Accuracy wise I mean? Seems like all you hear about is how accurate the .308 is. I mean, would military and police sharpshooters use an inaccurate round? Would long range (1000 yard) competitors use an inaccurate round?

But what about for hunting. Realize that in examples listed above, sharpshooters and competitors use match grade ammo. So, is the .308 still the ultimate in accuracy with hunting loads? Has anybody done any real world tests or comparisons on this? Is the .308 more accurate than other hunting calibers?

Just thought I'd stir up the thought process a little.

The .308 is the most acurate round in all the universe. It will consistently shoot one hole shots at 500yds. off hand. (In the hads of a professional)

actualy any cal. can be very acurate if you work at it. The .308 is a little easier to make acurate though. The case, shoulder, neck etc..... tend to work very well. Seems short cases work better than long. I.E. the 30-06. I have 30-06's that equal my .308.s but I had to work harder to get them that way.

It is to me. I hunt deer with a 308 Encore 15-inch pistol and have taken a deer at an honest 264yds with it. I usually try to keep my shot within 150yds or so and shots that long one are not the norm for me, but everything felt right, so I took it. Little recoil, very accurate, plenty of factory loads and even more handloads make the 308 hard to beat IMHO. I don't see myself switching calibers anytime soon.

The 308 is a very accurate hunting cartridge. Not all that much more accurate than many others but pretty darn good. If you are looking for an accurate cartridge which has very little recoil and will retain about 1600 lbs ME at 400 yards plenty for even elk. then you won't find many better calibers. To me its a good trade for the hard kickers. The 7MM-08 is in almost the same class if not equal.

No.

With bolt action hunting rifles of similar quality I don't think that you will find a lick of difference in accuracy between a 30-06, .308, .243 7mm etc.
I think with a high end custom made target rifle, the .308 might gain a bit of an edge however if only because of a slightly stiffer receiver but more so from less recoil and probably from a shorter column of powder to burn as compared to the .30-06.

I think the reason .308's got a reputation for greater accuracy was because of comptetitive shooters and the rifles they used at the time the .308 was introduced. the >308 was introduced in the early '50's when rifle competition was dominated by M1 garands. It was found that rebarrelling and rechambering the M1s to .308 gave immediate and significant gains in accuracy. The main reason for this was the rifle itself and not the cartridge. The M1 has an oprod that is very sensitive to port pressures, so 30-06 loads had to be kept in a narrow range which meant that the cases were not loaded anywhere near to capacity or with the best powders fo rthe cartridge, the .308 on the other hand, favors powders that work well in the rifle and has a much better load density than the 30-06. I belive thi shas caused the .308 to get a reputation as a more accurate cartridge.

AS an example of how the rifle effects the cartridge, most people who have shot it, including myself consider the 6.5x55 to be one of the most accurate cartridges out there. This cartridge is chambered in swedish military rifles that are of very high quality and fit that they put modern production hunting rifles to shame. I've heard of people buying american made rifles in the cartridge being somewhat underwhelmed by the accuracy as compared to the cartridge's reputation, but then, American manufacturer's don't guage, carefully inspect, and hand lap every barrel they screw into a receiver.

Most of the time, all else being equal, the shorter the action the more accurate. We are not talking about big differences. Maybe not even enough for the average hunter to notice. The 308 however does have several things in its favor. 308 caliber bullets are good and there is a good variety to fit most poeples needs. It is a short but efficient casing that equals the 30-06 in bullets up to 165 grains. This with less powder and less recoil. It works well in short rifles and shoots as well in most cercumstances as rifles with longer barrels. The 308 will most often not loose velocity in a slightly shorter barrel. Brass is cheap and easy to find due to its many years as a military rifle. Its recoil makes it more shootable by more people yet will do just about anything the other 30 calibers will do. Given a little less range but as a rule its good to farther than most people can hit with a rifle anyway.

The main point that everyone has touched on the .308 is its lack of recoil meaning less powder. That is the same as shooting a 22-250 against a 300 win mag. Less recoil your going to be able to hold that recoil alot easier as the bullet leaves the barrel. Even though I can shoot holes in holes with both the the 22-250 does it twice as much. Less barrel vibration and a bunch of other factors involved.

There are better long range calibers than a 308 but the little caliber does it more effective everytime. Less powder pushing a bigger bullet which in turn means less recoil and in turn has become the premier bench rest gun that may outlast several generations. I'm having a bench gun made in a 308 but its not my favorite for hunting. Its a very stable little round. It has my vote for being the most accurate caliber out there in the .308 caliber.

Most shooters can't tell the difference, especially with their average deer rifle, but yes the .308 is an very accurate cartridge in general.

Absolutely. I have no trouble finding the optimal load with a 308. I have done it many times over. Velocity spreads will be lower, and no mistaking the best load. With a 30-06, or 300win mag, or whatever, they can be just as accurate, but I bet I would beat someone at finding a optimal load with a 308 than a 30-06.

I said it before, and I'll say it again. There is no cartridge I dispise more than the .308 Winchester. I've been hunting for close to 45 yrs now and have a lot taken game east, west, north and south with everything from the 223 to the 300 WM.
I've owned two .308s and got rid of both of them. They shot great on paper no doubt but IMO they just don't have what it takes as a good hunting round. I know there are alot of you out there that swear by the .308 but I swear at it. I lost a nice buck and a nice black bear when using the .308. I say lost because both of these animals ran into other hunters who finished them. I know the deer was hit solid and the bear was hit three times in the chest (I watched the water spray off his coat from the night before), and he also ran into another hunter. If I opt to use a 30 cal I always use the 30-06 or 300WM if the game is bigger than deer or the shots may exceed 200 yds. Personally I prefer the .270 or the 7mm-08 for deer sized game.