Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Why isn't the 308 more popular?

My Remington SA (20" barrel) .308 moves a 180 grain Accubond at 2740 FPS.....it's a big league rifle in a small package.....

What's wrong with the .308?

Last summer I had my first .308W put together on a Model 70 action. Shoots fantastic and although I have yet to use it on game, I have no doubt that it well work well on whitetails and anything else I will probably use it on. A Nula in .308W may be the best all rounder big game rifle one could own.

....Absolutely nothing wrong with a 308.......In fact, from your rifle, a 180 grainer @ 2740 fps out of a 20" barrel from a 308 is excellent, considering that Sierra shows 2600 fps from a 26" tubed Savage as max for the 308,,,(lawyer loadings?) A 26" tubed 30-06 also from a Savage in the Sierra manual lists 2800 fps for max loadings.

In the Sierra manual anyway and given the same barrel length, the 308 runs 200 fps behind the `06 using 180 gr bullets.

Regarding the short actioned rifles in smaller packages that perform extremely well, you and I have something in common. I can relate very well to "big league" rifles in smaller packages!

As with my 16.5" barreled 300 WSM Ruger Frontier compact, it also appears that your Remy has a faster bore as well. My fastest chrony speed (max loading) with a 180 gr runs at 2917 fps MV. But, 2765 to about 2850 fps gives me better consistent accuracy and is really all the velocity I need and then some.

Used to hunt in the thick timber of Oregon with an old sheep rancher. He shot a old Sako in 308 and never had a problem putin game on the ground.That rifle had more character and stories to go with it than a person could imagin.That rancher packed that rifle everywhere and shot everything with it, deer,coyotes,probem dogs,squirrels,and elk.The rifle had almost no blueing,the wood was well worn, and that man told stories about it.After 20 years I can still picture it.Popular in my safe, no. Popular in my mind yes, I want a Sako 308 that has the hisory and memories that that rancher had with his 308.To do that,I'd probably have to get rid of all the others.

Used a .308 to shoot my way to "High Master" with the NRA. Worked like a champ. Barrels last 5000+ rounds with excellent accuracy. A long-proven favorite of the target shooting crowd and the tactical shooting community. It can handle most hunting situations in North America, from varmints to moose. It's the center-fire round I load and shoot most frequently.

If I had to go down to one rifle cartridge, it would likely be the .308 Winchester. It's sure as heck popular with me and my shooting buddies!

Regards, Guy

The 308 is a great round, but it falls well short of the 30-06. You won't see tnat in loading books, because 30-06 data is still limited to the pressures of the Springfield and Garand. The 308, with it's higher pressures, does match the M2 ball loads, but when you load a 30-06 up to the same pressure levels as the 308--which is absoluetly safe to do in modern firearms, then you see what the 30-06 will do. 2900-3000 fps from a 24" barrel and a 168 grain bullet is common. That's well beyond the 308.

If given the choice 308 for life or the ought six, I'd do a 308 everytime. Why burn the powder?

If given the choice, ought six or 300 Win Mag. for life, it'd be ought six. Again, why burn the powder when closer (hunting) always works?

Come to think of it, the 300 Savage was way ahead of its time, and fully modern, even today...Don't give me any 30/30 guff either (grins)

speed kills...

the .308 has the necessary speed to kill reliably, but the speed to kill impressively evades it...

in my opinion, and experience, a rifleman using a fast loaded .243 (or any number of other cartridges that utilize more speed) will experience a greater number of DRT kills, if all else is equal...

Speed kills? 220 Swift for me then...

Arrows must be [bleep]....

AussieGunwriter (John Woods), might argue your experience.....

I hope he still posts and we have not scared him off; or he is very busy and making money...

imo, the .300 winchester is the most businesslike cartridge ever developed for big game hunting... speed is an asset in all aspects of hitting a target with a rifle... in my experience, the winnie easily achieves the optimum balance between bullet weight, bullet speed, and rifle weight to hit any big game target under about any reasonable conditions... and to effect, with proper shooting, reliable and fast kills...

bullets, not cartridges, do work.

Lead can do work of jacketed, at lower speeds, if given the opportunity.....

Most animals I've ran across don't reckon "balance", just holes where they are soft. Some more than less.

I'd also bet the 308 and 30/06 have done more "business"...

I do like the choice and performance of a 300/200 gr. Partition, though I could manage the same with a 308 and a well made caster, if forced to..

it does a super job on most game animals that we hunt... deer, antelope and such...



they have the speed to kill reliably at extreme short range...
archers go to more extremes in search of speed than do riflemen...
to a rifleman, 50 fps is nothing... to an archer, the difference between 250 and 300 fps is significant...

HawkI,

Go get a 30 carbine and be happy....

I love the 30-06, but with a well constructed bullet, what happens as impact velocity increases is spectatular. All you have to do is pull the trigger of a few animals with fast and slower chamberings, as well as talk to others who have done that as well. We all agree moderate velocity kills well enough, but high velocity--with proper bullets and withhin reason, makes for more spectatular kills.

Like John Woods?

Seriously,

I have used rifle cartridges from the fast end 243 WSSM (85gr.) , the 25/06 (100 gr.) to the slow 22 Hornet (48gr. cast) to the handguns and .72 cal.slugs my home state used mandate me to use.

Maybe my fast end isn't adequate (that includes the 300 Winny), but shock, DRT and psychobabble don't do the same as two busted shoulders and a decent hole through the vitals.

Call me a liar but I've seen a 45 Colt kill just as fast and as slow as a 300 Winny, of which I like...

Spectacular I have seen from a wide variety of speeds at impact. Animals just don't seem to comprehend every time...

With a properly twisted bbl for a heavy, easy expanding cast or a proper Barnes bullet, I'd roll the 30 carbine....

The 308 Winchester has always sold guns and ammo reliably. Being the favorite 30/06's "younger brother" it just doesn't get the level of discussion that its older brother does. The 308 pays its dues as powerful and reliable, not flashy.

In today's very light short actioned rifles the 308 gives its best performance. Manufactures had to invent the short magnums to try and best the 308.

i have, and hunt with a .300 savage. i own 2 .308s and have used rifles so chambered on 3 continents. i have, and use one 30-06 (and just had another rebarreled to 25-06)...

my .300 winchester is enough louder, and enough pushier, that if it had no particular merit over my other rifles, i would sell it...
experience with long range, high winds, and potentially undesirable results from less than well made shots have formed my perspective....



you can mow 400 acres of hay on a cub cadet riding mower, if you so choose... i have better methods.....

Good,

You are not forced to use the Cub, use iron sights or even clean an animal you have shot.

You don't have to be forced to learn anything from history either...

If you travel those three continents again, by your own admission, you'd be wise to go 300 RUM or a 30-378 Bee to achieve nirvana.

Speed kills....go forth and multiply.



I thought you were saying it was for a rifleman? Silly me...

history teaches me that the 30-06 was developed, way back when, because the 7mm mauser was a better weapon than the krag, principally because of the significantly higher velocity it's bullets achieved...

once again, bullet speed is an asset in every aspect of rifle shooting... there are no specific flies on the RUM or any of the faster .30s.....
the .30 carbine has issues, imo.....

you brought up the archery stuff.....

as well as the rough language... i'm out.....