.308 vs. 30-06

[wigmaster0]

As I am going to once again go hunting next fall (after a 16 year hiatus) I am trying to determine which to be the better caliber. I currently have a Saiga 308 which I am very proficient with. I used to own a Remington 30-06 model 70 that unfortunately I had to sell for financial reasons. I am definitely a better shot with the saiga, but as far as overall power I know the 30-06 to have a lot more mmmph to it. But what about elk? Will the saiga have what it takes in a .308? Not that I will be going elk hunting any way I am just curious. Heck way back when I did hunt and before we had to draw for a tag I never had the opportunity to take a deer down. I am eager to get some venison on the table next year!

[samuel]

Just cut 35yds off your range for the .308win. and neither you nor the elk will ever notice the difference. sam.

[Lng Rng]

Sam is right. If you can shoot good with your 308, that is your best bet.

[BattleRifleG3]

The Saiga 100 in 30-06 is an excellent rifle but teh controls are different than the 308.

308 Vs 30-06 is another discussion. Either rifle works fine if the cartridge does.

[toolman]

Within 300 yds or so, a .308 will do anything an '06 will but the trajectory will be slightly different. The main concern is using good ammo and know where your gun puts that exact ammo.

[Despoiler]

You being a some what newer hunter, you probably wont be taking super long shots. Stay 100 to 200 yds and you be fine using the .308. I have never taken a deer over 200 yds, most have been in the 50 to 100 yd range. But if you want to get a 30-06 that is also a great round.

Despoiler

[wigmaster0]

Thanks for the great feedback I really appreciate it!

[blaster]

the only advantage of the .30/06 is when you get into the 220 gr. bullets

[Tex in Maine]

Balisticaly the 30-06 is only slightly better than the .308. As for accuracy the .308 seems to be the prefered cartrage. If you are hunting deer the .308 should be more than adiquete.

[ArkansasHunter]

I have a 308 recently aquired and I have a 30-06 and it is amazeing the 308 just about hangs equal with the 30-06. Or does it ?
If you put the 2 cartridges side by side the 30-06 case is a lot bigger than the 308.
So why is it (I'm guessing) about equall to a 30-06.
Is this a mystery ?...A.H

[myarmor]

I have used both and am a fan of both. However I personally am a bigger fan of the 308. Don't let the shorter size fool you. It was developed to equal the -06 with different powders and grain of bullets. I believe it's only when a person wants 180gr+ that the 30-06 starts to shine. The 308 is an incredibly accurate cartridge and often equals or passes the -06 in performance with the lighter 150gr - 168gr. Even with 180gr bullets there isn't much difference.
Still for a deer rifle, both are great performers. Take your pick for this purpose.

[samuel]

Originally Posted by ArkansasHunter

I have a 308 recently aquired and I have a 30-06 and it is amazeing the 308 just about hangs equal with the 30-06. Or does it ?
If you put the 2 cartridges side by side the 30-06 case is a lot bigger than the 308.
So why is it (I'm guessing) about equall to a 30-06.
Is this a mystery ?...A.H

I will try again to explain that the .30-06 was made in the days when there werent too many powders to choose from.The .308win came along when powders were improving and worked well with medium-fast burning powders.It still does.With the best you can get in the .308 and the old loads in the .30-06 they are about equal. But powders have improved.Due to the limited capacity of the .308 the best performance is limited to the medium-fast burn rate.But with the better slow burn rate powders on the market the -06 can be loaded using slower burn powders at lower pressures and more fps,making it outperform the .308 and compete with the lower capacity .30cal magnums.The cartridge mfg,s havnt caught up yet but some of the load charts have.Today you can handload a .30-06 to 150fps+ over what you can get from a .308win.The flipside is you need 26" or longer bbl,s on the -06 to utilise the slower powders where the .308 with faster powders will reach top performance in shorter barrels due to faster burn powders. sam.

[PrivateSnuffy]

30-06 is a great round for killing things, its pretty much equal in the 180gr with range and drop with the 308. The 308 is good for lighter bullets. Both have seen duty in military sniper rifles so i think its a safe bet no matter what you pick. I have a 30-06 but someday, and ar-10 will be in my collection. both are great rounds, i think the 30-06 has a bit more kick though

[samuel]

Originally Posted by PrivateSnuffy

30-06 is a great round for killing things, its pretty much equal in the 180gr with range and drop with the 308. The 308 is good for lighter bullets. Both have seen duty in military sniper rifles so i think its a safe bet no matter what you pick. I have a 30-06 but someday, and ar-10 will be in my collection. both are great rounds, i think the 30-06 has a bit more kick though

Actually it is a misnomer that .30-06 handles heavy bullets better and .308 handles light ones better.The heavier the bullet the less powder so as you go heavier in bullet with the -06 you use a slightly faster burn rate to maintain fps.There is just a slight advantage in the -06. Using less powder in a .308 allows you to go to a slower burn rate meaning more fps at lower pressure.When you go to lighter bullets they leave the barrel much faster meaning you cant utilise the full potential of slow burn powders in an -06 so you use a faster burn rate bringing the -06 about equal with the .308.Altho the advantage is with the larger capacity casing the .308 handles heavier bullets very well.The problem is the lands are usually closer on the .308 making you seat the bullet deeper,taking up more powder space and making you use a higher burn rate. sam.

