Gonna start a war, but this is a serious question

[redbullitt]

Both are good. Case closed lol.

BUT it may be good to know the short and long action if you will be rebarreling in the future or have a savage that is easy to switch barrels on.

 

[Kachok]

The 06 holds a very slight edge in every bullet weight between 125-180gr. The 308 enjoyes a noticabley more efficient design, running neck and neck with the 06 burning 10-12gr less powder, less muzzle blast and less recoil as a result. My rule is if you want to use 200+gr bullets the 06 is the clear winner, 168gr and less the 308 makes more sence, and if you you like 180gr flip a coin

 

[1911Tuner]

If you handload both cartridges to their potential without overloading, the '06 will best the .308 by about 10-12% with 150 and 165 grain bullets, and roughly 15% with 180s. Move up to 200 grains and the .30-06 really starts to shine.

Bit what does that mean, really? A little more punch and a little more penetration...and a little more range. On the receiving end, the animal will drop to either one if well-placed out to any practical distance. The .30-06 will just do it a bit farther out. On a practical level...with the average sporter, tuned for accuracy fed a load that it likes...you can figure on about another 50-75 yards...mainly because of the flatter trajectory.

There are those who like to take their shots at a great distance, and there are those who won't take those long shots for fear of crippling the animal. I'm in the second camp. I've self-imposed 300 yards, and the conditions really have to be good even for that. 200 yards is a limit more to my liking, and either cartridge will bring home the venison at that distance.

 

[kayak-man]

I haven't tested this, yet, but I believe you can go into just about any mom and pop hardware store in the U.S., and find a couple boxes of .30-06. I don't think you can say the same for .308.

However, just try to find a .30-06 battle rifle with a detachable mag! Like most things, your caliber choice depends on what you're doing with the rifle....

I believe Saiga still makes an AK variant in .30-06. I'm not sure if there are a lot of extended magazines for it, or how good of a gun it is, but its out there

My understanding is that .30-06 can do anything a .308 can do, and it can do it at a longer distance.

Really, the only advantage I can see with a .308 is that you can use a shorter action on a bolt gun, which would be beneficial with something like the Scout Rifle concept.

I'm no rifle expert though, so if I'm incorrect about anything, please, let me know.

Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson

 

[Stevie-Ray]

The 06 holds a very slight edge in every bullet weight between 125-180gr. The 308 enjoyes a noticabley more efficient design, running neck and neck with the 06 burning 10-12gr less powder, less muzzle blast and less recoil as a result. My rule is if you want to use 200+gr bullets the 06 is the clear winner, 168gr and less the 308 makes more sence, and if you you like 180gr flip a coin

Very sensible.

 

[Craigman]

reminds me of the old car engine saying. "There's no replacment for displacment"

 

[Kachok]

reminds me of the old car engine saying. "There's no replacment for displacment"

Sure there is, it is calld BOOST! ever seen those little 1.5L turbocharged racing engines pushing 1,500+hp. For the 70-80fps difference between the 06 and 308 (150-165gr) at max load I would go 308 in an instant due to the dramatic reduction in powder burnt. If I were hunting brown bear with a 30 cal I would want 220-240gr bullets which is 06 territory only.

 

[rcmodel]

Is there anything the 30-06 can do that the .308 can't do,

Sure.
Like work in unaltered Mil-Sup 1903 Springfield's, 1917 Enfields, and M1 Garands.

Or, enable me to use the approximately 1,000 empty GI cases I have stored.

Or the reloading dies I bought in 1963.

Or get 100-200 FPS more velocity then a .308 with any bullet weight at the same or less pressure.

Or use 220 or 250 grain bullets.

rc

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Well it certainly can't be shot through an ar10 or m14.

I know. That's what's so cool about it.

Kidding. M-14s are way cool.

 

[AKElroy]

I'm in the second camp. I've self-imposed 300 yards, and the conditions really have to be good even for that. 200 yards is a limit more to my liking, and either cartridge will bring home the venison at that distance.

I do not own a .30-06, but I do have a .308, .270 and 7mm RM. I cannot tell a difference in trajectory, kill percentages, or damage between the three on Texas Whitetail out to the distances listed above. Deer drop with a direct hold out to these distances, the wounding when butchering the animals looks identical, and all three drop game like a hammer. DRT is DRT. Unless you have a need to move on to larger game at greater distance, take your pick.

 

[AKElroy]

If one likes to shoot a lot, the .308 is certainly more friendly at the bench in both blast and perceived recoil. As for ammo availability, the 06' is easier to find, but if having a large cashe of surplus is important, the .308 gets the nod.

There are also legions of target paper cutters that would give the .308 a marginal nod in accuracy potential, but I hesitate to post that notion without worrying about a whole new hornets nest being kicked.

 

[Kachok]

The 06 does beat the 308s ballistics by a VERY small margin with common hunting bullet weights, but as I have stated before, if I wanted better ballistics then the 308 I would go 300 WSM that can drive all bullet weights slightly faster then the 06 with similar powder charges, and up to 250fps faster with full power loads.

