Do I really want a .308 instead of a .270, 7mm Mag, or other caliber?

D

DougB

New member
I'm wanting to get a new, accurate, bolt rifle. I know the .308 is popular among target shooters, military and police snipers, and "battle rifle" fans. The availability of cheap surplus ammo, moderate recoil, and short cartridge/action length are all appealing.

But I can't help but feel that if I get a .308 I'm sacrificing performance in favor of popularity. I will mostly be doing recreational target shooting, and possibly hunting up to deer-sized game. I have old .270, 30-06, 7mm mag rifles. I'm wanting something in stainless and plastic that is a little lighter and more compact (probably 18-20" barrel).

Wouldn't a .270 (and several other calibers) shoot flatter, kick less, and be just as accurate? I just don't quite "get" the reason so many (especially snipers) choose the .308. This is a sincere question. I really want to just get a .308 and enjoy it, but I have this nagging feeling that the king's really naked. Is the .308's popularity in bolt guns due to some advantage I don't know about, or is it just "the standard" - like Microsoft applications - not the best at anything - but still what nearly everyone uses. Thanks.

Doug
 
Part of the 308's popularity is due to it being a current military round - ammo and components are widely available. It is also widely acknowleged as one of the most accurate 30 caliber rounds. The 30 caliber bullets are more highly developed and accurate than any other caliber.
 
Doug,

The .308's ballistic "advantage" becomes apparent at longer ranges. The .270 will shoot flatter out to 350 yards or so, but then its lighter bullet will lose velocity faster. The .270 is a great round, and since you are looking for a short barreled gun, it would probably be adequate to your needs. If you want extreme long range accuracy, the .30 calibers (.308, .300WM) shine.
 
As you know, the 30/06 was introduced in 1906. As configured for WWII and Korea, it fired a 150 gr. bullet at 2800 fps, if I remember correctly. By the the 1950's, improvements in powders had made this military spec. ammo rather obsolescent considering the large capacity of the 30/06 case, the largest ever in a military round.
The 7.62 Nato provides the same ballistics as the 30/06, 150 gr. bullet at 2800 fps, in a case about 20% lighter and shorter and is a therefore a great improvement over the older 30/06 round.
Of course commercial and private loaders can always get more out of the 30/06 because of its larger case capacity, but the military cannot do this. Military rounds are always loaded to performance specifications, i.e. 150 gr bullet 30 caliber at 2800 fps. If they did not do this, it would play havoc with all their automatic loading weapons and ruin the all the preset and precalulated trajectory adjustments of their battle sights.
Many people do not understand that from a military point of view, the 30/06 and 7.62 NATO are exactly the same round: a 150 gr 30 caliber bullet traveling at 2800 fps. No military anywhere in the world, now or in the past, used anthing more than this and some used quite a bit less.
So what military shooters and organizations do has little to do with your choices as hunter, target shooter, etc., unless you actually do want to emulate the military, which some people consciously do.
 
Unless you're a handloader, the .308 will be much cheaper to shoot for casual recreation.

The '06, .270, .25-'06 and 7mm Mag all benefit from barrels of 24" or 26". They will lose some 70 ft/sec per inch of barrel less than 26", compared to factory-published numbers.

The .308 case was designed to give lower losses in barrels of lesser lengths. I dunno; maybe 50 ft/sec or even less. Haven't read a "cut an inch" test for it, as I have with the other cartridges.

For hunting shots inside 300 or so yards, there is not a lot of difference among the .308, .30-'06 or .270 for elk on to smaller game. For deer and smaller, I'd include the .25-'06.

The .308 commonly comes in a short-action rifle, which with a 20" or 22" barrel is a lighter, handier package.

If you want, try the "Search" feature. There must be 50 threads on this same subject, with the same questions as you have.

FWIW, Art
 
One of the biggest concerns for snipers is ammo. Federal GoldMatch in .308 is available and pretty good. From a department (police) point of view, you can get a proven round pretty eaisily. The military uses it due to the reluctance to add yet another type specific round to the inventory and inertia. I'm not aware of Federal making Gold Match for any other calibers that .223, .308 and .300 Win Mag.

The Chandler brothers are not happy with the continued use of the .308, but getting a beauocracy to change it's mind is tough.

FWIW, until you start looking at 300 yards and beyond, there is not much difference between .270 through .300 Win Mag. All will do a good job if the shooter is up to it.

Giz
 
the 308 may or may not be the best caliber to use as its like beauty , its in the eye of the beholder, but I find the 308 very difficult to beat as an all-around cartridge. I have loaded 100gr plinkers for long distance (100-175 yds) for rabbit, crow,& woodchucks, I've even shot a few squirrels with this load. I use a 165gr pushed by 42.5 grs of imr4895 (2600fps) to bag whitetail and the 180 grainer for black bear with success. And I have shot 9.75" groups at 1000 yards with military ball. I now have 3 rifles chambered in 308, a remington 700 bolt, a springfeild m-14 and a NEF single-shot handi rifle. I also own rifles in 14 other calibers but as I said the 308 is very versatile thus hard to beat.....just my opinion
 
Legionaire, how is a 150grain .270 bullet lighter than a 150grain .308 bullet?
I seem able to find cheap .270 hunting ammo at Walmart, and all of the component manufacturers seem to offer all of their best bullets in .270.

So .308 is not superior only different.
 
My reasons for owning a .308 (I also shoot 7mmRM though not .270)
1. Cheap surplus ammo
2. Cheaper to reload-it's more economical with powder and brass is cheaper. Bullets are about the same, though cheap surplus bullets are also available
3. Slightly cheaper US factory ammo- though no much.
4. Very little difference in performance at normal hunting ranges. Look at the trajectory tables on the cartridges you mention when sighted in @ 200yds. Out to 300yds there is more difference from individual bullet selection than from one cartridge to another. Personally that's as far as I shoot. Now if you want to shoot out to 600yds routinely, by all means load up some 7mmRM with 162gr match bullets and blast away.
 
Blaster, I should have said "on average." Although you can get both .270 and .308 factory loads in 150 grains, the 150 is at the high end of those available for the .270 and the low end of those available for the .308. Just as an example, Federal's Premium cartridges in .270 seem to range from 130-150 grains (scanning the catalog), whereas the .308 ranges from 150-180 grains. Those shooting for precision at longer ranges typically shoot bullets heavier than those available in .270.

But as I said, either cartridge is fine at reasonable hunting distances; I like both! I was trying to answer DougB's question regarding "real" advantages (if any) of the .308. I believe it has definite ballistic advantages over the .270, but only when using appropriate bullets at longer ranges.

Hope that clarifies.
 
Looks like you've already received good feedback on most of your concerns, so I'll stay away from the technical aspects already covered. However, I wonder if you have looked into the availability of rifles offered in the calibers that you refer to and with the specs that you want.

If you are looking for a lighter, more compact rifle, then my guess is, that you might not find what you want in the .270 or 7mmRM. You might check if these calibers are offered in rifles with less than 22" barrels. (I'll bet that they will most likely come in 24" barrels in many cases.) With all that powder to burn and the longer length of the bullets (compared to the .308, that is) you need longer barrels. Also, especially with the 7mmRM, you will need some added weight to keep your shoulder attached to the rest of you -- something that does not come in a light weight "mountain"-type rifle.

Conversely, the .308, due to the efficiency of its compact design, is offered in lighter weight rifles with shorter (down to 20") barrels.

(Hope this makes sense!)
 
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