Forums.NitroExpress.com

I like the 308. I would not say it's my favorite 30, but it's in 2nd place.

I own 30 calibers in several rifles and I rate the 30-06 as #1 but the 308 as a close 2nd. I also own a 300 H&H and a 30-30. I have owned many others in the past, but sold them all. I have owned and used 300 Win Mag, 308 Norma mag, 300 Weatherby Mag, 30-378 Mag, 30-40 Krag, 7.5 Swiss and 300 Savage. I do miss the 30-40 a bit, but not the others.

I have found that if I have a need for more then the 308 or 30-06 gives me I need a LOT more, and not just a faster way to shoot the same bullet. I need more bullet, so I jump up to a 9.3 or a 375 if the 308 or 30-06 seem a bit light. I do love the old 300 H&H too but it's not the death ray that some think it is. I think of my 300 as a 30-06 with an extra 100 yards built in.
I can't tell ANY difference in performance between the 30-06 and the 308 with bullets from 150 to 180 grains on game. The 308 is about 100 FPS slower with the 180s, but so far I can't see any difference at all on game.
I shot the 308 (7.62X51 NATO) for 6 years in the Marine Corps with the M118 ammo and I got used to the trajectory, so I find that making hits with it is not difficult for me and the faster loads I use in the 30-06 and 300 are easier at guessed ranges, but if I have a known range the 308 is as easy to hit with as the 270 or the 300. (or the 30-378 when I had it)

MY 300 is dear to me not because it's a 300 as much as because it's a classic long barreled Mauser and just really a cool gun. Makes a larger diameter hole in elk at the same ranges as my 270 does,and the trajectory is nearly the same. But I have not killed as many animals with it as I have with my 30-06s or my 270s. Or my 308s now that I think of it.

I guess I like rifles more then I like calibers. But when I started slimming down the collection I kept the 308s more then I did a lot of other calibers. Overall I think the 308 and the 30-06 are the best 30s of the bunch.

Post Extras