Anything but a .308

Wyatt Smith said:

The 308 can’t push 220s to a usable velocity. Otherwise I agree, often my 30-06 is loaded with 180 hot cors at about 2500fps. So basically like a 308.

Ever use a 30-30 on deer? I find it to be perfect within 100 yards, (lots of times that’s more than I can see).

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I believe you misunderstood my first paragraph. 190 or heavier was reference to 30-06, not 308.

And I completely agree - 180 is as heavy as we should go for 308W

My daughter took the stallion above with a Barnes 140 grain TSX in a 7-08 last summer. I took several game.with the same rifle since it was just easier to grab the 7-08 than the 308 most of the time.

Just about full passthrough with the Barnes.




A friend just took another eland the other day with his 7x57. He used a CE bullet.

Wyatt Smith said:

The 308 can’t push 220s to a usable velocity. Otherwise I agree, often my 30-06 is loaded with 180 hot cors at about 2500fps. So basically like a 308.

Ever use a 30-30 on deer? I find it to be perfect within 100 yards, (lots of times that’s more than I can see).

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I have.I own two of them. It's sadly inadequate for open country Western states. I can see where it might be good in the flat thick woods of the East, but then I've found that a 7-08' .30-06 or 7 Mag kills deer just as dead at close range as they do at 300 yards. I've killed many animals from 10 yards out to around 400. I've probably shot more deer at over 200 yards than under. Can't claim that a .30-30 is a good choice for anything much past 100 yards.

Doug Hamilton said:

I have.I own two of them. It's sadly inadequate for open country Western states. I can see where it might be good in the flat thick woods of the East, but then I've found that a 7-08' .30-06 or 7 Mag kills deer just as dead at close range as they do at 300 yards. I've killed many animals from 10 yards out to around 400. I've probably shot more deer at over 200 yards than under. Can't claim that a .30-30 is a good choice for anything much past 100 yards.

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Pigs out 200mts and the dirty 30 still kills them. I could do this once I put a peep sight on it. But, yes it is generally a sub sub 150 mt cartridge.

Doug Hamilton said:

I have.I own two of them. It's sadly inadequate for open country Western states. I can see where it might be good in the flat thick woods of the East, but then I've found that a 7-08' .30-06 or 7 Mag kills deer just as dead at close range as they do at 300 yards. I've killed many animals from 10 yards out to around 400. I've probably shot more deer at over 200 yards than under. Can't claim that a .30-30 is a good choice for anything much past 100 yards.

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Well said Sir. I would agree that when zeroed at or about 200y, the 308 with 180g bullets is good out to only about 300y. But, mine only drops about 1.7mil at 400y and is still running right at 2000 fps which is sort of my personal limit for shooting live game. Still for shots past 250-300y, the 7/08, 7RM and 30/06 all out perform it. But, since I do not live or hunt out west, I almost never engage live game out past 300y. So, they all work pretty well inside of that envelope.

An added comment to the OP is, I have shot game with calibers ranging from 22cal to 375cal and for most deer sized game and larger, the range of calibers that seem to put them down the most effectively is from 30cal to 338cal. That seems to provide that special combo of speed, accuracy, impact energy, penetration and destructive expansion of the bullet that combines to result in dead right there performance more often than not. The bigger, slower slugs with slow to expand bullets aimed more to DG hunting work well enough but often expand slowly on thin skinned, smaller animals. Kills em ok but not more better than some of the smaller, faster options like a 338 or 30/06 for example. The smaller calibers in 6.5mm and lower also kill most well enough but lack the weight and energy to drive deep if the shot angle is not perfect and can sometimes result in a slower kill with the critter running off 100y or more to die. Meat is still in the freezer but I do not like to see that when I am hunting. I love my 243 but it is not my 1st choice for Moose and Elk.

My longest shot on a deer (Axis) is 473 yards on an ag field with a .308 using a 175 Sierra Match King to the high shoulder. It dropped where it stood.

Tex .416 said:

My longest shot on a deer (Axis) is 473 yards on an ag field with a .308 using a 175 Sierra Match King to the high shoulder. It dropped where it stood.

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Hell of a shot. I don't have a .308, but I do have a .30-06 and I wouldn't have any idea where to hold at 473 yards!

Doug Hamilton said:

Hell of a shot. I don't have a .308, but I do have a .30-06 and I wouldn't have any idea where to hold at 473 yards!

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Thank you.

Dial for distance, hold for wind.

I used to compete in some long range matches with both known and unknown distances and no sighters or warm up out to 1,000 yards or a bit beyond.