 

[thomis]

I like how Bart Bobbitt put it in this brief article.

An excerpt from the article:

"In the '50s , when the .30-06 was the only cartridge allowed in highpower
competition for most matches, the best of 'em would shoot 5- to 6-inch
groups at 600 yards. The target used at 600 yards had a 12-inch V-ring
inside the 20-inch 5-ring. Shooting possible scores at 600 yards was
an every day thing. Then along came the .308 Win. and folks immediately
found out that in equal quality rifles, that new cartridge would shoot
groups half the size as the venerable '06."

Basically it boils down to a bit more accuracy with the .308. The lesser power being a pretty moot point.

 

[d2wing]

Thanks for that info Thomis. I wonder if more modern development would make the 30-06 competitive?

 

[twofifty]

Quote: "Then along came the .308 Win. and folks immediately
found out that in equal quality rifles, that new cartridge would shoot
groups half the size as the venerable '06".

Why would this be?

 

[Kachok]

Why would this be?[/QUOTE]
Shorter powder charge makes for slightly less fps spread, and shorter actions are by their nature slightly more ridgid.

 

[Pete D.]

the rebated rim of the .308

Rebated rim?
What rebated rim? The rim diameter of both the .30-06 and the .308 Win. is 0.473". They use the same shellholder. The 06 is the parent case. If the .308 were rebated, the rim would be smaller in diameter.
About the improvement in accuracy....can't disagree about the more efficient case but, that being said, I suspect that, the firearms used had as much or more to do with the shrinking groups.
Pete

 

[jmstevens2]

You re right, its all in how far you shoot . All can kill within their killing distances.

Or what you shoot since the M1 Garand needs to be loaded down unless you like bending op rods.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

"In the '50s , when the .30-06 was the only cartridge allowed in highpower
competition for most matches, the best of 'em would shoot 5- to 6-inch
groups at 600 yards. The target used at 600 yards had a 12-inch V-ring
inside the 20-inch 5-ring. Shooting possible scores at 600 yards was
an every day thing. Then along came the .308 Win. and folks immediately
found out that in equal quality rifles, that new cartridge would shoot
groups half the size as the venerable '06."

The key there is the "in the 50s" comment. Todays rifles make that argument void I think. I'm shooting one hole groups with a cheapo $400 rifle in .30-06, and I'm not that great of a shot. Now, granted, I've never tried it at 600.

 

[armoredman]

rcmodel, you bought your dies before my parents bought my first diapers.

OK, since that seemed to start a buzz, and thank you all, let me narrow it down a bit - can the .308 be loaded to take North American game? I'm looking into starting to reload this caliber, possibly, but I want the hunting option, as well as my usual target shooting, and remember somebody stating, (always somebody else's fault!), that the 308 could do everything the 30-06 could hunting North American game. I already know that both rounds are quite effective on two legged predators.
Thanks for the replies.

 

[FlyinBryan]

Or what you shoot since the M1 Garand needs to be loaded down unless you like bending op rods.

this is a myth.

it has nothing to do with velocity, charge weight, or chamber pressure.

 

[25cschaefer]

However, just try to find a .30-06 battle rifle with a detachable mag!

BAR?

 

[FlyinBryan]

thats a light machinegun

 

[BrocLuno]

If you handload both cartridges to their potential without overloading, the '06 will best the .308 by about 10-12% with 150 and 165 grain bullets, and roughly 15% with 180s. Move up to 200 grains and the .30-06 really starts to shine.

Bit what does that mean, really? A little more punch and a little more penetration...and a little more range. On the receiving end, the animal will drop to either one if well-placed out to any practical distance. The .30-06 will just do it a bit farther out. On a practical level...with the average sporter, tuned for accuracy fed a load that it likes...you can figure on about another 50-75 yards...mainly because of the flatter trajectory.

There are those who like to take their shots at a great distance, and there are those who won't take those long shots for fear of crippling the animal. I'm in the second camp. I've self-imposed 300 yards, and the conditions really have to be good even for that. 200 yards is a limit more to my liking, and either cartridge will bring home the venison at that distance.

Exactly what he said including the self imposed shooting distance limits

 

[MechanicKid]

A lot of people bring up the same aspect of the 30-06 cartridge vs .308 cartridge, more case means more powder, period. Has anyone loaded the .308 and 30-06 with same bullet weights, same powder with the same charge and checked the velocities? Now one could ascertain that the larger case in the 30-06 would allow for slightly more area for gasses to expand, the powder to lay lower and flatter causing a slight drop in velocity vs the 308? Not an expert at powder chemistry and physical state conversion speeds but I know these would be critical factors. An interesting experiment to carry out. So, anyone with both 308 and 30-06 bolt guns with similar barrel lengths and similar twists and are into reloading would care to experiment, perhaps there could be a bit more depth to this argument. Science anyone?