Oh that .308 Winchester is big!

[getitdone1]

Got your attention, didn't I?

Well.....it's big when you compare it to the .223.

I was shooting my Browning BLR .308 and Ruger Mini-14 .223 today and once I finished with the .223 (about 50 rounds) I opened the box of 308 and thought: Hey, these are bigger than I remembered.

Then, once I shot the .308--after so many .223 rounds--I could really feel and hear the power difference. No doubt the 20" 308 bbl adds to the sound.

I've only had one other 308 and it was a Winchester model 100 semi-auto carbine. Neat little gun. I am liking the 308 more and more and by only having to neck size when I reload it--I'm liking it even more. The Burris FastFire II on it adds to the fun with this gun. This BLR is the most pleasant to shoot medium powered gun I've ever had. The Browning recoil pad really makes this gun a pleasure to shoot and with the 180 gr Nosler Partitions too.

A Browning BAR 308 may be my next gun. The short barreled, synthetic stock version--and, a holographic sight for it.

The Sierra .308, 110 gr HP bullets I'm using look like the ticket for close-up varmints of all varieties. I've read that guys get very good accuracy with this bullet.

Don

[Newtmaker]

My first high power rifle was a Rem 700 in 222. A few months later I also bought another 700 in 308. I shot it a few times and had a recoil pad installed. My friends laughed at me but it was a sweet shooter afterwards!

Walt

[Dave]

The 308 is a lot of rifle no doubt

[kimwcook]

My Remington 700 PSS in 308 is the most accurate rifle I own.

[madman4570]

.308 is a fantastic cartridge(glad you love it)

[piller]

Never owned one, but the M60 I carried was super accurate with the .308 (7.62 Nato). Nothing against the .308, just don't have one.

[claybob86]

Nothing against the .308, just don't have one.

That's the only thing I have against the .308, I don't have one! I've shot a few from the bench, had pretty good luck with 'em.

[Alan Wood]

+2 to the recoil pad! First and so far only time I shot my savage 99 in 308 I shot less than 30 rds and was pretty beat up by the recoil.

[getitdone1]

Boys, don't get me wrong about the 308 being a kicker. I wouldn't mind it much without the recoil pad but with its Browning pad it's just surprisingly comfortable to shoot. The gun that hurts me the most is my Browning SRC 45-70 with steel butt plate and hot reloads with 400 gr bullets. Especially so from the bench. Much worse than my 375 H&H even when it had the Browning recoil pad on it rather than the present Limbsaver. The Limbsaver is a great product.

If a gun is going to hurt me from the bench, I get padding. A bruised shoulder discolored from recoil is something I try to avoid but I've had it more than once.

Don

[Old Shatterhand]

.308W is a great cartridge. When the Win 88 and I do our best at the bench, we pattern five 165 grs Hornady IB in a 1" circle, sometimes tighter. Low recoil, great accuracy, simple to load och efficient enough for most game.

Pete

[t.r.]

Here is a photo showing two great cartridges side by side.

TR

[Tumbleweeds II]

I inherited a BAR .308 and should have kept it. The 150 grainers were pussycats, but the 180 grain bullets would make it kick some. Either shot very accurately with the 4X scope that was on the rifle.

The .308 is a .300 Savage (the perfect deer rifle caliber) with enough neck for good function in automatic weapons, and as such is a nearly perfect cartridge.

[olyinaz]

My only ".308" is an LR-308 AR-10 clone! For some reason I find the in-arguably outstanding .308 to be boring as butter!! I will say, however, that in an AR-10 you can plink with it all day like you're shooting .357 mag out of a lever gun and that's kind of nice.

If I go back in the field to hunt any time soon (unlikely, but you never know) it will be with a .270 or a .25-06 here out west. Or maybe a 6.5mm Norwegian (not sure about that Swede cartridge, but the Norwegian one is really great).

Oly

[O.S.O.K.]

Recoil really depends on the rifle's weight. A lot of .308 Win chambered rifles are lightweights... and that makes it kick a lot more - that is, the rifle doesn't soak up as much of the energy coming back at the shooter.

I've seen people at the range remark about 30-30's being stout kickers

It's all realative.

My own .308 is a Saiga that I converted to pistol grip configuration. It's a pussycat because the action takes most of the punishment. Only recoils a bit more than a standard AK 7.62x39.

