308 Win is a great hunting Cartridge…Change my mind

[TRICER]

Alright this is so we don’t steal another thread. @MJB not an attack on you but I want to get yours and others opinions on the 308 Win. I will probably do a few more of these threads they could be fun and educational.

In my opinion the 308win with a heavy for caliber bullet is just as capable as any other cartridge out to 400yards on elk. Realistically you will be shooting at animals less than 400 yards what is the need for a big shoulder busting caliber if a 308 can give you the same end result which is a dead animal. I load my boys 308s with Barnes 168g TTSX and have them shooting around 2660FPS. With a CDS dial or a turret their guns easily shoot targets out to all ranges in the desert and accurately. This bullet combo maintains close to 1500lbs of energy and 2000fps out to 400 yards (Ballistics below). In my book with a Barnes that’s a dead animal every time. I will even go further than that to say I think the frontal diameter, mass, and the energy of a 308 makes it a better caliber than the 6.5 creedmore for hunting. Put a CDS on a 308 and go hunting you can find ammo at any gas station, your shoulder will thank you, your wallet will thank you, and you will have a dead animal if you do your job

So with that said the 308 Win is a great hunting caliber….Change My Mind

 

[punkur67]

I have smashed a few hogs with a 178 ELDX rounds at 100 yards. Hogs are tougher than nails and they didn't take a step after a 178

 

[ilovesprig]

I won't try (mostly because I know little about this ballistic stuff)....I do know, I shot my 1st buck with a .308, Savage lever action Mod 99, at about 100 yds in the top of the Sierra's (age 12)...That same rifle has killed many more deer and elk for my cousins boy since.

 

[Kellendv]

I don’t really like it. But only because I like the fast/flat cartridges. No doubt the 308 has killed millions of animals and has some clear benefits for some shooters. I’d take a 308 over the man bun special any day of the week. The cartridge debate will go on until the end of time…. Get yourself a copy of “Cartridges of the World” and you can throw out a reference to some obscure cartridge from another continent in the next cartridge debate. The search for the next great cartridge has much more to do with man’s curiosity than any actual need for something newer/better. “Beware the man with one rifle.”

 

[GUNDOGLOVER49]

I hear they are great for hunting terrorist.

 

[Aeon]

308 is a great cartridge, it's very very accurate and with modern projectiles the energy it can carry at distance gets better and better. The flat shooting argument is 1984s argument. With modern ranging and scopes.

If you want to know how good the 308 can shoot just look at the ftr scores next to f open. Ftr is 556 and 308, f open is anything pretty much. The ftr guys shoot just a few points behind the f open guns at the big matches. Ftr shoots bipod and lighter weight next to the fopen truck axels and joystick rests

 

[TRICER]

I don’t really like it. But only because I like the fast/flat cartridges. No doubt the 308 has killed millions of animals and has some clear benefits for some shooters. I’d take a 308 over the man bun special any day of the week. The cartridge debate will go on until the end of time…. Get yourself a copy of “Cartridges of the World” and you can throw out a reference to some obscure cartridge from another continent in the next cartridge debate. The search for the next great cartridge has much more to do with man’s curiosity than any actual need for something newer/better. “Beware the man with one rifle.”

That’s a great point. So I keep this dudes 7mm Rem Mag ballistics in my phone. He shoots light bullets faster at the muzzle but take a look at how close it is at 400 yards to the 308 and I the 308 is carrying more energy. Only 1 MOA of correction difference. Now with copper bullets I feel speed is more important than energy so the 7mm has it there. But just to play devils advocate is the 7mm rem Mag even worth it under 400 yards?

 

[Creeping Death]

I like my 308 but love my 270.

 

[ilovesprig]

I like my 308 but love my 270.

I like my 30-06, love my .270, but adore my .243...............................

 

[HATCHET1]

Aim high bro....

 

[Kellendv]

That’s a great point. So I keep this dudes 7mm Rem Mag ballistics in my phone. He shoots light bullets faster at the muzzle but take a look at how close it is at 400 yards to the 308 and I the 308 is carrying more energy. Only 1 MOA of correction difference. Now with copper bullets I feel speed is more important than energy so the 7mm has it there. But just to play devils advocate is the 7mm rem Mag even worth it under 400 yards?


View attachment 51156View attachment 51155

Lol fair enough but that 140 bullet is doing a true 3100 now and so it does carry more energy (not a lot) than that much heavier 168 out to 500 yards. Here’s data with current muzzle velocity:

To be really fair with a comparison like that though I think you need to use equivalent (or nearly) bullet weights. Here’s 7RM with a 168 going 2900 at the muzz:

 

[Hunter527]

The 308 is a good choice, but I went with the strategy of picking the most gun that I can shoot a lot of rounds comfortably. I also wanted to have a wide selection to factory ammo. For these reasons I picked the 300 win mag. The 308 is a great choice for kids, adults who can’t handle any more recoil than a 308, or adults who just don’t want any more recoil than a 308. When I’m miles deep in D14, with a 400 lb bear at 400 yards in the scope, I want all the punch I can handle!! I don’t want to tickle that bear with a 7mm Rem Mag or something like that!

