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If you want to quickly turn your friends into spittle-spewing fanatics, bring them all together and ask which is the better cartridge, 30-06 Springfield or its smaller, younger nephew, the 308 Winchester. An instant snake pit of frenemies.
Well, I’m going to go where angels fear to tread. And just to get your blood boiling quickly, I’m on the side of the .308 Winchester. Here’s why.
When it comes to ballistics the 30-06 does it better. It shoots faster, flies flatter, and has more punch at longer ranges. Not by much, maybe by just a bit, but it generally outperforms the 308. There is also more flexibility for reloaders with the 30-06 compared to the 308. Where the smaller 308 has case capacity of just 56 grains, the 30-06 has capacity for 68 grains. As a bigger cartridge, the 30-06 takes bullets up to 200 grains, while the smaller 308 tops out at 185 grains (your reloading mileage may vary).
With all that in favor of the 30-06, why would anyone favor the 308? Many think the 308 is better because it uses a short action compared to the long-action 30-06. Long-action rifles have a tendency to be heavier, bigger, and more expensive than short-action rifles. Fair enough, but with the wide variety of rifles made with so many different materials these days, that argument just doesn’t seem to hold “weight” (sorry for the pun) like it used to. Some also think a long action is slower to load and operate compared to a short action, but user experience wins the day regardless of action length so that factor is minor at best. However, the added ammo weight that comes with the 30-06 can be a consideration, depending on how much extra ammo you pack (especially when humping mountainsides while hunting).
Some argue that the 308 has more ammo availability (due to its additional ability to shoot the 7.62 X 51 NATO; just don't do it the other way around), but the 30-06 is just as common on store shelves... well, assuming there will ever be ammo on store shelves. Ammo prices are almost always less for the 308, so the little guy wins that one.
Some folks like the 308 because they feel it is more accurate at longer ranges. There has, in fact, been research to show that at 1,000 yards the 30-06 groups are typically double 308 groups. But how compelling is this? For most hunters (all hunters?) it would be unethical to hunt at 1,000 yards with either a 30-06 or 308. At ethical hunting distances there is no compelling difference. If long-range shooting at targets instead of animals is your thing, you really need to dump the 308 and 30-06 for the likes of 6.5 PRC, 26 Nosler, 300 Win Mag, even 6.5 Creedmoor, etc. The point-blank-range of the 308 is about ten yards further than the 30-06 (about 300 yards compared to 290), but that difference is a pretty slight, minor factor.
There is a recoil difference between the two cartridges, with the 30-06 being a bit stiffer, especially at its higher bullet weights. This could be important for shooters who are recoil sensitive. But honestly, the recoil difference isn’t great, and if you’re a reloader this factor is largely under your control. So again, minor factor.
The biggest difference between the two cartridges seems to be the wide availability of semi-auto rifles in 308. You can also get semi-auto 30-06 rifles, but they are comparatively rare. We’re talking, for example, about the Browning BAR Mark II and III, Benelli R1, SMF Tac-30, Noreen BN36X3, Ohio Ordinance 1918A3-SLR, most of which are more than $2,000. There are also older 30-06 semi-autos no longer in production that can be had on the used market. But for some reason the semi-auto 30-06, despite its military heritage, just has not proven as popular as the 308. The short vs. long action is probably the main reason. Personally, I've never seen a semi-auto 30-06 at the gun range or in the field, but semi-auto 308s/A-10s get seen all the time. Consequently, where all the other factors are mediocre to minor differences, the semi-auto difference is significant, and that’s why I tip the scale in favor of the 308.
Everyone has an opinion (a civil opinion, no spittle please), so let the fur fly. Of course, this thread is supposed to be between the 308 and 30-06, but what the heck, I know other 30s are going to be fan faves, so go for it.
Well, I’m going to go where angels fear to tread. And just to get your blood boiling quickly, I’m on the side of the .308 Winchester. Here’s why.
When it comes to ballistics the 30-06 does it better. It shoots faster, flies flatter, and has more punch at longer ranges. Not by much, maybe by just a bit, but it generally outperforms the 308. There is also more flexibility for reloaders with the 30-06 compared to the 308. Where the smaller 308 has case capacity of just 56 grains, the 30-06 has capacity for 68 grains. As a bigger cartridge, the 30-06 takes bullets up to 200 grains, while the smaller 308 tops out at 185 grains (your reloading mileage may vary).
With all that in favor of the 30-06, why would anyone favor the 308? Many think the 308 is better because it uses a short action compared to the long-action 30-06. Long-action rifles have a tendency to be heavier, bigger, and more expensive than short-action rifles. Fair enough, but with the wide variety of rifles made with so many different materials these days, that argument just doesn’t seem to hold “weight” (sorry for the pun) like it used to. Some also think a long action is slower to load and operate compared to a short action, but user experience wins the day regardless of action length so that factor is minor at best. However, the added ammo weight that comes with the 30-06 can be a consideration, depending on how much extra ammo you pack (especially when humping mountainsides while hunting).
Some argue that the 308 has more ammo availability (due to its additional ability to shoot the 7.62 X 51 NATO; just don't do it the other way around), but the 30-06 is just as common on store shelves... well, assuming there will ever be ammo on store shelves. Ammo prices are almost always less for the 308, so the little guy wins that one.
Some folks like the 308 because they feel it is more accurate at longer ranges. There has, in fact, been research to show that at 1,000 yards the 30-06 groups are typically double 308 groups. But how compelling is this? For most hunters (all hunters?) it would be unethical to hunt at 1,000 yards with either a 30-06 or 308. At ethical hunting distances there is no compelling difference. If long-range shooting at targets instead of animals is your thing, you really need to dump the 308 and 30-06 for the likes of 6.5 PRC, 26 Nosler, 300 Win Mag, even 6.5 Creedmoor, etc. The point-blank-range of the 308 is about ten yards further than the 30-06 (about 300 yards compared to 290), but that difference is a pretty slight, minor factor.
There is a recoil difference between the two cartridges, with the 30-06 being a bit stiffer, especially at its higher bullet weights. This could be important for shooters who are recoil sensitive. But honestly, the recoil difference isn’t great, and if you’re a reloader this factor is largely under your control. So again, minor factor.
The biggest difference between the two cartridges seems to be the wide availability of semi-auto rifles in 308. You can also get semi-auto 30-06 rifles, but they are comparatively rare. We’re talking, for example, about the Browning BAR Mark II and III, Benelli R1, SMF Tac-30, Noreen BN36X3, Ohio Ordinance 1918A3-SLR, most of which are more than $2,000. There are also older 30-06 semi-autos no longer in production that can be had on the used market. But for some reason the semi-auto 30-06, despite its military heritage, just has not proven as popular as the 308. The short vs. long action is probably the main reason. Personally, I've never seen a semi-auto 30-06 at the gun range or in the field, but semi-auto 308s/A-10s get seen all the time. Consequently, where all the other factors are mediocre to minor differences, the semi-auto difference is significant, and that’s why I tip the scale in favor of the 308.
Everyone has an opinion (a civil opinion, no spittle please), so let the fur fly. Of course, this thread is supposed to be between the 308 and 30-06, but what the heck, I know other 30s are going to be fan faves, so go for it.
