308 or 30-06?

[jr1968]

Where I hunt WT'S now it's wooded so I have my short range rifles ie 35 rem and 44 mag .
But in another area I hunt maybe going rifles, and was wondering 308 or 30-06. It's mostly farm
country with ranges out to 300 yards maybe a bit more.

What do you guys think?

jr1968

 

[RiverRider]

My opinion is that either should serve your purposes just fine, but I would choose the .30-06 for the extra velocity potential.

That'll be 2 cents, please!
:wink:

 

[Guest]

Well, if you bought 100 of each and worked up handloads through them all, you'd likely find the averages to be maybe 25-50fps difference, all else being equal. Get whichever one tickles your fancy. Or whichever one you find first, or cheapest, or prettiest, or whatever.

Or, if neither trips your trigger, look at a 270Win, 25-06, 7mmRemMag, 270WSM, 260Rem, 7mm-08, or other similar cartridge, as all will do what you're asking from them.

 

[BK]

Unless you plan on hunting something bigger at some point (ie, loading heavy bullets), I can't see that there's enough difference to worry about. Personally, if I intended to leave the rifle unmolested, I'd choose the '06. If I thought there was a chance I might rebarrel to something else, probably a .308.

 

[JD338]

For WT deer out to 300 yds, there is no difference between the 308 Win and 30-06.
Pick the gun wou want and then decide on the chambering, short action will be 308, long action will be a 30-06. Bullets weights of 150 gr to 165 gr are just about perfect for WT deer.

JD338

 

[Guy Miner]

With 165 gr bullets my .308 and my .30-06 are within 50 fps of each other.

Buy the rifle you like, the cartridge it's chambered for isn't going to make much of a difference on deer. Looking back over decades of hunting, I really can't say that I've seen any difference in killing power from a .243 to a .300 magnum on deer. Not even at 300 yards. A well placed shot drops 'em fast. A poorly placed shot leads to a tracking job. I think that's one of the reasons I tend to favor lighter-kicking rifles for deer hunting.

.308 or .30-06? It really doesn't matter. Buy the rifle you like. Shoot it well.

FWIW, Guy

 

[Larry in SD]

You have received some excellent replies so far and I am not sure of what I can add. All my life if I shot a .30 Caliber Rifle for WT Deer it was a .30-06.

All that changed last year when I decided I wanted a Bolt Action Sporter with a 20" Barrel. I ended up with a .308, a cartridge I had never loaded for nor shot prior to this point.

This past Deer Season my .308 went 4 for 4 with the longest shot being 235 yards. None of the 4 WT Deer took a step after the shot and all dropped in their tracks. I was using a load of 165gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips in Winchester Brass with CCI-200 Large Rifle Primers with Hodgdon's VARGET.

Even though my 20" Remington Model 700 SPS is fairly light weight, I was pleasantly surprised at how much less recoil it seems to have compaired to the .30-06's I have shot all my life.

I really don't think there is a bad choice between the .308 vs the .30-06. As has been stated it may very well boil down to the individual rifle choice for you, ie Short Action vs Long Action in terms of handling qualities.

Larry

 

[DrMike]

Buy either and you will be happy.

 

[BK]

Buy both and you will be happy.

Fixed it for you.

 

[SJB358]

The others said it well, but to me, I really like the 30-06. Just a classic, good looking cartridge. I know the 308 is "kinda" classic, but it isn't in the 30-06 league yet! Something about a 165-180gr bullet in the 30-06 which inspires confidence and the ability to handle just about anything.

What rifles are you looking at? Like Guy said, that is the important part of the equation. If the rifle fits and you shoot it well, NO deer will ever notice the difference. Good luck. Scotty

 

[DrMike]

Thanks, BK. Must have been tired when I wrote that.

 

[brianwyo]

BK

I like the way you think. If you hang around here long enough you will buy them both!

 

[SJB358]

You aren't kidding about that! Scotty

 

[Polaris]

If you are handloading their is no practical difference in these calibers for deer sized game. If shooting factory ammo there are more options available at your local retailer in 30-06. A 150-165 grain sp or BT bullet is good deer medicine in both.

For strictly deer hunting I would strongly consider a 270 win, 260 rem, 6,5 swede, 7mm08 or 280 rem. These will do everything the 30 cals will to a deer with less recoil and shoot a tad flatter.

The one benefit of the .308 over the '06 is you can get it in a short action rifle that will cut some weight and make a handier package to carry.

 

[HeathSexton]

I went with the 30/06 because papaw used one and it worked.


I'm like Scotty, classic old cartridge that works real well. There is no difference between the two though.

 

[Big Squeeze]

Where I hunt WT'S now it's wooded so I have my short range rifles ie 35 rem and 44 mag .
But in another area I hunt maybe going rifles, and was wondering 308 or 30-06. It's mostly farm
country with ranges out to 300 yards maybe a bit more.

What do you guys think?

jr1968

...............................Pick the rifle that best suites you, (for handling, feel, shouldering, carrying, looks, etc and etc), and then the cartridge will simply follow.

Many do the reverse, and then wind up with a rifle they may not like later on down the road.

 

[Desert Fox]

It's a toss up. You can't go wrong with either one. If it's for me however, I'll pick the 308 over the '06 any time. That just me though. Somehow, '06 never tickled my fancy.

 

[BK]

BK

I like the way you think. If you hang around here long enough you will buy them both!

Yeah, I have three .270s and I don't even like the .270!

 

[C.Smith]

I say go with the classic 30-06, almost unamerican not :grin: . However like everyone else you can't go wrong with either one.

Corey

 

[1Shot]

If you hand load, load up some 125 Nosler ballistic tips with 53.1 grs Varget which is between 3000 and 3100 fps in most rifles for deer. This is the suggested accuracy load for 125 gr bullets in the Sierra manual as to the load data reference. It is flat shooting and it really drops them in their tracks. If you sight in 3" high at 100 yards you can hold in the center of a deers front shoulder from point blank out to 300 yards and not worry about being over or under it. I have been using the 125 ballistic tip for years in 30-06, 308, 30X47 HBR in rifles and a 14" barrel T/C Contender pistol in 30-30AI to take deer. Out of around 30 deer shot with them only 2 have even taken a step and they did not go over 3 jumps. The 125 Ballistic Tip is a game bullet not a varmint bullet. But like Nosler states keep the ballistic tips under 3100 fps. Good luck and good shooting.