It’s an interesting and useful read that’s definitely worth your time and money! At the same time, the .30-06 Springfield stopped being the U.S. military’s primary rifle cartridge. A skilled shooter who is equipped with the right rifle can use either of the two cartridges and shoot accurately at 600 to 800 yards. Kudu and Sable. Gun writers have spilled a lot of ink comparing the accuracy of the 308 vs 30-06 vs 300 Win Mag. This is also reflected in the fact that many rifles built specifically for that sort of work (like the Ruger Precision Rifle) are chambered in .308 Winchester and sometimes .300 Win Mag (among other cartridges), but rarely .30-06. 308 vs 30-06 vs 300 Win Mag: Which Should You Hunt With In … All that being said, the .308, .30-06, and .300 Win Mag are most commonly available in bolt-action rifles. When it comes to hunting, as I have already stated, the difference between the .308 and the .30-06 does exist but it isn’t pivotal. With the help of modern propellants, both the .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield are capable of firing a 168gr bullet as fast or faster than the original 150gr .30-06 Springfield load! That extra velocity translates into a flatter trajectory, better performance at extended ranges, more resistance to wind drift, and a longer effective range. Interestingly, .300 Winchester Magnum has a relatively short neck compared to the other two cartridges. John. While there is a big overlap in common bullet weights, there are some important differences to keep in mind here though. Also, the .308 is better for beginners. Using smokeless powder and a revolutionary 150gr “spitzer” (pointed) bullet fired at a muzzle velocity of 2,700 fps, the .30-06 Springfield was a significant improvement over previous military cartridges used during that era. Thanks for making that comment Ramsey. Feel free to email me directly if you’d like to discuss this in more detail. However, since everyone has their own reasons for loving one more than the other, getting to the truth can be rather difficult. However, in the mid-1950s, while we were witnessing countless innovations in the small arms market, the M1 started to show its age. Also, the .308 is immensely popular and mass-produced for various types of sporting rifles; and a bigger-scale production means lower prices. Deer don’t notice this, but if you’re looking for optimum flat trajectory and minimal wind deflection, it could matter to you. 500 yard plus shots should be reserved for steel targets. 6.5 Creedmoor vs .308 Winchester - Which One Is The Best? It depends on your needs, experience, and expectations. Bottom line: get a good quality rifle in one of these great hunting cartridges, learn to shoot it accurately, and it will serve you well out in the field. Before making our pick, we should take all the factors into account. As you can see in the table below comparing .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield Barnes VOR-TX factory loads using a 168gr Barnes TTSX BT to a .300 Win Mag VOR-TX factory load using a 165gr Barnes TTSX BT, there is a significant difference in the bullet trajectories. My first choice wouild be the 180 gr. Many “missed” shots have led to wardens and rangers spending days tracking down moose and elk with missing jaws and muzzles. Chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum, the rifle has a 26″ barrel, is 46.8″ long, and weighs 8.6 pounds. Thanks again John. For instance, Randy Newberg uses a Howa rifle chambered in .308 Winchester on most of his hunts. The first key to disentangling the mess is that .308 and .30-06 are actually very closely related. If a hunter doesn’t practice at 300 yards or further, then the 300’s advantages are entirely wasted. Having a short, light hunting rifle is a big plus when moving through thickly wooded areas where short range hunting situations are the norm. I originally bought it for an elk hunt, but it has quickly turned into my “go to” rifle for everything from mule deer hunting in New Mexico, to pronghorn hunting in Wyoming, and everything in between. The .30-06 Springfield has a .385” long neck. versions have for me at similar velocities. Though the .30-06 Springfield cartridge in the photo is slightly shorter than the .