Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Would you buy a 30-06 if you already had a good .308win?

say you found a Kimber montana in 30-06 for $600 like new but you already had a 308 win for deer hunting that was a "good" gun. Would you buy the long action gun just because of the price?

Hell yes at that price.

Nope but I'll help you out. I'll give you $700 right now for that POS Mimber LA 😁

I would buy it because it is better than the 308!!

My answer is "Yes".

The rifles I like to hunt with the most just happen to be .308s, but I kinda feel deprived without a good-shooting .30-06 in the safe.

I obtained a LA receiver a couple of years ago and built it into a .30-06.

For no particular reason. It's been in the field twice in two seasons, I may not hunt with it for a couple more, but it's there if I want to.

I can live with just having either one, having both is mo' better.

ill buy it

I would in a heart beat. Actually I'm finally down to 3 30-06's and I'd buy a 308 if I found the right one. At the price of the OP Montana I'd buy just about any caliber.

Your asking a bunch of rifles looneys if we would buy another rifle?.....Ha really?........Hell ive had as many as 4 30-06's at the same time and your sweatin buying 1?........Hb

No.

Yes. Yes is always the answer to the question of should I buy a new gun? I am here to enable.

I would.

Well if it was a Western Auto Revelation in 30-06 probably no. But if it is a Kimber then I wouldn't hand it back to the store help until I the money laying on the counter.

I definitely would even though I have 8. In .308 I have none as I sold the last one 3 years ago.

84L MT 30-06? If so, I can't see any reason to own that rifle. It's certainly not anything I'd hunt deer with from a stand. Its highest and best use is backpack, BG hunting.

I've had two of them. A bit too much of a good thing for my taste. Bearable, but not especially fun. But I tend to run 180's in the 30-06. The 165's will tame it slightly. Slightly.

The 308 MT is a LOT more fun to shoot, and really makes more sense from nearly every POV.

Yes

Yes, twice!

I wonder if those answering "yes" have ever actually used a Kimber MT in 30-06?

If I did not already have 2 06's. Yes.

YES

Yes, I own one.

Nope.
If it were a Segley or Griffin and Howe sporter, then it would be a YES!

Yes
Ammo for 30.06 is available and every mom-and-pop shop, wally world, and nearly any place you can buy a license.
what good is any rifle if you can't feed it?

Never shot a Montana in 30-06 but i have spent some time shooting a buddys Montana in .300 Win (165gr bullets) and i had no recoil issues, but i dont consider a .300 Win a hard kicker, its by far my favorite hunting cartridge...........Hb

Yes, ASAP.

It can't kick as much as my Win 300 WM.

The 06 will push the 180/200 better. Not needed for Deer but I'd prefer them for bigger game.

Jerry

Don't think I would. If I wanted to go a little bigger thirty bore, I would do a 300 mag of some variety.

Of course I would. There is always room for a 30-06!

The funny thing I can't really tell the difference between a Kimber 30-06 and a 308 off the bench. If you had me blind folded and to shoot a round of one of either off the bench and ask if I just shot the 308 or 30-06 I highly doubt I could tell you the difference correctly. Both def have recoil in that light of a rifle but one is not THAT much more recoil to me. But I really don't "enjoy" shooting any centerfire rifles so much as they are a tool and means to an end. I have other rifles for plinking and enjoy shooting.

I'd by an 06 if I already had an 06.

Yep. I'd a bought it already then posted on here to brag about it. Laffin'

For that price, yes. Unless the .308 was really good! I'd love an 84L shooting 180 Partitions.
Recoil can't be much worse than a 5lb 13oz 338 FED shooting 185s at 2800.

Same here. I'd buy the 06 and get rid of the 308...

Yep, pictures would be posted of the rifle and the groups I shot with it as well... No time would have been wasted in that decision..

Without hesitation.
I'd contemplate what barrel was going on it during the drive home...

Well. No.....because it's only logical you would have already owned a 30-06 before you would ever had bough that a 308

For that price, you should buy any Montana.

But if this is actually a more generic question, then the answer for me would be "no." The 308 would do everything for deer hunting that you would do with a 30-06.

I love it... Jimmy lives in GA and is being encouraged to buy a highly specialized rifle for elk/moose for the backpack hunter. Too funny. Best thing to do is buy it and rebarrel it in a no.2 to 6.5x55 😄

Only on the Campfire...

I am thinking buy it and toss it up on the classifieds here for $900 and turn a quick profit.

Maybe Jimmy travels...and there are mountains in Ga. And bears.

Most logical post on the thread.

Lol, I did spent a couple weeks walking the AT in N. GA... I suppose they could be called mountains. Didn't see a bear, but it sure was hot and wet!

I'd buy it for that,....even if it's an 8400.....

