.308 or 30'06

[spaz]

I have been thinking of getting a rifle in one of these calibers but just can't decide which one to get it in. Can you people give me some backround on these rounds and tell me why they were made and to what applications they are best used for. I know they are very close kin to each other. I will be useing it just to target practice for now. Is one of these rounds more accurate than the other or is it just a power difference. Thanks

[David Schmidbauer]

I'll let someone else relay the history of these rounds.

As for me I would choose the .308 if, for nothing else, because it is current NATO standard round. That means surplus ammo is readily available and you can get your hands on it most anywhere.

Also, if you are just planning paper punching the .308 has less recoil so you won't get beat up on extended range sessions.



------------------
Schmit, GySgt, USMC(Ret)
NRA Life, Lodge 1201-UOSSS
"Si vis Pacem Para Bellum"

[labgrade]

The .308 is one of the most inherently accurate cartridges ever developed. The 30-06 it's too far off the mark & you'd never be able to tell in any hunting situation (for all practical purposes).

The -06 will deliver more velocity for any given bullet than will the .308 which gives a bit more flatter trajectory & downrange energy but again, in practicality, not much difference.

.308's shorter length allows a smaller action which translates into lighter weight platform (not always good if bench shooting) but again, depends on the rifle in the accuracy department.

A particular 30-06 platform can be more accurate than a .308 but this depends more on the rifle than the cartridge. Too, some rifles "like" certain bullet/powder combos better than others.

A short barreled 30-06 may not deliver as much muzzle velocity as a long barreled .308

With proper bullet selection & shot placement (within reasonable ranges), either will kill anything in the world. However, for dangerous game & the really big boys, there are more suitable calibers out there.

[MAD DOG]

I bulit the LURCR in .308, but I also have several hunting rifles in 30-06.
Rich wanted a .308 LURCR, so that is how it got done.
My "Hog Hammer" is a vintage 1938 model 70 in 30-06.

The .308 has slightly better inherent accuracy as a round design than the 30-06, but it leaves the barrel about 150-200 FPS slower. They use esentially the same bullets.

The .308 allows for a slightly shorter action, which can lighten a rifle up a bit.
The 30-06 has more knockdown power available, but can be loaded down to .308 specs if so desired.

Ammo availability for both of them is easy, but currently there is more surplus .308 on the market than 30-06. This allows cheap shooting for practice.
I find both of them easy to load for, and have Dillon dies for my RL550B for both to load practice or hunting ammo.
For best accuracy match type loads, I still use the single stage press, and a Redding powder measure.

The .308 is slightly more economical, as it uses slightly less powder. There is very little difference in perceived recoil, as the .308s are generealy lighter than the 30-06s. The net result is that felt recoil is about the same in bolt guns of suitable action size shooting similar loads.

I love them both, and would be hard pressed to make a permanent choice of only one of them. If anything, I probably lean slightly in favor of the 30-06, as I have more rifles in that caliber. I favor bolt guns, and the difference in weight between a full length 30-06 action and a shorter .308 action is not large. Hence, when hunting with the 30-06 I have plenty of accuracy, a bit more power than with the .308.
If I had to run up hill and down dale a lot, I would probably go with the .308, as I am getting lazier these days, and every ounce is starting to count more and more.

[Tom D]

Well Spaz, You asked for a little backround on these two rounds. I am no historian, but I can give you a little backround information.

The 30-06 was adopted by the U.S. military in 1906 for the Model 1903 Springfield rifle. It actually started life in 1903 as a cartridge designed for the 1903 rifle. The 1903 loading used a 220 grain round nosed bullet at 2300 fps. I have seen the original round refered to as the 30-45 in referance to the 30 caliber bullet loaded with 45 grains of powder. In 1906 the loading was changed to 150 grain bullet at 2700 fps and the case neck was shortened .070". This cartridge was adopted as the "Ball Cartridge, caliber .30, Model 1906" and became known as "30-06"

Shortly after WW1, the army started development of a shorter cartridge that could be used in machine guns. A shorter round would allow less bolt travel and would therefore give faster rates of fire. This development led to the T-56 cartridge. It was adopted by the U.S. military in 1954 as the 7.62x51 NATO. Winchester actually introduced the cartridge to the civilian market in 1952 as the .308 Winchester. It is about half an inch shorter than the 30-06 and has a 20 dergee shoulder angle vs. the 17 degree shoulder angle of the 30-06. For all practical purposes, the .308 is just a shortened 30-06.

I have owned several rifles in both chamberings. My 2 cents, there really isn't much differance in performance between the two with light and meduim weight bullets. The 30-06 has more case capacity and has a definite edge when using heavier bullets. For target shooting, I give the .308 the nod hands down. My 1000 yard target rifle is chambered in .308 as are many of the rifles on the long line at matches. There are indeed better choices for a long range target rifle and this would be a subject of its own. But in brief, Palma long range matches allow only .308 chambered rifles and I really don't see enough disadvantage in 308 to have a second rifle. Many of the better shooters can clean the 1000 yard target with a .308. If you plan on getting into hunting some bigger game with this gun at a later date, you may want to give the 30-06 a little harder look.



[This message has been edited by Tom D (edited January 02, 2000).]

[Hard Ball]

I have rifles in both calibers and have fired a large number of rounds of both calibers courtesy of the US Army. My opinion is that both are excellent gartridges, two of the best rifle cartridges avaikable.
For hunting I would use the .30-06 because it is available in heavier bullets. Also. if you are a handloader. ypu can use s;ower burnong powders. That said, I would be perfextly happy hunting with a .308.
For most other purposes I would chopse the .308. One major factor being wide availability of ammunition sice it is a current service cartridge.

[dZ]

i have also heard that after WWI there was no longer the need to kill horses on a battle field...

if you want to hunt bigger game the 30-06 will drop nearly anything on the North American continent
(but so will 22lr) ;)

dZ

[spaz]

Thanks all for the replies. It sure is nice to have a place to survey decisions. I have decided on the the .308.