06 vs 08 and variants - which is better and why?

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Mr. Hill said:
I like the slightly reduced recoil impulse, combined with the less irritating retort, of the .308 Winchester over the .06.
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As did my dad, and he was 23 by the time the 308 Winchester hit the market. As a matter of fact, Dad picked a 308 Winchester for me for my first "deer rifle" when I was about 14 because he felt a 30-06 might cause me to develop a flinch, and a 308 worked just as well for killing deer and elk anyway.
I was probably 35 by the time I "stepped up" a 30-06, and Dad never did shoot it. He figured it kicked too hard - "just like that blankety-blank aught-six I had when I couldn't afford to buy myself a decent rifle." he used to tell me.:D
 
This is where I’m at today with the 7mm. Sub MOA out to 600 yards, which is as far as I shoot 7mm hunting guns.

It took me about 5 years and a lot of groups to figure out how and why to headspace the Mag on the shoulder and not the belt as one example. That’s a lesson in time and expense that I wouldn’t have to have learned with the 280 Remington because it headspaces on the shoulder by design.

I like 175 grain bullets in the 7mm. And I use 68-70 grains of powder to get to 2900-3000 fps in the Mag from a 26” barrel. The 280 will get to 2600-2700 using 57-59 grains of powder, 175 grain bullet, 26” barrel. So there’s that expense.

At the velocities listed for a 175 Gameking at 600 yards, both calibers have enough steam left to anchor elk. And to make hits with either, you have know the exact range and dial in the right dope. The Mag drops 71” and the 280 drops 90”, so a little more dope is needed for the 280, that’s pretty much the trade off, and it doesn’t seem like much of a compromise for the 280.

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lightman said:
I don't think you went down the wrong path. The 06 family of cases hold more powder, have a slight advantage with heavy bullets and a slightly longer range. These advantages are so small in my opinion that the choice becomes a personal choice. I went the 08 route. But I do have a few 06's!

As far as the 308 family goes, has anyone held one of the Creedmoors up next to a 308? Cousins???

Bill M mentioned the short fat cases. It seems like a good concept but doesn't appear to be catching on. I seldom find WSM or WSSM brass and only know a handful of shooters that have them. For the record, I do have a 300WSM.
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Ditto. Brass is a problem now, mitigated somewhat by the fact you can neck all of the WSM line up or down.
 
HowieG said:
Did you guys miss the 25 WSSM? It was there for a while. Factory round.
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.257 Roberts in a 3" mag action......

250-3000AI


I'm with Troy the only reason to choose one over the other is how well they fit in the action lol.

The bullet weight argument has some validity, especially in the smaller dia rounds.

My 280AI will do 3k+ with 160s, my 7-08 is about 2800. It does have a 4" shorter tube tho.

Still my 7mags will do 3000 out of 24" tubes, and can be loaded up or down from there......so maybe belted IS best?

*Runs and hides*
 
LoonWulf said:
.257 Roberts in a 3" mag action......

250-3000AI


I'm with Troy they only reason to choose one over the other is how well they fit in the action lol.

The bullet weight argument has some validity, especially in the smaller dia rounds.

My 280AI will do 3k+ with 160s, my 7-08 is about 2800. It does have a 4" shorter tube tho.

Still my 7mags will do 3000 out of 24" tubes, and can be loaded up or down from there......so maybe belted IS best?

*Runs and hides*
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The problem with the Bob, the 250-300, and the 25 WSSM is that brass for all is kind of iffy. Of course you can manufacture the Bob out of 7x57. If you want to torture yourself, you could make 250 Savage too, with a lot more work. The WSSM line is pretty much dead.
 
I suppose it's not nearly as easy as just buying brass.
I bought a pile of bob brass from a forumite, haven't tried to make it.

Can't be any worse than turning 300wby into 7mm stw tho.

I'd imagine making 250AI from 22-250 brass isnt all that hard, youd have to fire form anyway...so neck up, load out, bang all set!

Again never tried it, I just bought 200pieces of Hornady brass when I built my 250AI, so I might be missing something lol
 
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Oh yeah, you could use 22-250. Duh, I was thinking the other way and using 300 Savage brass which you might have trouble finding too. :thumbup:

I have no idea how hard 7x57 brass is to come by right now.
 
All else fails for the 250 Savage, you could go through the trouble of using 308 brass, which is the 300 Savage with a longer neck. I imagine we will always have 308 brass, or some other 308 based brass with us.
 