Yes for an 84L, no for an 8400. Personal preference

Well, I re read the OP and he asked "would YOU" buy it. I answered for myself not for him.

BTW I've had a 308 and will not have another. Personal preference. I have my reasons. You have your's for the 308.

Jerry

This what I was thinking as well. I also like the idea of getting it re-barreled - a 6.5 lb standard 280 wouldn't suck.

I also agree with Brad on the 30-06 in the 84L. They ain't fun to shoot from the bench or some field positions, especially prone. But if you're going to use it on deer, a 150 of some flavor isn't too bad in the recoil department.

For $600, unless it had been drug behind a skidder, I would buy it. Hell, even a 270.

yep, plus my 308 is a kimber montana as well, too much overlap. Its not more power I need, its sometimes more than one quick shot. Yes I know typical red neck woods deer hunter.

In a heart beat!!

For that price, I'd buy it in a heartbeat(budget permitting) and I already have rifles in .308, .30/06 AND .300 Win Mag...of course my primary rifle is 8x57 so it may not get much use...

LOL, I hear that. We've all been there. Why not something a bit different. Why not a 308 or 30-06 with a bit more barrel weight? Or something even lighter in recoil with more barrel weight for faster follow up? I wasn't kidding about taking the 30-06 and making it a 6.5x55 with a no.2 contour!

I have had a few .308s over the years, all of which have come and gone. The only rifle that has never gone anywhere (and never will until I die) is my pre-64 Model 70 .30-06. I even gave my two favorite .270s away last year, one to my son-in-law and the other to my only nephew. YMMV.

Yes, for the price as well as in 30 cal bolt guns, I like 200 grains, as in Partition, at 2700 fps.

There are four .30-06 rifles in my safe at present, along with a single .308.

So a qualified "maybe".

Buy it and build something. Action and stock (assuming 84L), are worth more than 600.

No, Or maybe for resale or trade but I have a really good .308. Shilen DGA.

A Montana in .35 Whelen....

I did the reverse. I've got a Remington 700 30/06 that I've used to kill everything for the past 35 years. I want a Savage 99. I found one in 308. I plan on using it this coming elk season. Time for something different.

Depends on the rifle.
A 30-06 covers every base pretty well in the USA. It is probably maxing out it's abilities for buffalo and it's awful big for ground squirrels, but in skilled hands with good loads designed for the game, it will do everything.

The 308 will match it with 150 and 165 grain bullets, but bullets over 165 grains give up a bit to the 30-06, and in some guns because of the magazine length, you can't use the very long bullets over 200 grains very well.

So to me I would ignore the abilities of the cartridges if (A) you were never going to hunt bison with it and (B) you don't intend to shoot many ground squirrels.

So my answer is yes, I would buy a new rifle, but I would probably not care about the cartridge as much as I would the rifle itself. As an example I might fall in love with an M-1 Garand. Or I may come across a nice custom made Ruger #1 that I just can't live without. If it was a 30-06, or a 308, or a 270 or a 338, it would probably not effect my buying the RIFLE if I just liked it.

I might be more caring about the cambering of such rifles if I were in the sad place of not having any, or very many rifles already. For a one gun hunter I still recommend a 30-06, but it has very little advantage over the 308 or 280 or 270 in the real world.
We love to talk about the "one rifle for all game" but if we are honest, we have to admit that if someone can afford to hunt white tails, fox, prairie dogs, elk, moose, mule deer, caribou, coyotes and bison it's probably certain he can afford to buy a few rifles to do it with.

Logic? on the 'Fire??

Of course I would buy it. Even though it is the same bore size, it will probably prefer a different bullet. You can always add to the variety by choosing a completely different type of scope.
Happy Hunting

^^^ This ^^^

Well, at least this thread only confirms most people don't read the original post.

OK, I'll play (again.) I would buy the long action gun JUST because of the price.

I don't live out west but I still like light rifles, so I would buy it.

He didn't say anything else other than "would you?".

Maybe. I'd have to figure out what chamber for the new barrel, twist and whether or not to have it threaded for a muffler and what color to paint it? Then it's whether or not to shoot jacketed or cast, or have a private contractor crank out some unobtanium bullets. And should I have the action blueprinted or redprinted? Lot of stuff to consider.

OTOH............

Brad: Guilty here!

To the OP: sorry for not reading your post. For 600 bucks I would jump on it!

I'd buy the LA 06, probably NOT the SA 08.

Jerry

I was always a .30-06 guy. Since I had my heart attack I gave my Husqvarna S&W model B lightweight 30-06 to my son. Now that I should be able to handle recoil again at some point later this year I'm looking at .308's. The .308 gives me everything I need with a bit shorter rifle and a bit less weight. I don't see a downside but just have to figure out which one to get. I can't see myself ever going back to the 30-06 at this point.

