308 or 30-06 for target shooting?

[Lovesbeer99]

Let's try to keep this about the catridge. Given that 2 identical rifles that are both at the top of thier game, and that the ammo is top quality and we are shooting in the same prosition at the same distance and we are both master shooters.

Which do you think is a better cartridge for target shooting competition from 300 - 600 yards?

I'm thinking of converting my mauser to a custom and I'm not sure which to do. I might also consider at 260 rem, but that's another story.

 

[Smith357]

.308 wins due to the case shape being more efficiant and inherently more accurate. The 06 is more versitle with 50 more years worth of loading data, and with a bit of an edge in effective range. For pure target work the .308 is the clear choice.

 

[USSR]

300 to 600 yards, I'd take the .308; past 800 yards, the .30-06.

Don

 

[1858rem]

.308, less powder spent

 

[sarduy]

Which do you think is a better cartridge for target shooting competition from 300 - 600 yards?

they are the same at at 600 yards...

i have a 30-06 and looking for a .308 (just to have one) so i vote for a .308, but when i didn't have any i got the 30-06 first "because you can loaded up to about a 300 wm" something you can't do with a 308.

my best advice... flip a coin.

 

[jackdanson]

my best advice... flip a coin.

Basicly.

Do you reload? A few more options in .30-06. If you don't reload .308 is usually a smidge cheaper.

So I say if you reload .30-06, if not .308.

Ballisticly (sp?) they are nearly identical.

 

[sarduy]

this is simple.

Think about the 30-06 as a 4 door sedan and the 308 as a 2 door coupe, both with the same extras

30-06

.308

 

[ArmedBear]

The .308 is not equal to the .30-06, but for paper punching there's no reason to go to the bigger round, that I can think of.

For elk hunting, there is.

 

[brian923]

as in the car world, there is no replacment for displacement but seriously, both are great. the "more inherantly accurate' comment seems to go around alot, but i think thats just because so many more people shoot .308 for target practice than 30-06. but thats my opinion.

now, your third choice is a good one. you can get better bullet performance with the 6.5 mm bullets and can use it to hunt as well. even moose, if your good enough. european hunters have taken countless moose with the ol 6.5x55, and it is balistically similar to the .260.

all in all, i would choose the .260. more custom, better balistics, less recoil, good bullet selection (if you reload) one bad thing, harder to find at the stores. but this could go on all night long.
hope this helps a little, brian.

 

[M&PVolk]

No high-power rifle collection is complete without the 30.06. It is the most versatile cartridge out there and is suitable for a plethora of game. Additionally, hand loading the -30-06 gives you an incredible variety of bullet weights and uses. The .308 is awesome, but should be an addition to a collection that already contains the venerable .30-06

 

[no.5enfield]

I saw a thread here a few months ago that showed tests performed when the .308 was still a new round, comparing it to the 30-06 at 1000yds. The .308 was shooting groups half the size of the 06. This was using several types of rifles and ammunition. I believe that is where the inherent accuracy concept comes from. However, with modern rifles and ammunition, both guns will probably shoot better than you(or me at any rate) can.

 

[Slamfire]

I have shot both in highpower competition. I believe that if in the 30-06, you use a bulky powder like IMR 4350, or, as in the target below, WC852, any accuracy differences are academic.

When you put these cartridges in human hands, the human error will exceed the cartridge error.

But as much as I like the 30-06, it is a harder cartridge to shoot in rapid fire. That half inch extra of bolt throw means you have to move yourself further out of the way of the bolt. Believe or not, that shows up on the target. The less you have to break position, the most consistent will be your grouping.

I also believe that the little extra powder you put in the 30-06 adds a little recoil.

At 200 yards I used a load of 168 SMK 42.0 grains IMR 4895. This load was low recoil and accurate. I shot cleans sitting this load, and shot in the 190’s standing.

At 300 yards I used 168 SMK 55.0 IMR4350/H4350. This shot extremely well, but I ended up using 168 SMK 47.0 grs IMR 4895, because the felt recoil was less.

At 600/1000 yards I used a 200 SMK with a hefty charge of my WC852. And it kicked hard.

