30-06 vs 308 Handloading

[DamascusSteel]

Next year I am buying a more premium rifle and will be starting to get into reloading currently have a 6.5 Creed and a 270 win. I am looking into getting a 30-06 or 308 for handloaders which is a better option. All I can find is they are identical so it boils down too rifle weight with the 308s shorter action and the slightly more case capacity in 06 allowing heavier bullets. Would like opinions and reasons on either of these 2 proven calibers.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Next year I am buying a more premium rifle and will be starting to get into reloading currently have a 6.5 Creed and a 270 win. I am looking into getting a 30-06 or 308 for handloaders which is a better option. All I can find is they are identical so it boils down too rifle weight with the 308s shorter action and the slightly more case capacity in 06 allowing heavier bullets. Would like opinions and reasons on either of these 2 proven calibers.

I have, and hand load, all three, no particular preference. .270, .308 and 30-06 will overlap in hunting utility, so if for hunting inside of 450 yards not much of a difference. Even action weight isn’t always a distinction - some types of short action rifles weigh more than long and vise versa. Heck, tikka only has one action and just tweak bolt travel and magazine to distinguish between short/long. If going premium rifle for hand loading I would (did) consider 280AI - great 7mm bullets plus near 7remmag velocity with reduced powder burn and recoil. If you want a real flat hand load and don’t mind magnum-type powder usage and recoil the 28 Nosler is interesting. If you want a shortish barrel I would go with .308, as long action and magnums waste a fair amount of powder with a shorter barrel.

 

[JLS]

Pick one.....

 

[MThuntr]

I reload for all of those and like Vikingsguy said within normal hunting distances none are better than the other. I feel like if I had to choose it would be 30-06 as you can squeeze a bit more oomph out of a bigger bullet.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

The 30-06 gives a slight edge when considering bullet weight and energy on longer range shots. I would pick the 30-06 unless I already had one and just wanted a different caliber. The 165grn. for most applications is hard to beat.

 

[3855WIN]

You are on the east coast, so I’m thinking you need a compact rifle. Get a .308 in a short action with a 20” barrel.

 

[ImBillT]

If you stick to manuals and/or factory ammo, then the 30-06 has very little advantage over the .308Win.

On the other hand, if you throw some unnecessary restrictions out the window, the 30-06 has a few advantages.

A) If you load them to the same pressure(both just beginning to show pressure signs, then back off slightly) the 30-06 will yield about 150fps more than a .308Win using the same bullet and same barrel length.

B) Most S/A magazines aren’t long enough to handle a lot of modern bullets in a .308Win. If the bullet nose is long, as with high BC bullets, tipped bullets, heavy bullets and monolithic bullets you will be unable to seat the ogive near the lands while still being short enough for the magazine. Also with longer bullets seating to magazine length can use up a lot of powder capacity, making the velocity difference compared to the 30-06 greater than the 150fps that it already should be.

C) If it’s a factory rifle, most 308Wins come with a 12” twist and pretty much all 30-06s come with a 10” twist. A 12” twist is limited to about 190gr with cup and core bullets, while a 10” twist will allow you to shoot almost any .308” bullet there is.

As mentioned, the difference between a long action and short action is often overblown. Although the action itself does weigh a little more, there is substantial material removed from the stock where the longer action goes. Remington lists most L/A 700’s at only 2oz more than their S/A counterparts. There are a lot of places to cut 2oz. Just switching from a hinged floor plate to a blind magazine and/or from a recoil pad to a plastic butt plate can get you 2oz.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I don't know if I can talk about any "vs". I've probably handloaded more for .308 than any other cartridge. It's a fun, remarkably versitle cartridge to load for. I have developed multiple loads with different bullets and powders that are more accurate than I have any right to be shooting. As to long actions, I load for a .280 Rem and a couple of .270s so I couldn't really compare the .308 to -06 that much. But really, .308 is likely to always be my favorite cartridge to shoot, load for, and hunt with. It's pretty hard to beat if you know what your doing.

 

[JohnCushman]

I have and load for, a Howa 1500 in 30-06. Luckily it wasn't hard to find a load that it liked. 47 grains of varget and a 165 grain accubond cloverleafs at 100 yards and shooting under an inch at 200. I agree with everyone else about the .308, I just happen to shoot factory ammo out of mine that it likes.

