Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Where does .308 Winchester excel?

My Sako and Tikkas are 11 twist and I have not had issues, but it has more to do with this individual bullet (bearing surface) than the rate I believe.

Mainer in AK was getting some pretty good numbers running 200 grain Speer Hotcores in his .308. 2550-2650 in his rifle.

I have seen 30-06s that chronograph similar numbers, sometimes even less when using factory ammo.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt.../308-win-200-grain-hotcor-leverevolution

My limited 308 experience is a good all around cartridge. Proven Target or hunting or war, it’s a One and done type of a thing. Especially if you also have AR platform and keep things simple.
Personally, If I wanted target rifle, I’d get the 6.5 or 7-08.
If I wanted a hunting rifle, the 06. And if you say that 100 fps doesn’t matter, than don’t try to load up your 308 to 06 velocity.

These new powders certainly wake up a few cartridge's.
I read Mainer post and it was good info. I got the idea for RL17 from Montana Marine, more good info.
I checked specs on Mainer's RAR and it has 1/10 twist.
Many manufacturers use 1/12 twist, makes no sense to me.
I suspect your 1/11 and altitude made your loads work well

Ok
TY

Hmm
You think so ?

Alright thanks

It doesn't excel. It just plain works.

I think it excels at being consistent. I had a Rem 700 in 308 that never lost it's zero with any load. Running 125's the group would land slightly high, but perfect windage. Sighted in with 150's was virtually no difference 165/168's at 100 yds. And then the heavies up to 200grs only printed slightly low. I've never played with any other combination that could do this

Bearing surface isn't really the determining factor.

For practical purposes, the 308, 7-08, 6.5 Creed are all more alike than different.

Inside 600 yards, none has any appreciable advantage over the others...in my opinion.

I'm a fan of the 308 myself, but I can appreciate what the others bring to the table.

One big reason I like the 308 is that milsurp ammo is pretty much always available. And in a pinch, where primers and powder are hard to find, one can pull the bullet from a milsurp round, seat a 150-155gr bullet of your choice, and have ammo for whatever purpose.

One of these days I intend to get some low cost 308 steel-case Russian ammo, pull the bullets, replace with 155 Scenar, or Hornady 155gr ELD-M, and test accuracy.


Anyhoo, my go-to load is 48gr RL17 under a 208 AMax at 3.08" oal. that makes 2580 fps from a 20" barrel, and easily sub-moa accurate for 10 shots at 100 yards, even from a 1/12 twist barrel.

In this case load was 49.0gr RL-17, but the bullet was moly'd, .65" 10-shot group at 100 yards,




Shot with a factory Rem 700 Varmint barrel with the long throat and 1/12 twist, and a Bushnell 10X scope, bedded into a McMillan HTG stock.




Same rifle is no slouch with the 155gr Scenar, despite a fairly long jump to the lands,

