Surprised at lack of .308 prominence ...
11-04-2015, 05:02 PM
#42
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 3
Sorry to rehash such an old thread, but I was reading back over this. 3 years after I made the original post...my taste has gravitated to the 30-06. The shorter overall length of the .308 I've decided is not worth the trade off in versatility for powder capacity and bullet weight. I now own both a Browning X-bolt chambered in .308 and a Browning BAR chambered in 30-06. The BAR is now my weapon of choice.
11-04-2015, 05:33 PM
#44
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Eastern wv
Posts: 3,645
do not own a 30 cal. rifle, don't have a desire to, have had them before, hunted with them, wasn't impressed.
the 7mm/08 will do anything the 308 can do, with less recoil, the 7 mag will do anything the 30/06 can do and then some, for just deer hunting the 6mm's or a25 is all you could possibly need.
RR
the 7mm/08 will do anything the 308 can do, with less recoil, the 7 mag will do anything the 30/06 can do and then some, for just deer hunting the 6mm's or a25 is all you could possibly need.
RR
11-04-2015, 06:09 PM
#45
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,902
do not own a 30 cal. rifle, don't have a desire to, have had them before, hunted with them, wasn't impressed.
the 7mm/08 will do anything the 308 can do, with less recoil, the 7 mag will do anything the 30/06 can do and then some, for just deer hunting the 6mm's or a25 is all you could possibly need.
RR
the 7mm/08 will do anything the 308 can do, with less recoil, the 7 mag will do anything the 30/06 can do and then some, for just deer hunting the 6mm's or a25 is all you could possibly need.
RR
160's and up are over .600 BC in 7mm, for a 30cal to match those aerodynamics, it takes over 200grn. Right off the bat, that's 25% more recoil to match the same trajectory, and the difference in killing power for a 2900fps 200grn pill vs. a 2900fps 160grn pill at 1,000yrds really isn't that much.
It took me a long time own up to never needing more than a 243win to kill whitetails of any size... But I'm not ready to give up on my 30cal's just yet! (Except in the AR-10 platform, can't really think of any use for a 308win AR-10).
Last edited by Nomercy448; 11-04-2015 at 06:13 PM.
11-04-2015, 09:05 PM
#46
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern California
Posts: 18,381
Maybe because you want one? Or 10? 
I went moose and bear hunting with a buddy once. He shot a bear with his 7mm RM and we both shot moose--him with his 7mm and me with my 338WM. After looking at the terminal ballistics and performance on putting the moose down, he was seriously thinking about a 338WM. I don't disagree with anything you or RR have said but I don't see myself replacing my 338WM for elk, moose or large bears. I'll always use my 270 on deer although I'm about ready to play with the wife's .243 for deer/long range coyotes just to see how well it works.
I went moose and bear hunting with a buddy once. He shot a bear with his 7mm RM and we both shot moose--him with his 7mm and me with my 338WM. After looking at the terminal ballistics and performance on putting the moose down, he was seriously thinking about a 338WM. I don't disagree with anything you or RR have said but I don't see myself replacing my 338WM for elk, moose or large bears. I'll always use my 270 on deer although I'm about ready to play with the wife's .243 for deer/long range coyotes just to see how well it works.
11-04-2015, 10:02 PM
#47
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,695
Maybe because you want one? Or 10?
I went moose and bear hunting with a buddy once. He shot a bear with his 7mm RM and we both shot moose--him with his 7mm and me with my 338WM. After looking at the terminal ballistics and performance on putting the moose down, he was seriously thinking about a 338WM. I don't disagree with anything you or RR have said but I don't see myself replacing my 338WM for elk, moose or large bears. I'll always use my 270 on deer although I'm about ready to play with the wife's .243 for deer/long range coyotes just to see how well it works.
I went moose and bear hunting with a buddy once. He shot a bear with his 7mm RM and we both shot moose--him with his 7mm and me with my 338WM. After looking at the terminal ballistics and performance on putting the moose down, he was seriously thinking about a 338WM. I don't disagree with anything you or RR have said but I don't see myself replacing my 338WM for elk, moose or large bears. I'll always use my 270 on deer although I'm about ready to play with the wife's .243 for deer/long range coyotes just to see how well it works.
