30-06 or 308?

[Skillet]

Believe it or not, I have never owned a rifle. Always hunted deer with a shotgun or muzzleloader. I'm ready for something new. 

I've narrowed it down to these two calibers.

 Planning on buying a bolt action.

Any pros or cons to either? Which one should I pick? Any input appreciated. Thanks.

[Gencountyzeek]

Whats the plan for the rifle? Just deer hunting, .308 little cheaper, less recoil. 

[Skillet]

Just now, Gencountyzeek said:

Whats the plan for the rifle? Just deer hunting, .308 little cheaper, less recoil. 

Yep, just NY deer. Maybe a bear if I was lucky enough.

[SportsmanNH]

All my deer hunting rifles are all 30-06 . There is nothing wrong with a 308. I just like using a 180 grain bullet.  I had a Winchester 100 that did not shoot 180 grain as accurate as my 06 rifles. I found the 308 works best with 150 or 165 grain.  The 30-06 bullets you can find everywhere. The 308 you can find them , but usually limited to just a few different bullets. 

If you are considering bear , then the 06 would be better because you can get 220 grain bullets. But there is nothing wrong with a 308 

Edited September 8, 2020 by SportsmanNH

[mlammerhirt]

30-.06 or bust.
Bring the jackhammer to the woods for the one inch tracking job. Lol.
In all seriousness I am guessing the .308 is just as good.....I just love shooting a
.30-.06.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

[Nytracker]

Either will do the job. 06 isn't as popular as it once was ... surplus ammo is alot harder to find than it use to be ....  ar guys are snatching up 308 hunting rounds do to shortage.

My preference is 308 ... I use to be 06 guy. I still have my gramps 760 pump. It doesn't go out anymore. 

[G-Man]

30-06 allows very light loads air heavy if your reload yourself with century of Information available,  308 is simply a recoil reduced 30-06 as many couldnt take the punishment of a 30-06. So when army went to 308 so did rest of the country..  if you ever plan a western trip or longer range shots  I'd stick. To. 30- 06.

[Pygmy]

The only real difference is that the .308 fits in a short action and may be a slightly shorter rifle...

As far as performance goes on deer sized game , flip a coin....Any differences are merely splitting hairs...

Lots of factory ammo selections for both rounds also..

[land 1]

just for ny deer either round is perfectly fine, if your going out to or pass 400 plus yards maybe 30-06 has a slight advantage.....

[Pygmy]

10 minutes ago, G-Man said:

30-06 allows very light loads air heavy if your reload yourself with century of Information available,  308 is simply a recoil reduced 30-06 as many couldnt take the punishment of a 30-06. So when army went to 308 so did rest of the country..  if you ever plan a western trip or longer range shots  I'd stick. To. 30- 06.

Recoil tolerance was not the main reason for adoption of the .308....The shorter .308 is better suited for fully automatic and selective fire weapons ( like the soon to be adopted M-14) than the longer 30-06,  but it's performance came very close to matching that of the combat proven 30-06, especially with the  150 grain bullets, which were standard in military FMJ .30 cal rounds ...

[mowin]

17 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

The only real difference is that the .308 fits in a short action and may be a slightly shorter rifle...

As far as performance goes on deer sized game , flip a coin....Any differences are merely splitting hairs...

Lots of factory ammo selections for both rounds also..

This... Sums it up perfectly.

 

[Dinsdale]

I'll do it.....

Neither.

Get a 243win and shoot a 90 gr all copper bullet like Barnes TSX or Noslers e-tip.

Little recoil at a typical hunting weight rifle, and zips right along making all copper perform well.

 

[wolc123]

Of those two, 30/06 gets my vote.  I am 3 for 3 on deer with that (CO mule deer and 2 NY whitetails).  Usually (non-election years) ammo is very easy to find.  No experience with a .308.  

That said, I am switching to 30/30 levers for NY whitetails because they are a lot easier to carry in the mountains than my heavy 30/06 bolt.  Right now, that ammo is also tough to find.  There seemed to be quite a bit of .270 and other oddballs on the shelves at Runnings last weekend.

They did have some .243 but I would avoid that due to excessive meat damage.  I like heavier, slower bullets to minimize that.

