Why No Love for The .308 Winchester

[HAWKEYESATX]

I have been wondering what the general consensus on here is about the lowly .308 Winchester?
I have noticed that in the general gun writers opinions the .308 is a capable cartridge, but it is outdone by the .30-06, and the .30 Magnums!
I’m the first one to realize that the .30-06 will add 100-150 fps to any bullet weight, with judicious hand loading.
Now, to defend the .308 a little, in factory guise, it is loaded more to potential and gets better velocities than factory loaded .30-06 ammo.
Also, the .308 is the second most reloaded cartridge, and is within the top 10 of cartridge sales, here in the States.
Yes, the .308 isn’t a barn burner, or flashy. It never has been. It’s been a plain Jane performer, but does its job extremely well.
I just got done reading an article by John Barsness and his thoughts on the .308!
John states: “One basic rule of ballistics is that the smaller the case for the bullet involved, the more energy is transferred to the bullet and less to the shooter’s shoulder. The .308 has just about 50 grains of powder space. The .300 Remington Ultra Magnum has about 100 grains. Does the .300 send 180-grain bullets out the muzzle at twice the speed of the .308? No, it only achieves about 25 percent more velocity. Much of the extra powder is released at the muzzle in the form of fast, loud gas, adding a lot to recoil.”
“Despite what’s written and shown on TV these days, 300 yards is a long shot for most hunters. What helps us more than anything is a rifle we can shoot accurately, not a few less inches of bullet drop. The .308 Winchester helps hunters more than most other big game cartridges not just because it recoils less than larger .30s, but because it is inherently accurate.” “I am a big fan of the .30-06 and right now own half a dozen. I also like the .300 magnums enough to own four in chamberings from .300 WSM to .300 Weatherby. I have used .300 magnums to take many big game animals both in North America and Africa ranging from 75-pound springbok to 800-pound elk. But the longer I see the .308 in action, the more it impresses me.” “One of the .308’s virtues is shared by other moderate-velocity cartridges such as the 7x57 Mauser: good performance even from relatively lightly constructed bullets.” “In recent years, I’ve become quite fond of cartridges that do the job out to the ranges most game is killed, without bouncing my glasses off my nose or bruising my shoulder. The 7x57 might have more romance, and the .30-06 may have another 100 fps. When neither seems that important, the .308 works great.”
I, for one, think these words ring a lot of truth.
I was wondering what the general consensus was with knowledgeable folks on here about the diminutive .30 is?

 

[DrMike]

A shooter could do far worse than to use a .308. It will get the job done on about anything a hunter will shoot here in NA, and in much of the world. I not only commend the .308, I have (and use) a good selection of cartridges built off the 308 cartridge.

 

[JD338]

I love my M21 308 Win. Fun to shoot and easy to make lethal hits. The 165-168 gr bullets are the sweet spot. Decent speed too.

JD338

 

[3 Meter Para Bellum]

I'm not the kind of person that likes flashy catridges or big magnums. I literally weigh less than 120 pounds, 117 to be exact, and it does not feel pleasant to get hit by a big 'ole monster of a cartridge all the time. I can pretty much guarantee I will shoot a .308 more accurately than a .300 WM given all other things are the same. It is indeed a very accurate cartridge and works extremely well within it's envelope, 300 yards deffinitely being within its reach. Also, it is super easy to get your hands on.

The .308 is always on my short list of cartridges that I seriously consider for a gun, along with 30-06 and 6.5 Creed in that general realm, it just depends on what specific uses I might be leaning toward.

The .308, I dig it.

 

[Charlie-NY]

Several years back, I got quite exasperated by burning out custom barrels. The cost of frequently rebarreling was beginning to bother me. I told my gunsmith to build me a rifle that would shoot great every time I picked it up and would NOT quickly burn out the barrel. He built me a .308. With 2,000 rnds down the barrel, and umpteen different bullets worked up, it still shoots great. Just for the heck of it, I ordered a few boxes of Sierra 168gr TMKs to try out. It wasn't long before I was able to get the rifle grouping into sub .5moa at 420yds.

The .308 Win is a time-tested and proven performer.

 

[RL338]

I hunted for 25 yrs with my Rem. 7400 in 308 Win. Many deer had felt the wrath of it. My dad has only hunted with a Rem. 742 in 308 Win 50+ yrs. My daughter now hunts with a Wby Vanguard in 308 Win. I currently own 2 308 Win.

