.308 or .30-06?

[elkman06]

yep, but that little more power is equaled with the HE Loads. And a.308 has less recoil...

Sorry but the above arguement doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If you equalled the power of the 06, then one would assume that you equaled the recoil in identical rifles. Short vs long action would have no bearing.
Also, if you are touting equalling the power of the 06 with a HE load, would you not then surpass same with a HE 06 round?

I kinda think you need to compare apples to apples. In this case, the 06 supasses the .308 in performance and is probably the easiest to find ammo around, just behind .22. Well, normally.
elkman06

 

[armedandsafe]

I tink the argument for less recoil in the.308 vs.the 30-06 is due to the prevalence of semiautomatics in .308. Some of the recoil energy is delivered to the action and delayed to the shooter. In any case, I just ignore that part of the argument because I never did like teaching physics.

The true advantage of the 30-06 is in the use of heavier bullets. Up to about 168 grains, the two are so close as to be considered the same. One can, in some 30-06 rifles, use varmit loads in the 120 gr range with success, which is more rare in the .308. I've shot everyting from rock chucks to white bear with the 06 and been very happy with it. If I had owned a .308 for the past 60 years instead of the 30-06, I'd have been very happy with that, also.

Pops

 

[OttoJara]

35 Rem.

 

[Buzzcook]

Get a coin and flip it.

 

[W. C. Quantrill]

Get yourself a .30-06, and your wife a .308, then you have all bases covered. I have both, and when it comes to larger quarry, or longer shots, I pick up the 06. For deer or humans at 200 it wont make any difference, as neither of them takes extreme energy for fatality anyway. Either one will be common cartridges across the US and Canada. Right now, you will find it difficult to get any ammo so it wont make any difference.

Across the hunting spectrum, the .30-06 gives you the widest range of bullet selection of all cartridges. It will handle anything from the 80 gr accelerator round up to 240 gr, and do it well. You can do prairie dogs at 500, or you can do the big bears up close and personal with the heavy loads. It is the most universal cartridge ever made. The .308 is a close second. For some reason, when you want to make small groups in someones skull at 1000 yards, the .308 got chosen. I think it is because of the lesser recoil and more controllabilty.

 

[Para Bellum]

got me wrong here

yep, but that little more power is equaled with the HE Loads. And a.308 has less recoil...

...you've misunderstood me. It is obvious to me that a .308 with HE loads will have almost the same recoil (shorter case though) as the .30-06. But I meant, that if the HE isn't needed, you will have the advantage of normal .308 loads which is less recoil, agreed?

 

[James R. Burke]

I have had a few .308, and a few .30-06. They are really both nice calibers wheater you buy or reload. If I had to just pick one it would be the .30-06. That is just me. Nothing wrong with the .308.

 

[OLNfan]

308 ammo is cheaper!! (in my neck of the woods)

 

[Art Eatman]

The majority of hunting rifles, these days, seem to be made with barrels around 22 inches. If you don't do the reloading game, the .308 is pretty much the equal of the '06. The '06 needs 24" to 26" and handloads to really shine and way outdo the .308. But, 300 ft/sec ain't to be sneezed at.

I've used the Federal Premium High Energy cartridges in both the .308 and the '06. I got reports from a guy in Australia that his 26" Model 70 in '06 with that ammo chronographed what the Federal folks said: A 165-grain bullet in the '06 at 3,150. I'm guessing that the claimed data for their .308 ammo would be equally righteous, but I'm too lazy to try to find the one box of that ammo that I have stashed somewhere in the nether regions.

I've read reports that the Hornady claims are a tad optimistic, but no first hand info.

 

[kiwi56]

308 or 30-06

I must admit that I do have a soft spot for the 30-06 having never owned a 308. I think you have to weigh up advantages vs disadvantages of each
308
able to be fired in a shorter action so lighter rifle and lighter ammo
a very accurate cartridge generally having a slight advantage over the 30-06 but there are always exceptions,
for reloading smaller powder charge meaning more shots per pound of powder

30-06
Bullet is going to be between 200-300 ft per second quicker off the mark meaning flatter trajectory and slightly more energy hitting the target
Ability to cope better with bullets larger than 200 grain

As I said I am naturally biased towards the 30-06 as it has always done everything I have wanted it to. However there are other people who feel exactly the same way about the 308.
Another cartridge that you may find interesting is the 270 Winchester

 

[Fat White Boy]

.308 or .30-06? Yes. Definitely.

 

[globemaster3]

When someone asks about a specific caliber/recoil level, I choose to remain in the EXACTLY/U] the same range.

The OP asked about .308 or 30-06. So exactly where did your .338 Federal enter the picture? Oh yeah, you went outside the same range and inserted your own...

