308....why

[paceman]

Good questions Jay. I have wondered the same things as you. Looks like the main reasons folks are chosing the 308 over the 30-06 and 270 are less recoil and lighter gun. My old charts show that the 06 is simply faster which equals less drop and more energy at target. Not saying the 308 is a bad gun or anything. Both guns will kill just about anything on this planet.

[Gordie]

I used to feel the same way about the .308, until I did the research from a militry point of view. I am and will always be a solid fan of the 30-06 but when the research came back I had to own a .308 and I wouldnt trade it for anything but another. This round will do everything that I need it to do and if I wanna get fancy and shoot a long distance I know with some tweaking to the bullet it can be done no problem. I also know that I can do the same with the -06 only a bit more power and recoil.

If you are into reloading then any choice of the guns you have are great and if your not reloading bullets then IMO the 06 is the most versitile gun on the market in terms of ammo from a jacketed .52 grain .223 bullet to a 220 grain 30 cal bullet.

The 30-06 is a do-all rifle.

[jay83196]

From a military standpoint ?? It feeds faster because its shorter, less recoil ....if your firing a full auto in the jungle that is an advantage, deer hunting using a bolt action or most other hunting rifles its not , so were back to ballistics and its slightly below other comparable bullets so again why 308? Less recoil is only reason I can see.

[Gordie]

Thatsa not what I'm talking about look at the milatary specs when it comes to reloads for the .308 and look at the distance they shoot them as well and I'm not talking about the full autos. They shoot some impressive down range shots with a .308.

I will alsways say the 06 is a better choice of guns but don't count out the .308 it will get the job done, look at some sniper examples to see your data.

[jay83196]

I'm not doubting they make long distant shots, my point is the 270/30-06 are slightly better suited to make them because they are faster, flatter shooting, more energy same ballistic coefficient, better against the wind. Im not trying to bash on the 308, I simply was wondering why I should get one over these other two, and I think less recoil with similiar performance is the answer to why.

[nsnutter]

There's a reason HOGs use a 168 gr. Sierra match boat tailed hollow point to execute shots well in excess of 600 meters. Of course, being a NATO round that also plays a huge role in the decision to do so.

Gordie you ever get your hands on an FAL/STG58? You wanna have some fun with 7.62 I'd recommend it!

[monstermoose78]

My 06 has less recoil then a 308 but it has the boss muzzle break on it. It is loud as heck but very nice to shoot all day with ear protection on. I do not notice the noise when hunting. I picked the 06 because it is the a round that i can find at any store and they normally have a couple choice of them. At the time I got mine you need a 30 cal or bigger to hunt moose in minnesota. That is why I went with the 06 vs the 270. I am 6'5 and 365 pounds I did not need the muzzle break but its the 06 they had in stock in a browning a bolt when my dad bought it for me in 1997. The biggest issue is find a gun that feels right when you handle it. If it dont feel right dont buy it.

[Mr Special]

My 0.02,

i dont think theres an advangtage or dis advangtage really.

to have another gun, more options to take to the field is a good reason for me IMO. kinda why, i just recently grabbed a ML.

part of my bucket list is to harvest game with as many different weapons as possible. maybe even wrk myself to boar huntin with a Bowie knife sumday lol

"not 100% sure about that one tho"

can someone every own too many guns?

then there is also when the Zombie Apocalypse happens but my ML wont be much help there LOL

[countyline]

Ford v.s Chevy to some one is always better.

In my opinion they are both great cartridges. I think it comes down to personal preference. If you like short actions go with the .308. If you like long actions go with the .30-06. I would not want to be on the receiving end of either one of them.

The trajectories are within .5" of each other out to 250 meters when zeroed at 200 meters. Conservatively, .308 is delivering 95% of the velocity and 90% of the energy of .30-06 at all ranges. To me a 10% difference in energy isn't going make a practical difference regardless of the size of the game. Where .30-06 has a clearer advantage is with 220 grain loads. These generally are not available for .308 because the case on that cartridge is too short to hold those long bullets without sacrificing case capacity.

