I do not intend to start a brawl. I love the .30-06 and have owned one since 1984. I'm considering buying a .308, so I don't have anything against it either.
The question remains, if buying a rifle today, is there any significant reason to choose one over the other?
I'm considering replacing my .30-06. It is an inconsistent performer and I'm a little tired of jacking around with it. It is a mid-'80s vintage rifle. The rifle is pretty much dedicated to elk hunting. I use my .243 for pretty much everything smaller. The intent is to move to one of the dependably accurate modern platforms. I primarily shoot factory ammo these days. My .30-06 elk load is a 150 grain mono.
My thought regarding the .308/.30-06 question is why not consider moving to a different, yet still readily available, elk cartridge when I get a new rifle?
.308 factory loads launch 165s at 2700-2800 so I have no concern about my ability to kill elk with a .308. The .308 is known as an inherently accurate cartridge, but is it significantly more accurate than the .30-06? I do I like printing small groups and hitting 10" gongs out to 550 yards.
I know the .308 recoils a bit less and rifles chambered for it are slightly shorter and lighter. I recognize that as a small advantage, but was never bothered by the length, weight, recoil or bolt throw of my .30-06. There is some .30-06 sunk cost as I have about 270 rounds of .30-06 ammo (some of which my current -06 does not shoot well) and reloading dies, though as I mentioned previously, I primarily shoot factory ammo these days.
Thanks in advance, Expat
Last edited by ExpatFromOK; 08/28/17.
"There are no dangerous weapons. There are only dangerous men." - Robert Heinlein
In this day and age I wouldn't think there is a significant reason to choose one over the other. The performance of today's 308 Win certainly meets, or even exceeds, what the 30-06 was when it earned its fine reputation.I haven't shot an elk with either, but plenty seem to do so without complication. Dead is dead. I can say the 308 has been very easy to load for in a couple different rifles and makes a very pleasant to shoot rifle. The only reasons I'd ever choose the -06 would be to shoot heavies, or for sentimental reasons.
I like the 30-06, got three. If I already had loaded ammo, components and dies for it as you do that's what I'd stay with and hope to get a 30-06 that shot better. If I had a 308 with all that I'd stay with the 308. IMO you can't go wrong with either cartridge.
I own and like both calibers. I think it's a bit easier to get a .308 to shoot small groups than a 30-06, but not by a lot, and I have a couple of 30-06's that shoot sub MOA groups on average. I do have a slight preference for a 30-06 as an elk rifle because it has a little more power and a slightly flatter trajectory. But either cartridge should work just fine. It really comes down to personal preference.
I'm not a gunwriter, but these are my thoughts. I hunted exclusively with a 30-06 from 1974 until about 10 years ago when I decided to buy a Kimber and 308 seemed a better option than 30-06 in a rifle that weight. I've since added 2 more 308's and the 30-06 has only been hunted one time since. That was 7 years ago and I don't see any reason to go back. The Kimber is right at 6 lbs scoped and recoil is on par with a 7.5 lb 30-06. Or my 7.5 lb 308 has about 25% less recoil than either the 30-06 or the 6 lb 308.
The better current 308 loads beat 30-06 loads from the 1950's by at least 100 fps. Of course modern 30-06 will always be 100-150 fps faster than 308 with the same bullet weights. I figure the 30-06 gives me another 75-100 yards of effective range before bullet impact speeds are too slow for adequate expansion. But the 308 still does that at ranges farther than I have the skills to shoot. I'll never hunt anything too big for either of them, and if the 308 ain't big enough to get the job done 30-06 ain't enough bigger to matter.
I don't think there is any mechanical accuracy advantage. But I shoot my standard weight 308 rifles better than my 30-06b rifles.
It may seem that I'm knocking 30-06. That isn't my intent, I really can't say anything negative about the round. It served me well for a very long time. But at this point in my life I just like the 308 a little better.
Most people don't really want the truth.
They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.
I look at all the semi auto and tactical bolt action .308's and my impression is that the .30-06 is the past and the .308 is the now. And perhaps the future as well.
In some cases, like the Ruger 77 RSI, the length of the action will contribute to a rifle balancing either better or worse than its long/short action counterpart.
Or in cases where the rifles in question were only made in long actions, so the magazines were blocked and a different bolt stop was used when short cartridges were chambered.
I've owned several of both. In equal weght rifles shooting same weight bullets and full power loads I personally could never detect a difference in felt recoil. I tend to prefer short action rifles for the simple fact that you can mount todays shorter tubed scopes more easily for correct eye relief without resorting to butt ugly picatinny rails or offset rings. Never saw any definitive, meaningful accuracy advantage to the .308 in my hunting rifles. All that said, I still prefer the old '06 between the two for it's history and because the .308 is a short, squatty, uninspiring, dumpy looking little cartridge.
Like em both myself, never had a bit of trouble getting either round to shoot. However in your case I would get another 30-06 or have the one you have gunsmithed to the point of satisfaction.
I like the 30-06, got three. If I already had loaded ammo, components and dies for it as you do that's what I'd stay with and hope to get a 30-06 that shot better.
YEP, you're already ahead of the game with what you have.
OTOH, if you want a short, squatty, dumpy cartridge, the 308s the one.
I like the 30-06, got three. If I already had loaded ammo, components and dies for it as you do that's what I'd stay with and hope to get a 30-06 that shot better.
YEP, you're already ahead of the game with what you have.
OTOH, if you want a short, squatty, dumpy cartridge, the 308s the one.
How's that M Mike ?
Jerry
LOL. Grandpa was a .30-06 guy and so was Dad. Just like Grandpa's and Dad's all across the land have been and are .30-06 guys. When I see the younger crowd at the range they normally have a 7.62X39 or .308 if they have a .30 caliber. I recently read an article that the .308 is now outselling the .30-06.
I prefer the 30-06, anything the .308 will do the 30-06 will do, plus some. That said I like the 308 also, I have two of each 308 and 06.. I believe the new bullets and powders have helped both calibers! I'm a hunter, not a target shooter. As far as accurate both are as good as any other caliber! Now to your problem. Buy a .308 and keep the 30-06, remember your issue is the rifle not the caliber! You'll have something to accurize in you spare time!