Give up .30-06 for .308?

[amprecon]

Since the .308 and .30-06 are nearly identical in 150gr.-168gr. loadings, aside from being able to use heavier bullets are there any other reasons to cling on to the .30-06?
As most large game in N.A. can be taken cleanly and reliably with the .308 is there any reason to use a .30-06 over the .308 aside from going after the big bruins using the 220gr. loadings in .30-06?
There are more options in loadings and bullet configurations for commercial .30-06 ammo, but there are also adequate choices for most uses in the .308. Surplus .30-06 is getting harder and harder to find and it's usually always much older than the surplus .308 ammo you can find, but in my experience has been as reliable.
I do currently own a M1 Garand and my hunting rifle is a Rem 700 in .30-06, as don't like having to stock several calibers, especially ones that duplicate each other, I'm thinking of keeping .308 and losing the .30-06.
The only rifle I have in .308 is my M1a, but I've been cosidering trading everything out for the new XCR-M rifle in .308 and a Remington 700 SPS Tactical in .308.

 

[Wildebees]

Decisions, decisions...

If I may venture my opinion from way out east (or is it west?) of you, sir.

Except for the better penetration with 220 gr bullets, and if you need that, there is no animal that can tell the difference whether he was hit by a .308 projectectile coming out of the barrel of a .308W or a 30-06 Springfield. Weight by weight up to 200gr with identical ammunition, the one coming from the shorter cartridge at 80 ft/sec slower shall penetrate a little better. The reason is slightly lesser mushrooming by the slower bullet.

So, in practice they are identical up to 200gr. and shall identically kill any animal that walks in your country.

Which one? That one that stays with your heart. NO reason to weigh them empirically. Keep the one, or buy another one, of either calibre, which talks to you in the shop.

 

[Wayward_Son]

I'd give the nod to the .30-06 for the wide range of ammo selection (not to mention the possibilities if you load your own) and a slight edge in shooting at longer ranges. To me it seems like the better choice for "one all-around caliber" than the .308.

 

[amprecon]

I do not reload, been there done that, not my cup of tea.

 

[Wayfarin'Stranger]

Loose the one that you shoot the least.

I don't see any other advantage to one over the other, unless you want to keep all your rifles in the same caliber.

 

[sneaky pete]

6.5X55 Sweds rule !

Old Sneaky here: The title says it All. Got a Weatherby Vanguard in 30-06 that the test target supplied CTC=.480" 3shot grp@100, My '42 S/A Garand since I Tweeked it up shoots 1-1/2>1-3/4" 5 shot grps off the bench @ 100 w/ m-2 Ball. BUT the otherday at the range I was hitting gallon jugs @ 600 with my 1924 Carl Gustav gevar m-41/B (as-issued orgional) Swedish Sniper rifle. What a pleasure to shoot that old gun. THANX--SNEAKY

 

[Creature]

Like my dad always said, the 30-06 has always done what the .308 can do....the '06 does it a just little bit better.

 

[King Bear]

I'd keep the '06. Especially if you don't handload, there's just more available loads for it. Plus, at least around me, you'll be lucky to find three loads for the .308 in any gun shop, and about 6 to choose from for the '06.

From a purely balistic/performance perspective, there's no real difference. Even the 200 and 220-gr projectiles aren't a decisive advantage as they are mostly, if not all, old bullet designs, with newer designs in the 180-gr range outperforming in both expansion and penetration.

 

[44 AMP]

Personal preference of the rifles...not the cartridges

Performance difference between both rounds in very small, nothing any animal can notice, and something only a handful of the worlds best shooters can use.

The significant difference between the .308 and the .30-06 is in the rifles they are chambered in. Long (standard) action vs short action in bolt guns. Tough (but not completely impossible) to find lever guns in .30-06. Many more .308 semi autos (mostly military designs). Pumps are about equal, the Remington series being the only ones commonly found.

On any given day any given .308 may outshoot any given .30-06, and vice versa. It is dependant on the individual rifle, ammo, and shooter. One is not more accurate than the other just because of the chambering.

Surplus .30-06 will eventually all go away (except for ammo collectors), because nobody is making it anymore. Commercial .30-06 will stay around longer than you or I (and has already done so).

If you want to lose one caliber over the other, your decision ought to be based on the individual features of the rifles you are considering, as they benefit your particular situation.

If you can do it with a .30-06, you can do it with a .308. If you can't do it with a .308, you won't be able to do it with a .30-06 either. The difference is in the rifles, and that is only about 1/2 inch!

 

[King Ghidora]

I bought a 30.06 for the same reason many people stick with a 1911 handgun. Because of it's history. Not only did it help us win the biggest war ever but it was the cartridge of choice for all the WWII trained sharpshooters that taught us to shoot as kids. I fell in love with that cartridge when I saw a groundhog shot at 600 yards and a hawk shot at 400 yards with iron sights. I've wanted one ever since then. Now I have one.

The .308 is a great cartidge. There's not one thing I can think of that's wrong with it. Maybe the only difference is the greater selection of cartridges for a 30.06. I guess I haven't been shooting larger centerfires enough to know what's available as surplus. Having a steady supply of good, cheap ammo is certainly a plus. But is it enough to switch out rifles you are used to shooting already? Maybe that's just something you want to do.

I agree with Wildebees here. Go with your heart. I did I guess. I was planning on waiting a while before getting a scope but I didn't even do that. I was committed to my Savage 110 as soon as I bought it (I did think long and hard about a Remington 700 series). I sold my NEF 12 ga. yesterday and bought a scope. It's not a great scope but it isn't terrible (like the Tasco that came with my 110). It's a Bushnell Trophy series. It was rated a good choice by Guns and Shooting and the eye relief was exceptionally good on it.

So anyway I think you probably have a reason for going with a different cartridge that has little to do with a possible slight improvment in the cartridge size you want. I think you just want to do it. There's not one thing wrong with that I can think of unless it costs you a lot of money to switch. And that might not be a problem for you either.