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge, the SAAMI specifications for the two cartridges overlap slightly and the .30-06 Springfield and .300 Winchester Magnum have the same maximum authorized overall length of 3.34″ (84.84mm). With a case length of just 2.015″ (51.18mm) and an maximum overall length of 2.81″ (71.37mm), the .308 Winchester is the shortest of the three cartridges. You can see the heritage of these cartridges on display in the photos below. However, when it comes to length, the difference does matter. Back in 1936, the M1 Garand was chosen as the standard U.S. Military issue rifle. Then the .300 Winchester Magnum might be a better choice because you’ll be able to take advantage of the cartridge’s higher velocity, flatter trajectory, and superior power at longer ranges under those circumstances. There are a ton of good rifles that will fit the bill for you. Both the .308 and the .30-06 have a long history in the military, and they are very similar in certain aspects. The 308 features a rimless bottlenecked case while the 30-30 has a rimmed bottleneck cartridge case type and a wider nose diameter, making both ammo NOT interchangeable. That being said, those cartridges aren’t slouches either. In this article, I’m going to do a detailed analysis of the 308 vs 30-06 vs 300 Win Mag so you can make an informed decision regarding which individual cartridge fits your particular hunting needs the best. Advances in propellent design allowed the .308 Winchester to fire a 150gr bullet at the same velocity as the original .30-06 Springfield with a significantly shorter case. The .308 and the .30-06 go a long way back. Picking the right cartridge out of the three really depends on your personal desires and what/where you’ll be hunting. However, keep in mind that the exact specifications of the same model rifle will vary slightly from cartridge to cartridge. This means that, in general, the .300 Win Mag will simply wear out barrels faster than the .30-06 Springfield, which will in turn wear out barrels faster than the .308 Winchester will. This is inconsequential for most game being hunted with either cartridge. The .308 Winchester also has noticeably less recoil than the .30-06 Springfield.Felt recoil will vary from shooter to shooter and rifle to rifle, but free recoil energy is still a useful way to compare cartridges. Were you starving to take a shot that long? I think there both great and use my 308 mostly for white tails. At .304”, the .308 Winchester also has a neck on the short side, but it also has a reputation for outstanding accuracy. .30-30 and .30-06 compare kinda like a volkswagon beetle to a GTO: though they are both .30 bullets, that's about where the similarity ends. However, while there are some big differences between the 308 vs 30-06 vs 300 Win Mag in some areas, those differences are often made out to be much bigger than they are in reality. The .30-06 Springfield is less popular in those fields than it used to be though and has been largely supplanted by the .308 Winchester and .300 Win Mag with shooters who want to use a .30 caliber cartridge. My gripe, if you can call it one, is guys who go with the magnum because they magically kill animals deader than the other 2. Additionally, I recorded an entire podcast episode on this exact subject. It’s also possible that the best one for you could simply come down to personal preference. Combined with the miler recoil of the cartridge, these characteristics help maximize the shooting abilities of the hunter to a greater extent than the other two cartridges and can help facilitate better shot placement. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the .308 Winchester is the favorite hunting round in the United States and, possibly, all over the planet. Although its design was ballistically similar to the .30-06, the .308 was lighter, smaller, and it fed more easily into the rifle’s breach. This goes back to the early 1950s, when NATO was trying to agree a standard service rifle for all its troops. At 2500-2600 fps. As I’ve stated before: the .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, and the .300 Winchester are all great rifle cartridges. .308, although I don't have anything against 30-06. As a slight aside, the .300 Winchester Short Magnum (.300 WSM) has an even larger diameter case than the .300 Winchester Magnum (.535″ vs .532″). Then, we were introduced to the M16, which used the intermediate 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. If all that sounds appealing, you can purchase a Ruger Hawkeye FTW Hunter rifle here. Why Are We Still Talking About The .308 Vs .30-06? I’m not the kind of guy that will try to talk you out of buying a new rifle, but depending on what ranges you’re talking about hunting at, your Winchester Model 70 in .30-06 might work. The .308 fits in short action rifles, which may be advantageous for those who prefer such weapons. The .300 Winchester Magnum was not the first .30 caliber magnum cartridge (the .300 Weatherby Magnum and .300 H&H Magnum are both older), but it’s far and away the most popular and commercially successful magnum cartridge of that size. A) If you load them to the same pressure(both just beginning to show pressure signs, then back off slightly) the 30-06 will yield about 150fps more than a .308Win using the same bullet and same barrel length. