.308 vs. 30-06

[thefinger]

Hey guys,

I am trying to decide what my next bolt-action rifle should be. I have some experience with my father's Remington 700 BDL Deluxe in 30-06, and I have an old Russian 91/30 that shoots 7.62x54. However, I've never shot a .308. It seems like most of the precision rifles I see people speaking about on the forums are chambered for .308. Besides the price of ammo, what are the benefits of having a .308 vs. a 30-06? Also, is there much of a difference in the recoil?... I can only shoot about 40 rounds through my dad's Remmy 700 before I start to wish I had just brought the .22.

If I decide to go the .308 route, what is a good rifle to look for. My price range would likely be somewhere between 400-700.

thanks, buds.

[Morales]

Well, first, what are you using it for? Hunting? Target shooting? The main reason that so many percision rifles are chambered for .308 is because of availability, and because many civilian hunting rifles or target rifles started out as attempts by compainies get military contracts for sniper rifles. All of the old fashioned "full charge" rounds will hurt the shoulder after a few dozen rounds, maybe except for those in the 6.5 range. I would say, decide what you are going to use it for, and base your purchase on that. I have no .308 bolt actions myself, but only because I don't usually buy stuff from the 1950's. One more thing, a good friend of mine who was a veteran of Korea, told me that in his opinion, the .308 was a poor comprimise as far as military cartridges go. He carried an M1 in .30-06.

[thefinger]

well, I've been browsing some firearms sites and I just came across another option I hadn't thought of-- .223 bolt-action.

I don't plan to do any deer hunting. If anything, I would say I'd want it for varmint purposes. Mainly I'd be target shooting between 100 and 300 yds. .223 is sort of attractive, now that I'm thinking about it. Looks like a scoped rifle package from Savage goes for around 500.

http://www.savagearms.com/11fxp3.htm

or heavy barrel, better yet..

http://www.savagearms.com/12fv.htm

[E Pluribus Unum]

One more thing, a good friend of mine who was a veteran of Korea, told me that in his opinion, the .308 was a poor comprimise as far as military cartridges go. He carried an M1 in .30-06.

This is why rumor and conjecture should be curbed for true hard facts.

The ballistics shows that .308 and .3006 are nearly identical out to 800 meters. Only then does it vary slightly.

.3006 and .308 use basically the same bullet. The .3006 is a longer/thinner cartridge. Out to 800 meters they are similar in all respects. After that the .308 actually does a bit better in accuracy.

There is debate as to why; Some say that the unburnt powder pushing by the bullet on a .3006 causes it to lose its perfect spiral and therefore increase wind drag. Others argue that because the .308 has a shorter/fatter case that it burns more uniformly and is more consistant.

You might find that some .3006 rifles will have higher muzzle velocities however consistancy wins matches and the .308 is more consistant.


Easiest to get?? .3006. You can walk into any back country ammo store and buy .3006. .308 is more scarce though I would imagine they will start to stock more of it.

[Sydwaiz]

Agntsa

[ketec_owner]

Why don't you do a .300 Win Mag instead of a .308 or a 30-06? A remington 700 action is probably your best bet.

[CalNRA]

Why don't you do a .300 Win Mag instead of a .308 or a 30-06? A remington 700 action is probably your best bet.

price of ammo?

the 300w-m doesn't do all that much better than the 30-06, but mch louder, more recoil and a lot more expensive in ammo price.

[Pulsar]

Why don't you do a .300 Win Mag instead of a .308 or a 30-06? A remington 700 action is probably your best bet.

Because he said recoil was an issue, and .300 win mag is gonna be worse than 30'06.

.308 is a very nice shooting round, don't have any bolts that shoot it, but I've got a couple of Semi-auto's that do, and honestly I can put a couple hundred round through no problem. Ammo is easy to find, and often a little cheaper than 30'06 since it's still used by the military.

[ketec_owner]

If price and recoil are an issue - Mossberg has a great 30-06 rifle for a great price - Mossberg ATR 100. Or a for a few more $$ Remington PSS. Or if you feel bold - a Mauser 98 or Yugo 48 in 8mm is even cheaper to shoot with surplus ammo. The 30-06 was based off the German 8mm Mauser round.

[Paul]

If this is to be an uber-tactical long range kill something weapon then .308 makes a whole bunch of sense rather than a tiny little itty-bitty .223. At 800 yards the 62 grain .223 isn't very dangerous.

If you're looking at varmints have a look at the .220 Swift or .22-250 for some fun on the far side of 4000 feet per second.

In either case you're likely going to reload as target rounds run $0.75-$1.50 each.

[rorschach]

If you're looking at varmints have a look at the .220 Swift or .22-250 for some fun on the far side of 4000 feet per second.

+1

.22-250 loaded up with Nosler Ballistic tip will violently blow woodchucks into piles of tissue and fur for the crows. Quite the spectacle.

[G-Man WC]

Another thing you might consider would be the action lenght. Long action 30/06 - short action .308 and the weight. Most lighter weight mountian rifles are short action cals are .243 - 6.5x55 - 7mm-08 - .308.

[randy]

A great all around rifle is the Remington LTR get it in .223 or .308 depends on how much you want to spend on food.

It isn't real heavy, pss stock, 20" fluted barrel (as I recall) shoots very well.

Solid enough to spend some time on the bench and light enough to pack.

Good luck

[hkfan33]

Get yourself a Remmy LTR or PSS in 308, nice solid platform, splurge a little on glass & you should be more than happy.

Here's a teaser for ya.