Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Any 308 Win Haters

I like each of the .308 rifles I have. Have not owned one that did not shoot well.

I think you missed the point. Name one significant disadvantage the .308 Win has over the .30-06 or any �mid range 30 cal�. It may not be better than the .30-06 but it certainly doesn�t suffer much in comparison. If I can�t do it with my .308 Win there are very few circumstances where I would find one of my three .30-06�s adequate.

The 30-06 does have an advantage with the heavier bullets like the 220's:

From Nosler #4:

30-06 W/220 gr. partition max velocity 2602 fps.

Since the 308 doesn't list the 220 I guess that is a good indicator that the bullet doesn't work well in that case. It does however list the 200 gr. partition at a max velocity of 2413 fps. with a 24 inch barrel which is not common with most hunting rifles we use. I've got both 308 and 30-06 and I'd feel a little better if given the choice to carry a 30-06 with 220's in a place like Alaska where the threat of big bears is imminent. Now where is my nomex suit????????

Still have a couple 06's and though I don't shoot them much any more, don't remember ever shooting a 220...

I do like 150, 165 and 180's. Not a lot of difference in those weights.

When I was flying Cobras, we had at least one that had twin minis in the nose turret. 8000 rounds a minute (4000 per gun) will defoliate stuff in a HURRY.

John

Granted. Since I've never shot heavier than 180g out of my .30-06s, I don't see any "significant" disadvantage with the .308 win. Also granted, the most dangerous thing where I hunt is other hunters, bad drivers and miscellaneous two-legged varmints, none of which have ever caused me any trouble.

While the .30-06 does have a small advantage over the .308, particularly in bullet weighs of 180 grains or more.....not enough to worry about. The kinds of animals tha require the use of a 200 grain bullet from a .30-06.....are probably better handled by a bigger gun anyway, so the "advantage" over the .308 is meaningless on most game.

There are also a few rounds that have a trajectory advantage over the .308 (some of which are "almost" significant), but this advantage only comes into play at ranges longer than 400 yards. The vast majority of shooters will never fire a shot at more than 300 yards (and probably shouldn't), so this "advantage" is also meaningless.

There are some rounds that recoil less than the .308. However, to gain this advantage they must give up bullet weight, bore size and/or velosity. This will mean less penetration and/or power. These rounds are , at best, equal to the .308 due to this tradeoff. To be honest, any shooter that can not handle the recoil of a .308 certainly can't handle the recoil of any round that DOES have an advantage over the .308.

"Most" shooters in this country are basically "deer" hunters with an occational trip for pronghorn or elk size game. Deer are hunted in so many different ways and different terrain that the same gun may (or may not) be totally suitable. It is HERE that the .308 shines.

Because of it's shorter length (compared to a .30-06 class round) the .308 can be chambered in many, many more action types than it's longer rivals. The .308 has been chambered in every type rifle ever produced (single shot, bolt, lever, pump and semi-auto).

In a single shot or bolt action, the .308 can be had in a shorter, lighter rifle without giving up barrel length and when barrel length IS shorter (which is desirable at times) the .308 is more "forgiving" about velosity loss than higher-intesity rounds.

The few lever actions that can handle a .30-06 lenth round are nessisarily heavy and, in my opinion, less well balanced that a similar rifle chambered for the .308. Some of the "best" such as the Savage 99 and Winchester 88 are ONLY available in .308 length.

Only a handful of semi-auto rifles (excluding the various "military" rifles) have been chambered in .30-06 length.....and they all (with the posiible exception of the Browning BAR) are , in my experience, less reliable than a .308 length action. Even if they do perform reliably....you , once again, carry extra weight and length.

Because of it's terminal performance, good trajectory, acceptable recoil, outstanding accuracy and....most important....availability in a wide range of rifles and action types.......the .308 just may be the "best" deer cartridge ever used. It's not flashy and as some have said a little "boring", but it does the job as well or better in more different ways than any other round out there.

Velocity....and quite a bit of it.

This lie has been repeated so often some people believe it.

I've used both rounds quite a bit on a variety of game here in Montana including antelope, black bear, whitetail, mule deer, and elk... try as I might, I've never seen any actual difference between them in the field.

The 308 launches a 165/168 at the same speed a 30-06 pushes a 180. Anyone that thinks there's any real killing difference between the two because of 15/13 grains bullet weight... well, there's a particular bridge over the East River that needs your financial investment.

I've also found the 308 is more eager to please at the loading bench than the 30-06, and it also recoils noticeably less which makes it well-suited to light rifles.

I certainly would never choose a 30-06 as a dedicated whitetail rifle in Eastern woods, to me it's power is more appropriate on an elk mountain... but dead is, of course, dead.

I say use what you want, just don't expect those of us that have used both to good effect that the 30-06 is somehow vastly superior... it ain't so.

Just trying to keep it real...

Well the .264 WM has em both beat so there..........

Swampy, I bet your Green Box 30-06 vs properly handloaded .308 across a chronograph would be an eye opener for you, if you only had the capacity to learn.

Go back to Graybeards with your weak piss....

Why didn't I think of that...

Spot-on... factory 30-06 stuff is what 308 handloads are velocity-wise, but without the 308's generally better accuracy.

I've never owned a 30-06. My .308 Remington 788 shoots my varmint loads and my deer handloads into MOA holes @ 100 yards all day long.

If you shoot well with the '06, good for you. I shoot well with the 308. This debate is like the 30-30 vs the 32 Win special. Well, maybe more like Ford vs Chevy. It's the person pulling the trigger that matters.

My post wasnt directed at you, I'm sure you knew that.

Its at all the bickering about 2 cartridges that are so close that its funny seeing people fight over it.

Of course Tom, all in good fun my friend...

But the .264 does suck....

K