Calibre Advice for the 'all rounder'?
- Thread starter Bigfoot1973
- Start date
tackb
Well-Known Member
there is little to choose between the 308 and 30/06 despite the claims and the 308 has more ammo options and it'll be marginally cheaper
remember the 308 was introduced to offer 30/06 performance in a shorter package.
my pick would be the 308 as the most versatile and if you reload components (cases) will be more available as it's more popular
I'm sure someone's gonna come along and start a row 'but what about 220gr bullets' you don't need them with modern bullets and if you do they are only a little slower , what's the majority of your shooting going to be ? I'd guess range work and UK deer? buy a rifle for that
remember the 308 was introduced to offer 30/06 performance in a shorter package.
my pick would be the 308 as the most versatile and if you reload components (cases) will be more available as it's more popular
I'm sure someone's gonna come along and start a row 'but what about 220gr bullets' you don't need them with modern bullets and if you do they are only a little slower , what's the majority of your shooting going to be ? I'd guess range work and UK deer? buy a rifle for that
Thanks Tackb. I'm looking to extend my shooting to UK deer stalking and some international large game/deer/boar. I am still working full time with all the usual trappings of modern life and family so don't have the time I need right now but have my 'exit plan' on track so I'm hoping to get myself set up, gain some experience, and be ready to do more shooting in the coming years. I'm hoping to perhaps do one overseas trip a year plus deer and perhaps boar in the UK, albeit limited where I live so might be some short travel involved. I've got to start somewhere though hence the desire to get an 'all rounder'. Given my practised level of control freakery I want to ensure I've at least considered all calibre options, taken some good advice, and then hopefully commission a semi/full custom rifle I can use for many years to come. The last thing I want to do is get a varition on my FAC and order an off the shelf rifle that doesn't meet my needs. Measure twice cut once!!
I’ll second this based on personal experience.
Consider ammunition availability at home and abroad, especially as you may find it cheaper to buy locally than go through airline charges for extra boxes (depending on airport etc).
What is cheap enough to shoot enough to become intimately familiar ?
What can be loaded easily with components (availability again) in UK ?
What has the knockdown power required (they all do really much the same)..?
Ignore ‘flat shooting’ comparisons unless beyond 250yds and its not hard to work out anyway.
There is no single right answer. Id choose 308 in these circumstances. Other choices equally valid.
What is cheap enough to shoot enough to become intimately familiar ?
What can be loaded easily with components (availability again) in UK ?
What has the knockdown power required (they all do really much the same)..?
Ignore ‘flat shooting’ comparisons unless beyond 250yds and its not hard to work out anyway.
There is no single right answer. Id choose 308 in these circumstances. Other choices equally valid.
Thanks 308tikka, advice understood and appreciated. I'm not looking at huge distances, the skill is in the stalk/hunt too, so I think I'm down to 30.06 or 308, either valid choices by the looks of it, possibly more choice in 308 ammo is the feeling I'm getting at this point in time. I'll probably decide finally after some thought on rifle choice and build etc and maybe some gunsmith advice (next mission to find the right one as 'my' gunsmith bit the dust a good few years ago). Given my lack of time I'm not looking to reload and will stomach factory ammo costs, at least at first.
Buy the rifle you like that you can feed. They will both kill deer if you do your bit.
If you remain undecided, consider that you have a .223 that will deal with small deer species. If everything is equal go 30-06?
All seems to be nowadays is what caliber ?
We seem to be getting caught up in over thinking what they all do …
I’m as guilty as next person
Pick what you can feed be it local or abroad wheee plan to use it
Be that factory or homeload
Then shoot it … learn the drops for your distances you shoot and enjoy it
Does it matter if for example .308 has ballistics of a banana ?
If you know the drops and can dial it in does it matter ?
Paul
We seem to be getting caught up in over thinking what they all do …
I’m as guilty as next person
Pick what you can feed be it local or abroad wheee plan to use it
Be that factory or homeload
Then shoot it … learn the drops for your distances you shoot and enjoy it
Does it matter if for example .308 has ballistics of a banana ?
If you know the drops and can dial it in does it matter ?
