uesed were:
M700 - .308 and .30-06
M70 - .308 and .30-06

True. not sure if a test on 4 different rifles proves it the other way either. Most of the reloading books I have print the higher pressures in the lower weight bullets in the 308 is why it out does the '06. Specifically with the "sporter" barrel length guns. I guess 80-100fps doesnt make much difference in the real world anyway. A warm or cold day could change it that much.

removed by RD

No, they both wish they were .270s :)

Not sure what you are looking at but my Nosler #6 manual shows the 06 faster at every bullet weight. In fact according to Nosler the 06 will push a 168 grain bullet faster than the 308 can push a 150 grain bullet. Those numbers take into accound the different operating pressures of the 308 and 06.

Looking at one manual often can be misleading because it shows such a limited view of the powders available at that burn rate.

Real world velocity differences are even greater than the manuals show because the 06 and 308 show the same classic pressure signs at the same operating pressure on average.

I think everyone should own both..the are both wonderful calibers..the 06 has tons of data available, and a proven track record as does the 308...i reload,shoot, and hunt with both, and neither has let me down if i do my part...it all comes down to personal preference...that being said, do your homework here on the internet...there is a prolific 30-06 hater running rampant on a few forums out here..comparing modern 308 data to pre WW2 30-06 data, claiming the 308 is so much better...if you see this guy..do us all a favor and kick him in the nuts...

.308 is a short action and can fit into a lighter handier rifle, -06 is about 200 fps faster when both are loaded to max with identical bullet