.308 or .30-06 for first bolt action rifle?

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Hugo

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I'm going to be starting in Hunting soon, so now it's time to buy a rifle. Since I'm in the DFW area I plan to hunt; Boar, Deer, Elk (when I've got the money) and thats about it for now. I figure .308 or .30-06 should work for all, and if I decide to try Black Bear or for Cougar Defense either one should work great. No plans to hunt Grizzly bear, though CZ does make a .458 lott and other magnum caliber rifles for dangerous game.

Probably going with a CZ 550 American rifle, though the .308 only comes in a Magazine fed, and the .30-06 is the ususal hinged floor plate. Any advantages or disadvantages to either? If not that, maybe a Winchester Model 70 or Remington Model 700, or something from Weatherby. They all seem to be good brands from my research but what do you think?

I figure if I have a lot of Boar to shoot a magazine fed .308 might be handy on the faster reload, though how often is that going to happen? :) Also the .308 is cheaper on the practice ammo cost too. But the .30-06 has a little bit more power and more versatility in ammo loads available.

Right now I'm pretty close to just flipping a coin and buying that cabliber. I'll get the other caliber later when I have more money, but that will be a few years away. At least I live in a country and state (yay Texas!) where I have the power of choice!
 
Lots of guns & calibers that would work great for your intended mission. You might also find a nice 7mm Magnum, though a .300 Win Mag might be a little more than you need (though not overkill).

There are advantages and disadvantages to both internal and detachable mags. Usually, the models with internal mags run a bit cheaper, and some claim a slightly stiffer receiver with the internal.

There are lots of good brands out there- Remington, Winchester, CZ, Weatherby, etc- but you might want to look around and see if you can pick up a sporterized Mauser. Sometimes those are screaming deals- Byron picked up a 7mm Mag done by Parker Hale a few years ago for $450, IIRC. Anyway, get an idea of the calibers you're happy/iest with, and then look around before you make a decision.

Good luck, 'n have fun!

John
 
the .308 only comes in a Magazine fed, and the .30-06 is the ususal hinged floor plate. Any advantages or disadvantages to either? If not that, maybe a Winchester Model 70
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A magazine can be replaced fairly rapidly -- but not more rapidly than a single round. There are virtually no cases that I know of where you need two magazines full to finish the job.

On the other hand, magazines can be dropped, dented, filled with pocket lint and so on. It's also possible to drop a magazine out of the rifle under stress.

Hinged floorplates can also be activated at just the wrong time, too. Remingtons tend to be much more touchy than Winchesters, which have a very good reputation.

I am also a great fan of the 3-position safety. The Winchester is the best going (although the Ruger MK II is also good.) It locks the firing pin, not just the trigger and in the mid positon unlocks the bolt while keeping the firing pin locked -- so you never have to go "hot" while loading or unloading. Modern Remington two-position safties don't lock the bolt down, so it can be inadvertantly lifted while going through brush and so on -- and there's nothing more sickening than having a deer or elk in your sights and hearing a "click."

The .30-06 has more potential than the .308 for a handloader, or someone willing to buy Hi Energy or Lite Magnum ammunition. If you handload, the .308 is a bit of a handicap -- the .30-06 is more versatile on the upper end. Factory .30-06 is held to about 48,000 CUP, while the same rifle in .300 Win Mag is loaded to 55,000 CUP. A handloader can safely take the .30-06 to 55,000 CUP in a strong modern rifle and significantly outclass the .308.
 
Hugo;

I've lived & hunted in the northern rockies all my life. I use the .30-06. Get one, practice with it until you know 'fer sure-fer sure' what it's gonna do, and never look back. Some folks will tell you something like; 'Yeah, but for long-range, ya need a nerve-stingin' super-whooper!' Nope. Not only nope, but he!! nope!

Got the antelope head mounted to prove it.

900F
 
.308 is only cheaper if you buy surplus or an off brand. If you go to the store and buy a box of ammo 30-06 is the same as .308. In my experiance '06 is MORE available at most retail locations such as small country stores in the areas you will be hunting.

If you are reloading, .30-'06 uses a little bit more powder for not much gain over the .308. Though the '06 does have a power advantage however slight. The '06 does have the ability to take 200g+ bullets.

.308 is supposed to be a little more accurate than '06 because there is not as much "airspace" in the .308. The powder can sit in different positions where as the .308 is kept in a fixed position. I think only a benchrest shooter would notice the difference...maybe.

My hunting rifle is a Win mod 70 in 30-'06. But, you really can't go wrong either way. There is PLENTY of good .308 hunting loads out there and the deer, hog, elk, whatever won't know the difference.
 
Both are good rounds (I've got both), however since you mention Elk I'd go with the '06. For deer hunting either one works fine with 150-165 gr. loads, for Elk however I'd want to use a 180 gr. load and the '06 is just a little better with the heavier bullets. The 308 is about 2200 FPE (ft. pounds of energy) at 100 yards vs. 2500 FPE for the '06. Not a huge amount, but with Elk you might as well take all you can get.
 
The .30-06 will do anything that needs doing in North America and most of Africa.

There are probably more commercial loads available for the .30-06 than any other cartridge. Anyone who sells ammo will always have .30-06 in stock.

I have only two loads that I shoot in mine. For caribou, black bear, sheep, goat, deer and other similar sized critters, I use Federal's Game Shok loaded with a 150 gr Speer Grand Slam at standard velocity.
For meese and brown bears I use the Federal Vital-Shok High Energy loaded with 180 gr Nosler Partitions.