[Whoaru99]

In my hummble opinion i think the .308 is one of the best whitetail cartridges out there! Idk tho ive taken whitetails with .32 special and .38 special, so hey there all good.

The fastest I've ever seen a deer drop is the one I shot with my SKS (7.62x39). It disappeared right before my eyes. Literally dropped in it's track. Not proclaiming it's the best deer cartridge out there though, but none the less interesting result.

[hockeybc69]

You hit a deer in the right spot with any gun, and its gonna drop outta sight before you know what happened... just sayin...

[jay83196]

I know, its more important where you hit it, with as much as guns cost and time spent in field nice to get caliber best suited more can't hurt, that's just my opinion and why I wonder on 308.

[CrewJones]

you sound like me, I just like having different guns. The reality for me is I always shoot them in at 100 yards play around shooting 2-300 yards. Then when I deer hunt i only shoot them 60 yards and under.

So this year I took My scope off my Winchester model 100 .308 It shoot great and I can finally take advantage of having a semi auto gun.

[jay83196]

Yeah I have only taken a few deer over 100yds myself but I have opportunity if I saw one 300-400yds. I just like getting new guns I try to get somthing diffeanrent every couple years, if I can afford it. I just don't want same caliber what's the point I feel, want somthing shoots different benefits that I don't have already (faster, more energy, bigger, less recoil etc) .

[iffwalleyes]

My dad shoots a .308 and has had great luck with it out to 200+ yards in Mn. I decided one an '06 for my first gun as more shell selections and varieties. When I moved to ND I bought a .270 and have shot several. The thing they have in common is they all kill deer well. My favorite is the .270 as it is just flatter shooting when I start reaching over 300 yards. I have shoot deer at 500 plus with the '06 but was holding plenty high. In my opinion though there is not that much difference between the three.

[TroutYammer]

.308 is a current standardized NATO round which means that rounds are cheap and will always be plentiful if you ever need them.

[TroutYammer]

And let's not forget the accuracy issues that .308 wins ahdns down.

http://www.snipercountry.com/articles/accuracyfacts.asp

[Gordie]

Great read.

[Red Cabin]

+1

[fish'n'hunt]

Why did I get my .308, because I wanted a gun that didn't cost alot to practice at 100yds with some recoil. Shooting sabots at $2.00+ per round adds up very quickly when you can't seem to get a grip on the slug gun. I wanted a practice gun that would let me practice at long range with some recoil in it without the cost and recoil of shooting the slug gun. This lead me to pick up a Marlin XS7 in .308 for $320 out the door. In terms of ammo, you can pickup FMJ for more than half the price of hunting rounds. I picked the FMJ's when they were on sale for $5.99/box so that is $0.30 per shot instead of $2.00+ for sabots. Now that I'm dialed in, I now have a .308 that's good for target shooting and hunting also for a low cost. Have yet to take any animals with it, but that's why I gave it to my brother so he can take something with it when he goes to New Mexico.

[fr0sty]

my .270 is a marlin xl7. Great gun.

[Whoaru99]

I picked the FMJ's when they were on sale for $5.99/box so that is $0.30 per shot instead of $2.00+ for sabots.

Hope you stocked up at that price.

[jay83196]

I have a 30-378 cost over 6$ a shot

[Gordie]

I have a 30-378 cost over 6$ a shot

That's got tobe reloading your own too.

[Comit 2]

Why a 308?

The 308 fits in a short action. There for it will be a shorter stiffer firearm that shoots it.

Quote:

I would go with a 30-06 more bullet weights options.

This is miss leading. Most firearm tend to shoot one type of round well but throws most others all over. So once you find a round that your firearm likes and shoots well stick to that round only! All other round will have a different zero and not group as well.

The key is to place the bullet where you want it all the time. A 308 have more then enough energy at 300yd with a 160gr bullet to do the job. You just have to do your job.