 

[Don Fischer]

I've loaded the 308 a lot, 30-06 not as much but depending on what you hunt, advantage for me goes with the 30-06. I think even the lowly 30-30 is enough for most game in the lower 48, I suspect a good hunter could do well on antelope with it too. I mean shoot, lot of guy's kill antelope with a bow every year, Indians did it for a long long time. The difference being not the tool but the hunter. In Alaska I used to go in the Portage river some fishing. Had my 308 up there then and carried it along loaded with 200gr bullet's, insurance for bears. Let's face it if insurance is what yu want then the shot will probably be close. The 308 was a Mod 660 with a 20" barrel. Today I am finally using a 30-06, first one I ever used too. I think if I was hunting the same bear I'd prefer the 30-06 with the 200gr bullet and a 24" barrel, shot should not be as close! Anything else probably won't come looking for you if you upset it so the need for more really isn't there. I doubt the moose ever lived that could live long through a well placed 165gr bullet from a 308. But some will find something to like better about the 30-06, they wouldn't be wrong! I came to me some years ago that probably anything from a 6.5 on up is adequate for anything in the lower 48 and most everything in Alaska. The secrete would be the choice of bullet. Actually all my like I've found that the difference between most cartridges is the choice of bullet's the shooter used and the accuracy he placed the bullet with! That to me rumps caliber most every time. Read about a year ago where a lady in Anchourage killed a grizzly with a 38 Spec handgun and read where the currant #2 world record Grizzly was killed by a lady with a single shot rifle in 22 Long. How does that happen? Shot placement! But in Alaska bear tales it says a slug from a 20ga shotgun into the head of a grizzly will bounce off while the same from a 12ga will fracture the skull! I suspect the angle the slug hit's has something to do with that. and even if not, the shot the lady took with her 22 RF could have been taken with th 20gs and slug and I'm pretty sure the bear would still have died.

Between cartridge's like the 308 and the 30-06 if the shooter choose's his shot properly and places it properly the outcome will be the same with both! The difference could be nothing more than one rifle being lighter and handier to carry, that about it. Something I did find with my 308 and 30-06 was that the 30-06 shot 200gr bullet's better but up to there there wasn't a lot of difference. Point in fact, that grizzly shot by the lady with a 22 long was jus as dead as if it had been shot with a 50BMG! I don't really have a pet cartridge anymore, well, maybe my 6.5x55. Have had a 7mm Rem Mag and 2 338 Win Mags and no desire to ever own another rifle in any mag chambering. A 338 Win Mag will not kill an elk any deader than a 30-30!

 

[std7mag]

No matter how you look at it (factory or reload) the 30-06 will give you at least 200 fps per given bullet weight over 308.
Which equates to flater shooting, and more impact energy at any given distance.

So, if it were me, i'd choose a 280 Rem.

No, seriously!
Fairly light recoil compared to the 30 calibers.
High BC bullets in weight from 100gr through to 195gr.
Will carry more energy at distance than either of the 30 calibers listed.

I also live on the east coast. Means nothing.
Where i hunt shots can range from 20ft to 1,500 yards.
No, i'm not saying i shoot, or especially hunt game that far, but the oportunity is there.

 

[DamascusSteel]

No matter how you look at it (factory or reload) the 30-06 will give you at least 200 fps per given bullet weight over 308.
Which equates to flater shooting, and more impact energy at any given distance.

So, if it were me, i'd choose a 280 Rem.

No, seriously!
Fairly light recoil compared to the 30 calibers.
High BC bullets in weight from 100gr through to 195gr.
Will carry more energy at distance than either of the 30 calibers listed.

I also live on the east coast. Means nothing.
Where i hunt shots can range from 20ft to 1,500 yards.
No, i'm not saying i shoot, or especially hunt game that far, but the oportunity is there.

