Surprised at lack of .308 prominence ...
12-05-2012, 11:45 AM
#31
Typical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 872
I don't think people will ever agree on the best cartridge. Nature of the beast, I guess. I have a .308 and an /06. Love 'em both, though my yougest son has latched onto the .308. It has an 18.5" barrel, while my /06 has a 24". The way I can load the /06, there is 400 fps difference in the velocity with most bullets. All it seems to mean for woods hunting here in PA is I have to use heavier bullets in the /06 than the bullets that will perform well in the .308. If a person does more field hunting and taking shots over 200 yards, then maybe the .270s and 7 mags have a bit of an edge. Can't see it for shots up to 150 or so.
12-05-2012, 02:49 PM
#32
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location:
Posts: 364
I have a 308 and probably will always have one. They are a great round and will take care of any white tail on the planet plus a bunch more. Lately I've become found of 338 fed and 358 win both use the 308 parent case.
12-05-2012, 05:20 PM
#33
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Eastern PA USA
Posts: 1,398
thats a handy little .308. i would love to have a gun that small for PA hunting when most of my shots are under 100 yards with a .270 and 22" barrel. Do you lose the long range potential a .308 would have with such a short barrel? i guess it also depends on twist rate and bullet weight.
12-06-2012, 07:32 AM
#35
Almost everyone I know who hunts in the mountains (George Washington Nat'l Forest) of Virginia carries a .308 or an old .30-30 lever action.
The woods are thick and the hike is a long climb to get to where the big ones are. No need for a wicked something-something Magnum that will shoot 350 yards easily.
The .308 is an excellent round and has been used by military snipers, LEO's, and everyone else in between. I won't part with my Savage .308 for anything!
The woods are thick and the hike is a long climb to get to where the big ones are. No need for a wicked something-something Magnum that will shoot 350 yards easily.
The .308 is an excellent round and has been used by military snipers, LEO's, and everyone else in between. I won't part with my Savage .308 for anything!
12-09-2012, 09:23 PM
#37
Spike
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: W.Kelowna, B.C.
Posts: 23
The .308 and the 30.06 are close enough ballistically so as not to really mean anything.
The shorter case on the .308 probably makes it better for semi-autos and may make for
a slightly stiffer bolt action that as a result might be a bit more accurate. Not enough to matter unless you're a competition shooter.
So, the choice between the two cooks down to the .308's rifling doing better with lighter bullets like the 150 grain, and the 165 grain being the heaviest bullet the.308 likes. The 30.06 does better with a 165 grain and handles a 180 grain bullet well. So, if you're going to choose one over the other then application is probably the only real way to do it. The .308 doing better with lighter bullets like the 150 grain gives it the nod as a deer rifle, and if you're going after big northern moose, or maybe one of the big bears, the 30.06 with 180 grain TTSX bullets has the edge. For the US and southern Canada, for deer, elk, and smaller moose, the .308 with a quality 150 grain bullet and lower recoil than the 30.06 is probably the best choice. In northern Canada or Alaska, for big moose and big bears, I'm thinking the 30.06 with 180 grain TTSX ammo would be a good choice.
The shorter case on the .308 probably makes it better for semi-autos and may make for
a slightly stiffer bolt action that as a result might be a bit more accurate. Not enough to matter unless you're a competition shooter.
So, the choice between the two cooks down to the .308's rifling doing better with lighter bullets like the 150 grain, and the 165 grain being the heaviest bullet the.308 likes. The 30.06 does better with a 165 grain and handles a 180 grain bullet well. So, if you're going to choose one over the other then application is probably the only real way to do it. The .308 doing better with lighter bullets like the 150 grain gives it the nod as a deer rifle, and if you're going after big northern moose, or maybe one of the big bears, the 30.06 with 180 grain TTSX bullets has the edge. For the US and southern Canada, for deer, elk, and smaller moose, the .308 with a quality 150 grain bullet and lower recoil than the 30.06 is probably the best choice. In northern Canada or Alaska, for big moose and big bears, I'm thinking the 30.06 with 180 grain TTSX ammo would be a good choice.
12-10-2012, 02:14 AM
#38
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: NE Kansas
Posts: 1,101
Here's a slant from someone who had a .308 as his first rifle, but sold it for a 30-06. It was a Remington 788 that shot very well, but was built for a right-hander and I shoot lefty.
I only went with the 30-06 because there are more varieties of cartridges available. I don't handload. That said, I only hunt deer, with the exception of one bear hunt and always with basic factory ammo that you can find at a chain store.
FWIW, all the various distinctions on short action, ammo availability, velocity, or whatever have meant absolutely zilch as far as practical purposes. In all cases, I ended up with a dead deer and there'd have been no difference with either caliber.
It was a little cheaper to shoot the .308 because there were/are some FMJ cartridges made for it. Union Metallic and Herters, for example.
I only went with the 30-06 because there are more varieties of cartridges available. I don't handload. That said, I only hunt deer, with the exception of one bear hunt and always with basic factory ammo that you can find at a chain store.
FWIW, all the various distinctions on short action, ammo availability, velocity, or whatever have meant absolutely zilch as far as practical purposes. In all cases, I ended up with a dead deer and there'd have been no difference with either caliber.
It was a little cheaper to shoot the .308 because there were/are some FMJ cartridges made for it. Union Metallic and Herters, for example.
12-11-2012, 11:06 PM
#39
Spike
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: W.Kelowna, B.C.
Posts: 23
If all you're doing is hunting deer, a .270 Win or something in the same ballpark is
tough to beat! Ammo for it is everywhere, and with 130 grain Nosler Accubonds you'll have a low recoil, flat shooting deer rifle with bullets that expand reliably at any distance. If you're hunting in thick woods in the mountains, it's tough to beat a light lever action. Like ButchA mentions, a Savage .308 would be a good choice. If you're wanting one rifle for open country and the wooded mountains, get a light bolt action that some folks call "mountain rifles". In .260, .270, .280, or 7mm-08, they'll have light recoil, be lightweight for long hikes, and be equally at home in the woods or long shots in open country.
tough to beat! Ammo for it is everywhere, and with 130 grain Nosler Accubonds you'll have a low recoil, flat shooting deer rifle with bullets that expand reliably at any distance. If you're hunting in thick woods in the mountains, it's tough to beat a light lever action. Like ButchA mentions, a Savage .308 would be a good choice. If you're wanting one rifle for open country and the wooded mountains, get a light bolt action that some folks call "mountain rifles". In .260, .270, .280, or 7mm-08, they'll have light recoil, be lightweight for long hikes, and be equally at home in the woods or long shots in open country.
04-07-2013, 04:47 AM
#40
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Vermont
Posts: 486
I bought a Thompson Center Venture in the 308 caliber and it is the best gun I've ever owned. It was affordable and as advertised. I took the gun out of the box and at 100 yards, was shooting touching shot groups. I also own a Browning 7mm mag and although it's a very nice gun, it is now sitting in my gun safe collecting dust. I've had the TC for 3 years and have shot a couple nice bucks with it and 1 of them was at 225 yards. As long as you site the gun in for that distance, it has the knock down power for a 200 lbs deer. It hits exactly where I aim every time.