Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .30-06 or .308; any real reason to choose one over the other these days?

Fetish.........
Reason enough.
Many here will never own a particular cartridge simply because it has no appeal. No excuse it needed.

For me, I like the 7x57 and have had once since the Winchester Featherweight was introduced in 1981. That crosses off the similar performing .308 as a point of interest, even though I have tested then, loaded for them and had hunting buddies who use them. The .308 is every bit as good and competent as others have reported.

The .30/06 was a long avoided reality for me. I was exposed to it in the 70's but because I was using magnums, it held no interest for me until I reviewed one years later and saw how well it performed in the field. Went to the store and lined up all the Featherweights on the counter and picked the one with the smoothest bolt and best wood.

The golden test for .30/06's was the 130gn Speer which we called a "cave point", over 58 grains of AR 2208 which is today's Varget. The velocity is around 3300fps in a 22 inch barrel and the best rifles group 5 rounds under an inch. Mine did that easily.

After bedding and trigger work I shot many 5 shot groups with Sierra 150's that hovered around a half inch. The rifle still does around .5 MOA for 3 rounds with Partitions often touching, so for me, the .30/06, at lest this one, could never be replaced by a .308. After saying that, I also like the heavy bullets in .308 caliber and my reloading shelves hold 200gn Barnes TTSX,and Partitions as well as 220gn Partitions and Woodleigh Weldcores.

Your choice will be right for you too.
John

This.

But nobody here really wants clarity, so I’ll add chronograph data comparing fresh WW PowerPoint factory ammo in a 22.7” Tikka T3 in 308 and a 24” FN Mauser in 30-06.
• 308/150 velocity was 2,782 fps in the Tikka.
• 308/180 velocity was 2,510 fps in the Tikka.
• 30-06/150 velocity was 2,911 fps in the FN Mauser, or 129 fps faster than the 308.
• 30-06/180 velocity was 2,734 fps in the FN Mauser, or 224 fps faster than the 308.

Folks say that the difference between the 308 and the 30-06 is ~150 fps. I’ve tested nine common 150-grain 308 factory loads this year. Velocities range from 2,708 to 2,855 in one rifle, so at least with 150-grain ammo, you can gain or lose about as much speed by switching loads as you could by switching to a hypothetical 30-06. Not sure on 308/180’s—I need to test more of them.

In other news, the Mauser gets 2,610 fps with Federal’s cheapo 30-06/180, but 2,734 fps with 180 PowerPoints, so again you could gain (or lose) about as much speed (114 fps) by changing loads as by changing cartridges.

If you go from a slow 308 rifle/load to a fast 30-06 rifle/load, then the 224 fps difference might merit a longer, heavier rifle. But without testing both rifles with several loads, you could easily go from a fast 308 rifle/load to a slow 30-06 rifle/load. Plus you’d still have to test a bunch of ammo and keep a bunch of notes to know what each rifle does with each load.

Probably best to focus on shot placement.


Okie John

Well done, thanks for the work you put in. Really comes down to personal preference .


MM

Never owned an -06 and probably never will this late in the game but I've never felt the need to justify the larger offering. The 308 aka 7.62 is close to heart for many reasons, I've witnessed its devastation on the battlefield and its never failed me in 40 years of hunting..The -06 is a classic,will always be a favorite but never was a blip on my radar.

Don't make these in 06'

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/12251472#Post12251472

Thnx Okie.

First, I'm NOT cherry picking your post. ALL of it needs to be considered.
Very good points about AMMO and INDIVIDUAL rifles.

It 'shows to go' you, there is no hard and fast rule !

Jerry

Come on, cut all this logical crap.

30 GOVT 06
30 Aught 6

No cartridge, especially 7.62 NATO or .308, can come close. Just listen to the sound (of the words, not the rifles).

This is not about logic, it's about panache and je ne sais quoi.

Oh please!

Mighty sensitive on the issue. Perhaps feeling a bit inadequate because all you've got is a .308 ? Your whine azz attitude isn't going to help and is rather unbecoming. Perhaps a testosterone shot or two is in order.

Exactly. Thanks for seeing that.


Okie John

ExpatFromOK,

Since you stated you love the 30-06, mainly used for elk, don't mind the little extra recoil or slightly longer bolt throw plus have sunk cost in the 30-06, why don't you keep it and rebarrel it with one of your choosing? By time you buy a 308win rifle, plus scope, mounts/base, etc you'll could be $$$ ahead just putting new barrel on your beloved 30-06. Just a thought.