Paul
Understand that, everyone has their opinion, likes, dislikes, but in truth I'm thinking it will ultimately matter little to me at this stage whether .308 or 30-06. So I'll look at rifles and stocks and all that nice 'shopping' stuff to whet my appetite, speak to a gunsmith, and go from there. I've not put in my variation request to the local constabulary yet so that is probably the first action. I was thinking I'd have to specify exact calibre but an earlier response implied i could ask for .300 that would cover both so if that is the case I'll still have the choice after applying.
tackb
Well-Known Member
Depends where abroad. In countries with a 10 gram minimum bullet weight rule for some species the .270 WCF fails by 4 grains unless you use expensive RWS Evolution ammunition. 10 grams is 154 grains. I'd say .308 Winchester which at 155 grains makes that or something in 7mm. If the latter it's 7x64 all day and everyday for choice in continental Europe.
Fn5
Well-Known Member
I personally went with a .308 for an all rounder, I've only recently gotten into hunting proper. But I have done years of target with it out to 1000 yards. Ammo is everywhere for it too! Hard to beat for a do-it-all, especially if you factor in:
- Barrel life
- Performance
- Ammo cost
- Off the shelf ammo availability
- Reloading components
- Many more points that i can't currently think of
Whenever the .308 vs .30-06 debate comes up there will be a lot of people telling you they are both the same and that the .308 offers .30-06 performance in a shorter package. The problem is when you actually look into it, this just isn’t true.
The.308 is a great cal no doubt, but I’d hazard if you ask any African guide, western us hunting guide or indeed many hunters who have shot hundreds of deer they will all tell you to pump for the .30-06.
Bullets these days are getting longer, wether that’s because they’re made of copper, or because they are high bc lead the case remains the same, once your over 150grn bullets in the .308 you start to take a lot of room up in the powder column, less room for powder = less velocity. It’s the same reason a 6.5 swede has a velocity advantage over a creedmoor when reloaded.
I’d say for this country the difference really is immaterial, but if your targeting large plains game, moose, bears etc then most of your good bullets start at 165grn, and if you use a tough controlled expansion bullet you want an impact velocity of over 2000fps ideally, and then your muzzle velocity becomes very important. In my .30-06 with a 175grn copper bullet I get that out to 500 yards, more than I’ll ever need, in a .308 you’ll get it out to 300. You may never shoot this far but a bullet going faster does stack the deck in your favour.
The .308 is great, it’s a much better all rounder for target and match shooting and some hunting, but I think the .30-06 will always be a superior hunting cartridge.
The.308 is a great cal no doubt, but I’d hazard if you ask any African guide, western us hunting guide or indeed many hunters who have shot hundreds of deer they will all tell you to pump for the .30-06.
Bullets these days are getting longer, wether that’s because they’re made of copper, or because they are high bc lead the case remains the same, once your over 150grn bullets in the .308 you start to take a lot of room up in the powder column, less room for powder = less velocity. It’s the same reason a 6.5 swede has a velocity advantage over a creedmoor when reloaded.
I’d say for this country the difference really is immaterial, but if your targeting large plains game, moose, bears etc then most of your good bullets start at 165grn, and if you use a tough controlled expansion bullet you want an impact velocity of over 2000fps ideally, and then your muzzle velocity becomes very important. In my .30-06 with a 175grn copper bullet I get that out to 500 yards, more than I’ll ever need, in a .308 you’ll get it out to 300. You may never shoot this far but a bullet going faster does stack the deck in your favour.
The .308 is great, it’s a much better all rounder for target and match shooting and some hunting, but I think the .30-06 will always be a superior hunting cartridge.
Acm, thanks for that sage (and scientific) advice, which is really much appreciated. My head is wavering over the two to be honest, but my heart has always thought 30-06. I'm trying to take as much advice as I can to make the 'right' decision, but in the back of my head the 30-06 gives me more span in game, and as I get older and hopefully enact my 'exit plan' I would hope to do some more overseas hunting, finances dependent as always (I have an opportunity in due course for bear in Alberta, so there's one) so the 30-06 would give me that without cause for concern. I think I need to take into consideration what my inner self is telling me, and in truth that isn't the .308........... time will tell. Thanks again for your input.
You simply can’t go wrong with a .308 or .30/06, as so many agree have attested with great advice and experience. Given your future hunting plans, I would lean slightly towards the .30/06 because it handles heavier hunting bullets much better. It also just so happens to be my favorite hunting cartridge! 
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