Edited September 8, 2020 by wolc123

[G-Man]

32 minutes ago, Dinsdale said:

I'll do it.....

Neither.

Get a 243win and shoot a 90 gr all copper bullet like Barnes TSX or Noslers e-tip.

Little recoil at a typical hunting weight rifle, and zips right along making all copper perform well.

 

Bit light for a possible shot at a bear let alone a big bear...

[turkeyfeathers]

Don’t sleep on the 7mm08

[Lawdwaz]

19 minutes ago, G-Man said:

Bit light for a possible shot at a bear let alone a big bear...

There isn't a bear walking in NYS that can stand a 80gr Barnes TTSX in the boiler room or shoulder.  All I've killed with the .243 and that load are deer in NY and PA but all have been one shot kills.........

That said, today I took a few pokes with my 300WSM and it shoots lights out like all my guns.  I only have 17 bullets (handloads) left for it but that should get me through Opening day if I choose to carry it and I just might.

 

[Lawdwaz]

23 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Don’t sleep on the 7mm08

Spectacular round..................wait, I'll say it again. Spectacular!

[Lawdwaz]

1 hour ago, Skillet said:

Believe it or not, I have never owned a rifle. Always hunted deer with a shotgun or muzzleloader. I'm ready for something new. 

I've narrowed it down to these two calibers.

 Planning on buying a bolt action.

Any pros or cons to either? Which one should I pick? Any input appreciated. Thanks.

Nice to see you back.......stick around!

[Team Hoyt]

Them are the calibers I use. I have only shot ny deer. Both work great. No tracking. Do what I did and buy both. Then you'll never wish you got the other caliber lol

[grampy]

1 hour ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Don’t sleep on the 7mm08

Or the 270 Win. Bang - Flop. But the 7mm-08 may just be the perfect whitetail round.

30-06 or 308??? Flip a coin.

[TreeGuy]

I bought a new rifle a few years back. I wanted a 6.5creedmore but the dealer I was buying from didn't have one, so my next choice was 7mm-08, which was also n/a. After a pile of research I flipped the coin and went 308. ( Yes Gman, specifically because I can't handle the recoil of an o6 ). Only killed one deer and@The_Real_TCIII can verify it was effective. It's also put down some fur. It's the savage lightweight hunter. I went for it ( the gun, not the caliber ) because it was crazy light and comfortable to shoulder.

Here's the point. It's 2020 and gun makers have overloaded the market with fantastic whitetail rifles and ammo geared towards big game. Find a rifle that's comfortable to hold, and fits the budget. Forget caliber.

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[Pygmy]

Amazing how  we love discussions like this one...I have some friends in New Brunswick who will argue for hours about  whether a .308 or a 30-06 is the better MOOSE rifle...

IIRC, I have shot whitetails with the following rifle chamberings.....222 rem, 25-06, .270 Win, 7 x57, 7mm08, .280 Rem, 7MM Rem Mag, 30-06, .35 Rem, 356 Win, .338 Win mag and 9.3 x62...All performed well with proper shot placement, although the .222 is admittedly light and the .338 and 9.3 x 62  are somewhat heavy on the recoil end, but not as bad as a 12 gauge slug, which I have  also shot lots of deer with..

[G-Man]

2 hours ago, Lawdwaz said:

There isn't a bear walking in NYS that can stand a 80gr Barnes TTSX in the boiler room or shoulder.  All I've killed with the .243 and that load are deer in NY and PA but all have been one shot kills.........

That said, today I took a few pokes with my 300WSM and it shoots lights out like all my guns.  I only have 17 bullets (handloads) left for it but that should get me through Opening day if I choose to carry it and I just might.

 

I've seen one shot 5x with .243 and no bullets made it past the ribs. Hide and 4 inches of fat at 15 yards. I cant tell you what bullet it was ,but it was a 243.  7mm, 45 70 and 12 ga all went through.  

Edited September 8, 2020 by G-Man

[Swamp_bucks]

I have a 30-06 and it more than doors the job ammo is decent price and everyone sells it.   My favorite rifle round is the 270.  Need to get another one.  Killed 5 with my first they all piled up. Most have dropped with the 30-06 also.  Between the .308 or 30/06 you can't go wrong.

[ny hunter]

Pick one and practice a little opening day well be here before you know it..........