308 or 30-06?
- Thread starter viking499
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TCB in TN
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Not really, for deer hunting. The .308 has very slightly less recoil, a slightly shorter bolt throw, and the the 30-06 has a slightly better variety of common loads. Neither is a big deal for deer hunting. I would just get whichever I could find the best deal on!
Bill2e
Member
A deer wont't really care if he is killed by a .30-06 or a .308. Get the one you want.
The .308 is popular now, but the 06 is a classic cartridge that every one should own.
Now the only reason I see to get the 308 over the 06 would be if I wanted an AR-10 also & wanted common ammo.
The .308 is popular now, but the 06 is a classic cartridge that every one should own.
Now the only reason I see to get the 308 over the 06 would be if I wanted an AR-10 also & wanted common ammo.
Get Both
...I got one of each. Bought the .308 first. It'll do pretty much anything a 30.06 will do with a 150g bullet. The 30.06 is better for bullets upwards of 180g
I bought the 30.06 for precisely the reason mentioned above. It's a classic that everyone should own. Plus I had a bunch of 30.06 brass lying around and I reload....
...plus, I like .30 caliber bolt action rifles
...I got one of each. Bought the .308 first. It'll do pretty much anything a 30.06 will do with a 150g bullet. The 30.06 is better for bullets upwards of 180g
I bought the 30.06 for precisely the reason mentioned above. It's a classic that everyone should own. Plus I had a bunch of 30.06 brass lying around and I reload....
...plus, I like .30 caliber bolt action rifles
R.W.Dale
Member
ammo selection and price is slightly in the 06'es favor
But honestly it's so close I would shop more with the individual rifle in mind. Just buy the gun you like best and don't sweat the caliber
But honestly it's so close I would shop more with the individual rifle in mind. Just buy the gun you like best and don't sweat the caliber
Not enough difference between the two to really matter. With lighter bullets, (150gr. and less), they have nearly identical ballistics. With heavier bullets, (180gr or more), the 06 has a slight advantage. The .308 can use a short action and can get by with a slightly shorter barrel. The 06 kicks a little more. The thing to notice here though are the words "slight" and "little", because for a hunting rifle that's all the difference you're talking about.
Personally, I prefer the .308, but if a similar rifle in 30-06 were $50 cheaper I'd probably get it instead.
Personally, I prefer the .308, but if a similar rifle in 30-06 were $50 cheaper I'd probably get it instead.
Ridgerunner665
Member
The 308 can be had in a smaller package (shorter barrel) that will still give 100% of its advertised performance.
You can whack the barrel off on a 30-06 too...but then its weaker than the 308. The 30-06 needs a long barrel to burn all that slow burning powder.
The 308 can do its job with a 20 inch barrel....it uses medium burn rate powders.
There is VERY, VERY little difference between them...and there is no deer that is going to know which one you shot him with as long as you make a good hit.
You can whack the barrel off on a 30-06 too...but then its weaker than the 308. The 30-06 needs a long barrel to burn all that slow burning powder.
The 308 can do its job with a 20 inch barrel....it uses medium burn rate powders.
There is VERY, VERY little difference between them...and there is no deer that is going to know which one you shot him with as long as you make a good hit.
R.W.Dale
Member
GUYS please buy a $100 chronograph so you can stop repeating these tired old gun rag myths from the 70's
With the same bullet weights 308 and 30-06 pretty much use the SAME powders with their top preforming loads.
A 30/06 load that's faster than a 308 load in a 24" bbl will still be faster in a 20"tube. Just like a 300wm in a 20"bbl will be faster than both
and lastly all the powder that is going to burn in a rifle cartridge will have done so in the first few inches of bbl if the opposite were true rifle caliber handguns wouldn't work at all. As evidenced by the fact that the fastest loads for a 24" rifle are still the fastest loads for a 14" encore handgun utilizing the same powders
XD-40 Shooter
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Since the .308 has about 20% less recoil and you only lose about 5% in velocity, compared to the 30-06, I'd go with the .308.
R.W.Dale
Member
LOL what the heck ever! Have you shot both in a similar rifle? You literally cannot tell the difference. Same bullet same velocity 20% recoil......since when did Winchester suspend newtons 3 law of motion
Where do you 308 guy's get this stuff?
R.W.Dale
Member
double
R.W.Dale
Member
triple
dmazur
Member
It's a toss-up, as others have posted.