I believe a 30-06 NM Garand can be built as accurately as a NM M1a, but it will loose its tune faster.

 

[MCMXI]

Which do you think is a better cartridge for target shooting competition from 300 - 600 yards?

The answer may well depend on what type of competitive shooting you're talking about. For example, F-Class Target (F-T/R) rules only allow .308 Win and .223 Rem. F-Class Open Rifle (F-O) does permit the .30-06. So the .308 Win may give you more options in terms of the type of matches you can enter.

Personally, I'd choose the .308 Win but since you mentioned a caliber other than the two in question, I'd also consider the 7mm-08.

 

[diggler1833]

Equal rifles and if you handload...30-06. Since the bullet is going a little faster you have a little less wind drift and a little less drop.

That being said my hunting rifle is a 30-06 and my target rig a 308.

 

[LTR shooter]

That being said my hunting rifle is a 30-06 and my target rig a 308.

And it seems all the available rifles (at least bolt guns) in .30-06 today are ALL hunting type rifles , sporter barrels , narrow forend stocks and relatively lightweight.

Where the .308 is available in heavy barrel target/varmint/tactical rifles from virtually every manufacturer. I would much rather have this type of rifle for any kind of extended target shooting sessions.

 

[Jim Watson]

I am not a Master class Long Range shooter or a ballistician, but I shoot and read a little and I do not see many if any new .30-06 target rifles being built. You can bet that it would still be in wide use if it were superior. Shooters who want less wind drift usually go to a smaller caliber with high BC bullets; one or another 6.5mm is most common, with some 6mms and 7mms. Not many choose to get kicked around by a .300 Magnum any more, either.

 

[USSR]

I am not a Master class Long Range shooter or a ballistician, but I shoot and read a little and I do not see many if any new .30-06 target rifles being built. You can bet that it would still be in wide use if it were superior.

Yep, the .30-06 as a target rifle is a build-your-own proposition (see below). And, using the same powder and bullets as the .308, cannot compete with it. However, once you stop loading it like a long .308 and start loading it like a short .300WM with heavy bullets and slow powders, it's performance improves considerably.

Don

 

[WNTFW]

What 1858 said.
.308 gives the F Class options. I have nothing against .30-06
Have both as a matter of fact.

 

[blackops]

From what I understand most of the competition shooters use the .308, probably for a good reason as well.

 

[JImbothefiveth]

Just for target shooting it's probably the .308.

 

[Niles Coyote]

From what I understand most of the competition shooters use the .308, probably for a good reason as well.

The reason is that most rifle competitions where a 308 is used, it is required... Or 223 is the only other option.

In a comp that allows other calibers, shooters generally use something with much better ballistics in bullet diameters of .243, .264 or even .284. all of which have bullets available with 1/3 to 1/2 the wind drift and a lot less drop at the longer ranges.

 

[blackops]

In a comp that allows other calibers, shooters generally use something with much better ballistics in bullet diameters of .243, .264 or even .284. all of which have bullets available with 1/3 to 1/2 the wind drift and a lot less drop at the longer ranges.

Well you prove my point for me. They are using cartridges are the most accurate at long ranges. Still more than less are using 308 and not a 30-06. It's not like a 30-06 isn't allowed, but people rather use a 308. Probably a good reason for that. Probably a good reason why the military uses it as well, accurate and deadly. I think that fits both criteria for the thread.

 

[USSR]

It's not like a 30-06 isn't allowed, but people rather use a 308. Probably a good reason for that.

Actually, in many cases, the .30-06 isn't allowed. Since about 1987, the .30-06 has been banned from Palma Matches, despite having been used to win it the previous two years. And, the .30-06 is not legal for T/R F Class competition. It's sin: not a current USGI military round.

Don

 

[jerkface11]

But some guy wrote an article saying .308 is more accurate so it must be true.

 

[dodge]

I believe that if you have both rifles setup the same way with loads that each rifle likes you would be hard pressed to say one was more accurate that the other. I own both in a hunting rifle and they both will shoot 1" -1 1/2" all day long with their favorite loads. The one reason people say that the 308 is more accurite than the 30-06 is that it's a short action rifle thus the action is a little stiffer.