 

[xphunter]

I have three 308 Winchester rigs:
F-TR rifle
Center-Grip Remington XP-100
Rear-Grip Blaser Pistol

308's work...

 

[salmonchaser]

I had several duty rifles in .308. A ruger; REM. 700; Accuracy International and an HS Precision and an M1-A national match. They were all accurate and consistent, except the Ruger, it would hold a group but it would shift around. Anyway. The 308 is a wonderful, effective and absolutely pedestrian cartridge. With the exception of the Ruger I would not have hesitated to take the shot because of the rifle or cartidge. They always did what they were supposed to do.

 

[Blkram]

While I know the 308 is a respected cartridge, and a capable performer, it was just a little too common for me...and I wanted something a little different from everyone else in the crowd. I have owned the 243 and 260, own a 7mm-08, 338 Federal (X2) and 358 Win (X2).

Yes, I have owned several over the years, and yes I have taken game with the 308, in both a pre-81 BLR and Winchester Model 88's. (whitetails and moose)
I have been thinking I should get a BLR or another M88...as I have 5 boxes of the Federal 175 gr Terminal Ascent ammo I picked up when I briefly owned a Lipsey's Edition Ruger No.1 RSI that the new owner didn't want. Kinda leaning towards the M88...but not too hard, as I have a couple of other bucket list rifles that I am waiting for first.

 

[SJB358]

A shooter could do far worse than to use a .308. It will get the job done on about anything a hunter will shoot here in NA, and in much of the world. I not only commend the .308, I have (and use) a good selection of cartridges built off the 308 cartridge.

I was just thinking, 308 cases make excellent 7-08 ammo!

All jokes aside the 308 is a great cartridge.

 

[GregoryB.]

I like the 308 as well. It’s a great little caliber for deer. I own several and have a Ruger #1 at the gunsmith now getting rebarreled to 308.

 

[clearwater]

I like my little Kimber 308 as it is very light and handy for mountain mule deer. Shoot 178 Eld X and also bring 170 grain cast bullets for grouse. scoped and loaded it weighs right at 6 lbs.

Friend takes central Washington elk at 600 yards with his. Has a place he sets up at every year. He says he doesn't feel under-gunned.

 

[TexasLife]

i was a little afraid of the 308win when i was young and not really sure why? maybe is was just a 30cal mentality? my dad never owned anything larger than the 270win, but did buy a 264wm a few years before that. i was shooting the 264wm starting at 11yo (48 years ago). i didn't buy any 30cals until '14 (RR 26" AR) and then bought a 300wm in '15. i don't own any short action cartridges in a BA, only in AR's including a 6.5prc and 7saum. the 308win is 1 of the most efficient cartridges (not cases) there is which earned my respect for it. if anyone ever decides to get a 308win in the AR platform, make sure you get a criterion m118 hybrid barrel.................it's the best!

 

[HAWKEYESATX]

I’m not sure if any of you read Peterson’s Hunting back in the day?
One of my favorite writers back in the 90’s was a fellow by the name of John Woosters. He was the one writer that led me to the .308, and also read about him doing Texas hunting.
His take on the .308, and it still holds true today, that the little .308 was the 90% solution for hunting here in North America. He said it was an excellent white tail deer round. This is very true! The white tail deer here are not like the Northern cousins. They’re smaller and scrawnier. The majority are no bigger than a good size German Shepherd.
And as I have guessed, the knowledgeable posters on here know a lot more about the .308 than the gun scribes do.
The .308 is a world class cartridge. It has taken world game such as Eland, Zebra, Black Wildebeest, Elk, Moose, Black Bear, Brown Bear, and many other large animals across the continents.
A cartridge doesn’t become popular by being a slouch. It has to have ample energy and accuracy to be able to kill effectively and efficiently.
Heck! The .308 can be hand loaded to equal the old velocities of the tried and true .30-06.
There are other cartridges that are ballistic cousins to the .308!
I am one that has seen another virtue of the .308, and that is efficiency. The amount of energy that it imparts to the velocity and imparts to the projectile is absolutely incredible.

