looking at buying another rifle this weekend and considered a 25-06 and a .308 ive used a 270 and my dads 243 most of my life. so to those that use a .308, good rifle??

Yes. It'll handle anything you want this side of really big game.

A 308 is a great choice. Chambered in shorter action than a 270, or a 30-06, but with 150 gr. or 165 gr. bullets it will do anything either will do. It is also usually a very accurate cartridge. Did I mention that it produces less recoil than the above mentioned calibers, even in a slightly lighter rifle due to that shorter action. It will recoil more than a 243, but is more practical if larger game than whitetails is in your future. Cut to the chase; I like the 308. (Almost as much as the 7mm-08) grin!

I have one...and like it ! Great cartridge..all you need..

Put this one on the wall in Nov 2012 Utah LE

Two shots at 90 yds in his bed...180 gr Swift Scirocco

That and the fact that 308 Win rifles seem to have some weird accuracy ju ju that makes em easy to load for.

I am a 30-06 man but not because it is so much better than the 308 Win just because. When friends ask I recommend one of those two.

You couldn't go wrong with a 308.

308 is flat out accurate, light recoil, easy to load, etc.... If you can find Mule Deer's article "The 308 Is Great" in Handloader here try well sums it up!

I'm a huge .30-06 fan, had one since I was 15. I loved to hate the .308. Then I got one. Within a year, I had three more. Still have a dozen or more '06's but can't imagine not having a .308.

My first .308, a petite little thumper weighing in at a svelte 7.25 lbs as shown. It's first outing netted two nice porkers in Central Cali.

Count me in as a fan, had one since I was 14yrs old. I have used many other calibers since then but always came back to the .308 Winchester. It will do all you ask of it short of the big bears. 100 grains to 220 grains is a lot of different bullets to experiment with and the .308 will shoot most of then very well.

I feel the .308 is an excellent chambering.

While I now prefer the .30-06/.338 as I switched to bolt actions for deer and elk some time ago, that doesn't diminish the round
to me.

I used the cartridge in two lever guns; a Model 99 Savage and my dads Model 88 Winchester which I used if I lent out my 99 and dad wasn't around.

I made my two longest ever shots on big game using one, killed four elk and even more deer with the .308 cartridge.

It is easy to load for. I still load for the Model 88 using IMR-4064. It will shoot those internet 3-shot 1" groups if I do my part too.

My 99 with a 2-7 scope will shoot 150 grain Nosler Failsafes into sub 1" groups all day. Fun to carry, even more fun to shoot.

Count me as lover. I have 2, a Remington LTR and a Remington 7600. Both shoot better than I can hold.

Have fun, Tom

My all-time favorite round. Give the TC Venture a good look.

I wouldn't want to be without a .308. bout the easiest cartidge to reload for, there are so many different powders that work.

My Remington 700 in 308 is my regular hunting rifle. The rifle/cartridge combination is perfect for my hunting needs - if it's so reliable and accurate, that it's kinda boring

Count me in the 308 camp. I run around with sexier cartridges too, but always come home to the 308 sooner or later....

Started with a 308 40 years ago will finish with one. I have killed everything from turtles to elk.

Best balance of all around killing power, modest recoil, ammo availability and inherent accuracy.

My Tikka T3 Lite Stainless .308 with a Limbsaver recoil pad is a joy to shoot and will wallop anything in North America outside Kodiak Island.

I've got six 308s. Yeah, I guess I like them.

George

I'm feeding seven, I like them too.

I have five .308's with two more in process.

GrimJim

Love mine, like most have said it's easy to load for. Never had to shoot mine over 200 yards hunting to date but have shot steel out to 800 yards .and easy on the shoulder.

I used one exclusively for many years, a very early Ruger Ultralight. Today, when I have the crazy thought of downsizing, I think 308.

yes...

Got a 99e in .308, great little rifle. Seams to like 150gr Hot-Cors.

I probably have the ugliest one of all the members here. Ruger stainless in the boat paddle stock. Ashamed to post pictures of it. But I dropped a Timney trigger in it and now it is my favorite deer rifle.

Full load of Varget and a Barnes 130 grain TTSX over CCI Benchrest primers makes for mighty sweet shooting.

Remington Seven 308

I used .308's for years. I had one that was a little fussy, and it's now gone. I still have a couple, and they're both good shooters. What I like about the .308 is that it sips powder rather than guzzles it. With MR2000 powder, it now can shoot a 180 gr partition about as fast as 180 gr .30-06 factory loads.

