Should everyone own a 308 hunting rifle?

[TaperPin]

Another stereotype light weight sheep cartridge is the 284, which makes everyone smile just looking at it.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I love my 308, it’s taken a bunch of animas over the years and gone on some really cool trips.

Mine is a Kimber Montana, it weighs under 6.5lbs with the scope and silencer on it, it’s been an excellent hunting rifle over the years.

Moose, caribou, deer, goat, a few bears, I don’t hunt with it as much as I used to but I’ll never get rid of it and there’s a few hunts where it’s going to be the go to.

 

[Rock’N Tacos]

I have had a few 308s and just picked another up a few weeks ago, mostly because it is the only cartridge the browning bar dbm comes in

 

[hickswr]

Ditched the 308 years ago and zero reasons to bring it back into my life.

I also prefer modern vehicles over a horse and buggy.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Ditched the 308 years ago and zero reasons to bring it back into my life.

I also prefer modern vehicles over a horse and buggy.

looked at trucks lately? see lots of guys gravitating to as simple as they can find for attempt at finding 20 year vehicles and funny how some are listening, looking into it they are starting to find no epa nonsense on hd gassers and all 3 doing big block pushrod 2v, one still has a cylinder deactivation system so nix that one, the other has the high pressure direct injection fuelling so nix that one, the other has two version of old school with low pressure (clean) port injection and you can get into xl's for about what a new half ton costs and so where I'm going with that is, modern truck with old school simple and proven systems/features for reliability.....ditching overhead cams, ditching direct injection, epa cylinder deactivation, ditching turbos that bring a lot of heating/cooling management and maintenance to evap purge stuff etc., dropping hp per liter to minimums etc., many been running from diesels for awhile due to epa as a only if absolutely need them for your work and loads type thing...so not a consideration for comparing all gas trucks especially half ton and hd's, heck watch a ford 6.7 delete video and see where the extra 935 lbs over base gasser comes from...yikes, pay more for it and then more again to delete it, then be off warranty....only if you absolutely need it or change trucks under warranty anyway imo but you do you...until you can buy them deleted again won't be on my radar as just don't have the needs, 10 spds add modern versatility but the heart of the beast has gone pretty old school but built to modern materials/standards etc.

modern bullets makes the 308 great again in a similar way imo, you get all that long term reliability and simplicity to minimize any fuss potentials with some modern inflight improvements and more terminal performance options to boot...and I hate 30 cal, but hard to ignore the 308 for versatility king but I love versatility, simplicity, reliability etc. more than I hate 30 cal lol so in my run to one or two guns I go for that 308 formula now, the 30 cal hate is lessoning, the vanilla boring is a real thing also, I finally got over that also...also refuse to wear or own a manbun of any type so it helped me get over some of the hate and vanilla

 

[Shortschaf]

More recoil with more wind drift? Pass.
Had a 308 as a first rifle and it brings nothing to the table to want it back.

Cartridge complexity is not comparable to engine complexity

 

[SC HUNTER]

Do I NEED a 308? Absolutely not.
Do I own a 308? Absolutely, but its not just 1 it's 3.

 

[mtnbound]

Used a 308 for many years and would have no issue with using it again. It was my first step in dropping down from the magnums and I saw immediate improvement when I used it. The 308 for me was how I found my way to realize how effective smaller cartridges are. The 308 is the OG to me.

 

[teflonhunter]

Love the Three O Great. I could lose the rest of the crap (rifles) I have and do everything I want with a Three O Great.

 

[bnewt3]

Ditched the 308 years ago and zero reasons to bring it back into my life.

I also prefer modern vehicles over a horse and buggy.

you really have to work on your comparisons. When you exaggerate for illustration purposes, it has to be within reason, this is not even CLOSE.

 

[hickswr]

looked at trucks lately? see lots of guys gravitating to as simple as they can find for attempt at finding 20 year vehicles and funny how some are listening, looking into it they are starting to find no epa nonsense on hd gassers and all 3 doing big block pushrod 2v, one still has a cylinder deactivation system so nix that one, the other has the high pressure direct injection fuelling so nix that one, the other has two version of old school with low pressure (clean) port injection and you can get into xl's for about what a new half ton costs and so where I'm going with that is, modern truck with old school simple and proven systems/features for reliability.....ditching overhead cams, ditching direct injection, epa cylinder deactivation, ditching turbos that bring a lot of heating/cooling management and maintenance to evap purge stuff etc., dropping hp per liter to minimums etc., many been running from diesels for awhile due to epa as a only if absolutely need them for your work and loads type thing...so not a consideration for comparing all gas trucks especially half ton and hd's, heck watch a ford 6.7 delete video and see where the extra 935 lbs over base gasser comes from...yikes, pay more for it and then more again to delete it, then be off warranty....only if you absolutely need it or change trucks under warranty anyway imo but you do you...until you can buy them deleted again won't be on my radar as just don't have the needs, 10 spds add modern versatility but the heart of the beast has gone pretty old school but built to modern materials/standards etc.

modern bullets makes the 308 great again in a similar way imo, you get all that long term reliability and simplicity to minimize any fuss potentials with some modern inflight improvements and more terminal performance options to boot...and I hate 30 cal, but hard to ignore the 308 for versatility king but I love versatility, simplicity, reliability etc. more than I hate 30 cal lol so in my run to one or two guns I go for that 308 formula now, the 30 cal hate is lessoning, the vanilla boring is a real thing also, I finally got over that also...also refuse to wear or own a manbun of any type so it helped me get over some of the hate and vanilla

I drive a 2005 truck and shoot a 6 creed.

