.308 or 30-06?

The .308win is an excellent cartridge, as is the .30-06sprg ... There are two questions I would ask you before I'd let you decide on one or the other ... if I were the one in control...

1. do you have a serious preference for either a long action or a short action?

2. do you plan on shooting elk sized game at 400+ yards?


I ask those because those are really the only two differences. Both have a bazillion (technical term) choices in factory ammo, and if you're a handloader, you can find anything out there to tailor your loads to the game intended to be had. The .30-06 is a long action cartridge, and has roughly 13grains more powder capacity. It will carry it's velocity out a hair further (ie: .308 @ 300 yards has roughly the same velocity as the .30-06 at 400 yards) ... and it kicks a hair harder, but it ain't by much. The .308 is a short action cartridge, and has been tried and proven over and over again as an all around hunting catridge... because of the shorter action, and the ability to use a shorter barrel, it can be had in a more handy package ...

So, in my eyes, if you're shooting said pigs, deer, and maybe elk at ranges of 300 yards and closer, the .308 should fit the bill rather nicely. If you want to take it downrange a smidge more, opt for the .30-06.


Having said all that, if you're after a "pig getter", I'd opt for something in 7mm myself... like a 7SAUM, or 7mmWSM ... There are some DANDY bullets being produced in the 7mm caliber, and they are in a short action to boot. You might study the 7's a bit and see what I mean about thier upside, as it's hard to beat in almost all aspects.

I know I either just really clarified things for you, or confused the **** out of you. Either way, if I got you thinking about things you might not have considered, I've done my job here...

The .30-06Springfield would be an outstanding choice for what you seem to be in search-of. There is a reason the "06" has been around for so long...it WORKS, and it works-well. You don't have to have the vast experience and knowledge offered in the numerous threads to figure this out....just do your homework and read up on the FACTS. I was introduced to the 06 by my Grandfather, but I didn't fully embrace it until after I was introduced to the .308Win while in the USMC. Prior to the Marine Corps I hunted primarily with a .243Win for small-game...all the time lusting for the day I would hunt the hill-country with a "real-rifle" in .270Winchester. Then I moved to Arizona, where I had an affair for a few years with both the high-desert and a 7MM-Mauser...Then I met Colonel Jeff Cooper[USMC-ret.] He "reintroduced" me to the .30-06 and it's "little-brother" the .308Win, in both conventional and Scout-formats...[anyway...] - It all made sense after that.

The main advantage most often overlooked in the .30-06 vs .308 issue, is the ability of the .30-06 to take full advantage of the excellent projectiles offered in the 200-220grn offering. The .308Win does not work well with these bullet-weights, due to its smaller-[yet very efficient]-case capacity and length. I prefer launching projectiles in the 165[8]grn-class out of a medium-weight rifle with a fixed power optic...so I have a considerable amount of trigger-time, and experience with the .308Win at known-distance, and unknown-distance ranges. I have .308cal-rifle in both conventional and Scout-Rifle formats, and they all kill quarry deader-than-wood if I do my job as a marksman.

WGM made a few interesting points you might want to consider...Also - I prefer my .308's with 20-inch tubes and since I have no use for long, unweilding barrells...I like my .30-06 tubes in the 22-inch range. You will notice a considerable difference in the "handiness" of the two rifles when you start comparing them side-by-side due to their differences in action and barrel set-up. Either way you can't go wrong, The .30-06 is the "Jack-of-All-Trades" in .30's...and the .308Win can do 90% of what the Springfield can do...in a smaller, trimmer package. Do your homework-first, reading is knowledge...and the knowledge is out there - merc.

[BTW: Col Cooper has written more than a few outstanding books with this subject matter in content: [1]To Ride, Shoot-Straight, and Speak the Truth, and [2] The Art of the Rifle. Both available through Gunsite-Press.]