Caliber question on new rifle

[SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI]

I'm seriously considering getting a new Savage 110FP. Will be using it for target and occasional hunting. What caliber should I select? I already have a Garand and have a ton of '06 so the idea of not having to stock another caliber is appealing. Yet, I keep hearing that .308 is marginally more accurate and is cheaper. Any thoughts?

 

[labgrade]

Boils down to what you'll be hunting & what level of target shooting you want to do.

.308's a nice caliber & a tad more accurate than an '06 in some ways, but it may be that in your chosen platforn, you'll never see it. Same-same for any realistic hunting applications versus the '06

Depending on your hunting requirements, the .243Win is a dandy round for 150 lb deer or so & can be very accurate.

 

[Unkel Gilbey]

Keep it in the family...

By that, I mean, why not keep the caliber choice in the same family as your 30-06? Calibers like the .270, or even the 280? After all, either one of those is nothing more than a 30-06 that's been necked down to that caliber.

The 280 (7mm) has a long line of really accurate bullets available, and it should be a commercial loading for the Savage (don't know for certain). And of course, the 270 Win. doesn't need any introductions from me.

There's also the 25-06 to choose from. And then if you were feeling adventurous, you could always go for the wildcats such as the 6.5-06, or even the 35 Whelen. Not that the Whelen is really a wildcat, but I don't think the Savage is chambered for this round out of the factory.

I wonder if they (Savage) has a custom shop that would accommodate this sort of request...?

At any rate, there's a few more options for you to mull over. And remember, if you are a reloader, and you have plenty of -06 brass around, you will never be short of fodder for you other rifle if you choose an -06 based round for you next rifle.

Unkel Gilbey

 

[Correia]

.308 and 30-06 are both great cartridges.

If you reload, 30-06 might be the way to go. That way you are just reloading for one cartridge.

If you don't reload and you just want cheap plinking ammo, there is a lot more cheap .308 out there.

 

[Art Eatman]

From a money standpoint, the .308 is cheaper to shoot than the '06. If you reload, the difference isn't enough to worry about.

For "occasional hunting", odds are that the .308 will do just anything you'll likely want to do.

The Savage with a scope will give you notably tighter groups than will the Garand. It is rather difficult to keep a Garand inside two MOA, while many reports on the Savage here at TFL indicate groups inside one MOA.

FWIW, Art

 

[SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI]

Well, I finally decided to go with 30-06 so I will only have to keep one rifle caliber in quantity. Now I have another problem: I can't locate a 110FP in 30-06. I've checked all the gunstores in my area (Southern California - Orange County and Riverside) that I normally visit and online as well - everthing is .308, 25-06, .223, 300 Win mag, etc. No 30-06. huntersmart's web site says its available but when I inquired they said that's an error, only .223 and .308. What's the deal with that? I'm really surprised no one stocks it in such a common caliber. So far no one will special order it for me either. Does anyone know where I can find one in 30-06? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Art Eatman]

Call your news stand or bookstore to see if they carry "Shotgun News" or "Gun List". Lots of wholesalers advertise there, and many have websites.

Art

 

[Bogie]

Suggestion: Buy one in .308 or .243, and call Sharpshooter's Supply, and order a .30-06 barrel, vise and wrench - it uses the same case head size...

 

[SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI]

Well, someone at the Turner's in Riverside came through and found me a package gun - 110 FP, .30-06, with a Simmons 3-9x40, a hard case, a sling, ear protectors and shooting glasses for $418. All I have to do is buy a Harris bipod, remove the Simmons, mount my Tasco SS 10x42, sight it in, get out my Mildot Master and start the fun. I've never used a Mildot before so I'm sure it will take a bit of practice to correctly estimate sizes. The rifle should arrive next week, but I won't be able to start the DROS until then, so were looking at 3 weeks. After that, it's practice, practice, practice.

 

[labgrade]

Well STGM, I'd say "thank you very much" for a good enough package, take that thing to the range & wring it out.

Be advised though that some ammo will shoot much better than others.

Find one that shoots "good enough" & go with that.

Pratice, practice - as you said ...