Would anyone else care to give praise to the .308 ?

[jt13]

This old girl kills elk at 400+...

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Suitable for all non-dangerous game anywhere in the world, the 308 Winchester might be the best of the all-round rifle cartridges. Outdoor Life
4. .308 Winchester
There’s a reason Jeff Cooper selected the .308 Winchester cartridge for his conceptual, one-rifle-for-the-world Scout Rifle. It will handle beasties up to 1,000 pounds without shoulder slamming recoil. Ammunition can be found almost anywhere, to include gas stations and hardware stores. It can be had in a very light rifles, precision rifles, a semi-automatic rifles, single shot rifles, lever action rifles, and pump action rifles – if anyone still cares about pump action rifles. Because it is shorter, kicks less, and fits in more compact and lighter rifles, the .308 is the new .30-06.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

View attachment 221732

This old girl kills elk at 400+...

I love it, a modern version of Natty Bumpo's "Deerslayer"

 

[Don Fischer]

Is a .308 not enough gun to take these animals within 200 yards? I have never lost an animal due to "not having enough gun". If I'm wrong, enlighten me.

Edit: trust me, I have definitely thought about getting a gun with a little more behind it; unfortunately its not in the budget for a while.

Sounds to me like your doing fine. Your using a gun you like, probably shoot it well, seem to understand the bullet's you use and how to use them. My opinion on using enough gun is learn to use the one you like well and how to use the bullet's you select. reach that point and probably a lot of people would shutter at your choice. At the same time get what you want to call enough gun but don't shoot it well then is it really enough gun? Probably is for someone just not you. I suspect that usually when that happens someone gets talked into getting more gun than they can handle.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

"game-field utility", LOL. It should get an award just for that phrase! #1 in it's class, in "game-field utility".

I'll have to remember that in case I ever get one.

If my memory holds true, exactly what Finn Aggard said about the .308 was; "it offers unequalled game field utility"

After he died his wife wrote about how much frett and effort Finn put into selecting each and every word. He was not a literary man as say, Jack O'Connnor was, Jack having been formally educated as journalist.

Finn represented a forgotton world of few words, with no lies or even exagerations. Such was his totally earned reputation for which he was so respected. He was quiet, ultimately practicle, and humble, rigorously honest and ever so respectful of wlldlife.

His go to big, big game rlfle was an incredibly worn pre-64 Model 70 in 375 with a low power fixed scope. Like other African hunter/farmers he had a place for what was called a "light rifle". Intended for "going meat shopping" in the bushveld, where long shots were often rare.

Looking at the fine calibers of the light rifles that were common then; the 7x57, 8x57, other European 7mm's, the ever present 30-06 and even the 9.3x62, that he chose to speak of the .308 as he did, meant it must have earned his confidence and that of others over and over in both Africa and America where he came to live after hunting was banned in Kenya.

 

[JEL]

I have a had a couple. A Mossberg years ago that I traded for a .270 Rem BDL and a Howa 1500 Hogue that I still have. Can't get the howa to shoot worth a darn. I am comfortable and confident with the 270 and it has killed moose to antelope, so I usually just reach for that.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Article about Finn Aggard

Finn Aagaard A Great Hunter

Finn Aagaard, A Great Hunter Finn Aagaard, A Great Hunter, (1932-2000) He was a good man, an avid gun writer, an ethical hunter and a patriotic citizen. Finn’s experiences, however, were not just on the test range. He was a serious, dedicated, consummate hunter. Born and raised in Kenya, he...

www.africahunting.com

 

[std7mag]

I thought Finn mostly shot a 275 Rigby (7X57 Mauser) for most of his hunting.

His, or Jack O Connors views on any certain cartridge affects me not in my cartridge choices.

Realistically, the 257 Roberts is enough cartridge for my hunting needs.

I do love my 7mm's though!
The 7mm-08, although in my case improved 40°, is a first grabbed rifle.
280 Rem probably my second most.

Back to the OP's topic.

308 is a good round.
Be all, end all? No.
7mm-08 has better ballistics.
Especially at distance.
And while it does have more recoil, the 30-06 does everything the 308 does, just faster.

 

[338BearHunter]

For me, the minor ballistic advantages the .30-'06 has over the .308 don't make up for its downsides. But then, I place a huge premium on short action over long action, a view not shared by many.