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. For this reason, they wanted a cartridge and rifle that could compete with the revolutionary new Mauser. The U.S. Army designed the .30-06 Springfield for use in the bolt action 1903 Springfield rifle in 1906 as an improvement on the .30-03 Springfield cartridge. Therefore, the .300 Winchester Magnum has significantly greater case capacity than the .308 Winchester and the .30-06 Springfield. Both 308 and 30-06 give homeloaders a wide range of bullet types, structures and weights to select from. And depending on bullet construction, may actually introduce a disadvantage in too much velocity, resulting in no expansion or fragmentation.. Far too many ignore the unnecessary pain and suffering put on the animal for the hunters selfish ‘fun’. The .308 Winchester is absolutely deadly on medium game like deer and the other two cartridges do not have a significant ballistic advantage over the .308 Winchester until ranges get past 300 yds. However, remember when I mentioned earlier that the .308 Winchester will fit in a short-action rifle while the .30-06 Springfield and .300 Win Mag only fit in long/standard length action rifles? Felt recoil will vary from shooter to shooter and rifle to rifle, but free recoil energy is still a useful way to compare cartridges. The factory ammunition for the .308 is normally less expensive than that for the .30-06. So, the .308 is slightly more reliable, especially if the things I mentioned above matter to you. Anything over 400 yards on live animals is being selfish. great for deer hunting and some other smaller animals. The largest difference between.308 vs.30-06 is that the former uses a shorter case, as.308 Winchester is 2.8 inches in overall length and.30-06 is 3.34 inches in length. Stay Covid safe ! You can load 125 grain bullets for light stuff or 180s for heavier stuff and anything in between. When chambered in .308 Winchester, the rifle has a 22″ barrel, an overall length of 42.7″, and weighs 7.8 pounds. Also, when it comes to semi-auto rifles chambered in .308, our options are numerous. This is where the .300 Win Mag holds a clear advantage over the other two cartridges. However, it didn’t take long before they started to use the new cartridge. If you not reload, You can buy 30-06 in 150-155gn, 165gn (my favorite) and 180-185gn. It seems like every time we turn around, the market is flooded with some new “miracle” cartridge. If you’d rather listen than read, you can either just press play below or click the appropriate link to download the episode through your preferred service. Around this same time period, the major gun manufacturers started devoting considerable and energy towards designing flat shooting, high velocity “magnum” cartridges for big game hunters. Just like with ammo, the major gun manufacturers produce sporting rifles chambered in all three cartridges. What’s more, they quickly noticed that the .308 was more accurate than the .30-06. Even though the .308 Win and .30-06 loads use a bullet with a higher ballistic coefficient (.470 vs .442), the .300 Win Mag still hits over a foot higher and has almost 400 ft-lbs more energy remaining at 500 yards than the .308 Winchester. So, there are also lots of good quality .308” diameter bullets to choose from and these three cartridges use many of the same bullets as other popular .30 caliber cartridges like the .30-30 Winchester, the .300 WSM, the .300 Ultra Mag, and the .300 PRC. Glock 26 vs. Glock 43 – Which Should You Buy? Here’s how each cartridge compares directly to the others in general terms. 270 vs 308: Which One Should You Hunt With? The Great Cartridge Debate: .308, .30-'06, 6.5 Creedmoor & More - … Do you want to hunt really large game like red stag, moose, kudu, eland, or a big bull elk? For instance, even in a rifle that weighs nearly a pound more, the .300 Winchester Magnum generates over 60% more free recoil energy than the .308 Winchester when firing 180gr Nosler Partitions. They followed up on the success of these cartridges with the .300 Winchester Magnum (also known as the .300 Win Mag and .300 WM) a few years later. Simply put, burning more powder in a similar sized space will result in shorter barrel life. After World War II (WWII), the US military began seriously looking for shorter cartridge to replace the .30-06 Springfield and experimented with new designs. Check out Hornady’s Precision Hunter Ammo (available in .30-06 and .300 Win Mag) and a Leupold VX-5 or VX-6 scope with a CDS dial. Are you specifically hunting brown or grizzly bear? Consequently, that means a longer bolt