wnogood

Personal preference. Performance will not be an issue. Both calibers are "has beens" in my opinion. With short-mag options that we have today, my 7mm rem mag will be old and grey before too long. I know people who shoot both ( 308 and 3006 ) and I would give the edge to the best shooter, not much difference in guns.

mlaubner

Well from what you guys have to say it seems that you would have me buy the .308 bbl.
This is good since I just saw one on e-bay for less than $200!
No one has mentioned anything about case capacity or powder limitations with regard to either so I have to assume that this is a moot point.
You all have been very helpful. Is there anything else I need to consider before I make the final selection?
You guys make this sound like a coin toss![]

akbound

Hi mlaubner,

Not to be the only one saying something different, but here goes. The biggest advantage of the .308 Winchester over the .30-06 Springfield, as it relates to hunting, is that the .308 Winchester can be had in a short action rifle. Therefore reducing overall length of the rifle and the weight of the gun. But you have stated that you are planning to buy a barrel for a TC. In that case you have negated the .308's only real advantage in a hunting grade rifle.

The rifle barrel in the .30-06 will add nothing to the weight or length of your TC assuming you are buying the same sporter weight barrel in either caliber. I have owned and used both cartridges extensively and there is indeed little advantage of one over the other in difference when used on game. But the fact remains that for strictly hunting of medium and big game the .308 will always be just a little less versatile than the .30-06. Once you get to 180 grain bullets the differences between the two starts to favor the .30-06. With any bullet weight over 180 grains the .308's reduced capacity does make a pronounced difference.

You will get different opinions from different people as to the versatility of heavy bullets in a .30 caliber. But if you have the .308 you have all but eliminated the possibility of even using heavier bullets, should you ever want to. With the .30-06 the choice remains. And realistically you give up absolutely nothing when going with a .30-06 in a TC!

Either way, both cartridges are outstanding and I doubt you'll be disappointed whichever cartridge you choose.

Good luck with your decision.

Dave

mlaubner

Well Dave, I was just about decided and there you go putting me right back on the "fence" again[:@].
I kind of feel the same way with regard to the things you just mentioned.
I keep waiting for a really compelling reason to go one way or the other, for some undisputable fact that separates these two very similar cartridges. Something that would make one "king" over the other, I'm afraid maybe this "thing" does not exist.
Can anyone make a great argument for either cartridge, so as to sway me one way or the other?, because after ak's comments, I'm back to the .06[][:@]

bigbulls

You hit the nail right square on the head with that statement. Like I said earlier there is no reason to use a bullet over 180 grains in a 30 caliber cartridge except for long range target shooting so using the over 180 grain argument is pretty well irrevelant..

furbman

and as far as case capacities go...the are so many powders out there you will find one that works with whatever bullet you choose, i personally like and use ww748, BL-C2, and on occasion ww760. You can easily get 3000fps with a 150 gr bullet, of what ever construction or tip you desire, nice and flat, and with a barnes, a frame, partition, or just plain regular you can do what ever you need to do. But as said before you cant go wrong with either one, they are both good solid performers.

furbman

above was a pro 308 reply

JagMagMan

Lets see, the '06 is about 100 years old, the .308 is in it's 70's, and the 7MM RM is the baby ofthe bunch, in it's mid-40's, and all three are in the top 10 sellers! I don't think that any of the three need to worry about being killed by the WSM competition!
Some of the WSM's will survive. We'll see how many stand the test of time! Many a caliber has come and gone, the '06, .308 and 7MM RM are still with us, and I'll wager that they'll be here next century too!

mlaubner

Bigbulls,
So the bullets in the 165gr class will work for most, if not all, medium to big game in North America...bear, hog, elk, mule deer etc..? or are you saying that you may need a bullet in the 180gr class but nothing over that ?
Just trying to be clear.

NVMIKE

In a TC you wont see any difference, but if ,down the road you buy a rifle it would be nice to have 06 brass around to reload, if you dont reload then it doesnt matter. If you do reload, the 06 can really be stoked up to be quite superior in a RIFLE, whereas there isn't as much to be gained w/ the 308. I do disagree w/ the comment about 180+grain bullets not being usefull in 30 cal. especially in areas where shots will be 200yds minus.