Only a few years ago, the .30-'06 seemed untouchable. Ammo was everywhere, guns were everywhere. Now its a very different story. Until recently, I didn't see .30-'06 on the shelf for nearly a year, whereas .308 remained commonly available. Companies releasing new rifles in (initially, anyway) limited cartridge selections seem to pick .308 Winchester and 6.5 Manbun as their first choices. In some cases, it takes a while to even offer .30-'06.

 

[std7mag]

For me, the minor ballistic advantages the .30-'06 has over the .308 don't make up for its downsides. But then, I place a huge premium on short action over long action, a view not shared by many.

Only a few years ago, the .30-'06 seemed untouchable. Ammo was everywhere, guns were everywhere. Now its a very different story. Until recently, I didn't see .30-'06 on the shelf for nearly a year, whereas .308 remained commonly available. Companies releasing new rifles in (initially, anyway) limited cartridge selections seem to pick .308 Winchester and 6.5 Manbun as their first choices. In some cases, it takes a while to even offer .30-'06.

Yeahhhhhh......
I reload for everything i have.
And some i don't have. Lol

I couldn't care less about factory ammo supply.

And it sure isn't going to be my deciding factor on what gun i would buy.

 

[hossblur]

View attachment 221732

This old girl kills elk at 400+...

I had this gun, minus the kick pad.

It's the reason I hate .308. I've never had a gun kick like that. It hurt to shoot it. Created a bad flinch.

It was fast, and stacked up my first few deer, but I gladly traded it for a 110 Savage in .243. Guy I traded it to, hated it so much he traded it for golf clubs.

I would love it in .243 though

 

[hossblur]

For me, the minor ballistic advantages the .30-'06 has over the .308 don't make up for its downsides. But then, I place a huge premium on short action over long action, a view not shared by many.

Only a few years ago, the .30-'06 seemed untouchable. Ammo was everywhere, guns were everywhere. Now its a very different story. Until recently, I didn't see .30-'06 on the shelf for nearly a year, whereas .308 remained commonly available. Companies releasing new rifles in (initially, anyway) limited cartridge selections seem to pick .308 Winchester and 6.5 Manbun as their first choices. In some cases, it takes a while to even offer .30-'06.

I was "that guy".

A fella should buy a rifle in .270, 7mm, 30-06, or 300 win., because you can find those bullets in any hardware store, convience store, or outdoor store anywhere in America. Especially the 06' and .270.

Man was I wrong

 

[338BearHunter]

Yeahhhhhh......
I reload for everything i have.
And some i don't have. Lol

I couldn't care less about factory ammo supply.

And it sure isn't going to be my deciding factor on what gun i would buy.

That's nice, but a lot of people do care, so it definitely is a factor. Its certainly not the only consideration either.

Until the COVID ammo shortage, a big bragging point about .30-'06 was the ubiquity of ammo. That factor is decidedly no more. At least around here, .30-'06 is no more available than .270, .300 WM and a host of others. It is also harder to find than .308, 6.5 Manbun, and .243.

 

[338BearHunter]

I was "that guy".

A fella should buy a rifle in .270, 7mm, 30-06, or 300 win., because you can find those bullets in any hardware store, convience store, or outdoor store anywhere in America. Especially the 06' and .270.

Man was I wrong

When I bought my first rifle, I was quite green, but I had heard of the .30-'06. Its a great bear killer, so I wanted one. Then a salesman showed me a .308 Winchester and I said "What's that?"

After looking at the data, I determined, quite correctly (IMHO) that .308 was a better choice. Its so close to the .30-'06 that I saw no point in owning both.

That said, my main bear rifles are now chambered in .338 Federal, which certainly bucks the "find it anywhere" narrative. I suppose the lesson I would give a noob is "Decide what you want to shoot; the other factors are fairly unimportant." Certainly nobody should be ditching their .30-'06 because the ammo is scarce compared to .308 or 6.5 Manbun.

So hossblur, what do you shoot now?

 

[Jack Ryan]

If my memory holds true, exactly what Finn Aggard said about the .308 was; "it offers unequalled game field utility"

After he died his wife wrote about how much frett and effort Finn put into selecting each and every word. He was not a literary man as say, Jack O'Connnor was, Jack having been formally educated as journalist.

Finn represented a forgotton world of few words, with no lies or even exagerations. Such was his totally earned reputation for which he was so respected. He was quiet, ultimately practicle, and humble, rigorously honest and ever so respectful of wlldlife.

His go to big, big game rlfle was an incredibly worn pre-64 Model 70 in 375 with a low power fixed scope. Like other African hunter/farmers he had a place for what was called a "light rifle". Intended for "going meat shopping" in the bushveld, where long shots were often rare.