With a laser range finder, dialing, and a lot of practice, shots can be made very reliably with a .308 out to 600 yards. Beyond 600 and especially beyond 800 is a whole different level of challenge due to wind.

No doubt there are better long range options than .308 and .30-06, but inside of 500 yards, the .308 with certain bullets is very effective.

I've just never been interested in a .308 in hunting rifle. Not that's there's anything wrong with it, but to me it just lacks "nostalgia."

I do have a Ruger American in .308 that rides in my truck's toolbox.

Safari Dave said:

I've just never been interested in a .308 in hunting rifle. Not that's there's anything wrong with it, but to me it just lacks "nostalgia."

I do have a Ruger American in .308 that rides in my truck's toolbox.

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I never quite got enthused about the .308 either. When I decided that I needed a short action, light rifle for Western Washington I got a 7-08. Nice little rifle but a 7-08 in stainless with a synthetic stock it also.lacks "nostalgia." I do like coming in after a day in the rain without having to worry too.much about rust or the finish on the stock like I do with my blue steel and walnut rifles. Nostalgia can only carry you so far.

If we're talking nostalgia and efficacy in hunting I think there's a case to make that everything introduced after the late 1930's is just marketing.

By that time we had 6.5x55, 270, 7x57, 303B, 30-06, 8x57, 300H&H, 318WR, 8x68s, 333J, 350 Rigby, 9.3x62, 375 H&H, 404J/450-400NE, 416 Rigby, 450 NE & 470 NE just to name a few.

It's a damned shame to see some of these awesome cartridges fading away.

JPbowhunter said:

If we're talking nostalgia and efficacy in hunting I think there's a case to make that everything introduced after the late 1930's is just marketing.

By that time we had 6.5x55, 270, 7x57, 303B, 30-06, 8x57, 300H&H, 318WR, 8x68s, 333J, 350 Rigby, 9.3x62, 375 H&H, 404J/450-400NE, 416 Rigby, 450 NE & 470 NE just to name a few.

It's a damned shame to see some of these awesome cartridges fading away.

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Maybe, but some of the old cartridges were marketed, but really not worth a damn at the time, 25-20, 32-20, .303 Savage, etc. etc. Some newer rounds do the same as the older rounds but in a more efficient package. Look at the .470 NE vs. The .458Win Mag. Both send a 500 grain bullet out at 2150 fps. As much as I would love to own a.fine DR in .470 that will never fit in a standard length bolt action which is something I can afford. Then there are the magnum 7's and .300's as well as the .338 Win. By most peoples reckoning, the .300 Win is a better round than the .300 H%H. These are great rounds in their own right. There are some loser cartridges that will be weeded out in the market just as there were in the past, but many cartridges developed after 1930 are, in fact, a better mouse trap. Marketing counts, of course, but many of the.old cartridges are kept alive for no other purpose than nostalgia.

Nostalgia isn't always a bad thing as long as we recognize that it may not be the most practical choice. I always try to like the logical and most convenient choice. Say the argument for having a 223, 308. However, while I have three 308s, I've taken one shot at game with one of them. A wildebeest. While the 308 is a logical answer to many questions, I have always reached for something else.

The 30-06 is the all American choice. With this being the year of America 250. We used it in war, Hemingway used it in Africa, Griffen and Howell made cool sport rifles with this cartridge. It has the romance, etc. While there is the argument that it has a larger range of effective bullet lengths/weights, I don't really buy into that for today's hunter. How many people really use anything heavier than a 180 in one, and, try to purchase any factory ammo in the heavier grain range of 190 to 220. While the thought of hand loading is great, its not a reality for the majority of hunters..and thus we get back to the 308 due to a chance of a more accurate factory rifle, due to tighter chambers, and sheer number of ammo choices. And then the lower recoil. So more practical. And instead of a 308, i tend to hunt a 7-08, since I can get good ammo without hand loading like I would have to with my 7x57. So much for someone who has an engineering mindset.

If the 308 Winchester is released in the Federal +Peak cartridge technology on March 8th, 2027, I might change my thoughts on the 308.

If you made the argument that the 300 Winchester Magnum was the choice, I would say that you are not wrong. Or a 7 Remington Magnum.

With all this said, which is like the saying, more is said than done.

So my current plans for 2027 and 2029 travel is to take either a 35 Whelen or an 8x57 to Africa.

Pure logic. They are both in pretty walnut stocks.

@txtrout75218 pure logic says Aussie shooters need a .223 and .308, that’s the economical, practical and logical choice for us shooting foxes or culling Roos with a .223 and using the .308 for pigs and most deer species.

