Why the .308?
It's a compromise, but where I hunt, it's one that works. I spent a lot of years, lot of range time, lot of dollars on rifles and components chasing "perfect" for the various situations. I'm no longer convinced perfect matters .. if it even exists. I've come to appreciate "good enough" as a trade that offsets all of the time, etc that chasing "perfect" requires so that the time, and money, can be put to other uses.
Living somewhere else, different terrain, cover, and game, the answers might be different, but where I hunt, a .308 with 165 grain accubonds or 180 grain partitions gets it done. Mostly deer, with the possibility of an antelope, elk, or bear thrown in, at ranges likely to be under 300 yards .. really likely to be under 75 yards.
I found that I spent a lot of effort finding perfect for long range .. STW,, .300 win mag .. etc. I found that even when I had the equipment, I didn't actually get around to the hunt I'd dreamed of. Same thing, I've had a couple good .338s and .375s I thought would be ideal for elk in heavy timber ... but I only do that a couple times a decade. I guess part of my compromise is recognizing that some dreams are only that, dreams, 'cause even when I have things all squared away to do them, I don't.
I could say everything I just said about .308 in favor of 7mm-08, 7x57, .270, and probably 6.5 creedmoor, but the .308 was what was available in the rifle I wanted on the day I went shopping so it's what sits on the shelf. At the same time I learned there's no perfect, I learned there's a lot of "darn good enough". Much of what we do is nitpick tiny differences in idealness with no real difference in adequacy.
Tom