Interestingly accurate Remington LTR, bone stock w Leupold 3.5-10 LRT M1 that shoots Fed PowerShok, most other factory chow & hand loads into .5ish every time. My youngest put his first buck flat on its back w all four feet straight up a few years ago.

I had 2. I sold my Sav 99 a couple weeks ago. I will probably regret that over time. I kept my Kimber Montana, its not going anywhere. I think every serious rifle nut should have at least 1 30-06 and 308.

those heavy barrel remingtons will shoot, and they work great for hunting if you don't mind packing them around.

I fixed it for you, 1 will never do

That reads much better now!

Sako 85 Finnlight 308 was delivered this week. This is my 1st 308 and I narrowed the choices down to the Sako and a Kimber 84 Montana before deciding on the Sako. Topping it off with a Z6i 2-12x50.

The only problem that I'm having is finding ammo. Therefore, I'm thinking about sending the gun off to someone that will develop a load for the gun. Any recommendations?

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?sortb...imensionid=15958&statuses=In%20Stock

Never have owned one...yet. Good round, just prefer less recoiling rounds that kill quickly and cleanly for what I do.

Alot of great rifles and ammo/components and it's a capable round for much hunting and most distances game is taken.

howis the recoil? ive always heard it was pretty tame

I've had any number of .30 cal's from the .30-06 to .300 Win, Mag's. Just never saw the need for having a .308 with those choices.

Well, what's the phrase, 'Never say never?' I'm already on the path of 'no-return,' towards being a .308 Win. user.

Putting together an M40 clone built around a virgin Remington 700-40X Scout Sniper Association numbered action and collecting parts. I've got everything except the stock and barrel and since SHILEN isn't going to be doing anything with their barrel services until the end of the year, this project will go on hold, for a while and probably roll into 2014.

I want to use the rifle for the 300 yd. and 600 yd. vintage matches at Quantico (and doing some deer hunting) and would be very interested in any pet handloads that you'd care to share. Just a straight-up standard chamber stuff, nothing for any fancy chambering, or any of that.

So, I'll be lurking around a bit and I promise not to make too much noise.

You might want to consider an M852 chamber. It's a bit tighter in the neck and throat than SAAMI, but doesn't require neck turning or other exotica.

For an easy going spec load that's likely to work well right off the bat try this: Lapua cases, CCI 200 or BR2 primers, 43 grains of Varget, and 175 grain Sierra Match Kings.

Had three at one point. Rem 700 VSSF is only one left in the safe.
Killed a pile of deer with it shooting 165 Ballistic Tips.
Have shot targets out to 900 with it.

I ever shoot the barrel out of my 700 LA 22-250 I'm going to build another 308 on that action.

If I had bought a 308 first, I would never have a 3006. Love my 308.

all depends on what you're comparing it to, and the weight of the rifle you're shooting it out of, and your tolerance for recoil, etc etc. its generally a little less than a .30-06, noticeably more than a .243. comparing it to my .270 at the bench, the main thing I notice is that it doesn't have as much blast, mainly because it's burning around 10-15 grains less powder, give or take, depending on loads.

out of my 10 lb 700P, there isn't anything to shooting the .308. out of a 7 lb hunting rifle, it's a little more snappy, but still nothing that would be considered painful assuming you have a decent recoil pad. and for some perspective, it seems like somewhat of a pipsqueak when I'm shooting it next to the .300 mag at the bench.

I love mine a Remington 700 vtr.

Bought my first one this year, a Model 70 SA New Haven Classic Stainless. Mounted a Leupold M8 6X that was looking for a home in extra low Talley's. Re read Handloader #239 article "The .308 is Great" by Mule Deer.

I've been playing around with Varget and 150 NPT's and have little reason to try other powder/bullet combo's.

I'm a believer. When a friend decided to get into hunting and asked me for a recommendation, I said "308" without hesitation.

He bought a Savage package rifle with the Nikon scope. The Accutrigger is right at 3#, and the rifle shot great right out of the box. All I did was to make sure that the the rings and bases weren't loose and square the reticle.

Winchester Power Point 150s clock at 2840, Remington 150 Core Lokts go 2770 and Barnes 168 Vortex TTSXs hit 2680. All will put three under an inch and the Rem and Barnes go into the same group. The Power Points strike higher and right in line vertically. His first three shot group was a nice triangle well under an inch wide. He's very happy.

