Talk me out of a 308

[mattri]

Looking at a build, have a spare SA with a .473 boltface.

Rifle will be mostly for target shooting to 600, some occasional work beyond that but not much.

Have always liked the 6mms and 6.5s, originally was considering a Creed, not a fanboy but they do fit the bill.

Just to be different was thinking about a 243 AI or 260, and either of those would work well also.

The 308 comes into contention when we start talking about barrel life, and realistic expectations. It would probably be a 1:10 22" barrel, shooting 150-160gr bullets at paper. Not expecting to buck the wind to 1k and beyond. Recoil at this point is tolerable, tons of load data, even ammo choices.

Then there's hunting. I live in IA so can't hunt with it here but I would like to get back out west to hunt elk/mulies so that pushes me toward the 308. Could load up a good 170gr+ hunting bullet and be comfortable out to realistic hunting ranges.

I have none of the sentimental/emotional attachment to the 308 that some folks do, not married to the idea by any means. Very open to other suggestions.

Thoughts?

 

[Bill Norris]

Not trying to talk u out of the .308 because I simply love them along with several other good calibers, but I can tell you with all honesty the 243 A I is no joke.

 

[littlebuddybr]

Why?

 

[littlebuddybr]

260

 

[Evan]

Do you need off-the-shelf ammo available, or are you going to reload all the time?

A 223 with a 8twist or slower shooting 80gn or heavier target bullets will do nicely at 600 and be much cheaper to shoot. Doesn't sound like elk hunting is in your immediate future and could be easily accomodated with a $300 bargain 30-06 when you need it.

EDIT: Sorry, my reading comprehension was off. Change 223 to 22 BR to match the boltface you've got. I absolutely love my 22 BR and plan to have one for the foreseeable future. I run it at 223 speeds, have 11 reloads on the brass with no annealing and it's still good to go. Target bullets for 22 are half the price of 6.5 and 30 cal bullets, and 28gns per shot makes a pound of powder go a lot further.

 

[john 800]

One nice thing about the 308 is that there are so many choices for powder thay will work amd such a choice of 30 cal bullets, brass is also as easy to find as any caliber you will find. I am willing to bet you could place an add i the classifieds here and come up with components that will work even if you dont find exactly what you want you will still find something that will work very well.
Ohh wait you said talk you out of it?
308s are boring (bout all i got)
In all seriousness, i grew up with dad being a 270 proponent so buying a 308 was a little bit sacrilegious, but i have grown to like it.

even right now, you have two choices of powder in stock at midsouth that are perfectly suitable choices for 308 in mid weight bullets

 

[sdean]

I would rather a 260 or 708.

 

[JSH]

308 is like a 30-30, it just works. Nuff said.

 

[mattri]

The 260 is still in contention for sure.

Not sure if the marginal improvement of the 7mm-08 is enough to offset the benefits of powder/bullet/load/ammo choices with the 308.

I will be hand loading but am conscious of the convenience of high quality factory ammo as an option.

 

[BasicMagic]

If you need to mag feed from 2.86 pmags 6.5 creed gives amazing performance by comparison to 308. 20-30% reduction in wind and elevation.

A 7mm-08 also works very well. Same ballistics as 6.5 creedmoor with more barrel life. A little harder to fit into 2.86 mags and more recoil.

If you dont mind going to 6mm any of the 6br cartridges work well too. The 105-115 class bullets with a fast twist can get moving pretty quick and have a much higher bc than 308. The 6br and its variants are basically the king of 600 yard competitions in bench rest so its probably a good fit for you. Similar barrel life to 7mm-08, lowest recoil, lowest energy on target if that matters to you. I personally like the 6 brA.

If barrel life is a primary concern go with 7-08 or 6br variants.

If you need it to go hunting with the 7mm-08 is my bet. Tons of great 7mm-08 bullets.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

260

Take the .260 Rem. and MODERNIZE it, to a,... 6.5 SLR !
He needs, ALL the Power / Velocity he can get, as OP, may want to,.. Hunt Elk,.. out West !
Or, .. the 7mm-08 / 7mm-08 Ackley !
The 7mm and 6.5 Bullets, HAVE, way BETTER BC's unless, going HUGE on the .308 !
One of THESE, is a NO brainer for, "what" YOU want to, accomplish ( Elk, Long Range, Target, etc ! )

 

[XTR]

You really can’t go wrong with any of the 308 based cases. In the end it will be what will make you happy. I love me some 308, but my favorite hunting round is my 7-08, but a 6SLR or a 6.5 SLR would be awesome if you want a starter wildcat. I have a 6SLR and it’s a darned nice 6mm

 

[284winner]

Another .260 fan here. Also a .308 fan but being realistic about a 600 yard cartridge, I think the .260 edges the .308 in a couple areas of importance. First is recoil. Not that the .308 is stout but you'll be shooting at least 155s but likely 168/175s. The .260 does great with the 140 class bullets and is very mild recoil wise. The 2nd and just as important is windage/elevation. Both will be much less at 600 with the .264 bullets being so slippery. Accuracy is on par with the .308 as well. Lots of .308s in competitions tho. May be just a preference thing but for me my preference is the .260 if I had only one for that 600 yard use. Owning both, I shoot the .260 better out to 1000 yards than I do the .308.

