Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles The venerable 308

It is slow around here. Why not the venerable .308 Winchester?

A couple years ago I decided I wanted a Sako again. I have wanted one on and off since high school. I found a deal on one of the new Sako 85 Classics in 308 nib. I would have preferred the rifle in 7mm-08 but alas the 308 was the chosen one. I also have a fantastic Kimber 84 in 308 but I only carry that rifle when I a slipping around the deer woods. It carries wonderfully and shoots equally well. Additionally, I shoot a custom 308 on in F class so I know the cartridge and its capabilities pretty well. I just never really had any interest in it as a hunting round for some dumbass reason. It is kind of boring to me and my preferred hunting cartridge has long been a 280 Remington which is admittedly more finicky.

Anyway, I have spent a couple years with the Sako in 308 now. I have loaded everything from 180 grain partitions down to 125 grain ballistic tips and the rifle has shot everything very well. I settled on 150 and 165 grain Hornady SPs for the rifle and it has been flawless taking several pigs, a couple does. a coyote, and 1 nice 8 point. In the field the damn cartridge just works. Well. On paper it is about as efficient as they come and it will stretch on out there.

It has me rethinking the whole damn thing.

We have it in a model 70 Featherweight that was made in '61

I hear what you are saying. Could have saved myself a pile of cash over the years if I had just stayed with the 308. But what fun would that have been ?😃

I am a .308 Whore it is a reloaders dream cartridge but I also love the 30-06 and .300 Win......I could easily hunt the rest of my days with a lightweight bolt action .308 Win and be perfectly happy 👍....Hb

I have a Sako finnwolf and a Springfield M1A

I plan on popping a deer w my .308 this fall

A 308 was my first centerfire. Many years later I have come to appreciate the goodness of the mundane 308. I currently own two. They are easy to feed and make accurate. Recoil is modest, which means something to me at 75 with a bad shoulder. What's not to like?

I have several 308’s. My current heart throb is a Sako 85 Finnlight II in 308, 22” barrel for the last two seasons.

There aint much in Texas you can’t whack successfully with a 308. It was my first centerfire in 1976 & remains in my top five favorite cartridges to this day. The others being 280, 7 RSAUM, 7 Wby & 300 WSM.

I have a Finnwolf and a 660.
Love the 660, but its not perfect.

A T3 might be.
Or a Montana,
M70 featherweight,
Maybe an old 700 that has a safety locked bolt?

Thing is, you never see used 308's for sale here.
Honestly, I have never thought it very popular.
06, 270, 243 by the ton.

Can't run across any good deals on used 308's.

I only have two .308s - a Kimber Montana and a Savage 99F. But I also have its father the 300 Savage in a Rem 700.

My 308 is a JC Higgins 51-L that has been filling most of my whitetail doe tags the last few years, except for last year. Favored load has been a home cast NOE copy of the Saeco #315 180 gr lead gas check bullet, PC'd and running around 2200 fps with H4350. Does a number on them. No bullets recovered yet, including the two straight on shots.

Dunno, why not? What are your reason why not?

It is what I've been using the past few years and it works. It is fully adequate for what I want to do but it is flat and boring as warm beer open since yesterday. Mine is not going anywhere, it's going to stay in the safe ready to go, but life is too short to give in to boring ... I will also continue looking for things that pique my curiosity.

In the hands of someone who knows what they are doing a .308 is all you need for almost everything in North America other than big brownies.

OK, OK! My name is John and standing, admitting here in the Hunting Forum... Not a hunter! That said, in 308 my battery including a couple of Win pre 64 Model 70, standard and featherweight, plus Mod 88 Carbine. A Rem 760 and... A K98K pattern 7.62 NATO mauser, which I particularly like and propose to share here! To say "it shoots to my capability", truthful if something of great humor nowadas! That itty-bitty aft barrel sight... actually does 'seem' pretty accurate. Rifle condition is also pretty nice & I really 'enjoy for what it is'! Pix below.

Best
John

I’m late to the 308, bought a Savage Hog Hunter to use with suppresser loads. It is extremely accurate with 150 GameKings. I use the same load in a couple Savage 99’s. They kill deer and pigs, plus an occasional Aoudad with ease.

Been shooting the 308 since the early 60's. It's just so easy to get along with. More than a few have come and gone over the years. Down to my last 308. A Ruger Hawkeye All Weather, pretty sure it will be here till the end of days.

I don't own any 308's. Mrs Blacktailer has one. Always thought it was a girl's gun.

Just kidding, she lets me borrow it but only if I ask nice.

I think the 308 is hard to beat. I fought the idea of one for years, finally after deciding it just makes too much sense for the type of hunting I do, I had this one done up. Stan Taylor at Douglass barrels did the work. It weighs 7# even scoped and handles and carries like a dream.


I say go for it.

A 308 is in any conversation when talking about a big game rifle. I have 3, a Winchester Model 100 is my favorite whitetail rifle, a Rem Model 788 is my most accurate with 110 and 125 gr v max, and a Ruger Model 77 which shoots heavy bullets well and I use for Moose hunting. Why 3 ? Don't know.

John, let us in on the details of this great picture!