My own 308 is a NULA that will drill 150 BTs and PTs with Varget. I'm getting 2800 fps out of the 22" #1 contour barrel, no where near max. What's not to like?

mathman,

Thanks for that load recommendation and the chamber advice, I appreciate your sharing them with me. Accuracy is the primary consideration in this build and I will definitely be investigating that chambering option. I just don't want any interference with function, should I elect to just run some ammo straight off of the shelf and out of the box.

Have three

Grandfathers Winchester 100 that's taken a lot of deer in it's life. More accurate than most bolt guns, trigger SUCKS though.

XP-100 More accurate than I am

Varmint Barreled Rem 700 in a McMillian A3 that I've been playing with a bit this summer.

I have two:
Tikka T3 Lite Stainless and a SA M1A, both are very accurate, there is something about knowing your rifle will shoot where you out the sights.

I've read some of your other posts, specifically about the M852 chamber and I'm really liking what I see. I'll definitely be talking to my gunsmith about this chamber.

Traded guns for many years but never had a 308 until a few years ago. I like it a lot. Will I say it will do anything that can't be done by half a dozen other cartridges no but likewise it will cover about all of your N American hunting needs very well.

Count me in; my first exposure to the 308 was in the early 1970's and I only have three left in the safe now.
They are all Sakos, an L579 Forester, an L579 Forester Deluxe and AII Hunter.

Over the years I've used the 308 in numerous rifles and they've all done the job from varmits, deer, pigs, caribou, black bear, elk, moose and Nilgai; great for paper punching, ringing steel, shooting rocks at the local gravel pit, service rifle competition and just about anything else you can think of.

As for rifles you have so many choices.

Some that were memorable, my NM M-14 that had been massaged by the PWS magicians @ Quantico when I shot divisional matches, a 40 XB that shot remarkable small groups when I did my part, my neighbor's T-3 that thinks it's a benchrest gun, a full stock L579 that I sold and a pre-64 featherweight that was stolen.

The 308 is easy to load for, so many good powders and bullet combinations.

Yes, I like the 308.

Between myself, daughter and son in law I'm loading for five .308s. My brother is buying one soon so that will be another one for me to feed. So yea we like them.

I don't find the .308 to be a problem concerning recoil. That however is an individual issue. The .308 in a very light gun can be snappy for some people. My daughter is small framed and finds my full tilt .308 loads to be to much. The ammo I load for her have been reduced down to .300 Savage level. She shoots it well and kills deer just as well with her load as I do with mine.

The 308 offers a wonderful balance of the following characteristics:

shootability (light recoil)
versatility
accuracy
lethality

I don't think there's another round that can match it in all four properties, although some come pretty close (the 7-08/7x57 and the 270/280 come immediately to mind).

Sold my two .308Ws and got a 5.56 NATO and .300 Blackout.

Still have the .300 Blackout, a .30-30, 4x .30-06 and a .300WM, so more .308 than anything else..

Ruger Hawkeye AllWeather. Reasonably accurate and absolutely dependable.

If I "had" to pare down to one cartridge it would be a .308. At this point I have:
TC Encore barrel 20"
TC Encore barrel 24"
SAKO TRG 20"
Remington 700 Tactical 26"
Ruger Frontier 16.5"
Ruger GSR stainless 18.5"
Remington 700 youth/synthetic
Remington Model SEVEN stainless/synthetic
Remington 600 18.5"

Accuracy with all of them is under MOA. I just bought the SEVEN three weeks ago and on day one it shot two sub-MOA groups at 100 yards with nothing fancy factory ammo.



Federal 150 ball...




SAKO TRG



1 7/8" at 800...




..and since it is a world wide military cartridge one should be able to beg, borrow, barter or steal ammo anywhere in the world...

Bob

A Montana in 308 is on the procurement list.

I'm on my third, but have only had one at a time. Would like to maybe add a heavy barrel to play with sometime. It certainly does the job very efficiently. Here is the current .308 of the stable and my main hunting rifle.

308 user here too. Love it and its become my favorite. Started with a 30.06 and then went to 7mm08 but ended up with a 308 as my choice. I honestly think its has far less recoil than my 06. On par with my 7mmo8. Very accurate. I have a savage weather warrior in 308 topped with a Burris fulfillield II and for me it's the perfect gun for hunting and doesn't kill my shoulder.

I played with a .308-chambered Savage 99 for a few months, but it didn't grab hold of me. It had more noise & kick than I felt was necessary for what it did, so I sent it down the road.

Though I never would have expected it, I've since fallen in love with the .300 Savage. To me, it's far more mild-mannered than the .308Win, and it impresses me with it's capabilities when slinging 130 TSX's close to 3,000 fps.