 

[Hunter527]

Also, sometimes we just want to hunt with a certain cartridge for fun. For example, I’d like to hunt elk with a 45-70 one day. The 308 is a better elk cartridge than the 45-70, but the 45-70 will do the job at shorter ranges. I still choose the fire-breathing 300 win mag for my main big game rifle though.

 

[Kellendv]

The 308 is a good choice, but I went with the strategy of picking the most gun that I can shoot a lot of rounds comfortably. I also wanted to have a wide selection to factory ammo. For these reasons I picked the 300 win mag. The 308 is a great choice for kids, adults who can’t handle any more recoil than a 308, or adults who just don’t want any more recoil than a 308. When I’m miles deep in D14, with a 400 lb bear at 400 yards in the scope, I want all the punch I can handle!! I don’t want to tickle that bear with a 7mm Rem Mag or something like that!

You’re going to be waiting a very, very long time if you’re holding out for a 400 in D14…

 

[MJB]

Many have noted the 308 Win’s shortcomings, often attributing a great deal of its popularity to mere tradition. (Any cartridge that sees widespread use in wartime is necessarily going to remain popular with those hunt in peacetime.) The 308 Win’s chief drawback is that it contains too little propellant for its bore size. Its case simply can’t hold the charge that its high ballistic coefficient bullet requires to remain effective downrange. Bullet drop, wind drift, and energy loss become increasingly pronounced the farther a 308 Win reaches. So, if you’re a long-distance shooter or hunter, you might seek more modern alternatives.

308 Ballistics - Chart with Velocity, Energy and Bullet Drop

An in-depth look at 308 ballistics including a ballistic chart with velocity, energy and bullet drop data for popular loads in the U.S.

www.ammunitiontogo.com

I'm just not a fan of the 308, I've seen it fail to open on pigs 200- 300yd, to me it's like shooting 22 shorts while everyone else is using 22mag.
It will get it done but it would be my last choice, and I'd put two or three in them, but that's me I hate to chase animals more than I have to.....

.308 Win. vs. .270 Win. - Caliber Battle

Ask any American hunter to name his top three big game cartridges and chances are good that at least one of those will be the .308 Winchester or .270 Winchester. Winchester launched the .270 Win. all the way back in 1925 for the Model 54 bolt-action rifle. At the time it offered better long-range...

www.themeateater.com

I use 270 for my copper needs 130gr tsx it's hot at 3k.
30-06 for my elk needs with 180gr SST at 2900.

I have a few Magnum calibers but I don't hunt with them or shoot them. You don't need a Magnum to kill shit and they are no fun after 5 rounds at the range.
I got my buddy out of his 308 after last season and set him up with a 6.8 western this spring. He's very happy & his 308 is a range gun now and will be his kids gun when they get old enough to shoot & hunt
YMMV

 

[Hunter527]

You’re going to be waiting a very, very long time if you’re holding out for a 400 in D14…

The ranger said he saw one way up on top of the mountain this summer. It’s up to me to go up there and find him.

 

[TRICER]

@Hunter527 bears not gonna know the difference between a 300wm and a 308.

 

[TRICER]

Lol fair enough but that 140 bullet is doing a true 3100 now and so it does carry more energy (not a lot) than that much heavier 168 out to 500 yards. Here’s data with current muzzle velocity:
View attachment 51159
To be really fair with a comparison like that though I think you need to use equivalent (or nearly) bullet weights. Here’s 7RM with a 168 going 2900 at the muzz:
View attachment 51157View attachment 51158

I like heavier bullets. I am shooting the 175 Elite Hunters in my 280AI at 2980FPS and they are incredible. You need to start reloading you would be so good at it.

Back to the 308 I am still not convinced that under 400 yards you need a different cartridge. How often are you shooting more than 400 yards? 90% of the stuff I shoot is well under 300 yards most of which are under 200 yards. It’s also a very economical cartridge compared to the magnums.

 

[Hunter527]

@Hunter527 bears not gonna know the difference between a 300wm and a 308.

On the Federal Website a 165 gr trophy copper in 308 carries 1448 ft lbs at 400 yards, a 165 gr trophy copper in 300 win mag carries 1989 ft lbs at 400 yards. That's a difference of over 500 ft lbs, a bear won't notice that?

 

[JakeSCH]

338 RUM all day

I don't think anything else will work