.308

[dc0120]

I would like some opinions on a .308

[neomedic]

for plinkering, home defense(CQB), or more just incase when all hell breaks lose....which is a better caliber???

.223 or .308

[turkey45]

..as far as hunting just about everything,,,
they are top of the line..a little less recoil than the famous 06,
but just as deadly..im sure some army guys should have some input..:)

[Maximus856]

Its my favorite round.

A do-it-all, with good range, lots of availability, and almost* every rifle in the world is chambered in it.

Just my opinion.

-Max.

[azredhawk44]

Either .30-06 or .308 should be in everybody's rifle safe.

Me? I chose .308, but I can see benefits to .30-06. Both are kings of rifle cartridges.

[pumpkinheaver]

It is a great deer hunting cartridge, probably my favorite all around rifle cartridge there is. Enough power for big game and fairly light recoil. Surplus ammo is available for plinking/punching paper, or you can get high tech hunting ammo.

[Art Eatman]

I started reloading and shooting an '06 at the same time. For a reloader, the '06 is better than a .308. In part it's the heavy-bullet thing.

If you don't reload, the .308 is better, overall. Inexpensive practice ammo, adequate for any game in the lower 48.

Art

[mikejonestkd]

Another positive vote for the .308!!! I love mine!!! Then again I don't go after Elk or Moose.

I have never had to shoot a deer more than once with my .308.

[Fremmer]

The .308 is very accurate. It has a lot of power. Lots of different ammo available for target shooting or for hunting. A great short action round.

Did I mention that it is very accurate?!? :cool: I love my .308, and I'll use it for deer and (hopefully) for elk.

[chemist308]

Basically the cartridge that replaced the 30-06. Cheap ammo is readily available in the form of 7.62x51 and will be for the next 50 years at least--just as the military 30-06 ammo was cheaply available, even though supplies of that are now starting to dry up after 60+ years. 308 is your best bet for a 30 cal. It's performance is around that of 30-06--it was made to match the old 30-06 military loads--and you don't have to reload if you don't want.

[Wild Bill Bucks]

Personal preference between 06 and 08, but for my money the .308 is my best choice. I reload, and bullets are available from 57 grains for varmints up to 250 grain waffle stompers, for big game. I personaly wouldn't load down lower than 110 grain or higher than 180 grain, but the ammo is out there if it is needed. The caliber has pretty much proven to be as accurate as they get, and good for about any situation from hunting to home protection.

[john in jax]

As mentioned above a .308 will, just about, do it all. Personally I like the 150grn balistic tips, but because of the numbers of hog we saw last year (some of them got to be close to 300#) I've switched to 180grn nosler partitions.

The 180grn nosler partition is overkill for our little FL whitetails, but I am NOT going to be reloading the rifle if a 300# porker walks out in front of me.

[Unclenick]

The .308 is best for cheap ammo now, though only some of that ammo is really satisfactory (http://www.cruffler.com/trivia-June01.html) (ignore the misleading title of this article and read on). In a national emergency it is likely to last long enough to be one of the more widely available rounds when other supplies dwindle. This and its NATO compatibility were among reasons the late Col. Cooper selected it as the round for the scout rifle concept. Cooper thought a shorter bolt stroke was desirable for the scout concept, which is one reason he chose the .308 over the .30-06. He did not reload, so factory ammo was also a criterion.

The .308 keeps up with the .30-06 because the .30-06 is factory loaded to around 10% lower peak pressures. In a modern rifle capable of handling .308 pressures, a handloader can load the .30-06 up to .308 pressures and thereby gain power advantage over the shorter round. This is true partly because the oversize case, sized for 220 grain bullets in the longer necked 1903 original form, has capacity more suitable for slower powder. Loaded to 55,000 PSI, launching the 175 grain SMK, QuickLOAD gives IMR 4895 the nod for producing the highest 24" barrel velocity in the .308 without going to a compressed load. This results in 2681 fps MV, and 2778 ft-lbs ME. Running the same bullet loaded to 55,000 PSI in the .30-06 in a 24" barrel, QuickLOAD turns up Ramshot Hunter as giving the best velocity among uncompressed loads, at 2824 fps MV, and 3080 ft-lb of ME. The extra 143 fps will help in long-range shooting (1000 yards and beyond).

The .308 projectile and load selections are vast. That alone is good reason to choose something in this bore diameter. You want to tailor the choice to your purposes.

Nick

[Desert Heat]

.308 is king!!!

[44 AMP]

Intended to replace the .30-06 in military service, and very nearly as potent a sporting round as well. The .30-06 has a slight edge when loaded with the heaviest bullets, but nothing that walks can tell the difference when it is hit by either one.

One advantage of the .308 is it is readily available in a variety of all action types. Single shot, bolt, pump, lever, and semi auto. With more models generally available than the .30-06.

The reloader will get nearly 1/3 more rounds out of a pound of powder.

I have half a dozen .308s, but do not curently own an '06. No need, for me.
I have had .30-06s and I do like the round, I just never botherd to replace the last one that got traded, as the .308 deos everything I could want to use the .30-06 for.

The .308 is a truly fine round, and outstanding blend of nearly everything.

[Webleymkv]

Cheap ammo is readily available in the form of 7.62x51 and will be for the next 50 years at least--just as the military 30-06 ammo was cheaply available, even though supplies of that are now starting to dry up after 60+ years.

Have you really compared the price of .308 and -06 lately? -06 is still slightly more expensive, but when the Greek, Korean, and Lake city -06 and the lack of .308 surplus (and rising cost of what's left) is taken into account, they're definately in the same ballpark.