[hawkman1]

I am asking for what caliber you prefer in a hunting/semi long range shooting rifle. I am a fan of the Rem 700 style of rifle and of the 30.06 caliber. My issue comes into play because I am also a fan of heavy barrels and don't wanna buy an aftermarket barrel for the gun and have to get a new stock to fit. There are heavy barrels for the 308 and I am starting to wonder if the rifle makers are trying to out date the 30.06 caliber.

I know the 30.06 has a flatter flight pattern than the 308. Just wondering if there is much of a difference in the capabilities of the bullets and what one do you think is worth using?

Thanks

[spittinfire]

In the real world there is almost no difference in their performance. Yes, the is a hair hotter but if you do your part and put the bullet where it needs to be the effective range of both is about the same.

Are you shooting past 300 yards? 500? What range are we discussing?

[wmille01]

If you want to know the numbers and all of that I suggest going to google punching in ballistic calculator and using the one by Winchester. I think it requires java but it's pretty good. When it comes to hunting it's all really comes down to preference and price of ammo, if you can get 500 rounds of 30.06 for $100 or you could get 500 rounds of .308 for $50 it really is a personal preference. Also you can get gun in semi auto for the .308 and some guns can shoot the 7.62x51 out of them and military surplus ammo can be a lot cheaper then civilian ammo.

[JonM]

you can get slightly heavier bullets for the 30-06. reloading sees a real advantage for the 30-06 over 308. the case capacity for the 30-06 is greater so you have to deal with compressed charges far less. this makes it easier to use bulkier powders with the 30-06.

if you buy ammo strictly off the shelf there isnt much if any diff. the 308 was designed to replicate the 30-06 in a shorter smaller cartridge.

[hawkman1]

Thanks you all. I am planing on shooting around 600 yards and maybe even up to about 800ish. My friend has land up north that reaches about 850 yards through some open fields and we go up there and shoot long distances for fun.

[Txhillbilly]

I shoot both calibers.Ballistic's are very close between the two calibers.The range of both is pretty close,but the 06 has a little edge on paper.
Depending on the twist rate used,and chamber size,a 308 will shoot the heavier bullet weights just like the 06. My Savage 10FCP 308 loves to shoot 208/210gr bullets,I've never tried 220gr in it,but have shot many out of my 06.

The biggest difference that you will notice will be recoil,the 308 has much less than the 30/06 shooting the same type of ammo.
Both calibers will take just about any game animal in North America.

[powg]

they are basically the same in all aspects but for 1 .....more choices in factory loadings with an 06 ....i think the military really hit a home run with the 308 /7.62-51....same results in a smaller pkg ... ive got a 06 and .308 ..and i love each one

[Hawg]

Originally Posted by hawkman1

My issue comes into play because I am also a fan of heavy barrels and don't wanna buy an aftermarket barrel for the gun and have to get a new stock to fit.

Buy the after market barrel and have the barrel channel opened up.

[jpattersonnh]

Case capacity has something to do w/ it, but not everything. .30-06 is rated for 60,200psi, .308 is rated for 62,000psi. With a slower burning powder, the .30-06 has about 200fps over the .308 w/ an equal weight bullet. That translates into range. The larger case allows slower powders that take up more volume to be used. "Most" .308's don't shoot anything above 180gr very well. 600 yards, The .308 w/ 168gr match.

[Sniper03]

Hawkman,

The guys have made some very good points. Probably for the availability of good accurate rounds out in the field and at shows I would probably look at the 308. Since there are a lot of real accurate rounds out there for it. Like the Federal GM308M and others. A lot of the 30-06 bullets I see at the shows are strictly military surplus types. Great to shoot but not totally accurate. Not a whole lot of Lake City out there. I have both calibers and the 30-06 does reach out a little farther with a little more ft.lbs of energy at the same distance as the 308. It is an excellent round and especially if you reload because of the availability of bullet types and weights. On the other hand I have also shot my 40X 308 at 1000 yards with fairly good accuracy. Personally I think you would be satisfyed either way you go. I do also like the short action of my 308 rifles which I think is a slight plus. Also I have shot a lot of deer with the 308 as well as the 30-06 and do not notice much difference at all. Most were DRT! Anyway Good Luck on your selection!

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