Heeeelllpppp.....

[NSP64]

I know it is an age old decision. Which caliber to get. 308 or 30-06.
What do I plan on doing with said gun?? Shooting cast through it of course. Plinking, Varmit hunting (coyote), Maybe deer in missouri (rifle not allowed in ILLinois yet) An answer and why you would choose please. I hate sitting on the fence. Thanks It will be a bolt gun.


Both have the same twist rate.

[HeavyMetal]

I guess the real question is how "handy" do you want this rifle to be?

Both are about the same balistically but the 308 fits into a "shorter" action and you can get it in a lever gun if you want.

So if your gonna sit in a blind and wait for the deer to walk by it doesn't matter, if your actually going to go look for the deer then size matters.

I got a Savage 99F in 308 for just such "stalking" 6 lbs with reciever sights on it, maybe less.

[waksupi]

For cast boolits, I consider the .30-06 over bore capacity.

[geargnasher]

For cast boolits, I consider the .30-06 over bore capacity.

Das why you fill 'em up with Slooooooow powders, Heavy boolits, a smidge of Dacron, and send 'em screamin' downrange at 2400+ fps! [smilie=2:

Ok, you're right. The .308 Winchester is much better suited to cast boolit use, and some would argue the same for jacketed vs. the .30-'06.

Gear

[c3d4b2]

The way it was explained to me by one of my sensei .....

the 308 tends to be more accurate. The 30-06 tend to obtain higher velocity. Pick the one that best fits your needs.

[Blammer]

are you currently set up for casting or reloading either cartridge? If so I'd stick with that one.

[NSP64]

I have some .309 molds but no loading dies for either.

[45nut]

both.

[NSP64]

both.

That's a lot of help[smilie=s:

I can only afford one right now. I want to get the best accuracy. I know some calibers are inherently accurate with cast. Of these two choices, which one is?

I have some of both cases.
The 06 looked better for cast due to the longer neck,
308 I thought might be better due to reduced case capacity.

[45nut]

well,, I won a NCBS with a borrowed 308,, then followed it up with a win with a borrowed -06.
both were sub 1" @ 100 yards.
mauser 308, 1903 -06 and I had never fired either in advance.
SO,, back to both. LOL

[Trapshooter]

'o6 has a longer neck if that matters. ;)

Trapshooter

[DCP]

OK

The one you can get the best deal on

There is not much different

You might as well ask blond or brunette or red head there all going to get the job done(well some might be better than others) ya just got to try them all

SO,, back to both. LOL

[Blammer]

There ya go! What ever rifle comes along that you can get a really good deal on! BINGO!

[Doc Highwall]

I say go with the 308 Win.

[Wayne Smith]

.30US, otherwise known as the 30-40 Kraig. Not one of your first choices, but one of the best .30 calibers larger than the 30-30 for cast. If you have neither the rifle or dies, why not?

[NSP64]

Doc, why 308?
The new rifles are the same price.

[Larry Gibson]

If you want the best cast bullet friendly rifle take the .308W with a 12" twist barrel.

Larry Gibson

[Rocky Raab]

Ahhh, a genuine dilemma: The case with the longer cast-friendly neck - or the case with the smaller cast-friendly volume?

A bit of a conundrum, eh, what?

As the only gun writer in world history who has never owned a .30-06, I think you might predict my answer. But I'll say it anyway: a .308.

[waksupi]

The .308 is Mary Anne. The .30-06 is Ginger. Which do you prefer?

[DCP]

I think we are showing our age
Dont you Professor

The .308 is Mary Anne. The .30-06 is Ginger. Which do you prefer?

[Bass Ackward]

Doc, why 308?
The new rifles are the same price.


Right church, wrong pew. If you want paper, that's one thing. If you are going to throw deer hunting into the mix, go 358 and never look back. You can plink with 357 weight bullets and then step up to what ever you need.

[runfiverun]

the 358 is more cast friendly, much more.
i was thinking the 0-8,0-6 debate was settled when the 30-30 came out.

[jsizemore]

You can make a 308 case from a 30-06 but not 30-06 from 308.

Less powder 308.

[Doc Highwall]

With my Remington 40X in 308 Winchester using SAECO #315 cast with 30:1 alloy sized .310" and lubed with Bull-Shops NASA lube over 20.5grs of AA5744 I have shot groups as small as .305" for 5 shots at 100 yards after 300 rounds have been fired through the gun. My brother in law two weeks ago put 4 shots in .150" with the 5th shot making the group .633" when he got caught by a wind change.

[NSP64]

I was leaning toward the 308 and wanted some opinions.

[Moonie]

My 11 year old daughter is wanting a rifle for her 12'th birthday. I'm leaning toasted 30-06 but my oldest son has a 30-06 so we do have everything to load it, including a mold.