For many years I felt the .308 was nothing more than a 30-06 wannabe. After a move to Nevada and hunting at the 8,000 to 9,500' level for Mule Deer, that old bubba'd 1903A3 weighed a ton and breathing was difficult, me being a serious chain smoker. Along about 1973 I told the wife I was going to but a new deer rifle as the one I was using was just too heavy. Money was tight at the time so when my local hardware store put a Remington 660 in .308 on sale I bit the bullet and bought it. I thought it was some kind of ugly so as I worked part time for a gunsmith I got a Fajen Mannlicher style stock at cost and went to work. Even with slightly heavier stock that damn gun still kick the hell out of me. YHe kids got my a set of ear muffs to deaden the sound of the gun fire and darned if most of the kick didn't go away. I worked up a load with the 150 gr. Sierra over a stiff load of H335 and called it good. I have no idea of he velocity but the load was loud and accurate so I went hunting. With my two hunting partners working in sort of a skirmish line we kicked uo a decent 4x4 Mule Deer and buddy #1 shot first as the deer took off, buddy #2 shot and I think it was his shot the score a hit and as the deer passed me I took a shot and the deer went down. One of my buds went to the deer and me and my other buddy paced it off at 426 paces. That's when I started to give the .308 some respect. In 1979 I got a job transfer to Tucson. Back then it wasn't too hard to get a tag for the Kaibab, unlike today where it takes an act of God and ten lawyers to draw one. In 1980 I found a Ruger M77 RSI in .308 for sale cheap and jumped on it. Took two years to get a useable load for that rifle. Winchester brass and WLR primer, 165 gr. Speer Hot Core and a stiff charge of W760. Velocity from the 18.5" barrel was 2550 FPS. Later the load was tested in a 22" barrel for 2610 FPS. Accuracy from the RSI ran from 1.25" to 1.50" and FWIW, that's the only load that rifle will shoot. Change one component and accuracy goes all to hell. The load shoots close to one inch on average, sometimes a little smaller some time a bit larger but never has gone over 1.25". Longest shot on game with the RSI was 250 yards laser measured. Nice fat Mule Deer.
I'm not sure I'd want to tackle a Grizzly Bear with the .308 but if push came to shove I would if I had no choice in the matter. While I'm a big fan of the 165 gr. bullets in the .308, I hope that I'd have at least 180 gr. bullets in big bear country and preferably 200 or 220 gr. bullets. However, the odds of my being able to hunt in big bear country is something like very slim and none.
PJ

Montana Marine, I’ve got a 308 eerily close to yours I call the war horse -now it has a 5-25 Vortex Strikeforce but thinking hard about the bushy 10x now that I’ve got a load for it.

My $.02 about loading for 308s is how great it would be be if it had 4-5grs more capacity.

My Dad killed all three elk he was able to take with a 308 Win chambered Savage 99. Around our house SA calibers ruled. Grandfather and Uncle all hunting with either a 243, or 308. I was the odd duck who insisted on a 30-06 through all of my early hunting career, but switched to a 308 later on. This round was bred and born to run semi and automatic which is where it's probably best though it's obviously excellent in a light weight mountain rig. Advancements in bullet designs have only increased it's effectiveness. It's hard to imagine a better deer getting round that's equally effective on the larger stuff.

GFY

With heavy bullets, it would excel at a BLM or ANTIFA parade.

IF Schindler's List is to be believed, four at a time.

KneelsForPole could look at Chuck Norris and Chuck would pee himself.

Good shooting with that factory barrel!

I used a 90's factory Rem 700 varmint in .308 for a season shooting NRA high power. I was broke at the time so I made my own across the course stock and used left over cases, powder and bullets I had on hand from shooting M1A service rifle. Mostly 175gr SMK's and IMR 4064. Shot losing HM scores and managed a second place in the NC state championship that year. Mostly Speer 125gr TNT for 200yd along with some 155gr SMK's. The rifle didn't seem to mind the chitty 3 times fired in a M1A cases so that's what I used except for 600yd line. Wish I'd left it alone but no I had to rebarrel that next year. Used 6.5-08 reamer held short .080 and cut the cases with a Dillon power trimmer with modified .243 trim die.
Ballistics would overlay 6.5 Creedmoor today. All just to get a heavy bullet in the magazine for the 300yd line.
Wish I'd left it alone, a lot of work for a very small gain.

I have owned 4 -.308's over the years, all were more accurate than they should have been, a factory Rem 700 VSSF would average 1/2" at 100 yards with preferred handloads, a Ruger 77 with the boat paddle stock right out of the box would average just under 1" with factory loads. A custom barreled 308 I had Dan Dowling build for me would average in the 2's at 100 yards, this rifle was the same weight and barrel as a Rem 700 Varmint with a tight necked chamber and a Jewel 2oz trigger and Shilen barrel. So I do like them.

T/C Compass Utility as it came out of the box topped with an old Nikon 4x scope. 100 yard group.


And yes I know I spelled Barnes wrong. But for an out of the box rifle with a price tag of less than $250 and an on hand scope what more can you ask for? My wife bought the rifle for me because I wanted a truck rifle for coyotes that I didn't have to worry about beating up. It is all I use now.

Drop-point: very good post earlier in this thread.

Where does the 308 excel? It excels in my little world.