Now if just WANT to buy a 308win, then no excuse or justification needed. Buy the 308win rifle that appeals to you.

Yep. My RAR .308 launches 150 Hornadys at 2924 fps. My '06 launches them right at 3000 fps. A blazing 76 fps difference.

Yeah, that extra 100FPS is a real deal breaker with 150s...:)

Excellent info Okie John!

Personally due to years of use with the .308 and having a lot of familiarity with making wind calls with it, I tend to grab it most often.

That said, if I was going to hunt Mule Deer, Elk, or Bear at what would be considered "typical" ranges, I would not hesitate to grab either. There is really so little difference when it comes to actual terminal ballistics (from my observations) that I would spend more time contemplating other more important matters, such as if I should stick an apple or an orange in my jacket pocket, and Snickers or M&Ms for a mid-morning treat.

Thanks for the kind words, Mackay.

For what it’s worth:
• A 180-grain Nolser Partition at 2,750 fps zeroed at 200 yards is -8.4 at 300, and -15.3 at 350. Max ord is 1.9” from 100-130 yards.
• A 180-grain Nolser Partition at 2,600 fps zeroed at 200 yards is -9.2 at 300, and -16.6 at 350. Max ord is 2.3” from 110-120 yards.
• A 180-grain Nolser Partition at 2,750 fps and zeroed at 230 (to keep max ord under 3”) is -5.8” at 300 and -12.1” at 350. Max ord is 2.9” from 120-130 yards.
• A 180-grain Nolser Partition at 2,600 fps and zeroed at 215 (to keep max ord under 3”) is -7.9” at 300 and -15.1” at 350. Max ord is 2.8” from 110-130 yards.

In other words, how you zero the rifle probably matters more than 150 fps one way or the other.


Okie John

I'm actually headed in this direction. I'm looking to move a different rifle and roll the proceeds into a RAR .308 and scope. Perhaps I will bed the .30-06's action and freefloat the barrel myself and see if there is improvement.

Expat

You're exactly right in that a fast 308 can be ahead of a slow -06. My 308 shoots 155 Scenars in the 2900s with under-book loads of Varget (and a 26" barrel ). The key point to all this is the end result will be the same. A 30 cal bullet through a critter. If I knew I wanted to shoot heavier bullets, I'd get an -06, if I thought I'd stick to 165 and 180gn bullets, I'd get a 308.

I've had quite a few of both. If you're shooting deer at under 300 yards, probably not much difference. If you're shooting heavier bullets -- 180 grains and up the 06 shines.

Personally, I'd rather shoot the 06 at lower pressure than what the 308 is loaded. The 06 cases last a very long time. I don't care to hotrod reloads. My favorite cartridge could very well be the 06.

Plus, I don't like short action rifles - it limits the seating of the bullets and that influences my preference.

My preference is likely different than others. that's why they are called personal preferences.

Your personnel experience are very much in line with reality and the science that supports it, a wealth of good accurate information and an easy read.

The decision between a 308W and a 30-06 should be based on platform, terrain, species hunted, and personal likes.

In BC, given the choice, I would always pick the 30-06 over the 308W. The 30-06 as the ability to launch 200gr NAB's ~ 2700ft/s, QL predicts pressure to be just north of 60k with H-414 or RL-17, this bullet has the on game performance of a 250gr medium (33,35,36 cal). It is accurate enough to slam steel (16"x16") at 550yards from a rest, recoil is lighter than the mediums as well.

Hunt mainly moose, b-bear and deer the 308W is surely capable but the big bullet in the 30-06 will 'mentally' reduce the pucker factor before/when G-bear and big B-bear are encountered close up and is 500+yds capable.

As far as accuracy is concerned a mechanically sound rifle , reliable scope 'think tracking and ability to hold zero', impeccable handloads will produce the accuracy required for reliable hits......is the 308W more accurate?....doesn't matter in a hunting scenario. The off the shelf Finnlite I have has put 3 into <8" at 1000 yards as an example of accuracy.

Good thread...good read. I got an '06 thinking the extra power over the 308 made a difference. Then I saw a 24" 308 nearly match my '06 in speed. My accuracy load with 190's isn't a top pressure load, which didn't shoot as well, and the 308 was just as accurate and nearly as fast with 12 grains less powder and less recoil. If I were to get another medium 30 tomorrow, I'd buy a 308. Yes, the performance difference between the two is real, but it is also irrelevant.