[Nath]

I use for varmints the Hornady 110grn v-max in mine, don't think close range! The longest rabbit with one was 450+yards in a wind!
I am getting 3100fps from a 20" barrel!

A 308 is very good and can use a wide range of powders to work at different roles.
18grn of H4227 pushes a 170grn Speer flat over a 100yards but does not expand, perfect for rabbits (from my rifle).



The crow was taken with a Hornady 110grn, it is completely hollow!

Nath.

[getitdone1]

Nath,

Great picture! You have some beautiful country in England but don't think I'd like all the rain it takes to make it so green.

Don

[Nath]

Nath,

Great picture! You have some beautiful country in England but don't think I'd like all the rain it takes to make it so green.

Don

It's not so bad Don, you can sneek about in the rain and usually nobody else is about

N.

[Lastmohecken]

My grandfather swore by the .308 for many years, but I always considered it the gun he liked that made all of the difference, it was a Winchester 100 in .308.

I never warmed up to the .308 much, until I bought my old Browning BLR. I was into longer rounds like the 30-06 and 270 Win, among others mostly bigger and meaner calibers, and I wasn't really sold on the little .308, but I loved the missle launcher it was chambered in which was a sweet little leveraction, fast to shoot, quick to shoulder, and hardly any heavier then a Marlin 336.

What I discovered was a rifle/caliber combo that has become my favorite bar none. I have found that little 20 inch barreled levergun in .308 to be just about perfect for any thing from 20yds to 300 plus. And the .308 with 180gr Silvertips, has preformed as well and quite often better then just about anything I have ever used it for, and it kills about as quick as anything I have ever used. Mild recoil, plenty accurate, whats to not like? It's my go to gun, everthing else is just vanity for me.

[kimwcook]

Nath, my rifle looks a lot like yours. I don't have any pictures sad to say. Need to remedy that.

[AJMD429]

My own .308 is a Saiga that I converted to pistol grip configuration. It's a pussycat because the action takes most of the punishment. Only recoils a bit more than a standard AK 7.62x39.

Now I know this is a dumb question (but those are the most fun to ask), because of the 'pistol grip' thing, but what was your impression of the accuracy of the .308 Siaga? I was looking at them at the local shop last summer, and the short barrel and even shorter sight-radius gave me the impression accuracy would be difficult to achieve with one. Gotta admit, I do like the action of the Siaga from a 'truck gun' perspective; unfortunately there is a magazine-compatability issue with the 7.62x39 ones vs. 'standard' AK ones, though a 10-shot magazine actually makes the Siaga 7.62x39 handier and really more useful than a 30-shot one for most purposes.

[olyinaz]

Now I know this is a dumb question (but those are the most fun to ask), because of the 'pistol grip' thing, but what was your impression of the accuracy of the .308 Siaga? I was looking at them at the local shop last summer, and the short barrel and even shorter sight-radius gave me the impression accuracy would be difficult to achieve with one. Gotta admit, I do like the action of the Siaga from a 'truck gun' perspective; unfortunately there is a magazine-compatability issue with the 7.62x39 ones vs. 'standard' AK ones, though a 10-shot magazine actually makes the Siaga 7.62x39 handier and really more useful than a 30-shot one for most purposes.

One way to significantly improve upon the AK's sights and sight radius is to install one of these AR-type peep sights from Tech Sights. They're very well made and really improve things quite a lot for those who like to stick with irons. This is the installation on my Polish Tantal:




It's been my experience that AKs are reasonably accurate (lever gun or Mini 14 accurate I'd say) when good sights and good ammunition are used. The latter is where most people fall down because cheap Warsaw Pact ammo is what draws some folks to these great plinkers. (And why not? Nuthin' wrong with that.)

I don't have an AK in .308 yet (it's on the list) but I do have this one in 7.62x54R and it's a hoot! Kicks like a regular AK but it's shooting .308 power (or better) ammo and it'll shoot 2" groups.




Fun stuff but admittedly this one is not a "truck gun" like you were musing regarding the 16" barrel Saigas. Just sayin' they're good Doc! Don't hesitate.

Cheers,
Oly

[blackhawk44]

The BLR is the rifle that the .308 was created for; the perfect match, at least it has been for me since 1974.

[kevin in nh]

I have always hunted with a 30.06....BAR, Gustav, Blaser.......but I have come to appreciate the 18" barrel BAR....so much so I bought a second one........joy to carry with the short barrel.....if you can find one with an 18" barrel.....7.6 with scope....