From what i have gathered here and from elsewhere is that unless I jump into 30 magnums im not getting any better than the 270 win. 280 rem and 280 ai isn't much better than the 270 win on paper. 200 FT LBS energy difference at 300 yds

 

[Losing_Sanity]

I've loaded the 308 a lot, 30-06 not as much but depending on what you hunt, advantage for me goes with the 30-06. I think even the lowly 30-30 is enough for most game in the lower 48, I suspect a good hunter could do well on antelope with it too. I mean shoot, lot of guy's kill antelope with a bow every year, Indians did it for a long long time. The difference being not the tool but the hunter. In Alaska I used to go in the Portage river some fishing. Had my 308 up there then and carried it along loaded with 200gr bullet's, insurance for bears. Let's face it if insurance is what yu want then the shot will probably be close. The 308 was a Mod 660 with a 20" barrel. Today I am finally using a 30-06, first one I ever used too. I think if I was hunting the same bear I'd prefer the 30-06 with the 200gr bullet and a 24" barrel, shot should not be as close! Anything else probably won't come looking for you if you upset it so the need for more really isn't there. I doubt the moose ever lived that could live long through a well placed 165gr bullet from a 308. But some will find something to like better about the 30-06, they wouldn't be wrong! I came to me some years ago that probably anything from a 6.5 on up is adequate for anything in the lower 48 and most everything in Alaska. The secrete would be the choice of bullet. Actually all my like I've found that the difference between most cartridges is the choice of bullet's the shooter used and the accuracy he placed the bullet with! That to me rumps caliber most every time. Read about a year ago where a lady in Anchourage killed a grizzly with a 38 Spec handgun and read where the currant #2 world record Grizzly was killed by a lady with a single shot rifle in 22 Long. How does that happen? Shot placement! But in Alaska bear tales it says a slug from a 20ga shotgun into the head of a grizzly will bounce off while the same from a 12ga will fracture the skull! I suspect the angle the slug hit's has something to do with that. and even if not, the shot the lady took with her 22 RF could have been taken with th 20gs and slug and I'm pretty sure the bear would still have died.

Between cartridge's like the 308 and the 30-06 if the shooter choose's his shot properly and places it properly the outcome will be the same with both! The difference could be nothing more than one rifle being lighter and handier to carry, that about it. Something I did find with my 308 and 30-06 was that the 30-06 shot 200gr bullet's better but up to there there wasn't a lot of difference. Point in fact, that grizzly shot by the lady with a 22 long was jus as dead as if it had been shot with a 50BMG! I don't really have a pet cartridge anymore, well, maybe my 6.5x55. Have had a 7mm Rem Mag and 2 338 Win Mags and no desire to ever own another rifle in any mag chambering. A 338 Win Mag will not kill an elk any deader than a 30-30!

Wow! A lot of info. What a way to confuse the issue. I guess just go with the 22 long?
( This is meant as a joke/humor and I am not discrediting the value of the information. )

 

[std7mag]

From what i have gathered here and from elsewhere is that unless I jump into 30 magnums im not getting any better than the 270 win. 280 rem and 280 ai isn't much better than the 270 win on paper. 200 FT LBS energy difference at 300 yds

There is only 1 thing against the 270.
Bullet sellection.
But even with that the 270 won't leave you under gunned for anything in North America.

 

[6mm Remington]

30-06 all day long if choosing between it and the 308. The 30-06 is a very accurate cartridge that is easy to find excellent loads for. I have used nothing but 165 gr. Nosler solid base boattails when they were still made to now where I use nothing but 165 gr. Accubonds or Partitions. IMR4350 or H4350 seem to be sweet for just about anything shot in the 30-06. It will also work well with many other powders as well.

280AI or 280 Remington! I have had both and they are just fantastic cartridges. I don't have the 280 any longer but have a 280AI that I had custom built. Love that rifle. The 280AI load I have uses the 140 gr. Accubond at 3186 fps and the 140 gr. Partition at 3230 fps.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Bullet selection.

130gn TTSX is all you need

 

[std7mag]

I'd prefer the Cutting Edge MTH in 130gr.
Nosler makes a 150gr ABLR with a G1 BC of 0.625.
As always there is the regular AccuBond and Partition and Ballistic Tip.
Sierra also makes the SPBT GameKing in 130, 140, and 150gr.

There are quality bullets out there!

Just not quite as varied as the 6.5, 7mm, 308.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I'd prefer the Cutting Edge MTH in 130gr.

Are the Cutting Edge Bullets gilding metal or copper?

 

[std7mag]

Copper.
4-6 petals open &break off 1-3 inches in, then jagged edge base keeps plowing through.
Check out their website.

Warning:
They are not cheap though.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Copper.
4-6 petals open &break off 1-3 inches in, then jagged edge base keeps plowing through.
Check out their website.

Warning:
They are not cheap though.

Sounds a little like Hammers. From pictures it looks like they will have more barrel contact than Hammers or TTSX, wonder if they have more copper fowling?