and a receiver, as well as a heavier weapon. If I had to pick one, I’d go with the .300 Win Mag since it has the most stopping power of the bunch and can use the heaviest bullets with the highest sectional density. Born and raised in Missouri, Mark now lives in Murray with his wife and two sons. The rifle chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum is over 4″ longer and weighs nearly a pound more than the exact same model chambered in .308 Winchester, which is not an insignificant difference when you’re carrying that rifle up the side of a mountain. Smith & Wesson M&P Shield vs Springfield XD-S. Rimfire vs. Centerfire Ammunition – Which Is Best? This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to create free content that’s useful to hunters like yourself. Nosler Partition. Re: 243 vs 7mm08 vs 308 vs 30-06 vs 270 I'm not a deer hunter but I like the .308. However, when it comes to hunting, the difference isn’t as important. For serious target shooters, this can be a concern. This selection will cover Deer to Elk. It only becomes important if you are going after really big game that requires a lot of penetration and you want to put a lot of foot pounds of energy into the critter. Original .30-06 Springfield load data was obtained from the 14th Edition of the Newton Arms Company Catalog Circa 1920. I will discuss the accuracy, reliability, look, feel, and the price of both the .308 Winchester and the .30-06 Springfield. 30 06 has the disadvantage of needing a full length rifle action thus making for a longer heavier rifle balanced against its advantage of being able to use heavier weights. BUY A REALLY NICE 30-06 HUNTING RIFLE HERE, BUY A GREAT 300 WIN MAG HUNTING RIFLE HERE. John. Looking fwd to my first trip to Do you prefer to hunt with an AR platform or just a semi-automatic rifle in general? The .308 Winchester also operates at a slightly higher pressure than the .30-06. Read The unBiased Review - … However, .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield ammunition are generally more common than .300 Winchester Magnum ammo. It took the service teams several years to perfect the methods of making M14s shoot well, but when they did, they shot as good as M1s in 7.62. Appreciate the points made in the article and Brian’s comment about practice being so important at 300 yards+. If you are stretching out across clear land and can shoot 150 or 200 yards, go with a scoped 308 or 30-06, not a nickel's worth of difference. It's very versatile and will do most anything any of the other calibers you listed will do. Finally, we need to consider the financial aspect; that’s where the real gap opens in this debate. This is probably splitting hairs, but if I had to guess, I’d say the .308 Winchester is the most popular of the three, followed by the .30-06 then the .300 Win Mag. All three cartridges are extremely popular centerfire rifle cartridges in North America (as well as the rest of the world). If you reload, 30-06 will do everything from light bullet 100gn (similar to 223) to heavy killing rig 250gn (like 300 WM). Even though it has the same maximum overall length as the .30-06 Springfield, the .300 Winchester Magnum has a slightly longer (2.62″ vs 2.49″) and larger diameter (.532″ vs .473″) case thanks to its .375 H&H roots. .30 caliber bullets are the most popular bullet size in the United States. While they’re far too light (and not legal) for use on thick-skinned dangerous game like Cape Buffalo and elephant, you could use any of these cartridges to hunt other really big species of game like eland, moose, bison, and brown bear (Roy Lindsley used a .30-06 Springfield to take the current Boone & Crockett record Alaska brown bear back in 1952) under the right circumstances. Also, the difference made the NRA reduce the size of the inner bull on their long-range targets. The issue of accuracy is probably one of the most important aspects that we should consider in the debate between the .308 and the .30-06. Also, the .30-06 is a parent cartridge of the .308. For ballistic comparisons I’ve often used Gundata.org; and still do. The Winchester Model 70 Super Grade illustrates these differences well. In essence, the former is shorter but the latter holds more powder. Plus, since the length of the cartridge is shorter than in the .30-06, rifles can be made lighter. All I have to say to them is to properly test .308 vs. .30-06 and find out. Even if you find the same rifle chambered in 30-06 and 308, it's usually the case that the 308 has a barrel that is two inches shorter, which in my opinion is more significant than any performance difference between the two. The .300 Winchester Magnum typically uses heavier bullets: 150-230gr with 150gr, 165gr, 180gr, 190gr, and 200gr bullets being the most common. Thanks for your support. So, regardless of whether you prefer a Hornady SST, Nosler AccuBond, or a Remington Core-Lokt, the odds are good that you’ll be able to find a load that shoots well in your rifle and performs well on most species of North American big game regardless of which cartridge you choose. Glock 19 vs Glock 26 - Which Should You Choose. 