But, the 7mm-08 is no sleeper. It’s a great little cartridge that doesn’t seem to be as readily available in rifles and ammo. IYKYK but it’s only a small share of the market. The 7x57 is just the original version with a little more history.

I think the 7mm-08 is more popular in New Zealand than Australia.

Nostalgia isn't the end all be all, in reality these old cartridges preform just as well or better than modern cartridges. So its the best of both world's. 7x57 vs 7mm-08, 6.5x55 vs 6.5creed, 8x57 vs 338 federal. The ones mentioned all have more capacity and in sound rifles will get an extra 50 fps or so when all things are equal. So why not enjoy something with history, class, and performance.

Doug Hamilton said:

Maybe, but some of the old cartridges were marketed, but really not worth a damn at the time, 25-20, 32-20, .303 Savage, etc. etc. Some newer rounds do the same as the older rounds but in a more efficient package. Look at the .470 NE vs. The .458Win Mag. Both send a 500 grain bullet out at 2150 fps. As much as I would love to own a.fine DR in .470 that will never fit in a standard length bolt action which is something I can afford. Then there are the magnum 7's and .300's as well as the .338 Win. By most peoples reckoning, the .300 Win is a better round than the .300 H%H. These are great rounds in their own right. There are some loser cartridges that will be weeded out in the market just as there were in the past, but many cartridges developed after 1930 are, in fact, a better mouse trap. Marketing counts, of course, but many of the.old cartridges are kept alive for no other purpose than nostalgia.

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CBH Australia said:

@txtrout75218 pure logic says Aussie shooters need a .223 and .308, that’s the economical, practical and logical choice for us shooting foxes or culling Roos with a .223 and using the .308 for pigs and most deer species.

But, the 7mm-08 is no sleeper. It’s a great little cartridge that doesn’t seem to be as readily available in rifles and ammo. IYKYK but it’s only a small share of the market. The 7x57 is just the original version with a little more history.

I think the 7mm-08 is more popular in New Zealand than Australia.

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I like my 7-08, but I think if it was possible to have bought a 7x57 in the US that's what I would have gone with. Unfortunately it just doesn't seem that any 7x57s have been available in the US in many years.

jruby said:

I own two 9.3x62 mausers and a 358 norma magnum. In no way do I believe that a 9.3x62 has more thump down range than a 358 norma. I love and use both cartridges. The only advantage the 9.3x62 has is a heavier bullet in standard loads.

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Swift makes a 280gr bullet for the 358

Robmill70 said:

Swift makes a 280gr bullet for the 358

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One company making a 280g bullet is the exception not the rule. Most 35 calibers are between 200g to 250g bullets. Average 9.3 bullets are 250g to 300g. I will stick with the standard loads and not trying to make my rifle something it isnt when other cartridges fil those needs.IMHO

Doug Hamilton said:

I like my 7-08, but I think if it was possible to have bought a 7x57 in the US that's what I would have gone with. Unfortunately it just doesn't seem that any 7x57s have been available in the US in many years.

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I picked up a Pink B&C stock on special to suit a Tikka.

I was wanting to to do something with it for my wife. A 7x57 would have been perfect and I’d have taken a 7mm-08 in an instant but a 7x64 came up for a song.

Tikka make all 3 chamberings but they are not common in Australia, less so the European ones I think.

The 7x64 in a factory Tikka is probably unusual here so there may have been a small number imported.

You can find the Tikkas chambered in 7mm-08 and .260 Remington but not heaps.

Doug Hamilton said:

I like my 7-08, but I think if it was possible to have bought a 7x57 in the US that's what I would have gone with. Unfortunately it just doesn't seem that any 7x57s have been available in the US in many years.

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Do not be afraid to purchase a used Mauser custom or old Winchester model 70 in 7x57. Used Husqvarna Swedish Mausers are dirt cheap and are some of the most accurate hunting rifles money can buy.

That cartridge is not a bbl burner and most hunting rifles do not get shot enough to erode the bbls unless they are used for many decades. Plus you can always send it off to Douglass to have a match bbl replacement installed. I once bought a WWII era Mauser Custom that had a 270 bbl on it that the seller said was "Shot Out". I spent about two weeks cleaning the bore of decades of copper fouling and after that the groups dropped from 3" at 100y to about 3/4". I used it for 20yrs as my primary deer rifle before retiring it for other bigger calibers. An 80yr old Mauser is likely to be a 100% better rifle than most of the new stuff on the market. Super strong CRF action that is reliable and accurate. Not the greatest triggers in the world but that can be fixed if necessary.