Here is all I need to say about the 308
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Here is all I need to say about the 308
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Assuming a hundred yards?Quote:
Originally Posted by okie2
you are right this was done on a very calm day no wind at all.
It really surprised me too is the reason I kept shooting the same target.
the rifle used was a Savage model 12 single shot 26" stainless fluted barrel
savage makes a 6mm br thats pretty nifty on the long range and also the big dog 6.5x284
The .308 is a great caliber you can get ammo for it anywhere in a pinch if you need to. Everybody likes there own thing. I will deffinately allways have one in case the world goes to hell in a handbasket just because of the surplus military ammo. My longest kill which wasn't long at all compared to most was on a 142inch 8 point buck at 240yards with a .308 But there are several calibers sitting next to my 308 in the closet and under the bed 17hmr,223,243,7mm-08,dirty-30.
Some would say that the 22lr is very anemic for deer hunting. That never stopped my grandad from using the cartridge though when he was a kid to take deer down. Shot placement is far more important than caliber choice imo.
OK & ?Quote:
Originally Posted by psharon97
I suppose if you love the 308 cartridge you would assume anyone who doesn't must hate it. That is not true, only an assumptions fueled by lust. ;)
The 308 was created in 1951, Nato adopted it in 1954 but Winchester introduced its very slightly different version in 1952 in their m70 and m88 rifles which has become a very successful commercial cartridge without any help from the military. Back in 1952 there was not much to choose from in cartridges so the 308 offered a tremendous bump over the 300 savage, milder kick over the 06 and because hunters were not velocity driven like they are today the cartridge was warmly accepted. The cartridge is still hotly contested today because it does offer some desired benefits but has been grossly outclassed in many others. Because we have such a selection today the cartridge shouldn't still have the same attraction that it does but will always have the virtue of being the parent case and enjoy the popularity benefits of being the older sibling.
The only benefit over the 30-06 the military received was a higher rate of fire in their automatic weapons and the fact that the military was so happy with their 06 they continued to use it up to the 1960's. The US didn't adopt the 308 until 1957 for the new m60 machine gun then adapted the cartridge for the m14 in 1959. The m14 had a very short service life and was essentially mothballed in favor of the .223 and m16 within only a few years. If it weren't for the m60 I doubt the US military would have adopted the 308 at all. Naturally the first sniping systems were going to use the 308 because it was what was available at the time but modern sniping systems have been adopting other cartridges for decades. The 300 win mag was first used in the 80's to extend the effective range over the 308 and now we have the 338 Lapua and soon the 6.8 SPC may be replacing the 223. So the military is only using it out of necessity not by choice.
The 6.8spc will extend the range over the 300 win? HUH? ??? The 6.8spc is even more "anemic" than the .308 ;D
Since the 6.8 is based off the 30 rem, I don't think there's anything revolutionary going on there.
And of course now we have lots of 308 military Sniper rifles being converted to 300WM.
O really? Which ones?Quote:
Originally Posted by nomosendero
The army is rebarreling some of our m24s.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. YACYAS
What caliber were the m24's before changing to 300 mag?
M24 308 http://www.snipercentral.com/m24.htmQuote:
Originally Posted by okie2
Many are being converted to 300WM http://www.tactical-life.com/online/...?right=related
http://seanlinnane.blogspot.com/2010...0-win-mag.html
I'm perplexed at a couple of post that show such disdain for the .308. Calling it anemic as a hunting cartridge is just plain nuts, you may as well be calling the 30-06 irrelevant. The .308 has accounted for every major North American big game animal and was being used to kill the biggest Alaskan bears long long before the magnum freaks reared their heads. I have no problem with magnums per se and if folks want to use magnums and I'm glad that other cartridges are available but the .308 and 30-06 are capable killers in the extreme.
The 308 is a good round. In its day, it was still just a good round. It does not have the knock down power of the 30-06, nor its recoil. It does not have the distance or trajectory of the 6mm / .243 critical for a varmint round. It is just a good round in a world of readily available great rounds. It’s a jack of all trades but master of none.
If I owned only 3 different calibers, .243, .308, and 30-06 and was going hunting, the 308 would be left home more often. Going sheep hunting in Montana, I will take the 30-06. The 308 will work almost as well, but will be my backup, but I’m not taking 2 rifles. If I am hunting prairie dog in Texas, I’m taking the .243. Once again the .308 is my back-up.
If I have to choose just one caliber, it would be the .243. One of the most versatile calibers available. Sorry .308
Vern, your logic makes very little sense the .308 and 30.06 ballistics are almost identical. I own both calibers so its not like I have a problem with .30-06 BTW I live in Missoula, Montana and have seen big moose dropped cold with a .308Quote:
Originally Posted by vern748
I realize those are your personal preferences and thats cool. Interesting that you picked the .243 as your All-Around Cowboy go to rifle considering that it is based on the .308 design.
hi mini14gb
It is all about personal preferences. I have no doubt about the capabilities of the .308, the M60 was my favorite weapon, but that is a different story. Is the 308 a match for the 30-06, you bet. Will it outclass the .243 ( a necked down .308), more often than not. Its just not my go to round when there are other tools available that will do a better job for the given job.
If I'm building a house, I'm using a proper framing hammer with a good checkered face.
Doing body work, I'm using a ball-peen hammer. The standard claw hammer will work almost as well in all situations, but I am going to go with my tool of choice.
Can we say hijacked & off topic again. Sheeeeesh. Sorry I just had to. ;D
you can argue a few hundred fps here and there so if a 308 is almost ballisticly the same as a 30-06, a 30-30 is almost the same as a 308, so why not a 30-30? and the 30-30 as taken well more game then the 308 since it has been around almost twice as long as the 308.
Basically gentleman, we can agree to disagree. Shoot whatever you like and ignore what other people say. Sadly, caliber choice is one of the few freedoms we still retain.....................for the moment. Enjoy whatever you have in the safe, cabinet, rack.
The availability of a wide selection of cartridges is what spurs debates like this. This cartridge will do THIS better. Yeah, well this cartridge will do THAT better. I personally don't own a .308 right now... not entirely true, I own a .308 barrel that's not installed on a gun right now. But as has been pointed out it's all about priorities. I want lower recoil, you want higher velocity, he want's bullet selection and she wants to be able to go into any store in the country and buy ammo.
I have a 260 Rem and love it. I just put a 6.5x47 Lapua barrel on my kids gun and that is proving to be a real shooter. But if the chips were down and I had to pick one and only one gun, it would be a standard cartridge I could get anywhere like a .308, 223 or 30-06 and most likely, if I had to pick one and only one gun it would be a 22LR for a variety of reasons.
I am glad that is a decision we don't have to make.
One thing that informs this discussion here in CA is the "lead free" zones to protect the condor.
One solution is to "up-caliber" a bit to use the copper bullets.
Thus a move from 243/7mm-08 to 308 or 338 Fed.
Are you telling me that a condor hit with a .338 lead free bullet won't die. LOL! ;D ;D ;D ;D
I know what you mean. I am just joking. It's just that every time I hear something from CA I have to smile quietly to myself.