Can a 30-06 out shoot a .:08

[lh leggtowner]

Ok, I have my first build out of the way the second one is questionable. I was thinking has anyone out there got a 30-06 to lay it down as well as a 308. I would love to build an 06. I just do not want to b disappointed in the results. Pure accuracy is pretty much the only factor.

 

[wboggs]

I hope Mr. Salazar will comment. As far as I'm concerned, his opinion is as good as it gets.

 

[lh leggtowner]

Where are you at Mr. Salazar. I am interested very much also.

 

[jghoghunter]

A friend built a 06 in a benchrest form a few years ago. When he does his job and conditions are good it will consistently shoot 1-1.25" at 500 yds. At 2 and 300 yards he has lots of targets that are all 5 shots touching each other. This is during our groundhog matches.
So if the rifle is properly built in 30-06 it will shoot as good as anything else.

Mr. Salazar can defiantly tell you about the 06.

 

[OldManTA]

Go to TheRiflemansJournal.Blogspot.com and you will find German's various articles including a discussion he wrote comparing the 30-06 vs. the 308 Winchester. A couple of years ago I bought one of his 30-06 prone rifles. There was no doubt it was very accurate. Unfortunately that big bundle of enthusiasm one is blessed with when the round goes off had me developing a flinch. It has a 308 barrel on it now. If you insist on building a 30-06 then I recommend you use one of the heavier barrels. If memory serves me there is an observation in one of those articles that goes something like "weight is your friend." Good luck with your project.

Tom Alves

 

[swampshooter]

According to German Salazar the 30/06 will outshoot the 308 and he shoots some extremely good scores.

 

[logger3006]

My 06 will put three in one hole at 100 so I think it boils down to, can the guy shooting the 308, out shoot the guy with the '06 or vise versa

 

[areaone]

Get the reamer right and decide for yourself. You will be the final factor.

 

[K22]

I don't think you could ever be disappointed in a custom build 30-06, one of the finest cartridges ever developed. I think it's a rather academic question as to which would be more accurate, the 06 vs 08, out of a custom build rifle with a target grade barrel, trigger, etc.

However it sounds like you are a target shooter and as such if you want a 30 caliber target rifle I would think you'd be better off with a 308, not from a accuracy viewpoint, but from a less recoil and less powder perspective. I doubt you could go wrong with either choice.

 

[Steve Blair]

If you decide to do it, this is the reamer you want. The only caveat is how much freebore (bullet dependent) and whether you want to turn necks. This chamber will support a light neck turn but you should go Ø.337" if you want to ensure a full truing.

 

[mac86951]

I don't think you could ever be disappointed in a custom build 30-06, one of the finest cartridges ever developed. I think it's a rather academic question as to which would be more accurate, the 06 vs 08, out of a custom build rifle with a target grade barrel, trigger, etc.

However it sounds like you are a target shooter and as such if you want a 30 caliber target rifle I would think you'd be better off with a 308, not from a accuracy viewpoint, but from a less recoil and less powder perspective. I doubt you could go wrong with either choice.

Excellent points made, as well as many other great points on the -06 capabilities. I love my 06 more than a 300 win mag for the above reasons.

Surprised that no-one has asked what ranges are you considering? Mr. Salazar's comments on the -06 vs. 308 are very specific to distances. The 30-06 gains with the modern slower burning powders and a long barrel to maximize on those results, which would be wasted with a 125gr or even a 150gr bullet. The two are neck and neck in the 168-175gr range, but when you want the 190+ the 06 takes the lead thanks to more case capacity as long as you have a barrel to make use of it. The 308 can do very well with a 210-230gr bullet, but usually needs custom chambering. The -06 is less of a stretch, but I seem to recall a slight leade increase for the 190-210 range bullets. I'd say 600y and under, the two are neck and neck. A well built rifle of either will really come down to the shooter out to 1000y, but with latest technology reloading supplies, one can eek out a slight advantage with the 30-06 cartridge, assuming the shooter can mitigate the recoil increase.

To put powder into perspective, my 308 likes ~42g IMR 4895 with a 168gr SMK. My 30-06 likes 46.5gr IMR 4895 with a 175gr SMK. Velocities are similar (more different due to rifles than loads). My 30-06 really likes the 180-190gr bullets with 52-54gr H4350. This powder is a little too slow for my 308 to like it.

One can still find a plethora of 30-06 brass as well as 308 brass, but I tend to find the 30-06 for less with less searching.

Finally, my comparison is from my experience. YMMV, I built my 30-06 in bolt action as that is what the round was designed for. My 308 is for a repeater, that is what it was designed for. Both will outperform my shooting skills and both challenge me to improve.

-Mac

 

[lh leggtowner]

Wow, a lot of great information. When I started this idea recoil was not thought of. I have been seeing guys shooting the heavier bullets out of the 308 and my thinking was it would seem to be maybe easier with heavy bullets with the 06. Of course there are factors to consider when building the rifle. The recoil thing has me thinking. Thanks for the input. Keep it coming.

 

[jr600yd]

Both the 06 and 08 are very accurate so the question is what do you want to do with the rifle? Generally speaking the 08 is better suited for bullets up to the 175 gr range. Not necessarily more accurate but more efficient with medium burn rate powders like 4895. Good velocity with less powder than the 06. The 06 performs better with the heavy bullets, 180. Gr and above. More powder to drive the bullet at good velocity.

 

[M14AMU]

I've been shooting the 30/06 a LOOOONNNNGGG time, from 03A3 Springfields, the M1 Garand, M70 bolt rifles, etc. and day in and day out....I'll take it over all others! Here's one Jon Beanland, Gould, Oklahoma made for me last year:

Beanland06 by Sharps45 2 7/8, on Flickr

And here's photo of the first 10 rounds I fired with it from 1000 yds. Shot to left is my sighter. Was shooting the Berger 185 VLD Target bullet. I've since refined the zero a tad better. Big white plate is 20" diameter...small plate in middle is 5".

Beanland 30/06 by Sharps45 2 7/8, on Flickr

 

[wboggs]

RMulhern What powder are you using with the 185's?

 

[M14AMU]

RMulhern What powder are you using with the 185's?

55.0 grs. of IMR4350 w/F210M primer. Lapua cases with NT brass! Temp at 66F.
Also I've used 54 gr. H4350. Neck diameter on chamber is @ .3360".

Both shoot great!

 

[wboggs]

Thanks I think I will try some in my rifle. Have been using 215 hybrids and getting a lot of vertical. Probably the shooter but I want to check.
Bill

 

[lh leggtowner]

I was thinking the 180s and up the 06 should shine over the 308. Not quite the recoil of the magnums and brass would be a lot easier to find

 

[cmillard]

I can tell you, 1903-a4 shoots extremely well with 190 sierras and h-4350. even with the 3x scope, at 200 yards, 5 shots can go into an inch. this is with a criterion barrel

 

[Erik Cortina]

Can a 30-06 out shoot a .:08

Definetly, but the opposite is also true.