Unless you handload with Reloder 17.

You're right Phil. Since he didn't mention reloading, I was assuming factory offerings.

 

[skydiver3346]

I would take the .308

Because I am older now and don't like the recoil of my 180 grain .30-06 bullets. I still have a Pre-64 Model 70 in .30-06 and love it because it is a classic caliber and this gun shoots great. But over the years, have switched to my trusty .308 because it is so darn accurate and less recoil. It still hits hard like my .06 but everything else is better.

 

[Regolith]

But I meant, that if the HE isn't needed, you will have the advantage of normal .308 loads which is less recoil, agreed?

If you hand load, you can load a .30-06 down to .308 levels quit easily. On the other hand, you can't hand load a .308 up above the levels you can get a .30-06, because the case simply isn't big enough.

Come to think of it, you don't really need to be able to hand load to get those benefits. Many companies are offering .30-06 reduced recoil loads that are downloaded to .308 levels, and several companies offer light magnum loadings for the .30-06 as well.

To put it simply, the .30-06 is a more versatile cartridge.

That being said, I wouldn't feel under gunned hunting with a .308. My father took moose in Alaska with a .308 without any issues.

Also forgot to add:

a very accurate cartridge generally having a slight advantage over the 30-06 but there are always exceptions,

This is false. The .308 cartridge is not inherently more accurate than the .30-06. It may in fact be the other way around, because the '06 can better handle larger, heavier bullets which have a better ballistic coefficient.

From what I understand, this myth arose in the '50s and 60s when the .308 became extremely popular. As a result, all of the new rifle designs that incorporated better accuracy were made for the .308 much more often than the '06. Because of this, some believe that the '06, the previous ruler of the long range roost, was not as accurate. In fact, if you have two identical rifles with identical construction, but one is chambered in the '06 and one is chambered in the .308, the accuracy difference wont be enough to calculate. The '06 will probably be able to shoot flatter, however, because it has a bit of a power advantage.

 

[sc928porsche]

I have both...reload for both. Cant seem to get the 308 to equal the 06. Unless of course I change something around like bullet wt or powder or such. The 06 just outperforms the 308. Period. Only downside is recoil and to tell the truth, it isnt that much either.

 

[shooter007]

Neither......a 270. Perfect for deer and boar. Ballistic coefficients for the .277 Sierra 135 gr are better than both the .308 Win and the 30-06 with any bullet. High veloicity, high knockdown power, accurate, and range.

 

[Para Bellum]

Speaking of Ballistic coefficients:

The majority of hunting rifles, these days, seem to be made with barrels around 22 inches. If you don't do the reloading game, the .308 is pretty much the equal of the '06. The '06 needs 24" to 26" and handloads to really shine and way outdo the .308. But, 300 ft/sec ain't to be sneezed at.

I've used the Federal Premium High Energy cartridges in both the .308 and the '06. I got reports from a guy in Australia that his 26" Model 70 in '06 with that ammo chronographed what the Federal folks said: A 165-grain bullet in the '06 at 3,150. I'm guessing that the claimed data for their .308 ammo would be equally righteous, but I'm too lazy to try to find the one box of that ammo that I have stashed somewhere in the nether regions.

I've read reports that the Hornady claims are a tad optimistic, but no first hand info.

Thanks a lot for that info!

Neither......a 270. Perfect for deer and boar. Ballistic coefficients for the .277 Sierra 135 gr are better than both the .308 Win and the 30-06 with any bullet. High veloicity, high knockdown power, accurate, and range.

Speaking of Ballistic coefficients: I just seem to have found "THE" bullet for my 7x57 (off-topic, but my thread anyway): The Hornady SST (S&B "PTS"): 0.550
Makes my lill' ol' 7x57 fly far and hit hard
The .270 is an option for my buddy, I admit.
Handloading isn't.

 

[Art Eatman]

As a generality, for a hunter's shots inside 300 yards the ballistic coefficient is pretty much irrelevant. A higher BC starts being useful as you get out around 400 to 500 yards and are having to guesstimate the range.

 

[kiwi56]

308 or 3006

Well I do believe to most shooters the difference in recoil when shooting the same bullets in identical rifles of each cartridge that it would be barely noticable and if you can't tolerate the recoil of either cartridge it's time to take up knitting.

 

[shooter007]

As a generality, for a hunter's shots inside 300 yards the ballistic coefficient is pretty much irrelevant.

Wrong, no bullet flys a straight line. Especially past 100 yds. The capability to overcome bullet drop with high BC's leads to greater accuracy and that can be the difference from dropping a deer to the dirt or never seeing it again.