 

[TackDriver284]

I love my GA Precision 308 Crusader, shoots like a dream. Currently using 178 ELD-M with 43.8 grains of Varget, a hair over 2750 fps. I was banging 8 inch steel at 800 yards, love hearing the ding a few seconds after the hit. The 178 ELDM is deadly on whitetails, never went far with pass throughs and exits the size of a half dollar. I would not trade it for any other rifle. It's mine to keep. I could easily match the speed of a 30-06 and no pressure. I was pushing more than 2800 fps with the 165 Ballistic Tips, and 3,000 fps with the 150's with Lapua brass. Still have 15 firings on the brass and annealed after each firing. It's hard to burn a barrel on the 308.

 

[Blkram]

I was watching a hunting show the other night where all the members of a large party were in Africa, where they all used rifles chambered for the 308 Win for their hunts for the wide variety of plains game, including a fair number of animals in the tougher species such as zebra, oryx, and blue wildebeest. There were a number of couples in the party, as well as a number of singles, where some of the men and women were on their very first hunts of any kind.
The happy smiles of all the successful hunters told the story!
Hard to beat that kind of validation.

 

[Wolfshead]

My first rifle was a Remington 700 in 30-06. It is close to ten pounds and a 24” barrel.
A very good “field rifle” for me. Kinda awkward to carry in the close woods all day.
My second is a Winchester model 94 with iron sights because I believe that is the way it is intended to be. No scope for mine! Just ruins the appeal.
I bought the 94 as I love to still hunt and the carbine was very easy to carry, but my aging eyes and the iron sights were becoming apparent.
So I began looking for a scout type rifle for those day long still hunts in the thick woods, that was light and agile with a little less recoil. This was right after the pandemic and there was not a lot of ammunition available on the shelves in the local stores, and what was, was .308 Win. (Mostly) followed by 30-06 and then 270.
I saw an auction for a Tikka compact in .308 Win. And placed a bid, thinking that I’ll never win this at this cost and proceeded to forget about it. 3-4 days later I get a notice that I won the auction!
It is now my most used rifle and I have an accurate load using 150 grain Accubonds. It has shot clover leaf groups at 100 yards and softball sized groups at 300 yards.
Weighs about 7 pounds and is approximately 38” long making it very pleasant to carry still hunting, while still a very capable rifle for sitting on the edge of a crop field here in N.Y.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

I’m not sure if any of you read Peterson’s Hunting back in the day?
One of my favorite writers back in the 90’s was a fellow by the name of John Woosters. He was the one writer that led me to the .308, and also read about him doing Texas hunting.
His take on the .308, and it still holds true today, that the little .308 was the 90% solution for hunting here in North America. He said it was an excellent white tail deer round. This is very true! The white tail deer here are not like the Northern cousins. They’re smaller and scrawnier. The majority are no bigger than a good size German Shepherd.
And as I have guessed, the knowledgeable posters on here know a lot more about the .308 than the gun scribes do.
The .308 is a world class cartridge. It has taken world game such as Eland, Zebra, Black Wildebeest, Elk, Moose, Black Bear, Brown Bear, and many other large animals across the continents.
A cartridge doesn’t become popular by being a slouch. It has to have ample energy and accuracy to be able to kill effectively and efficiently.
Heck! The .308 can be hand loaded to equal the old velocities of the tried and true .30-06.
There are other cartridges that are ballistic cousins to the .308!
I am one that has seen another virtue of the .308, and that is efficiency. The amount of energy that it imparts to the velocity and imparts to the projectile is absolutely incredible.

Hawk I read John Wooters back in the day. Remember his side profile picture wearing a camouflage cowboy hat holding a Sako Forrester full stock 308win just like the one in my avatar picture. The 308 was what I killed my first deer with. Had a few off and on over the years. Most were for looks not performance necessarily. The 308 has a reputation for accuracy and hard not to get one to group. More to like about them then not. Got away from it for awhile when looking for more velocity, longer distance type shooting. That being said the 308 has been filling the roll of long distance for some time. A shooter could do a lot worse than using a 308 Win.

 

[KinleyWater]

Maybe it doesn't get love because it's ubiquitous? So common and casually effective that it isn't going to get hype? Don't have an answer, but I know it works very, very well.

 

[JD338]

Kind of like plain vanilla but I like vanilla.
My daughter is also a big fan of the tree-oh-ate.

JD338