The .30-06 will handle heavier bullets and loads are available up to 220 grains. There are also lighter loads available with bullets down to 110 grs and managed recoil/reduced recoil loads intended for younger shooters.
 
I'd get the 308 in the lightest, handiest package I could find/afford. A Kimber perhaps. I have a 30-06, now improved. The 308 will do everything the 30-06 will do for game that takes bullets of 165g or less.
 
i would go with a 30-06 there is a lot of diffrent bullet weights avalable for it and if you really need to go down to .308 levels you can buy a .308 cal insert for it.
 
As mentioned above, 30-06 could be an advantage for the re-loader. As far as good commercial ammo goes, the difference is on paper only. I always really liked 30-06. But, have since shifted my focus towards 308.


A Remington Model 700 PSS is, IMHO, the best bolt action rifle of all time. The 26" barrell gives the smaller 308 a nice kick in velocity, that would give the round more capability with larger game.
 
I own 2 .30-06's, 2 .308's. Both are excellent rounds, .30-06 is more flexible and more likely to be found on the shelf of that back country general store. .308 is fine for most lower 48 game, but is not well suited to bullets over 180 grains. With 150 or 165 grain projectiles, the difference is acedemic. Accuracy wise, there is going to be no discernable difference from a standard sporting rifle. If you never intend to hunt anything larger than mule deer, .308 is fine. But if elk and moose are on the agenda, I would definitely go '06.

Bottom line, the .30-06 is the most flexible, versatile rifle cartridge extant. Period.
 
I'm gonna be the voice of discord in this thread, I guess, and suggest that neither is really a good choice for you *if* I read the title correctly and this will be your first bolt-action rifle. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I don't think that starting out on a 30-cal boltie is a good idea.

Personally, I'd probably start with a 6.5x55 or 7x57. They'll do everything you need in a package that simply makes less flash and bang and which you'll be liable to spend more time shooting than a 30-06 or 308. And in the end, more range time = more proficiency....
 
I repeat, literally millions of men leared to shoot with the .30-06. Most recruits in WWI, WWII and Korea had literally never fired a rifle before -- and they took to the .30-06 like ducks to water.
 
I repeat, literally millions of men leared to shoot with the .30-06. Most recruits in WWI, WWII and Korea had literally never fired a rifle before -- and they took to the .30-06 like ducks to water.
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Well, c'mon, Vern - it's not like they had a CHOICE in calibers. :D And of course, "Shoot this at the other guy before he shoots his at you" tends to motivate folks pretty well, donchathink?

Give a modern early 21st century suburban-dweller-who-doesn't-need-to-do-this-unless-its-fun a choice between the two, and I guarantee (BTDT) that they'll spend far more time at the range with a 6.5x55 than with a 30-06.
 
Well, c'mon, Vern - it's not like they had a CHOICE in calibers. And of course, "Shoot this at the other guy before he shoots his at you" tends to motivate folks pretty well, donchathink?
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The Army certainly had a choice -- and the Army found no need to introduce men to shooting wth a smaller caliber.

As for motivating teenaged recruits by telling them if they don't learn they may die later -- you haven't tried training recruiits, have you?
 
As for motivating teenaged recruits by telling them if they don't learn they may die later -- you haven't tried training recruiits, have you?
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No, I was one of the recruits. And SSGT Paschoal did a bloody fine job of convincing me that paying attention could be useful.. But then again, we were shooting 5.56NATO and not 30-06 by then.

I like the 30-06. It's a superb chambering - if you can afford to have only one rifle, getting it in 30-06 would not be cause for sadness. But we'll just have to agree to disagree that it's the *best* way to introduce folk to shooting.
 
Fella's;

Opening day Montana antelope season started at sun-up today. I'm watchin' the Bronco's & Washington & sippin' a cold one.

The .30-06 did just fine this morning.

900F
 
In the price range you seem to be going at (Remington 700, Winchester 70, CZ) I have three main preferences (though I own none of them- but I hope to own at least one of all three before I check out). The CZ, the Howa (really nice) and the Winchester 70 Classic Featherlight (mmmmn, no nicer checkering on a standard mass produced rifle, and I love the Schnabel fore-end, http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=004&cat=001C ). I did own a Savage 110 which was a pretty decent gun and they run 10-30% less than a comparable Winchester or Remington.

Any of those in a suitable caliber should be great. Since you will be a hunter the lighter weight of the Featherlight might be nice.

Calibers, not much to add. Anything from .243 on up to the lighter magnums (ie. 7mm mag) will probably work for you. .308, 30-06, 6.55 Swede, 7x57, 8mm Mauser, .270, etc. would be nearly ideal (and should also be adequate should you decide to move to bear as you mention in your first post- though for bear you should probably stick with the 30-06 or the 7mm or 8mm Mauser for that). However, the Mauser calibers may be harder to come by at your local sporting goods stores.

If you are on a budget consider a Moisin-Nagant. Around $100 for a rifle in great condition (under $150 for unissued condition, $50-75 if you don't mind it a bit beat up) and 7.62x54 is more than enough caliber for just about anything you'll want to shoot.

A 30-30 lever rifle should also work, it would be cheap, the ammo is easy to find, and it is very lightweight, but it isn't a bolt (which is what you asked for) and for elk and bear it might not be quite enough caliber.

Basically, there are more choices for your intended use than for just about anything else. Choice, great word. Yet, with all the choice, 30-06 is still the standard everything else gets compared to. If it was me, I'd probably go .243 or 6.5 Swede (third choice is the .308), but you really can't go wrong with a 30-06.
 
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