Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting The 308 cartridge

If you were to buy a rifle to do some longrange shooting at targets and also hunt at close to medium range what cartridge would you choose based on the 308?

I'd go 260 Rem or 243 twisted @ 1 in 8. The more I shoot my 243 the more I wonder why I have other rifles. 105 Hornady BTSP's out to 800 on steel and 80gr mono's for fur.

.243

.260

7-08

.308 (with 155 Scenars)


Close your eyes, spin around three times and put your finger down!

Any will do....if you do.

P.S. Who was it who said boolits matter more than head stamps? (Hint...)

Sold off my Rem 700 in 243 to a member here. I do have some regrets. That caliber is high on list as is the 7-08 with 162 Amax's.Got too get a COAL on them 162's and see what mag. will accommodate them.

99 outta 100 people would blow their own minds (and all their buddies) out to 600 with a properly set-up .243 flinging good bullets.

Word.....I'm looking forward to more Ticonderoga time... Grin..

People give me strange looks when I say I shoot my 243 @ 600 and farther. Out to 100yds they are ok but from 101yds and farther it has to be a magnum or it just won't make it there.

I would get the 7-08, you will be ahead of the game, I got a feeling its gonna make a huge comeback in the long range game for target and steel. The bullets have better BC and barrel life is a little better..

I think any of the 4 (243,260,7-08,308) would fit the bill with right action, barrel, and bullets. I'm drooley over the 7mm version lately. Thinking 162 Amax for everything beyond 400 and 160 PT/AB for everything to 400. A lot of good bullets in 7mm cal though, including the 168 Berger Classic Hunter, that could also get swapped for the Amax.

In your terms, 1tnhunter, that would be Amax or Berger for LR targets, and 160 PT/AB for hunting. Elk is always in the program here though, and I like bullet weight a lot.

308

+1

The gun I have had the longest is a Sav99E 308 made in 1969, my father bought it for us used in 1973 to shoot free ammo. He had designed a machine gun, the gov was testing with 7.62x51 belted ammo. My father had come up with a different belt system that feeds from the back so the gun would fit in a turret. There was no selling Rock Island Arsenal anything that was not their idea, so it went away. But lots of cases of the ammo were lying around. Every 5th round was a tracer.
I currently have ~ 13 308 rifles, 10 308 dies, and a 308 reamer.
But hunting with a 308 would be too big a handicap for me at long range, given my skill level.
Bart Bobbitt shot a 3.2" 20 shot group at 800 yards with a 308 in 1997.
I am not Bart Bobbitt.
I need all the help I can get.
The 308 would be a 400 yard gun for me, while the hot rodded 7mmRM is a 500 yard gun for me.
I establish my range by always hitting a 12" circle on a big piece of cardboard at that distance.

Shooting a 243 with 105 berger hybrids.they are awesome.I have shot 2 nice bucks,an antelope, and a bunch of coyotes. Not sure why you would need much else unless you like more recoil. Having said that,308s are nice.they just kick more.

I bought my T3SL in .308 to 'go with' my 700 5R. Wanted to clear up my reloading desk and keep things simple. If I hadn't already had a .308 I probably would've bought the regular T3 in 7-08 or .243. Wish to God they would come out with a fast twist SL in .243 so I could snag it! Might end up having to just buy a standard T3 or have one made.
"Unfortunately", the .308 is so light and accurate it's hard to justify relegating it to second place.

I am trying to get my buddy to buy a decent hunting rifle seeing as he is always borrowing one of mine. I'm attempting to talk him into a SS T3 in .243 so he can hunt rockchucks up to elk with one rifle. Of course, being the great friend I am I told him I would mount his scope, sight it in and do all the reloading for it in exchange for keeping it at my house till he needed to use it! I'm pretty sure I can talk him into it!

how big an animal will you be hunting? If elk are on the list, that makes the 243 less than ideal and 260 questionable IMO.

For target shooting at LR, it can be hard to see misses hit dirt with a 243.

I have a LR rifle in all 4 cartridges. The 7-08 with berger 168 hunting VLDs is my favorite, great BC and you can see misses. I've had a couple of 260s, currently have a Tikka T3 Sporter, and I compete with a dpms 260, great cartridge. The 308 is a Kimber Tactical and I love it, but the BC really kills it past 800 yards. My 243 is an ackley and is a tackdriver but I can't see dirt fly at LR except under great conditions.

My opinion would be 260 or 7-08.

Your job descriptions sound like a .260 to me.

Yep, 308.

I never mix business with pleasure. Tweener rifles interest me not.

Based on 308 for LR:


308 Win

260 Rem


243 Win


Based on 308 for hunting:

308 Win


7mm08


243 Win
[img]http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p32/2muchgun/SAM_0229.jpg[/img]

The first 3 rifles are very heavy. The last 3 very light. The absolute last thing I want is some custom built abortion that lands squarely in the middle. Tweener rifles never satisfy, and are the biggest mistake newbies make when building their first customs. Don't try to build one rifle to do it all. Build the rifle with a specific task in mind, and you won't be sorry later..............

Great summary!

I kinda like tweener rifles..... especially in the .308 based cartridges. 9lb guns that don't recoil much.... tend to get shot a whole lot.

Tweener are easier to shoot than 'light' guns.... and easier to pack than 'heavy' guns. Besides.... I bet my .260 'Tweener' weighs about the same as that Mod. 88 you have there as one of your 'light' rigs..... I have one too (.243).... so I ain't guessin'.

Off to shoot the 'Tweener' now.... maybe we'll put it on film....