OT 308 or 30-06?

[Old Savage]

OK, I am taking 86er's word on this - now I like the 30-06 better because I like it better and it reloads better for me and the guns have been more accurate. It seems easier on brass also.

But, I have a 7-08 I like - probably not much different. I can get 2600 with 160s in it.

[geobru]

I have guns in both cartridges. I started out with a bolt gun in 06, then bought a 308 in BLR and never went back. I like the 308 because that gun is more accurate than the 06 and it is a LEVER GUN!! Although you can load the 06 up or down to go after just about anything that roams this continent. I have killed deer and elk with both guns and all animals that were shot wound up DOA. As has been said, the 06 is better with the heavier bullets.

Both are great calibers. Find a gun that you like in either and you should wind up being a happy camper.

[JohndeFresno]

Ought-Six because:
The .308 is widely considered "nearly as powerful" as the '06, not the other way around.
Bulk gov't '06 ammo - Lake City, Greek Army, NATO, other sources - reloads nicely
The '06 is inherently as accurate as the .308 in most loadings; more so at longer ranges.
More firearm deals in .30-'06, e.g. Stevens' amazingly accurate bolt rifle for less than $400
Wider range of loads and effective bullet weights for '06 - larger powder capacity
Tons of available load data
Lots of free or cheap '06 brass in my area, e.g. hunters who only buy factory ammo
John Wayne never carried a .308

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Buying an expensive SOCOM rifle? Go .308, the standard
.308 brass much more plentiful in your area? That is a consideration for handloading

For me - the Ought-Six, hands down. I love that old M1 Garand.

[Old Savage]

Yeah, John Wayne never carried a 308!!!!!

[Lefty Dude]

.308 as brass will certainly be available for the foreseeable future it being a military cartridge. I got a .308 Savage 99A for that reason.

When the S**t hits the fan, you will be glad you had a .308.

I sold off all my 06's for this very reason. My 30 cal's are all .308's.

[handirifle]

I'd have to say it depends on you use, your weight requirements and your needs.

If you want it for deer sized game and smaller, the 308 will do it all, but then again the 243 will too.

If you want a smaller lighter rifle, the 308 is the pic. I still am not sure about the 308 vs 30-06 accuracy. I know about the 308's wins, but the 308 came around about the same time accuracy knowledge took off in leaps and bounds. That is a very long standing debate.

As for a hunting rifle and cartridge combo, if you get a good rifle, with a good barrel, in sporter weight, I seriously doubt anyone can tell the difference, which one is more accurate.

As for power, I agree with oldsavage. The 30-06 will walk away from the 308 with heavy bullets, abd will still out do it with lighter ones. I have owned both, several of each, and cannot tell the difference in recoil either.

If you still cannot decide, look at guns in both calibers and get the one that feels best to you. There isn't a moose or elk out there that will walk far with a 165gr Barnes TSX put through his lungs from either one.

[BigSky56]

The only advantage the 06 has over the 308 is if you wanted to use a 220 or 250 gr bullet, I have a friend that uses a 243 on elk its where you put the bullet. danny

[JB]

Add me to the 308 crowd. As others have pointed out, I like the ability to use a shorter action and the "slight" accuracy advantage is just another bonus.

[Old Ironsights]

I thought all Garands were converted from 30-06 to .308...

[Antietamgw]

Hard to go wrong with the .280, although I plan to reload for it vs. buy factory stuff.

Sure is, my son's 700 Mountain rifle made me see the light as I had '06 blinders since I was a kid. When my son was 11, he feel in love with a 700 Mountain in .280 at a local shop. All I could think of was my young days with a hardkicking oversized rifle and how long it took to get rid of the flinch. I got it for him anyway and he still thanks me 15 years later. He's a 1 gun man and is very good with it. Load the .280 with 120 Noslers and IMR 4064 to mid loading manual levels and it's a pleasure as far as recoil, accurate and deadly on deer size game. Much lower recoil and slower recoil velocity. Mighty comparable velocity as opposed to a bunch more slower powder too. Load that light rifle with 4350 and 160's and it's a little different...

Now that I've been seriously considering my true needs, what calibers to keep and which to get rid of, I find it hard to find a need for any centerfire chamberings but .357, .30-30 , 358 Win and the old '06. I have been awful tempted to hunt up a savage 99 in .308 though...

