Gotta love the .308 cartridge!!
 

This morning I drove out to the outdoor wildlife area's 100 yard rifle range. It opened at 9:00am, so I wanted to be among the first ones there (it can get PACKED, if you know what I mean!).

Anyway, I own a late 90's model Savage 110, but yet chambered in the legendary .308 (aka - 7.62 NATO). From what I understand, back then Savage Arms was really hurting financially, and about to go Chapter 11 or whatever or something like that. They decided to take the long action & short action models, and remanufacture them to fit in one main long action stock -- the model 110. Everything: .30-06, .270, .25-06, .308, .243, etc... For the short action models, what they did (can't really see it inside) is, they installed a metal/wooden "block" to fit inside behind the short action internal magazine. So you have a long action bolt, chamber, slide, etc... but yet combined with a short action magazine. Somehow, they made it work!

See... Isn't she pretty? :love:


Also, as seen below, I scanned two of my targets after I got home. I tested out my Savage .308 at 100 yards with the elevation set to 1" high and locked into a secure bench rest. Wicked groupings from a solid bench rest! Woo-hoo!!! :happy0001:


Here is the last target, after I realized that I didn't need to do anything to my Savage .308 besides continue to use 168gr BTHP rounds! Talk about being a "tack driver"! Wow!! Here I put down the secure bench rest, hiked out there 100 yards, and strung up another target. I just hand held my Savage, propped up on my elbows on the big wooden bench & seat at the outdoor range. I stayed focused, breathed, relaxed, and gently squeezed the trigger, and fired a few shots to see how I'd do WITHOUT a solid, secure, bench rest. I'd say whatever deer I go after will be DOA and I'll have venison on the table! :woot:

Good deal. I only got into hunting back in 2013 and needed to buy a rifle. Ended up with a Savage Model 11 in .308. Love that thing, although it has lately been eclipsed by my Savage Model 11 in .338 Federal.

Between 2014 and 2018, four delicious bears and one buck fell to my .308. Mine groups well also.

This year I went back to my Mod 88 Winchester after 8 years of using my 45-70 and took a nice big doe. That .308 was the first Christmas gift from my wife when we were married in 1970, it has put a lot of deer on the ground. This year I decided I would go back to my first love and I am glad I did, it is accurate, and deadly.

Your old Savage is still a decent shooter. But today's are a bunch more accurate then that. And as for the .308 we all have our opinions and I particularly don't care for it. I've used it for several years on deer and it didn't really impress me. I have much better success with the off shoots of the parent .308 case. The .243 and 7mm-08 are IMO dispatch deer quicker than the .308. Now if all I had was a .308 and it shot as well as yours I wouldn't hesitate to use it for deer and black bear size critters. Heck even elk in a pinch.

Nothing wrong with that Butch!

-Jake

Thanks guys... Yeah, all I have for a rifle is my Savage .308. I used to own an old Marlin .30-30 and hiked all over the woods with it cradled in my hand, like so many generations did before me. But then, once I shot a buddy's .308 and saw how accurate it can be, I was hooked. I sold my .30-30 and bought the Savage 110 back in the early/mid 2000's.

Thinking back, I still miss my old .30-30. There is just something about it... Plain open sights... Nothing fancy... But the ancient cartridge has put down thousands upon thousands of deer over the decades!

Butch I hope you didn't take offense at my post. I didn't mean to. I just don't care for the .308 based on my experience with it. No doubt it is a popular competition and hunting cartridge and your Savage is more than capable of being a good hunting rifle. I have the same rifle in .243 and it served me well until I swapped it out for a Rem 700 in .270. Good luck this year.

Thanks.. No offense at all (hardly noticed any at all). I know there's dozens of capable deer hunting cartridges out there, but for me, the .308 just seems to work.

Beautiful gun you have there.

308, 270, 30-06, 7mm-08, 25-06......The deer wont know the difference.

Im a Savage fan. My Savage smokeless ML is the bees knees. Also love my 17hmr savage. I had a 111f in 7 mag but sold it. I wish I hadnt. That gun was a much better shooter than my current 700 in 30-06. I like the 700, its a beautiful older bdl model with an AMAZING trigger but just doesnt group as well as id like. That said its more than sufficient for a whitetail within 150 yrds.

Ive never had a 308 but am leaning towards an AR10.

Theres a reason some cartridges stay around forever and others fade away.

Butch you mentioned "locked into a secure bench rest". I have a nice Lead sled but have recently been using Caldwell bags. Ive read things about the sled not being good for the scope. Any opinion on this?