(This is not the first time this topic has been brought up on the web. SnipersHide has a great article on this subject.)
For shooting enthusiasts (by this I mean people shooting for enjoyment, not survival) interested in a centerfire bolt-gun for casual target and any kind distance work there is no reason to choose 308 Win.
We see it all the time on the forums, Facebook groups, etc. Someone asks about getting into longer-ish distance shooting and inevitably tons of people with minimal experience themselves recommend a 308 - to the point where a well-supported argument for a modern 6.5 or 6mm cartridge is drowned out. This does not help the newbie.
Yesterday I walked into Academy and saw a plethora of quality, match-grade 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition from a range of manufacturers priced at or below comparable 308win loads. I've visited roughly 8 gun stores and pawn shops in my area in North Carolina and they all stocked 6.5 Creedmoor for similar prices to their 308. Back home in WA and ID, the story is exactly the same. These new cartridges seem to be here to stay and are widely available. If a store in any kind of relatively well-populated area sells match-quality 308win, they're going to have 6.5 Creedmoor right next to it.
Please don't post about surplus 308 ammo - yes it goes boom but it's not anywhere near as accurate as other choices in the $0.90+/rd price range for either caliber. Same goes for surplus projectiles, brass, etc. Theyre not the same as match-quality components and we know it. If you're serious about getting hits "way out there", surplus/NATO-spec 308/7.62 will be frustrating.
The ballistic advantage of 6.5 or 6 is obvious. Lower recoil, too. Can the 308 get the job done? Yes, of course. Ive shot hundreds and hundreds of 208gr AMAX loads from a Remington 700 build at 650 yards to just over 1400 yards (I love public land) and made hits. But the 6.5 does it better (or at least makes it easier) hands down.
6mm Creedmoor is even more promising from a performance standpoint (especially with the 110smk), but obviously the ammo availability isn't really there unless you order it online. Which, if you're reading this post, you're capable of doing. Some outfits sell Hornady 105gr 20rd boxes for $17 plus shipping. Not too shabby.
My goal with this thread is that new shooters using the search function may stumble upon it and take this point into consideration when everyone is telling them to "Start on a 308."
As a counterpoint to my elitist rant, Ive shot against and been beaten by more experienced shooters running 308win in competitions. Although humbling, it's awesome to see what a seasoned shooter can do with a rifle/load combo known inside and out.
That said, you likely do not need a new rifle to get a taste of "long range" shooting. Download one of the many free ballistics apps and do your best to input accurate data - you might be surprised. If you have a basic non-tacticool scope pick up a used SWFA 10x42 Mil/Mil and find a way to bolt it to your current rifle (my buddy did this with an old M77 in 308win, worked pretty well for casual plinking out to 800) - That'll make things a little easier yet. Hand loading your own ammo is the next step, then from there I'd say you can start thinking about a new rifle/caliber. TiborasaurusRex has a great video about this.
In closing, whatever you choose, shoot it a lot and if shooting 600, 700, 800+ yards regularly means driving a bit more, do it. Time spent driving to a better range is more productive than trolling the forums anyway.
I'm not going to necessarily agree with you on this one. You're absolutely correct that the 6.5CM, .260 Remington, 6mm offerings, etc, are ballistically superior to the .308 Win for long range shooting. But, that's not the whole story. Here's why I think the .308 Win still has a place for new long range shooters:
1) The ammunition is far more plentiful for the .308 Win, and it's an easy cartridge to load for, and to find good match ammo recipes.
2) The accurate barrel life of a .308 Win is much longer than any of the other cartridges named above. I currently shoot a .260 Rem as my match gun, and the barrel life from the .260 isn't bad, but it's still about half (or less) than that of a .308 Win.
3) A new shooter is much more likely to find a rifle chambered in .308 Win (though this is changing as the popularity of other cartridges gains traction).
4) While this last point isn't necessarily an advantage of the .308 Win, it is worth considering. By giving a new shooter a rifle that isn't the fastest and flattest shooting laser beam in the world, it makes them learn to focus more on one of the most important fundamental elements of long range shooting: wind calls.
Again, I'm not going to dispute that other cartridges can easily trump the .308 Win these days at longer ranges. That's a ballistic fact. But, the .308 Win shouldn't necessarily be discouraged simply because it isn't the "best". Hell, for that matter, cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor aren't the best, either. If that's the only benchmark upon which we're choosing a rifle, why not just go right into something like the 6.5 SAUM? Again, the tradeoffs are the same as they were in our initial comparison between the .308 and 6.5CM: 1) Ammo is less available, 2) barrel life is shorter.
The .308 Win isn't the ballistic king that some people seem to believe it is, but it's still a good cartridge, and I still shoot my .308 Win (despite having a better rifle in .260 Rem).
Anyway, I do agree that trigger time at long distances is what matters most. I'm fortunate that the range where I usually shoot gives me the ability to go to 800 yards regularly, and 1,300 yards occasionally. Every session starts with a cold bore shot at a target beyond 700 yards.
