If your game is less than 1000lbs., the range is less than 400 yards, and you use the right bullet, .308 will get it done in fine fashion. Maybe not the trendiest, but very practical in a reality based world. Good luck.

 

Excellent thank you.

 

WHy does the range have to be less than 400 yards?

 

I think you made a fine choice. Ammo is everywhere,I have taken deer at 300+ yards no problem. I do not think 5 or 600 yards is out of the question either[if your up to it]. I live in Maine and I would not hesitate to hunt anything we have here with my 308, moose right on down to pests.

AL

 

I think you made a fine choice. Ammo is everywhere,I have taken deer at 300+ yards no problem. I do not think 5 or 600 yards is out of the question either[if your up to it]. I live in Maine and I would not hesitate to hunt anything we have here with my 308, moose right on down to pests.

AL

You are correct 600 yards is definately not out of the question....

 

yep gotta agree. any of the above are fine for deer hunting at these ranges. .308 will suit the conditions desribed just fine. and have to agree that ammo is "cheap" (i use that loosely as no ammo is cheap anymore, but is one of the less epensive higher caliber rounds) and very easy to find a broad range of bullet types as well as weights.

 

I've been using a .308 for Wisconsin whitetail deer since 1974 and feel it is an ideal cartridge-to-game match. My personal choice is a Mannlicher-Schoenauer with a 20" barrel and a 1-4X Leupold scope. It's a handy and quick combination where most shots are under a 100 yards, but it's done the job at more than 400 yards.

I'm not going to argue against the .270 or the 30-06, but I'm happy with my .308.

 

I had complete pass through quartery on a deer at 300 paced yards with hornady interbonds. I think somone has magnumitis. [just kiddding]Anyway sounds like a 308 fits your needs perfectly.

 

I had a .308 years ago when I lived in Africa and shot everything from eland and zebra on down and most were one-shot kills. Normally used the 180 gr. Nosler bullet. I didn't and don't think it was the ideal plains hunting round because it was easy to underestimate the range -- no range finder. I do have to say, however, that the .308 did not have the authority of the .375 or the .300 Weatherby, but there isn't much in NA that calls for that. .308 sounds perfect for what you want, or you could even go to the .260 or 7mm-08 if you wanted a light rifle. .308 recoil, while not overwhelming at all, tends to be a little sharp as I recall.

Good luck!

 

fitz31,
All the calibers you mentioned have been tested by time and all three rank as some of the best ever. If you read the latest gun magaiznes on the short magnums etc., they will tell you different. Don't buy into that!
I have some Weatherbys, and a Browning 300 Win mag. Sure, they will reach out there. But when I go hunting in my home state, I will more typically take a 30-30 or 45-70 lever action. Now there's two that have taken a beating over time. Back to the 308, it is accurate. plesant to shoot, ammo is everywhere, and it will do what you ask of it.
As far as the 400 yard shooting someone mentioned, think about your bow hunting experiences. Do deer just stay farther away when you are using a rifle? No, but this long distance shooting does tend to make a persons mind go to work. 400 Yards is nearly a quarter of a mile. I think I would concentrate on closing the distance before I tripped that trigger. But that's just me. Let us know what you decide, or if you have additional questions.
bestboss

 

i think that's an excelent choice, the extra velocity of the 270 in close would just mean more bloodshot meat and as for the '06 you really need to go to the 180gr and heavier bullets to actually gain anything on the 308.
i've got a remington 700 classic in 300 savage (the original short magnum!) that i load to approximate 308 performance i.e. 150gr bullet 2800 fps and man i love it! i recently put a burris 2x7 short mag scope on it and talk about a nice easy shooting setup. it is quickly becoming one of my favorites, in fact it has more or less relegated my '06 to the back row. i like regular 'ol hornady spire points and also use a lot of ramshot powders, anyhow with the 300 savage to get 2800 fps it takes about 45grs of TAC and the comparable load in the '06 with Hunter takes 62.5grs to go a whopping 150 or so fps faster. i don't consider myself cheap, but when you get to looking at the price of components these days it doesn't bother me to save some scratch where i can.

 

IMHO is one of the best "Do it all" type cartridges going. it has sired some wonderful offspring, like the 260Rem, 7mm-08Rem, 338fed, 358win. Plus it is offered in almost any rifle plateform, from almost all manufactures. Savage is a great out of the box rifle, and the accu-trigger makes it a little better. If I bought the Savage then it would be hard not to have some extra barrels made up for the other calibers. I still like a little weight to my rifle and a barrel no shorter then 22" I had a Remington 600 for many years, an accurate little carbine but kicked like a mule ( more stock design then cartridge ).

 

That .308 will do just great, and for a lot further than you can shoot. It's the most accurate of the calibers you listed. Past 600 yards, it's twice as accurate as the .30-06.

If you reload, any bullet made, is probably made in .308 diameter.

 

That .308 will do just great, and for a lot further than you can shoot. It's the most accurate of the calibers you listed. Past 600 yards, it's twice as accurate as the .30-06.

If you reload, any bullet made, is probably made in .308 diameter.

What makes you beleive that a 308 is twice as accurate as a 30-06 past 600 yards? Are you saying that a 308 that is capable of 1/2 MOA at 1K means that a 30-06 is only capable of 1 MOA at 1K. Tha is certainly not the case. Any accuracy difference between the 2 is splitting a mighty fine frogs hair....