[ArkansasHunter]

Now this is what makes G&G SHINE !!! Excellent information...Sam needs to be put on the payroll !!! LOL...A.H

[wasif]

Is it safe to fire 308 ammo from a 30 06 rifle,i have a model 1917 eddystone in the 3006 cal for which i am asking this question

[Ron AKA]

Originally Posted by wasif

Is it safe to fire 308 ammo from a 30 06 rifle,i have a model 1917 eddystone in the 3006 cal for which i am asking this question

Firing a .308 cartridge in a 30-06 gun? Don't think about it for even one second.

Ron

[alaskamonte]

Originally Posted by wasif

Is it safe to fire 308 ammo from a 30 06 rifle,i have a model 1917 eddystone in the 3006 cal for which i am asking this question

No, two totally different cartridges!

Originally Posted by samuel

Actually it is a misnomer that .30-06 handles heavy bullets better and .308 handles light ones better.The heavier the bullet the less powder so as you go heavier in bullet with the -06 you use a slightly faster burn rate to maintain fps.There is just a slight advantage in the -06. Using less powder in a .308 allows you to go to a slower burn rate meaning more fps at lower pressure.When you go to lighter bullets they leave the barrel much faster meaning you cant utilise the full potential of slow burn powders in an -06 so you use a faster burn rate bringing the -06 about equal with the .308.Altho the advantage is with the larger capacity casing the .308 handles heavier bullets very well.The problem is the lands are usually closer on the .308 making you seat the bullet deeper,taking up more powder space and making you use a higher burn rate. sam.

Open the ought six to Ackley Improved (GRIN!)

Alright Sam, I'll play since I'm assuming (ya I know) that most already know that there are differences in slow and fast burning powders

Actually it is a misnomer that .30-06 handles heavy bullets better and .308 handles light ones better.The heavier the bullet the less powder so as you go heavier in bullet with the -06 you use a slightly faster burn rate to maintain fps.There is just a slight advantage in the -06.

Well Sam 10 grns of capacity, here's something I borrowed

The 308 was developed to get 95% of the 30-06's performance in 75% of it's size, and for the most part it has succeeded. It is a very efficeint round. However, it cannot handle heavy bullets without loosing powder space, while the 30-06 has got plenty of room for heavy bullets. Heavy bullets are needed for good penetration in the biggest of game, so 30-06 outperforms the 308 on anything bigger than a deer. Even so, Barnes lists the 30-06 as generally acheiving about 100fps more than the equivalent 308 loads.

Second, part of the way 308 is able to pack very similar performance in a much smaller case is to be loaded to much higher pressures. See, the 30-06 is a very old round, from 1906! Now, a gun built in 1906 couldn't always reliably handle high pressures, but guns built in the 1950's when the 308 was invented could. However, nowadays 308s and 30-06 guns are made equally strong. Ammo factories still keep the 30-06 at low pressure just in case someone owning a real old gun buys them. However, if you reload your own ammo, the big case fo the 30-06 means you can put in extra gunpowder, bringing the pressure up to the same as the 308, and when you do that, the 30-06 beats the pants off the 308.

truth is there is about as much difference between the 30-06 and the 308 as there is between the 308 and the 300 savage performance wise with factory loads. Add in hand load potential and again the 30-06 pulls ahead. (if you are interested, case capacity in grains of water are 300 savage =53, 308 = 56, 30-06 = 66, and just for comparison the 300 win mag has a water capacity of 89)

of course, all three are darn near identical, as are a whole host of other chamberings

[wasif]

thanks Ron

[wunhunglo]

Originally Posted by wasif

Is it safe to fire 308 ammo from a 30 06 rifle,i have a model 1917 eddystone in the 3006 cal for which i am asking this question

Myself and a dealer friend actually did this as an experiment. We fired over 20 7.62 nato cartridges through an old 30-06 M98 mauser action & barrel bolted to a bench. Accuracy at 25 yards was same as the 30-06. No signs of any damage to the action (but it was an M98 action so no surprises there), no signs of over pressure on the cartridge case. The case looked interesting afterwards though, the neck & shoulder had expanded all the way out to the chamber dimensions, looked a bit like a tapered strait walled cartridge case if you get my drift.

If my life depended on it, I would possibly try it, otherwise there's no way I would hold onto a rifle and try it!!