The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - 30-06 vs .308 for mid to long range?

DAVID NANCARROW · January 29, 2014, 02:47 PM

Picking between the 308 and the 06 used to be pretty simple. The traditional 06 twist was 1:10, necessary to stabilize the old 220 grain bullet from the parent 30-03 cartridge.

The 308 was supposed to be sort of a "product improved" 30-06 in that with the newer powders of the 1950s, you could get about the same velocity with the same 150 grain bullet, albeit with slightly higher pressure. A 1:12 twist is all that was needed to stabilize the 150 grain bullet, and works okay up to 180 grain-some to 190 grain bullets. For most factory produced rifles, the 06 continued with the 1:10 twist while the 308 used 1:12.

I see now that some makers are going to the 1:10 twist on the 308 but I don't know for sure why. The 190 grain and heavier bullets are going to crowd the powder space quite a bit, and with modern expanding bullets, I really don't see a performance advantage in going above 180 grains in my 308.

The other advantage to a short action rifle concerning accuracy is that the action is a bit stiffer, but I think that unless you are building a custom rifle, that advantage is probably more theoretical than actual.

I don't notice standard actions to be any smoother than my short action, but I have to admit that I have shot short action rifles for so long that when I do operate a standard length, it feels like I have to pull the bolt back a longgg way to cycle it, even though the actual difference is not really that much.

January 29, 2014, 02:47 PM	#50
DAVID NANCARROW Senior Member Join Date: November 5, 2000 Location: Wyoming Posts: 1,761	Picking between the 308 and the 06 used to be pretty simple. The traditional 06 twist was 1:10, necessary to stabilize the old 220 grain bullet from the parent 30-03 cartridge. The 308 was supposed to be sort of a "product improved" 30-06 in that with the newer powders of the 1950s, you could get about the same velocity with the same 150 grain bullet, albeit with slightly higher pressure. A 1:12 twist is all that was needed to stabilize the 150 grain bullet, and works okay up to 180 grain-some to 190 grain bullets. For most factory produced rifles, the 06 continued with the 1:10 twist while the 308 used 1:12. I see now that some makers are going to the 1:10 twist on the 308 but I don't know for sure why. The 190 grain and heavier bullets are going to crowd the powder space quite a bit, and with modern expanding bullets, I really don't see a performance advantage in going above 180 grains in my 308. The other advantage to a short action rifle concerning accuracy is that the action is a bit stiffer, but I think that unless you are building a custom rifle, that advantage is probably more theoretical than actual. I don't notice standard actions to be any smoother than my short action, but I have to admit that I have shot short action rifles for so long that when I do operate a standard length, it feels like I have to pull the bolt back a longgg way to cycle it, even though the actual difference is not really that much.