30-06 at a disadvantage?

rootacres

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So I've read some reviews. . . . wa wa wa. . and because its on the Internet it must be true, but a few articles basically stated that there is a marginal accuracy improvement with the .308 (vs 30-06) and a slight velocity advantage with the 30-06. With todays phenomenal factory ammo, am I at an accuracy disadvantage with the 30-06 compared to the .308? I may end up reloading with whichever I end up getting but want to treat this as if I am not. Any feedback would be great. This would be a rifle predominantly used for elk.
 

Pn8hall

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I think either cartridge will work just fine. Many elk have fallen to both calibers. Me personally I chose 30-06 due to the fact it can deliver a heavier bullet and I also deer hunt with it. At the end of the day as long as you can shoot it accurately they both are great choices.
 

gelton

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Not sure how a .308 could be considered more accurate using the same caliber bullet just at different velocities. In fact because the 30.06 can shoot heavier, higher b.c. rounds, I would think that it would win in both the accuracy department and the velocity department...especially further down range.

About the only advantage I see over a .30-06 is that the .308 being a short action, might be a better choice to build a lightweight mountain gun off of, but other than that I would say the .30-06 should win every time.
 

V65Magna

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I think I would base the decision on how far you anticipate shooting it, how it will be configured (e.g., long range or "stalker") and how much recoil you want to deal with. Some may opine that the later is not that big of a deal and in fairness, my .308 is a Savage FCP-SR (tank) and my .06 is a 700 BDL so for me, not an apples to apples comparison. I think I'd get the .06 as a long range rig, the .308 as a stalker.
 
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The 30-06 will deliver the goods about as well as anything else. it just depends on the rifle and the ammo.....and the trigger nut.

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2five7

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For hunting purposes I'd pick the '06 Every time over the 308. With today's newest powders and bullets its a very capable cartridge even for longer ranges work.
 

DougP

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I was researching 308 vs 30-06 this week myself.

How about this scenario?

Hunting deer and elk, factory ammo, 400 yard max?

I bought a T3x 300 win mag for elk this year. I thought I wasn’t recoil sensitive, but it really isn’t fun to shoot. I don’t shoot much as it is. I’m lights out on deer with my Ruger M77 308, but I’d like something lighter for the mountains.


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elkduds

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06 provides 200 fps more muzzle velocity than 308 w same bullet weight. And/or 06 shoots 180 gr. bullets @ same muzzle velocity as 308 shoots 150 gr. bullets. More than "slightly" faster. Because elk.
 
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lkwoolsey

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Either round is fine for hunting. I work in a gun shop and too many people get hung up on the inherent accuracy of this round vs that round...99% of the shooters out there aren't going to be able to squeeze the "maximum" performance out of any given round; but any good 'hunting' caliber is going to get the job done. If you're looking to compete in long range shooting competitions, then you may want to start looking at the slight, and it is slight, advantage you'll get out of different rounds. But that's not something, at least from the original thread, that is going to be happening with the gun you're looking at. I have an .06, its a great gun. I won't shoot an animal past 400 yards, and my .06 does the job just as well as my .300 short, just as well as the .308 I use to shoot in the Army.
Ok, i've basically just said, in a roundabout way, that, in my opinion, the difference is so small as to be negligible. Hope this helps and good luck!
 

hodgeman

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The .308 is typically easier to develop accurate loads for...although, either cartridge is easily capable of providing hunting grade accuracy and specific examples in both provide stellar accuracy. Pretty much a wash.

The '06 is a bit faster...although at normal ranges (say 400yds)...there's not an elk alive that could tell the difference in the hit. That's pretty much a wash too.

Despite the churn on the Interwebz...there just isn't any practical difference between them. Pick the one in the rifle you like the best and rock on.
 
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For an elk rifle, which is what you stated you’re going for, I would choose the 30-06. If you handload you’ll get a bit more out of a 30-06 and that’ll separate it from the 308 a bit more. The difference between the two isn’t much, but then again neither is the recoil. For just a bit more recoil you get a little more oomph on the other end, which I prefer as do many other elk hunters.
 

DougP

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Here’s a more specific question. With my 308 this year I shot 2 white tail bucks, one at 240 yards, the other at 270. Both animals were double lung shot through ribs only and the bullet didn’t pass through the hide on the opposite side. Of note, these are central Mississippi piney woods deer and aren’t that big. I shoot factory Nosler Trophy ammunition with 165 grain Accubonds.

In that situation, do you think would I get a complete pass through with the 30-06?


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kcm2

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In the field, you can't hold tight enough to notice any difference in accuracy. Nothing to worry about.
 
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Here’s a more specific question. With my 308 this year I shot 2 white tail bucks, one at 240 yards, the other at 270. Both animals were double lung shot through ribs only and the bullet didn’t pass through the hide on the opposite side. Of note, these are central Mississippi piney woods deer and aren’t that big. I shoot factory Nosler Trophy ammunition with 165 grain Accubonds.

In that situation, do you think would I get a complete pass through with the 30-06?


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Not necessarily.

More impact velocity will generally cause faster and more extensive bullet expansion/fragmentation.

If pass-throughs are your goal, look for a heavier and 'harder' bullet.
 

howl

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In two hypothetically perfect rifles, the .308 would be more consistent. You won't get that rifle to hunt with. The hunting style .308s I've had or been around were not more accurate on average than the same in .30/06s. So, pick the rifle you like best and get ammo for whichever cartridge it happens to use. The real difference will come from which rifle fits you and your shooting best. I like the slightly quicker handling of a shorter action, but I tend to shoot a long action with a slightly heavy barrel better.

In my opinion, 270 WSM beats both in a similar package with similar recoil. Can't really get cheaper 300 yard practice ammo for it, though.
 
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If it were me I would get the 30-06. It's a great cartridge and an accurate one to boot. As MontanaMarine showed it can be a real sweetheart at the range too. It hit's harder and shoots flatter and doesn't punish the shooter.

I load Nosler 165 gr. Accubonds or Partitions in my 30-06 with IMR4350 powder and it shoots very well and has taken coyotes, antelope, deer, and elk.
 
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In that situation, do you think would I get a complete pass through with the 30-06?
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In order to get a pass through you want lots of energy but not super high impact velocity. As MM says the higher the impact velocity the faster and larger expansion you’ll generally get, which decreases the likelihood of a pass through. Heavy, slower bullets or copper bullets are what you’ll need if you want higher odds of pass through.
 
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The 30.06/.308 debate is about as old as the calibers themselves. From my research in a production rifle for hunting there is not enough difference to discuss which is why the debate continues. I went with the .308 because I was getting a light weight mountain rifle and wanted the short action. The 30.06 is a long action so it is a bit longer and heavier. Like others have said one will likely not "pass through" better than the other, and in the hands of most of us hunters will not be more accurate than the other.
 

pods8 (Rugged Stitching)

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Unless a short action for weight savings is the goal I would go 30-06 in almost every foreseeable situation. Yes they both can kill elk under Xyd (and the 06' adds a little to that) but the 308 is going to have more arc to its ballistic curve for the same bullet which to me means a smaller "no adjustment" window for my zero and also yardage errors at distance will result in a larger discrepancies from point of aim. I'd rather have a 7-08 over a 308 in most cases if sticking to the '08 family since it can push better BC bullets faster and still delivers good energy at the shorter ranges you're looking at using a 308 for when hunting elk (or similar).
 
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