As the .30-06 is the most common caliber for the Garand, it's a short step to getting one of those...so save your brass! (
)
As the .30-06 is the most common caliber for the Garand, it's a short step to getting one of those...so save your brass! (
)TCB in TN
Member
With the same loads outta the same platform?
I have never heard that? You sure about that?
Last time I checked a 150gr going 2600fps outta a 8lb rifle kicked the same no matter what "cal" it came out of. Maybe I missed something in physics class somewhere along the line, but some how I don't think so.
TCB in TN
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Technical Difficulties
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TCB in TN
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Technical Difficulties
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TCB in TN
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Technical Difficulties
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lonegunman
Member
Either will work for deer sized game.
30-06 will work with everything from 110gr to 220gr bullets making it suitable for anything from coyotes to moose.
.308 is incredibly accurate and it hard to beat with 155-175gr bullets.
There are some things you might want to consider besides deer sized game.
Ease of finding and cost of buying ammo. Types and weights of available bullets from commerical makers. Weither or not you plan on reloading and the cost of componets.
The difference is probably slight but it might help.
30-06 will work with everything from 110gr to 220gr bullets making it suitable for anything from coyotes to moose.
.308 is incredibly accurate and it hard to beat with 155-175gr bullets.
There are some things you might want to consider besides deer sized game.
Ease of finding and cost of buying ammo. Types and weights of available bullets from commerical makers. Weither or not you plan on reloading and the cost of componets.
The difference is probably slight but it might help.
TCB in TN
Member
Technical Difficulties
Last edited:
R.W.Dale
Member
quadruple
what the heck happened?
what the heck happened?
Sunray
Member
"...suitable for anything from coyotes to moose..." So is the .308, .270, .280, etc, etc.
Ballistically, the .30-06 and .308 are identical. Using the same Remington factory 165 grain Premier AccuTip bullet, there's 78fps difference and 105 ft-lbs of energy at 500 yards, in favour of the .30-06, and the case length. The '06 can use a 20 grain heavier max bullet weight(220 vs 200), but that really means nothing. Both give the best accuracy using 165 grain hunting bullets and/or 168 or 175 grain match bullets.
"...the .308 has about 20% less recoil..." That's nonsense.
The .308 lets you use a shorter action. If that matters to you.
Ballistically, the .30-06 and .308 are identical. Using the same Remington factory 165 grain Premier AccuTip bullet, there's 78fps difference and 105 ft-lbs of energy at 500 yards, in favour of the .30-06, and the case length. The '06 can use a 20 grain heavier max bullet weight(220 vs 200), but that really means nothing. Both give the best accuracy using 165 grain hunting bullets and/or 168 or 175 grain match bullets.
"...the .308 has about 20% less recoil..." That's nonsense.
The .308 lets you use a shorter action. If that matters to you.
Snapping Twig
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Both overlap and the differences are as follows:
.308 = short throw bolt
.30-06 = long throw bolt
No big whoop.
The case is larger on the .30-06, so realize that for any given bullet weight, the .30-06 is POTENTIALLY faster. This means that while in factory loadings a 150g round may be the same in fps, as a reloader you can kick up the velocity in the .30-06 more than you can with the .308.
You pretty much run out of steam on the heavier bullets with the .308, so if you want to shoot elk with 200g bullets, the .30-06 is your caliber, its got a bigger engine.
Either way, they prety much do the same thing in the same way, save for heavier bullets where the .30-06 shines.
.308 = short throw bolt
.30-06 = long throw bolt
No big whoop.
The case is larger on the .30-06, so realize that for any given bullet weight, the .30-06 is POTENTIALLY faster. This means that while in factory loadings a 150g round may be the same in fps, as a reloader you can kick up the velocity in the .30-06 more than you can with the .308.
You pretty much run out of steam on the heavier bullets with the .308, so if you want to shoot elk with 200g bullets, the .30-06 is your caliber, its got a bigger engine.
Either way, they prety much do the same thing in the same way, save for heavier bullets where the .30-06 shines.
sarduy
Member
lets say a .308 is a V-6 Mustang
and a 30-06 is a V-8 Mustang...
both will go at 100mph just fine...but the V-8 will have more horsepower...
and a 30-06 is a V-8 Mustang...
both will go at 100mph just fine...but the V-8 will have more horsepower...
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