No.

I like it.

I would but only because I have a soft spot for the 30-06.

Absolutely....

A man's gotu own a Dirty Ought Six!!!!

Absolutely not.

I would and have bought two.

And two 308's and so it goes.

You get made fun of at most deer leases if you don't have a 30 06

A Montana 84L for $600 ? Yes, of course. Be a fool not to.
And I'm not a fan of the the '06, unless I'm hunting Moose, or bear, or ...

Then figure out if it can be re-bored to .338'06, or rebarrelled to ??? ( .280 plain, 6.5-'06 ... )

Or leave it in .30'06 , and trade / re-barrel the .308 ( 6.5 CM comes to mind )

Is it a Montana 84M too ? Or keep them both and stockpile 165s

Yes. If it is an 8400 I would have it rebarreled to 9.3X62 and I would leave it as is if it is an 84L.

If it is an 8400 w/ .473 boltface, and twist is ok, I'd look at converting to .300 Win Mag

I have four 300 Wins. I would go for the Boer cartridge.

That'd be a good 'un. But I think a 6-06 barrel would really be fun!

Maybe. Depends on barrel length, partly. For the .30-06 to have maximum advantage over the .308, it should also have at least 2", better 4" more barrel length. Refer to Hatcher's Notebook where he tested barrels all the way to 31" long.

Now we're talkin!

I did!!!!

Yes....and I'd sell the 308 forthwith.

I`ve always had a 30-06 of some sort.
Never felt the need for a 308.

At one time I had 2 .30-30s, a .308, .30-06, and .300 WinMag, and rotated them out hunting for deer.

I sold the .300 WinMag, and have added two more .308s to the count.

It's not a *need* issue, but rather I *want* the rifle, having no doubt that they will eventually be sold or traded for something else.

Of the rifles listed in the first sentence, only the two .30-30s remain in my possession, all of the other rifles having been sold since, and the ones I have now are re-acquisitions.

And that may change tomorrow.

From here there are two ways to buy a Kimber.

First is from a known seller you trust that tells you how it shoots.

Second is at the right price-like this one-and if it doesn't, then with having a good Smith make it do so, you are close to where you wanted to be.

Yes,not owning a 30-06 is unamerican.

Currently have 2 .308's. A Ruger M77 MK II RSI and a Sako A7S. AND 4 .30-06's a 1947 FN Custom, an early Ruger M77 RS, a Sako AV, and a Browning A-Bolt Stalker. So what does that tell ya?

For the last twenty something years, my grab and go rifle has been a .308 that I bought with a rebarrel in mind, until I shot it. I also have three .30-06 rifles. The last one was purchased within the last five years. I suppose that answers the question.

Best wishes,

Jack

Hell ya! I can't resist a bargain on a gun. Even if it was a .270, you could still re-barrel it to a "man's gun" at that price.

I had not one, but two good .308's when I acquired my current '06. I didn't just buy it of the rack. I had one built for me. Then I bought another one.
The '06 can push 180-200 gr. bullets fast enough to be useful. The .308 can't. E

Just what I was thinking.

There are currently four .30-06 rifles in my safe. And a .308.

Granted, one of them isn't mine - yet. I expect that to change in the next few weeks. Daughter wants it sold, I want to buy it.

Buy that kimber for 600 and sell it to me for 700 and I'll rebarrel it to 35 whelen to go with my 3x .308's

I only have a Garand right now

Of course!

Only reason to choose a .308win is to acquire an AR-10 or M1a. If I had a bolt .308 that was sporter configured, I'd sell it, or build it into a Tactical rifle.

There is another option: A long action .308AI will enable about everything that a standard 06 can deliver. Owned one of these on a rem 700la and used only 180gr and heavier bullets. Very workable, but with the 22" benchrest barrel and H-S Tactical stock, just a bit heavy for a walk-about rifle. It was a deliberate tool for precision.

Lots of precision .30-06 rifles out there. Go with a light varmint 22" contour; maybe AI the chamber if 200gr bullets are to your advantage...

This is the charm of the switchbarrel rifle; opt for what you like, as you choose. Although, going .338-06 is most versatile if you want more bullet weight.

Need a pre Garcia in 30 06

My .308 is a Ruger Scout and suits that platform and my needs much better than a .30-06.

My second .308 is under construction on an AR-10 platform.

Daughter's .308 is a 22" Ruger Hawkeye sporter. Suits her needs to a tee. She and I would both strongly disagree that an AR or M1A is the only suitable .308 platform.

While what you say is true, one could say the same for .308 Win.

There have been numerous times that I have been in little out-of-the-way stores, like hardware stores or gas stations, that stock 243, 270, and 30-06 but not 308. And if they have only one, it has always been 30-06 where I've looked.