Your points about truck technology is completely irrelevant to cartridge arguments. All cartridges “operate” exactly the same.

The same bullets that make a 308 “better” make modern cartridges “even better”.

 

[Steve O]

If you want another, go for it. It’s nothing special, and the 6.5 creed can do everything the 308 can. Big 308 bullets aren’t any better than big 6.5 bullets.

There are other reasons a guy might want a 308 but as an ultralight rifle doesn’t seem to be one of them. For ultralight there are better choices that recoil less. Another 6.5 would be a better choice.

A lot of times the .308 version of said rifle might be the absolute lightest option…they all have the same outer barrel profile and .308 is the biggest hole they make on the inside.

 

[Steve O]

I’ve hunted for about 30 years (big game for 25). I’ve never shot or owned a 308!

My first hunting rifle was a 300 win mag and I soon traded that towards a 7mm-08 Savage. I got a 30-06 Winchester Model 70 soon after. I’ve since added a mess of 357 Mag and 44 Mag rifles as well as few 350 Legends and a 6.5 Creedmoor.

I’m shopping for an ultralight rifle now and just can’t make an argument against 308. It seems like I’ve danced around this cartridge for decades and it’s the perfect cartridge in the middle of everything.

.308 will work just fine for 99.99% of what 99.99% of hunters will do. Don’t get worked up with what the .0001% need or advise.

If you find a .308 you like I guarantee it will work for you.

 

[bnewt3]

I drive a 2005 truck and shoot a 6 creed.

2005 vs late model is a FAR better comparison to illustrate 308 vs "modern"

 

[Stinky Coyote]

I drive a 2005 truck and shoot a 6 creed.

Your points about truck technology is completely irrelevant to cartridge arguments. All cartridges “operate” exactly the same.

The same bullets that make a 308 “better” make modern cartridges “even better”.

so a 2005 truck is modern to you?

all good, you'll be happy when you're done keeping the 2005 alive and know that you can still find that sort of simplicity and bet of reliability for finding another potential 20 year truck from current year choices despite the few choices that exist and coming back into flavour since 2020 a few more have come along

weird analogy I know but I see a similarity, just maybe 20 year vehicle vs 75-100 year cartridges as the time spread differences, with most shat we kill and what distances we kill it, and high mileage over long period with just oil changes...tough to beat the simple ole v8 or 308, you gonna grab a 7 backcountry? is that modern? will it last like a simple f250 or more like a kia? how are the wsm's doing? the 308 lasting because of a fluke? or because it has something? versatility king of kings perhaps?, 6.5 cm will try to take it over and run with it for next 100 but will it dethrone it? doubtful due to reasons Form and Hondo pointed out...Creed still in diapers but did learn to walk and talk pretty quick and prolly ready to start potty training now but big shoes to fill and may end up 1 or 2 sizes smaller in the end

 

[K9kodi]

If you want a 308, get one. Simple as that

 

[K9kodi]

There are a lot of calibers are close to the other, many of the calibers from fast steroid 22 Cala to 338 mags and 40 call straight walls will all do the same thing. Some do better at shorter distances, some do better at long distances. There’s so many variables, get what you want bc you want it, it’s your money and get it in the model you want. You can have the fanciest rifle in most fad caliber and wound game animals all day every day, or have a 10 pound rifle in 308 from the 60s and drop every deer you ahoot at. Get what puts a smile on your face and doesn’t give you buyers remorse.

 

[Macintosh]

No. Only people who want one should get one. 308 is a great cartridge, along with more other great cartridges than I have fingers and toes. There is no objective reason that I should duplicate half of my other rifles simply to placate the fetish that fans of this one seem to have.

 

[Cherokeeguide]

The only reason I ever needed a .308 Winchester was because I shot "service rifle" back in good ol' DCM days when the "mouse gun" couldn't hang with the big-dog civilian M-1A match rifles put out by Springfield Armory in 600 yard slow-fire prone.

That need ceased to exist with the introduction of the .224" 77 grain Sierra Match King.

From 1985 to 2015, I filled a lot of tags with a Ruger M-77 RL Ultralight. Ruger offered that in .308 Winchester. I didn't find that to be the match made in heaven that mine chambered in .250 Savage was. I filled 21 mule deer tags, 3 pronghorn tags, two caribou tags, and God only knows how many feral swine dropped to it. I filled an elk tag with it once, too. Recoil is about like a 5.56 NATO and so is the terminal ballistic performance from the 20" barrel.

Your mileage, as they say, may vary, and it sounds like it probably does.