That bigger bore lets me get away with a shorter barrel and STILL using a little slower powder getting great velocities with bullets that have a better sectional density. Hard to beat that combination for an AR patterned rifle! You will find that .243 works just dandy on whitetail and with the right loads it's a spectacular yote dropper Cal
11-05-2015, 08:23 AM
#48
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,902
I've been wondering of late, what will the gun and hunting magazines talk about in 20yrs? Will there still be articles about the "tried and true 30-06" or "still 308 WINning, after all these years"?
If we look at trends in recent decades, development has tended to focus on super magnums (used to be shorts, now full lengthers) in middle-ground small bore calibers (6's and 7's) and standard or short length mid-bore cartridges (Ruger RCM's and safari mags, 338's fed & edge, etc), and of course, the proliferation of "MSR cartridges".
But does any given cartridge or class of cartridges have the the market saturation that the 308win or 30-06 (and their families) had through the 20th century? Will the magazine articles 20yrs or 40yrs from now talk about the 7mm WSM or the 26 Nosler as the cartridges of yester-year, the way we talk about the 30-06 or 308win now? Will the 30-06 and 308win only remain with the last few hold-outs stuck in a time loop, regarded in the same light as today's levergun hunters sporting 30-30's or 45-70's? Does any cartridge on the market today enjoy enough popularity that it will be the "cartridge that keeps on giving" and carries through the next generations?
Then again, maybe there won't even be magazines to be read anymore in 40yrs. He11, Playboy already gave up to the internet...
If we look at trends in recent decades, development has tended to focus on super magnums (used to be shorts, now full lengthers) in middle-ground small bore calibers (6's and 7's) and standard or short length mid-bore cartridges (Ruger RCM's and safari mags, 338's fed & edge, etc), and of course, the proliferation of "MSR cartridges".
But does any given cartridge or class of cartridges have the the market saturation that the 308win or 30-06 (and their families) had through the 20th century? Will the magazine articles 20yrs or 40yrs from now talk about the 7mm WSM or the 26 Nosler as the cartridges of yester-year, the way we talk about the 30-06 or 308win now? Will the 30-06 and 308win only remain with the last few hold-outs stuck in a time loop, regarded in the same light as today's levergun hunters sporting 30-30's or 45-70's? Does any cartridge on the market today enjoy enough popularity that it will be the "cartridge that keeps on giving" and carries through the next generations?
Then again, maybe there won't even be magazines to be read anymore in 40yrs. He11, Playboy already gave up to the internet...
11-05-2015, 10:29 AM
#49
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: SE Wisc
Posts: 677
I am quite happy with the 308 in fact its my go too every year during deer season. I would have very little problem hunting something bigger with it as well.
The only thing the 30.06 has on the 308 is bullet weight selection. You can shoot 220gr bullets out of a 30.06 but you won't find much more than 150,165 and 180s for the 308.
the 308 is the best of all worlds IMO. about 3lbs less recoil, short action, slightly lighter rifle and the ammo is the same price as 30.06.
This coming from someone who owns a few 30.06 and 7mm-08 rifle as well. For me its hard to come up with something that much better for the lower 48 than the 308.
the 7mm-08 i have is more stout recoil than my 308 as well. It really has alot to do with the rifle. I know some here say that the 7mm-08 is superior, but its not. Ballistically very close, but ammo is $10 more a box and harder to find. Big disadvantage there.
The only thing the 30.06 has on the 308 is bullet weight selection. You can shoot 220gr bullets out of a 30.06 but you won't find much more than 150,165 and 180s for the 308.
the 308 is the best of all worlds IMO. about 3lbs less recoil, short action, slightly lighter rifle and the ammo is the same price as 30.06.
This coming from someone who owns a few 30.06 and 7mm-08 rifle as well. For me its hard to come up with something that much better for the lower 48 than the 308.
the 7mm-08 i have is more stout recoil than my 308 as well. It really has alot to do with the rifle. I know some here say that the 7mm-08 is superior, but its not. Ballistically very close, but ammo is $10 more a box and harder to find. Big disadvantage there.
Last edited by semi; 11-05-2015 at 10:36 AM.
11-05-2015, 10:33 AM
#50
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,695
Honestly Mercy, I think if firearms are still around in 40 years and the Libs haven't succeeded in taking them, the old 06 will still have fans galore. If I'm going on a hunt for something where I will have to have absolute faith in, my old hand always seems to lean towards my old 06 I built years ago. Her and that round has never failed me. The .308, not near as much faith in even though it is a good round. Next year will be the 110th birthday for the old venerable .30/06. It's little brother the .308 will be 60 next year. Both cartridges have a great following but the .308, in my opinion anyway, just never really lived up to the hype.