[303Guy]

So, what's more important - a decent long neck or a smaller case capacity? (If the new guns are the same price, are they on the same actions? (Lengthwise). Can't argue with Doc Highwall on this one but I would tend to agree with Bass Ackward and runfiverun and suggest the 358. Have a look at it's ballistics. I have cast for both 357 (not quite the same but almost) and for 303 Brit and I would rather cast the bigger boolit. And should you one day decide to try paper patching, the bigger boolit is again that much easier. But if the 358 is not available in the rifle and price ...... :sad:

[qajaq59]

Which caliber to get. 308 or 30-06. Let me put it this way.... My .308 gets fired once a week. The '06 spends most of it's life in the safe.

[Echo]

OK

You might as well ask blond or brunette or red head there all going to get the job done(well some might be better than others) ya just got to try them all


Super! I'll tell my wife, and cite DCP as the source! (I won't give your location, though)

[recycledelectrons]

If you already have one, stay with that caliber.

If you are starting from scratch, .30-06 and .308 are identical except:

(1) .30-06 brass costs $0.25 per round, when you can find it
.308 brass is everywhere for $0.10 per round

(2) .30-06 surplus bolt guns are $600 and up
.308 surplus C&R Mausers are commonly available for $170-$200 I'm looking at an Argentinean or a Spanish in the near future.

(3) If you ever want a surplus semi-auto, only Garands shoot .30-06
FALs, CETMEs, G3s, etc, etc, etc shoot .308

(4) .30-06 can take heavier cast boolits, and I'm sure there is a difference in the rate fo twist that makes the .308 favor slightly lighter bullets than the .30-06

I own one .30-06 (a gift; an 1903 Mark 1 springfield) and too many .308s to think about.

Andy

[NSP64]

I was looking to stimulate the economy and buy a new Savage Edge. They use the same action length. Same twist rate 1-10 . I have been scrounging brass. I just didn't know if ctg wise there is a difference. Everything else is exactly the same.

[Rocky Raab]

Realistically now, there isn't much difference between the two. Either will launch a cast bullet at about 2,000 fps - plenty for any target or deer. The .308 will do it on a grain or so less powder, with cheaper brass. The .30-06 will hold a little more of the lubed bullet in the neck.

If you could graft a .30-06 neck onto a .308 case, you'd have ...

... a .30-40 Krag. If it were chambered in modern guns, that'd be the perfect cast bullet cartridge. But it isn't.

[DCP]

Winchester is making a new 1885 and Browning a new 1895 your perfect cast bullet cartridge



... a .30-40 Krag. If it were chambered in modern guns, that'd be the perfect cast bullet cartridge. But it isn't

[mpmarty]

The intent of a rifle is accuracy. The .308 is inherrently more accurate than the '06. Go with the .308 and don't look back.[smilie=f:

[oldtoolsniper]

.308 Marine Snipers use them to take out the trash.

[uscra112]

If the chambers are SAAMI, the .308 has the better throat.

But make mine .30-40 Government if it has to be .30 caliber, 7.5 Swiss in a K31 if it can be foreign, and .35 Remington if I get to pick any bore I want. Just wish the .35 Rem had a longer neck, but I live with it.

[Crash_Corrigan]

They are about as similiar as two peas in a pod. However if you look in the current Cheaper than Dirt catalog you will find many good deals on .308 ammo and not a one in '06. The availability of inexpensive brass for the .308 as compared to the '06 would tip the scales for me.

Of course I do not have .308. My 30-06 is a M-1 Garand and I am always looking for cases as I shot it a lot. The best deal I found was with the CMP. I got a couple of spam cans of enbloc clipped ball rounds for a decent price and I have a 10 year supply of brass and a lifetime supply of clips.

Like another said, you can get a .308 in a lighter and handier rifle than a '06. You pays your money and you live with your choices.

[lwknight]

I think that 30-06 ammo might be easier to find at any old mom and pop hardware store USA than the .308.
The kind of people that would want an AR type rifle are also more likely to want for more ammo than the 30-06 bolt shooters. That means that in a crunch or panic ( like the last election) the market vaccum made unobtaniun of the 308s.

[NSP64]

The forum is right again :drinks:

308 is accurate with cast.

Got a new Savage Edge, looks cheap. cheap phosphate paint. cheap trigger.
free floating barrel, shoots cast without GC and NO leadin, accurate.

It's a winner in my book.
23898
Four rounds 50 yrds 180gr lee 312 180 2r boolit sized .309 propelled by 11gr unique


Seems they were cheap everywhere it didn't matter and spot on where it did matter

[RobS]

Glad you are happy with your decision...................what is there not to be happy about.............your groups are excellent. ;)

It's hard to beat an out of the box Savage for it's accuracy.

[mpmarty]

The 308 is a superior cartridge. Check out the matches and scores and see what the pros are shooting.