Looking to get a bolt action 308. Need Help!

[ar15barrels]

The end goal is rounds on target.

I also happen to teach a set of clinics each year for new precision rifle shooters so I have some insight into how people learn to shoot and what it takes to put bullets on target.

If the goal is immediate satisfaction with putting bullets on target, go ahead and start with a 6.5 creedmoor.

If the goal is to learn how to put bullets on target, the 308 is a better teacher because it better illustrates a bad shooter position and the effects of the wind.

I'm not saying people should stay with a 308.
Once a person has mastered the 308, they will do even better with a 6.5 or 6.
Mastering a 308 forces you to be a better shooter.

No amount of cartridge superiority will cover up the sloppiness in shooter skills that the superior cartridges allow while a 308 makes these deficiencies evident and allows the shooter to correct them.

People that started with an inferior cartridge like a 308 (or a ninja 250) end up being better at the game BECAUSE they learned the right way, instead of the "easy" way.
Learning the "easy" way ultimately cheats the student.

[milotrain]

Listen I AGREE that the .308 is NOT dead!!!!! It is my PRIMARY round. Personally I think F class etc is boring. So I am guilty of not even considering those disciplines. I could care less when the bullet was made. With Flat line bullets you should be able to hit whatever you want.

Again the guy is looking for a bolt .308. If I was buying a new bolt gun it would be a Ruger Precision with a 6.5 creedmoor and find a used .308 barrel.

If I was recommending someone buy their first bolt gun for "I dunno, shooting matches and stuff." I would recommend exactly the same thing.

[bsumoba]

The only thing I would have to argue that a 308 is a tougher cartridge for new shooters is the recoil. Starting them on something like a 6.5 or even a 6mm, like a 243 would make the shooting more enjoyable.

I see all too often at the 100 yard range, guys with their 700 .308 rifle, giving it to their buddy or GF and seeing them shoot one and they say they are good. Albeit, they are shooting light, plastic stocks and they have no clue how to actually hold the gun and that thing comes back into their shoulder and they are not a happy camper after.

I guess you can put a brake on it, but factory rifles tend not to be threaded for a brake.

I do like the idea of people who want to learn to shoot more, start on a .308 because there is a lot of factory ammo at a decent price. Not everyone jumps into the game and wants to handload or can spend over $1.30 per round for factory ammo for a 6.5mm cartridge. Once they shoot more, they can figure out what they want from there. I started with an AR, then to a 308 AR and then plunged into a 6.5 creedmoor.

[JMP]

The Flatline bullets may change that depending on how deep competitor's pockets are. Also the new 200.20X is looking good, so close to the 230 but can go quite a bit faster in the various 30 cal cartridges.

The new 2156 is also nice, and if you are willing to throat specifically for it the Lapua Scener L 155 is pretty slick.

Milo, are people using the 155 flatline in 308 with good results? A bullet like a flatline is going to be ballistically superior, but my experience is that it's quite a bit harder to tune the extremely high BCed monolithic projectiles for pure accuracy.

[JMP]

If the goal is to learn how to put bullets on target, the 308 is a better teacher because it better illustrates a bad shooter position and the effects of the wind.

This is a key factor depending on your location. If you live in Los Angeles (or any SoCal coastal area, the longest range is Angeles, which is only 600 yards. For long range, you need to drive at least an hour. The hanging targets at Angeles are pretty large to make shooting 6.5 no challenge. But, 308 can get a little trickier, and things like 223 are challenging.

The only thing I would have to argue that a 308 is a tougher cartridge for new shooters is the recoil. Starting them on something like a 6.5 or even a 6mm, like a 243 would make the shooting more enjoyable.

The 308 recoil is easily managed with a brake and reasonable stock. It does have a little recoil, but I think it goes to Randall's point above about learning better shooting position. If you are getting hurt by a 308 target rifle, there is something wrong with your position.

[milotrain]

The only thing I would have to argue that a 308 is a tougher cartridge for new shooters is the recoil.

I will admit that I don't think about recoil because I shoot in a coat and a sling. In games where you aren't in such an intimate relationship with the rifle I can certainly see the 308 being a bit more of a shock.

Milo, are people using the 155 flatline in 308 with good results?

I don't know, I've heard a lot of noise about the new flatline bullets, and Warner has to have a market if he's suspending manufacture of his sights. The BC of the 155 isn't so much higher than the 155.5 or the 2156 so I don't know how much adoption they will have. As said, in the case of LR with the 308 it's about wind reading experience, and there isn't value to a high BC bullet that you can't shoot enough to get a sense of how it acts.

This is a key factor depending on your location. If you live in Los Angeles (or any SoCal coastal area, the longest range is Angeles, which is only 600 yards. For long range, you need to drive at least an hour.

BRRC holds sanctioned 600 yard midrange matches once a month. It is 30 min north of ASR so it could be an hour or more for most but it's there. We have good steel to 1k for other matches and there may be electronic targets in the future for a 3x1000 match.

[LynnJr]

Milotrain
The Flatline bullets have about 0.060 better G1 BC than the other 155 or 155.5 bullets and they fly about 85 fps faster.
If you can get them to shoot in your rifle and they are legal in your sanctioning body they are worth a try.

[ar15barrels]

The only thing I would have to argue that a 308 is a tougher cartridge for new shooters is the recoil.

The recoil can be mitigated with proper shooter position and muzzle brakes.
It's the recoil that SHOWS the shooter if his position is good or not.

If your position is good, the gun recoils and settled right back on target.
If your position is bad, the gun recoils and lands OFF target, showing you which way your body is wrong behind the gun.

[Boardie101]

Checkout my ad on Calguns... planned on just selling the Mcrees chassis, but if you're looking for a .308 and interested in mine, shoot me a PM.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1253550&highlight=Mcrees