I like the 308 case family. But that’s all I need for my type of hunting. I have a 30-06 and had a 300 mag and got sick of getting my ass kicked. It comes down to I like shooting the short actions.
 
Barnfixer said:
I like the 308 case family. But that’s all I need for my type of hunting. I have a 30-06 and had a 300 mag and got sick of getting my ass kicked. It comes down to I like shooting the short actions.
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I like 308 based cartridges the beat as well, but they don't actually have to be in a short action rifle.
 
Since there doesn't seem to be a "one size fits all" I'm in the camp that will have a centerfire cartridge for small game, a caliber for medium game and one for elk and bear! So for medium game something close to the "308, <150 grain family". Small game something smaller like "243, 80-120 grain family " (There is a lot going on in the 6MM +/- camp these days! Personally, I'm liken' the 6.8 SPC a lot.) And for the large species 30 and up calibers and 150 grain + projectiles anchor stuff that will kill you!

This makes sense west of the Rockies anyway! I also think age and maturity make a difference. At 75 and with neck arthritis I'm loven' a little less recoil.

(A day at the range usually means 100 rounds bangin' steel at longer ranges. I can't imagine doing that with heavy magnums even the short fat ones! And then there is an immense amount of satisfaction bangin' steel with my M1 Garand with aperture sights next to guys and their $1K scopes)

So, back to the "one size fits all scenario", I wouldn't have a safe full of long guns!

Smiles,
 
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JJFitch said:
Since there doesn't seem to be a "one size fits all" I'm in the camp that will have a centerfire cartridge for small game, a caliber for medium game and one for elk and bear! So for medium game something close to the "308, <150 grain family". Small game something smaller like "243, 80-120 grain family " (There is a lot going on in the 6MM +/- camp these days! Personally, I'm liken' the 6.8 SPC a lot.) And for the large species 30 and up calibers and 150 grain + projectiles anchor stuff that will kill you!

This makes sense west of the Rockies anyway! I also think age and maturity make a difference. At 75 and with neck arthritis I'm loven' a little less recoil.

(A day at the range usually means 100 rounds bangin' steel at longer ranges. I can't imagine doing that with heavy magnums even the short fat ones! And then there is an immense amount of satisfaction bangin' steel with my M1 Garand with aperture sights next to guys and their $1K scopes)

So, back to the "one size fits all scenario", I wouldn't have a safe full of long guns!

Smiles,
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What kind of small game are you looking to kill with a 243? Where are you getting 120 grain 6mm bullets?
 
I use 243 (100 grain bullet through a 700 sporter) 6.5 CM (140 grain bullet through a Ruger American) and 308 (150 grain bullet through an AR10 carbine) for my different hunting needs. I also have 1 "outlier" 94 in 30-30. I like the short action cartridges and the rifles that fire them and I dislike rifles that cause me physical pain when I fire them. For what I hunt; and most anything I could conceivably hunt in the future, I feel I have it covered. If I somehow need a big old magnum of some type in the future, I'll just borrow one from a friend.
 
Wonderful Sunday morning with a question for whoever will answer. Yesterday I had out in the barn ,by my self ,my LAR 8 , M1 Garand .308 and the M1 Garand 30-06. The only 06 any thing I have.The question is, what word best describes how it feels to hold and shoot the 06. They all use the same hornady bullet the exact same powder,even the same amount. But that 06......
 
Lots of good points in this thread, thanks!

@Show Me
I’ve not shot a Garand. But if I had one, I suspect I wouldn’t have posted the thread. I’ve heard they are super fun to shoot!
 
I like both cartridge families.
I have owned/used 25-06, 270, & 30-06.
I have also owned/used 243, 7mm-08, & 308.

I look at the rifles and cartridges they are chambered in and the sweet spots the cartridges fill.

The rifles :)
Browning BLR 358 Win & Remington 7600 35 Whelen. Two great platforms, two great cartridges, both very effective woods guns with mid range capabilities.
The cartridges :D
243 win - can you truly think of a better open country coyote cartridge?
25-06 - watch out pronghorn antelope here I come!

I have owned both a 308 & 30-06 in LH model 700 BDLs. Both shot under 1" . The short action 308 wins IMO for a whitetail rifle.
For a mountain rifle a 280 is a sweet cartridge in a lightweight long tube rifle.

Heck can I just have one of each to do more testing :thumbup:
 
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