 

[K22]

I've shot and hunted for several years with a 308, Rem 700. It leaves me with nothing to be desired as a hunting cartridge for eastern white tail, i.e. accurate, reliable, easy to load, and very effective terminal performance. I shot the two largest bucks I ever shot with the 308, field dressed at 175 and 155 lbs. respectively.

I never hunted out West so I can't comment on that aspect. But it's hard to imagine the 308 not being enough for Elk with the proper bullet and shot placement at reasonable ranges. The 165 Nosler Partition would be my choice for Elk and Moose with the 308. My ex-boss was born and raised in Wyoming and has hunted Elk, Moose, and Mule Deer throughout the West - his cartridge of choice, the 270 Win. I think the 308 compares very favorably with the 270 Win and maybe a little more so with the ability to use heavier bullets.

Yes, I like the 308 but quite honestly, the 243 Win has been just as effective for me with the added benefit of being more versatile for hunting varmints and predators in addition to deer and with less recoil. As you get older, at least for me, recoil is something I don't enjoy anymore. I never lost a deer to the 243 Win if I hit it. But I was careful with shot placement keeping shots behind the shoulder and broadside.

I'm old now so I'll stick with what I've used for years but if I was a younger guy with many years of shooting and hunting ahead, I'd take a serious look at the 6.5 rifle offerings as my big game hunting cartridge. The ballistics are pretty amazing for this bullet with less recoil and long barrel life. I really like the 260 Rem but it seems the 6.5 Creedmore is on the verge of making the 260 Rem an obsolete factory offering so I'd probably go for the 6.5 Creed.

But it you decide to go for the 308, it's hard to imagine that being a bad choice for either target or hunting applications. For me, it's too much recoil for sustained target shooting but then again I'm in my 70's.

 

[GerryM]

agree with the 6.5. creedmore the 140 is awesome at 500 yds plus.

 

[joshb]

I like the “old” 308 so my vote goes for it. It’s not very glamorous but it performs well.
Barrel life is fantastic!

 

[COhunter]

I have been hunting with one variant or another of the .308 since the late eighties and don't see the need for anything bigger. I shoot a .308, my oldest son shoots a 7-08, and my wife/daughter both shoot .260's and my oldest son shoots a .243. We have killed deer, elk, and antelope with all of them and never had an issue but we choose our shots wisely and try to keep the yardage within reason. I handload, so we have used all the available projectiles out there and have shot more partitions or barnes out them than anything. The .260 is a ballistic twin to 6.5CM and best of all, you can find factory ammo for it! Plus you can neck up/down brass in a pinch for all of them, if need be. Just my.02

 

[CJ6]

The 308 is plain STUPID.....STUPID accurate with 155.5 Fullbores and 8208, and STUPID deadly with 150 Hornady Interbonds. BTW Both easy to fit mag length. and you don't need a 10 twist till you get into the 200 gr range 12 will work nicely.

 

[6ShotsOr5?]

I like the “old” 308 so my vote goes for it. It’s not very glamorous but it performs well.
Barrel life is fantastic!

Only because your real favorite 6.5x55 needs a LA, .

 

[boltman13]

From your initial post it seems you want an ultra accurate fairly light weight hunting rifle, that will also be shot a lot at paper. A 308 Win. fits this criteria very nicely. With the super hunting bullets available both for handloading and factory you can drop an elk at any reasonable range and angle. Target bullets are also available up to 230 grains if you want to punish yourself. The 150-168 grain target bullets out to 600 yards will do a very good job. I would recommend you go with a 24 inch barrel for the extra velocity and down range energy. The extra 2 inches of barrel add a little weight as well, to slightly mitigate felt recoil and allow you to send 175-180 grain target bullets to 1,000 yards if you get the itch. The smaller bores below 270 Winchester in non magnum rounds are certainly adequate for elk with proper bullets and shot placement, but the elk are not always cooperative in giving you the shot you need. It cost a lot of time and money to hunt elk out West and you want a rifle that will work on any shot you get. Mule deer are no problem for any 6.5 mm or 257 cal. The 6 mm's with good bullets work well but I notice a big difference in how quick they kill verses the 6.5 Creedmoor. Still dead is dead. My personal choice for elk and muleys would be a 308 with Barnes 168 grain Trippel Shocks for elk or deer, and Sierra 168 gr Match Kings for target work. Best of luck with your choice.