30-30 vs 45-70 Which Lever Action Is Best For You? That will provide a better overall understanding. what is the cost of cartridges? That’s because the similar 7mm 160 gr. 30-30 Winchester vs. 30-06 Springfield - Cartridge Comparison 30-30 Winchester Vs. 30-06 Springfield - Cartridge Comparison There are an abundance of new cartridges on the market. Put simply, a cartridge with a larger case also usually has a greater powder capacity. Indeed, they’re all incredibly popular cartridges, so, regardless of whether you’re a Browning X-Bolt, Winchester Model 70, Remington Model 700, Ruger American, Ruger American Magnum, Ruger M77 Hawkeye, Mossberg Patriot, or Savage 11/111 fan, you should be able to find your favorite bolt action rifle chambered in all three cartridges. But, advancements in ammo propellant allowed Winchester to develop a smaller round with similar ballistics to the .30-06. The only thing a 30-06 can't do that a 308 can is fit in a short action magazine. Do you want a “Jack-of-all-trades” or “Swiss Army Knife” type rifle that can accomplish the widest possible variety of tasks well? Cartridge case capacities were obtained from Chuck Hawks. In fact, one was developed from the other. There are quite a few threads on this. In fact, one was developed from the other.The .30-06 was first introduced in 1906 with the I look at the 30-06 as a .308 magnum The debate between these two cartridges is never ending and is so bad that my dad refuses to buy or shoot the .308 on the AR platform, where, I think it excels, just because he is such a fan of the .06. In fact, several branches still use it as a light machine gun and a sniper round in specialty roles. The 308 is best suited for short-action rifles, bolt action rifles, and other machine guns, while the 30-30 is chambered to the lever-action, pump, and bolt-action rifles. However, the .308 has significantly less recoil than the other two cartridges. Note: some of the links below are affiliate links. Price - .308 seems to be slightly cheaper than 30-06, not a huge difference, but .338 is much more expensive. The 30-06 can shoot heavier bullets at a higher velocity than the .308 (~100-200fps faster with the same bullet). Just purchased a new Win Mod 70 feather weight in 300 WM for a plains game trip in SA. A .30-06 Ballistics table. All will certainly work here, though none would be my first choice for use on a really big bear though. However, the major ammunition manufacturers produce bullets for these cartridges as light as 110gr and as heavy as 230gr. This includes service rifles like the AR-10, the FN FAL, the M14 (or the M1A, which is the civilian version of the M-14). or more. does the 30-06 have a whole lot more stopping power? The Hawkeye FTW Hunter uses a standard Ruger Hawkeye action, but it’s specifically designed for longer range precision hunting situations, so it’s a really nice platform well suited for the ballistic advantages offered by the .300 Win Mag cartridge. All the match ammo I've seen goes for about $30 a box. Winchester developed the .264 Winchester Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum, and .458 Winchester Magnum cartridges in the late 1950s using shortened .375 H&H Magnum cases. Good article. So you shouldn’t have much trouble working up a custom load that shoots very accurately in your chosen rifle if you’re into handloading. On the other hand, when it comes to medium range hunting (think bears and bisons), the .30-06 Springfield is many hunters’ favorite. The neck diameter and base diameter of the 7mm are 0.315 inches and 0.512, respectively, compared to the 30-06 that are 0.340 inches and … Providing about 90% of the power of the .30-06, the .308 is also capable of excellent accuracy. Every load the .308 can shoot, the 30-06 can shoot about 200 fps faster. The .30-06 Springfield uses very similar bullet weights: 110-220gr with 150gr, 165gr, 168gr, and 180gr bullets also being the most popular with a few 125gr, 200gr, and 220gr loads out there as well. The .308 is just a shortened 30-06 case. I think most hunters would probably agree that the . So, since everything depends on your personal preferences, neither the .308 nor the .30-06 looks or feels better. Other than that it can do everything the 308 can and quite a few things that a 308 cant.

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