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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,032
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.308, ive got three of em:
Remington 700P Savage 10PC Ruger Merican Shawty
the 700 shoots the best, the shawty carries the best, but none of em shoot poorly. I haven't found an easier cartridge to handload for.
Uber Demanding Rifle Aficionado
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Joined: Sep 2010
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RC. I don't quite load down to 2500 but my 308 loads are just on the warm side of 2700. Like ruger 438 that's one of my first loads and it shoots about a inch so I also being lazy and having plenty of the components I used I quit there. There are several reasons I don't like to load to absolute max. One I find most C&C bullets work best started at around 2700-2800 fps. A real speed of 2700 fps isn't all that slow compared to true factory load performance of rounds like the 270 and or 30-06. The trajectory is usually flat enough to allow a dead on poa @ 300yds using a + 2-3" zero at 100 yds. Finally it is much easier on your brass. So I don't see much need to push it.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,323
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2004
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If I was limited to one centre fire rifle cartridge for all my shooting, it would be a .308. Used only a .308 during my "formative" years as a hunter, and will always have at least one on hand. My current .308 is a an old Sako Forester. Have also owned and hunted with a Brno ZKK, Rem 700, Savage 110, Savage 99, and a Valmet .308/12 combination gun. They all worked well and shot accurately.
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 164
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Campfire Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 164 |
My 308 it is a great shooter. I use it for Elk, bear and other larger animals. My 25-06 is my main stay for deer and antelope
Tom
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,152
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I've used a 308 since the early 70's and still like it more than any other cartridge I've owned. I haven't loaded it much in recent years, but can understand a light load. To me it isn't about reducing recoil, it's about reducing the damage done to a deer when shot at close range. I don't need a hot load to kill a deer cleanly at 30 yards and a load that approximates a 30/30 would work just fine for much of my hunting.
Harry
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,730
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I do not understand why someone would buy a 308 and down load to 300 Savage velocities. Why not take advantage of the full potential of the cartridge. a 150 gr bullet can easily be loaded to 2900 fps, and a 165 to 2800, and both as accurate as the 2500-2600 fps loads I see some guys bragging about. Other having bad shoulders and avoiding the recoil I don't understand it. Someone please enlighten me. My experience with the .308 has been that it seems to have a lot of bark, for its bite. Kind of like these fellas: � and a Savage 99. I shoot them sometimes but really like them when someone tells me they are not bothered by recoil. They hurt more than a 300 short mag in a light stock. plainsman, glad you said that. i shot a remington 798 mauser in 308 that whipped my ass. i can handle a 270WSM and similar with no issues but something about that 308 was just unpleasant. maybe just the shape of the stock or something. I have one 308 WIN, and it is my favorite deer rifle. It is a Savage 99, and I download it to 300 Savage levels.
I have 9 30-06 rifles. Most of the time, I shoot them with a load that is slightly downloaded to 308 WIN levels.
The result in both cases is a fairly dramatic reduction in recoil. I am not adverse to recoil; I'm a walking landform. However, I figure that I need not put up with it when I don't have to. I also am hunting places only 800 feet or so above sea level with less than 200 feet of altitude. A little extra weight is not a problem.
For my taste, I prefer the 30-06 over the 308 for the simple reason that, when loaded to near-MAX levels, the 308 Win seems to have much sharper recoil than the slightly downloaded '06. I, too, had a Savage 99 in .308, and it had even been retrofitted with a decent recoil pad. Still, I was surprised by the jab that sucker gave me when I mushed the trigger. A 700 MR, similarly chambered, was little problem from a recoil standpoint, but I still noticed that the cartridge made sure it was heard. My other experience with the cartridge was last year when Ready had me slummin' a Blaser R8 with a Zeiss Victory 'round the GDR. That stock was much better at directing the recoil to where I best tolerated it, and the extra weight obviously helped, too. We also wore hearing protection, so I wasn't bothered by the report. On the other hand, I picked up a 722 in .300 Savage here, and that thing is more fun than a bucketful of bouncy blondes. It barely whispers when it goes off, and I have to tell my shoulder that I just fired a shot. And yet it sends 130 TSX's awfully close to 3K fps, and they will neatly snap the neck of a hog. I find it provides a goodly amount of killing for the jab & bang. For me, If I've gotta eat more recoil & endure more muzzle blast, I'll step up to a .300 WM. But for most of my hunting, thankfully, I don't have to. FC
"Every day is a holiday, and every meal is a banquet."
- Mrs. FC
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 15,605
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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THE CHAIR IS AGAINST THE WALL. The Tikka T3 in .308 Winchester is the Glock 19 of the rifle world. The website is up and running!www.lostriverammocompany.com
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 21,601
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 21,601 |
"The Church can and should help modern society by tirelessly insisting that the work of women in the home be recognized and respected by all in its irreplaceable value." Apostolic Exhortation On The Family, Pope John Paul II
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,995
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Campfire Regular
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Only 308 I have left. Ruger with a Lilja factory contour barrel at 21�, NECG sights, Mcmillan stock, Nightforce 2-10, Warne QD 30MM rings. Throated for 155 scenars fed from the magazine. One of my do it all rifles.
When people face the possibility of freezing or starving there is little chance they are going to listen to unfounded claims of climate doomsday from a bunch of ultra-rich yacht sailing private jet-setting carbon-spewing hypocrite elites
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 449
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Campfire Member
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My Model 7 in 308 is my go too rifle, always seems to be the one I grab to hunt with. Light, short and relatively low recoil. Hard to beat the 308 for all around performance! I've killed deer and bear with no problem, just need to do my part with shot placement the 308 does the rest.
Recovering Yankee
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 5,792
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I love the .308. I've never used a cartridge that is as easy to get an accurate load for. The lone shot is a sighter shot at 25 yards. The other 5 are after I made an adjustment and moved back to 100. The group was shot off a bipod from the prone in the bed of my truck. It went .358". John
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,059
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@Hondo64d, that's some great shooting! Do you mind sharing the reloading info?
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Joined: May 2003
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44.5gr R15 behind 155gr Lapua Scenars in '82 LCNM brass, Tula LRM primer. Clocks about 2865fps. Lapua Brass uses about .5gr more powder with same results.
John
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,521
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2013
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Only 308 I have left. Ruger with a Lilja factory contour barrel at 21�, NECG sights, Mcmillan stock, Nightforce 2-10, Warne QD 30MM rings. Throated for 155 scenars fed from the magazine. One of my do it all rifles. That one appears to be about all a boy would ever need. Nice rig.
What fresh Hell is this?
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,438
Campfire Outfitter
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OP
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Right now I am running 130 gr TTSX's over 48.0 grs of TAC. My son wants to use it for Black Bear in a few weeks from a stand. I said I can't wait to take a picture of him holding the Sako next to the Bear. It worked very nicely........
Faith and love of others knows no mileage nor bounds. That's simply the way it is. dogzapper
After the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box. Italian Proverb
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 8,049
Campfire Outfitter
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A whole lotta love for the .308 here . . . Only 1 so far. I could see doing a Kimber Montana.
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Last edited by 308ld; 11/13/14.
Ed
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