Maybe I'm just a pressure [female genitalia], but my favorite cartridges seem to hover at the 46,000 CUP level: 7x57, .300 Savage. Pleasant to shoot, and still all kinds of deadly.

FC

I'm certainly not going to bag on your choice, I love the little 300 in my 700 Classic.

That said, the 308 can perform exceptionally well with the throttle backed down too. I've shot thousands of 168 grain bullets at 2500-2600 fps or so out of mine, and I've been loading a mild shot of 4895 under 168 grain Bergers for a friend. That easy going load kills big hogs, quick like.

I've noticed that 2,500 fps isn't necessarily a bad place to be. It's what I worked-up to with 250's in a .35 Whelen, and it has clobbered GA boars and a BC moose.

It's also the velocity at which I discovered (to my horror!) that my 7x57 was tossing 154's, when I was finally able to bogart a chronograph. Luckily, the sheep, bear, and hogs that it had already killed, were still in the freezer even after I found out how slow the bullets were going.

I get the feeling I've spent too much time worrying about wringing more performance out of my rigs.

FC

I also like the way the brass from my mid range loads chambers smooth and easy even after only neck sizing for several reloads.

I've got two SPS tactical .308's, one is for me and one for my son.

Mine has a Nightforce on it and my son's has a Leopold on it.

Grew up on a 06, I prefer my .308....

Bought a Browning Safari, small ring Mauser-pencil barrel .308 in 1993.. I had never owned or used a .308. The rifle stock was an inch short with a pad and it had been floated crudely, to be charitable. Since the action is long enough, I bought it dirt cheap, because of the modifications, to build a .280. What the heck, I also bought a cheapest box of Federal 150 grain just to see. After shooting three groups of three at 100, none of which exceeded 5/8", I forgot all about a custom job, and bought all that ammo the dealer had.

I sometimes use lever guns, or BARs, but if I go out with a bolt gun, the .308 is the usual go to for me. I have never loaded for it. The federal cup and core work close to way too far. To compensate for the stock, I scooted the scope a bit forward. Works ok in shirt sleeves and even better if winter dress is needed.

The daughters may fight over this one when I hang it up.

Mine is a dainty little Winchester 70 Classic Custom Compact Short Action in .308. I use one and only one bullet in it, which is the Nosler Partition 180 grain. the gun shoots much better than I can, is light and easy to carry, and has accounted for enough deer that I cannot remember them all.

Started out with this 308 back in the early 60's.



And, just recently, last 5-6 years moved to this 308.



The 308 has been good by me.

I have enjoyed using my Sako AII Hunter since the mid-80s. It does everything I need a rifle/cartridge to do.

Love the 308 and all its derivatives, (with the exception of the 338 Federal), I've never had one.

The most exceptional 308 I've ever had was a Sako Finnwolf. Beyond expectations in every regard.

DMc

DMc: when I was a kid, way back, I was looking for an 88 in 308. There was a Finnwolf hanging on the LGS wall in 308, they also had the 88. I opted for the Winchester, to this day I can still see that Finnwolf hanging there haunting me.

Don't know where in Alabama you reside, but I am currently in Dothan on business and the Sports Authority here has several different brands of 308 win to choose from.

The 308 is a great cartridge, buy it and don't look back!

You won't regret buying one, super versatile cartridge, ammo's everywhere, huge component selection, recoil isn't bad at all, I could go on and on. The .308 is a always a fine choice for a versatile rifle.

There's just something about bofors steel and a lever...., Who woulda known a lever could consistently cloverleaf factory ammo?

DMc

308ld, what all did you do to that one? I see the flutted barrel and the cut-out on the bolt handle or that a limited edition?

Just sold my last 308 win

bought a new fn win extreme weather today in 308. have used a 270 and 06' for over 45 years. guess it's time to give the 308 a try. a couple years back my son received (as a gift from one of his uncles) a 1976 or so rem 700 adl in 308 with a redfield 3-9x40 scope. the uncle shot it maybe 10 times. killed deer just fine for my boy, and still looks new.

I picked up a Remington M760 5 diamond in 308 about a year ago.

I've never shot a cartridge that is as easy to find an accurate load for, and they have been effective for me on anything I've hit with them.

I like it enough that I've got a .308 barrel coming for my Stiller...

John

Been handloading/testing it for several years for other family members........finally broke down and bought a new A-Bolt II Medallion I'm turning into a Micro clone. So, now will be a "new" .308Win shooter, but not new to the ol' .308 by any means!!!