 

fitz31 - I have a lefty Savage Weather Warrior in .308. Great caliber, great shooter. And it really likes the Wal Mart available Remington factory ammo. 150 grain Core-lokts. 14 or 15 bucks a box. I think the Weather Warrior is about a pound lighter than the 10FLP.

 

All fantastic calibers. As previously stated easy to find, relatively cheap. One thing I really like about the 308 , I can purchase a rifle that will be lighter, apple for apple, compared to the other two choices. The overall length would be shorter. Over the years I have fallen in love with the short action rifles.

My favorite deer rifles :

- Remington Model 7 SS 260 Rem
- Remington Model 7 SS 308 Win
- Browning A-bolt II Micro Medallion 308 Win
- Weatherby MK5 Ultra lite 308 Win
- Marlin 336 35 Rem

I have a few more that I also like but I really love these.

I reload and have set up a few pet loads for my 308's using 125 grain bullets for deer. Simply fantastic. Less recoil, very accurate and deadly. My furthest shot with this pet load has been 350 yards across a bean field. High shoulder shot, deer shut down before it hit the ground.

I would recommend the 308 cartridge to any fellow hunter. Do not forget that the 308 is parent to many other fine calibers.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Guy

 

Considering that the .308 is the round more sniper rifles are built around than any other, it makes sense to me that the .308 would be a good round to use for deer hunting - you'll have accuracy and knock down power to spare.

 

fitz31,

There isn't a bad choice among the three mentioned. The .270 will shoot a bit faster & flatter. The 30-06 will handle heavy bullets a little better. The .308 will probably be more accurate & less fussy as to preferred loads. The only mistake I've ever seen guys make when choosing a .308, is to get one that is too compact & light with a bad stock design. They are surprised to find that recoil can be sharp. It may look like a small cartridge, but it is elk & moose capable. Good luck & good shooting.

 

fitz31,

There isn't a bad choice among the three mentioned. The .270 will shoot a bit faster & flatter. The 30-06 will handle heavy bullets a little better. The .308 will probably be more accurate & less fussy as to preferred loads. The only mistake I've ever seen guys make when choosing a .308, is to get one that is too compact & light with a bad stock design. They are surprised to find that recoil can be sharp. It may look like a small cartridge, but it is elk & moose capable. Good luck & good shooting.

My 06 Sako Finnbear is very accurate 5 shots of 165gr Nosler Solid Base Bullets from 100 yd bench in 7/16 inch is accurate enough to kill a mule deer or an elk.The 308 is the baby brother of the 30-06.

 

didn't read the replies..


the 308 is a steller deer round..
mine killed 4 whitetails this past season loaded with 165g Sierra Gamekings
Tikka T3 stainless lite
great gun and caliber
all one shot, drop em in the scope shots...

 

Guns don't kill deer......

Fitz31,

I picked the 270 Winchester as my favorite deer caliper/rifle

And my son picked a 308 as his.

Both do an excellent job on deer!

Repeat after me..... caliBer!

 

I'm not sure how this relates to the .308 Winchester as a hunting round, but it has a lot of good, useful information on it.

http://www.snipercentral.com/308.htm

 

with handloads or the Hornady light magnums it is only about a 100FPS slower than an 06

If I get the chance to go Elk hunting I will load up some 180s (partition, etc..) up hot and take my 308

 

Fitz31,

I picked the 270 Winchester as my favorite deer caliber/rifle

And my son picked a 308 as his.

Both do an excellent job on deer!

 

Read this top to bottom. I'd say this is a good source for a comparison of accuracy differences between the 308 and 30-06. I learned back in 1963.

http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/AccuracyFacts.asp

 

First, I have only been hunting deer since 1962 and elk since 1992. So what do I know?

Second, the world is full of "minimal differences" and equally full of people who would lead you to believe that minimal differences are significant. They frequently are not!

Third, the .308 Win. sits squarely between the .300 Savage and the 30-06, two of the "classic" deer cartridges of North America. What's not to like?

Fourth, during my stint in RVA, '68-'69, the Sniper Platoon of 7th Marine Regiment was quite successful with Remington 700 rifles in the NATO equivalent of .308 Win., and Redfield 3-9X scopes. And this was frequently at ranges which far exceeded anything that can be called "hunting."

Finally, as a deer (and antelope, black bear, moose, and caribou) cartridge, the .308 Win. can hold its head high in the hands of any person who is worthy of the title HUNTER.

That said, I would not feel the least bit undergunned carrying a .308 Win. for elk. I have taken about a dozen elk since 1993 with .280, '06, .444 Marlin, and .35 Whelen, and never lost a single one. Any of them would have fallen just as neatly to a .308 Win.

 

308 for deer........7mm08

Fitz31,

A .308 would be more than adequate for deer sized game out to 250yds, however, I would encourage you to research the 7.08 as well.

I shoot a Rem. 700 in 7.08 and have taken many antelope, W-T deer and a few mule deer, its a great cartridge. I shoot 140g Accubonds loaded with 45g Win 760.
Good luch in your search.

BK,
Missoula, MT

 

Ray,

Thanks for indulging me. There's a guy in one of the gun clubs I belong to that routinely says, "caliper" when he means "caliber". Makes me grind my teeth. Makes me want to smack him upside the head, then scream in his face, "caliBER, NUMBNUTS"! It's a pet peeve. Like guys that shoot a "pattern", rather than a "group".

 

Mainer what part of the state you from? I am in the mi coast area near Bucksport.

AL