Looking at the fine calibers of the light rifles that were common then; the 7x57, 8x57, other European 7mm's, the ever present 30-06 and even the 9.3x62, that he chose to speak of the .308 as he did, meant it must have earned his confidence and that of others over and over in both Africa and America where he came to live after hunting was banned in Kenya.

Sounds good. I'll write that down and save for all my "Got a new rifle" days. "But honey, Fin says... it offers unequalled game field utility"

 

[brockel]

Having a 308 is the perfect start to building something more fun and better

 

[hossblur]

When I bought my first rifle, I was quite green, but I had heard of the .30-'06. Its a great bear killer, so I wanted one. Then a salesman showed me a .308 Winchester and I said "What's that?"

After looking at the data, I determined, quite correctly (IMHO) that .308 was a better choice. Its so close to the .30-'06 that I saw no point in owning both.

That said, my main bear rifles are now chambered in .338 Federal, which certainly bucks the "find it anywhere" narrative. I suppose the lesson I would give a noob is "Decide what you want to shoot; the other factors are fairly unimportant." Certainly nobody should be ditching their .30-'06 because the ammo is scarce compared to .308 or 6.5 Manbun.

So hossblur, what do you shoot now?

30-06

Browning A bolt my dad got me when I turned 16


My 16 year old got a xbolt in 300win in Dec.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I thought Finn mostly shot a 275 Rigby (7X57 Mauser) for most of his hunting.

His, or Jack O Connors views on any certain cartridge affects me not in my cartridge choices.

Realistically, the 257 Roberts is enough cartridge for my hunting needs.

I do love my 7mm's though!
The 7mm-08, although in my case improved 40°, is a first grabbed rifle.
280 Rem probably my second most.

Back to the OP's topic.

308 is a good round.
Be all, end all? No.
7mm-08 has better ballistics.
Especially at distance.
And while it does have more recoil, the 30-06 does everything the 308 does, just faster.

The farmer/hunters in much of Africa commonly used the 7x57 as a light right for meat hunting, Finn included to my recolection. In re-reading about him he took42 Cape Buffalo and several lions with his 375 Model 70.
He did have a long career here in te USA as both a hunter and guide whiich could have easliy exposed him to much more use of the .308.

When thinking about the history of the .308 it does occur to me that it could well be thought of as a modern version of the 30-30-30.. Short, suprisingly efficient an omnipresent, often criticized but offering great service to hiunters.

I have no idea why my Savage 99 kicked so much. Another person made the same remark about a 99 without a recoil pad also kicking brurally. Possibly poor stock design?

Yesterday I wentto the range and shot my Sako Finnight Stainles Synthtic Carbine in .308. It weighs a tad over 6 pounds and has a no longer made Leopold 2-7 varable ultraiight scope. As a spare scope I have a 2.5 fixed modern weaver already mounted and sighted in readu to go on original Sako optilock rings.

I have three loads for it . A 165 Barnes TSX BT hand load which goes about 2750'/sec and hits one inch high at 100 yards. Groups right at 1", Some factory Barnes Vortex 150 grain TTSX with a BC of .420 and is going just under 2900'/sec. It stirkes 2.75 inches high at one hundred, and i use that as my longer range loads. It shoots under one inch.

Of coure I have my light cast lead small game loads pushed by 10 grains of Uniique.

I have loaded some Barnes 30-30 bullets are the appropriare velocity. The recoil is nothing. and they are really a deer killer in close situtaions.

If components, mainly powder are ever available again I woud like to load some 130 grain TTSX which scream at way over 3,000'sec. That is .270 territory with a BC disadvantage which in the real word amounts to a few dead flies.

Lastly I have some Lapua Naturalis 170 grain round nosed bullets which I have not loaded yet.

For me, maybe that littlle light .308 carbine with it's match grade barrel and tight chamber is the"be all and end all".

With premium Lapua brass i am getting some "one hole groups at 100 yards" and shooting out to 300-400 yards is rather a smile makiing experience,,,,.308, "unequaled for game field untility"

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Yikes. so many typos in my above post. Happens when I do not use my laptop and spellcheck and just write in the Hunt talk response box.

Also there is this factor called "auto-correct". When reading words, even if they are spelled wrong, our minds read it as we think it should be. Only later after time passes can errors be seen. Meant to say light rifle. not "light right"

Reminds me of a fellow who shot a spike buck,,,legal requirement was to have at least one fork on one side. We see what we want to see and disregard the rest

 

[The Hedgehog]

It just won't work. Use your heads guys.