Is the .308 still king of the short action calibers

[Redneck with a 40]

If not, what has surpassed it, in you're opinion. I just bought my first high-power center fire rifle, Remington 700 SPS Tactical, I've really fallen in love with the .308, awesome for target work.

 

[longdayjake]

If you are talking for accuracy there are bullets that surpass it but its still a great round. Most any 6.5 short action will beat the .308's BC. However the energy of the .308 is better up to like 1000 yards.

 

[jbech123]

308 is great, and not just for target work. Load it with 110gr bullets going 3100+fps for vermin, many great deer loads of course, and 180 gr grand slams or whatever for elk and moose. There are certainly rounds that perform better on paper and with a bit less recoil for target work. If you are just getting into the game, you are much more the limiting factor than the 308.

 

[kludge]

7mm-08 is better IMHO.

For under 250yds-300yds, flip a coin.

 

[Slamfire]

Out to 600 yards it is hard to beat the 308.

This is one of the easiest cartridges to reload for. You have to be doing something really wrong not to produce safe, accurate ammo in 308.

Not my target, but shot by a real good shooter with a 308. (Notice he shot a 498 out of 500 that day!) This was in a 100 yard reduced NMC course, 20 shots prone, fired in under 20 minutes, with iron sights.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Yes, the .308 will always be king.

 

[taliv]

the 5-shot .385" (iirc) record benchrest group at 600 yrds was also shot last year with a 308win

 

[Walkalong]

I have recommended the .308 for years, but folks always have some new super duper caliber they like.

Are there other great calibers? Yep, but like SlamFire1 posted, the .308 is still hard to beat for a lot of reasons. That new record Taliv posted about is just one more good one.

 

[Will Fennell]

.260

The best thing about the .308 is that it led to the .260rem

 

[BornAgainBullseye]

I have a .308, and while I love it, and it shoots well. The .260 remington far surpasses the .308 in longe range performance. It will buck the wind better and shoot flatter. In the 1000 yard matches this is a huge advantage over the .308 and .300 mag. It also kicks less and uses less powder. I am not .308 bashing by any means. as a matter of fact the .308 holds a special place in my heart. But there are better out there depending on what you intend to do with it.

 

[9mmepiphany]

the .308 was first suppassed by the 7mm-08, which was than superceeded by the .260 (6.5mm).

if you'd really like to reachout and hit something, there's always the .284(7mm) or the 6.5mm-284 Norma

 

[Zak Smith]

.308 is good. There are better short-action calibers for various applications.


article | Practical Long-Range Rifle Shooting, Part I - Rifle & Equipment




article | The Case for .260 Remington: A Better Cartridge For Practical Long-Range Shooting

Tactical shooters can be a dogmatic bunch, with some good reason. They have trained on a specific weapons system, shooting one kind of ammunition with one set of data, and they are comfortable with it. This can make arguing for a new bullet or cartridge a hard sell when the answer isn't 175-grain M118LR, the long-range accuracy loading of 7.62x51 NATO for sniper rifles.

 

[gga357]

Yes.

 

[bpl]

7mm-08 and .260 are better.

 

[cliffy]

.308 is fanstastic, but it can be crushed down to the .243 super-velocity

Velocity versus Fat bullet fare, I opted for VELOCITY. Instead of attempting to aspire to a 165 grain, 3100 fps .308wise, I opted for a .243 caliber 100 grain Speer Grand Slam bullet. Power is power regarding down-range performance, dependent upon the given prey encountered. Exacting aim makes all the difference regarding accuracy versus bullet diameter. A .243 diameter Swift Scirocco II bullet commensates for many human-related ills involving inaccuracy versus a .308 super-slug. cliffy

 

[jbech123]

The best thing about the .308 is that it led to the .260rem

It does have a ballistic advantage for target shooting. For hunting something like elk, I'd still take a 308.

 

[jbech123]

Velocity versus Fat bullet fare, I opted for VELOCITY. Instead of attempting to aspire to a 165 grain, 3100 fps .308wise, I opted for a .243 caliber 100 grain Speer Grand Slam bullet. Power is power regarding down-range performance, dependent upon the given prey encountered.

huh?

Exacting aim makes all the difference regarding accuracy versus bullet diameter.

True, bullet placement is paramount.

A .243 diameter Swift Scirocco II bullet commensates for many human-related ills involving inaccuracy versus a .308 super-slug.

I assume you mean "compensates", and you are wrong, the difference in recoil between a 243 and 308 does not cause inaccuracy.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

If by "king", you mean tired, old, boring, passe, & vastly overrated, then YES!

.260 Rem, baby!

I'm just kidding, of course (mostly).

Having said that, excellent caliber, and I still have one gun chambered in it.