[handirifle]

I keep seeing all these references to a 243 shooting bullets from 55gr to 115gr like all 243's can do it. Do not kid yourself. A few 243's are still 1-10 twist, MOST are 1-9. CUSTOM barrels can be had in 1-8 or faster. You will find that if you wish to hit ANYTHING with a 115gr bullet from a 243 you best have 1-8 or faster.

If not 800 yds will not be an issue, as you'll be lucky to keep them on paper at 100 with the slower twists. I've never seen anything longer than a 105 hunting bullet (rounded ogive) be very accurate from a 1-9.

The longer Bergers and such sometime are best with a 1-7 or 7 1/2. Read on David Tubb, he used a 6mm for a long time.

And again, the trajectory numbers from everything from 243, to 30-06 and everything in between are not that far apart, when you compare using similar design HUNTING bullets.

If target shooting is your ONLY goal, some rounds have better wind drift numbers than either the '08 or '06, like the 260 Rem as an example. But the 260 will not be much different with hunting weight and design bullets.

Some will argue, "mine drops 2" less at 300yds than xxx". To that I say, if you can keep your bullets on target well enough from a field rest, to tell the 2" difference at 300yds, then go fo it. But 99% of us cannot. Most crosshairs are thicker than that at 300yds.

[Lefty Dude]

For heavy bullets, the 30 US (30-40 Krag) will out shoot the .308 & the 30-06.

[JohndeFresno]

I thought all Garands were converted from 30-06 to .308...

? ? ?

[handirifle]

The only advantage the 06 has over the 308 is if you wanted to use a 220 or 250 gr bullet, I have a friend that uses a 243 on elk its where you put the bullet. danny

And I've seen bulls dropped with a 22LR, so it's a good buffalo caliber now?

The 308 cannot come close to the 30-06 with even 180 - 200gr bullets. When was the last time you saw any of the big companies load 180gr bullets in the 308? They know it suffers when heavier bullets are used, so they don't load it. No one buys 308's for heavy game unless they handload and then very seldom do you read of anyone using heavy loads.

I do not care if someone is a reloader or not, unless you're buying a wildcat, you need to be aware of what ammo might be available. I'd hate to take a hunting trip somewhere far away and find out the hard way, the ammo was lost, forgotten etc, and I could not find suitable factory ammo.

Until this war is over 308 ammo is gonna be scarce.

[Streetstar]

Wow -- we're still kind of on this topic !


If you want to target shoot (or shoot humans if you are on the SWAT team ) the .308 absolutely is the answer. The new Savage Palma benchrest rifle is only available in .308 --- that tells me something. Most police sniper encounters occur well inside 200 yds and hostage issues may dictate precise shot placement --- the voice of the police and military has been heard. The shorter more compact action gives tighter performance with dedicted rifles.

I have looked at Weatherby rifle test targets for their less expensive Vanguards in 223 and 308 (both "tactical" type cartridges) and the groups were no better than what i saw when i purchased a 300 mag for myself (3/4" to 1.5") --- so just buying something in 308 does not guarantee it will be a laser, and in hunting or sporter weight rifles, i think the difference is negligible

For the cash though, the Savage Tac and BR rifles will flat shoot in 308


My opinion ---- traditional hunting rifle , wood stock, glossy blue, etc. , get 30-06, ----------- fat barrel, flat bottom stock target type rifle, .308 all the way

(i'll take one of each ! )

[Streetstar]

Until this war is over 308 ammo is gonna be scarce.

he's right about that 30 cal bullet components are easier to come by than 223 tho -- thats fo sho

[dbateman]

we get 180gr Winchester power point and silver tips factory loaded over here in AU
silver tips are deadly on scrub cattle and buff

[kooz]

Are there any compelling reasons to choose one over the other?

Nope, the difference between the two is like splitting hairs with the exception of using heavy for caliber bullets larger than 200gr, which the 30-06 does better, but for most people this is not an issue at all as most will be using between 150-180gr pills. Good luck

[madman4570]

S/B called now the 30-06 Mag
No comparison.

Box Stock Hornady 150gr SST Light Mags run at (3100FPS) and flat shooting.
That will help you range out your shooting ability.