Wondering about a new 308 vs 30-06 angle

Depends if you want a short or long action?
In 150 & 165 grain bullets you can queeze another 50 to 100 fps. out of the 30-06,but your using 10 more grains of powder to get it.
In 180 grain bullets another 100 to 150 fps. using 10 more grains in the 30-06.
In 200 & 220 grain bullets 150 to 200 fps.
I've read articles about how a 308 is inheritlly more accurate then the 30-06.
But as far as accuracy it's all in the gun & your loads. The 30-06 is flatter shooting.
With all that said I'm still a fan of my 308. I like short actions.
But I don't load anything over 180gr bullets. If I needed to shoot something heavier I'd shoot the 338.
 
I like the 30-06 springfield between the two, because I never owned a .308, but I want one... I know that my 30-06 has killed a lot of deer for me, with "one shot" kills usually the norm.. I also have a friend that uses the .308 for deer hunting, and has killed more deer than I have,(I dont know how)but he says he uses the 150 grain CoreLokt bullets exclusively while I prefer handloading 150 grain Ballistic Tips from Nosler. We have never taken both rifles to the range at the same time since maybe 1985, at that time I was using 180 Corelokts, and open sights. He has a 4x Weaver on his rifle (it's a remington 700 like mine was) I schooled him long and hard about to the point where I could have bought his rifle for $100.00, but I digress.... The point I want to make is How cool is it to be Able to pick a caliber??? Huh??? :)
 
If one makes a comparison between these two using SAAMI spec bullets, barrels, velocity and pressure, it might be more realistic.

.30-06, 24" barrel, max average pressure 60,000 psi:
110-gr. bullet, 3300 fps
125-gr. bullet, 3125 fps
150-gr. bullet, 2900 fps
165-gr. bullet, 2790 fps
180-gr. bullet, 2690 fps
200-gr. bullet, 2540 fps

.308 Win, 24: barrel, max average pressure 62,000 psi:
110-gr. bullet, 3150 fps
125-gr. bullet, 3030 fps
150-gr. bullet, 2800 fps
165-gr. bullet, 2670 fps
180-gr. bullet, 2600 fps
200-gr. bullet, 2440 fps
 
Nuff sed.:cool:
Actually I wanted to ask you Bart, do you still shoot ? And with what caliber, between the two, would you be using today in competition?
 
My 30-06 handloads in 150, 165, and 180 gr loadings are beating those numbers by 100-150 fps. I'm loading about .5-1 grain below a max load that shows around 58,000-59,000 psi.

The velocities I get with my 308 handloads are right in line with the numbers you posted and I'm at about the same .5-1 grain under max.

I believe it is a lot easier to safely improve on 30-06 performance.

That said, I have a lot of respect for the 308 round. I started with a 30-06 almost 40 years ago simply because a family friend had almost umlimited access to military surplus 30-06 ammo at the time. That was a big decision for a 15 year old kid trying to buy ammo. I have no regrets, would do the same today under the same circumstances, but if not for that would probably have gone 308 if making the same decision today.

Recently i have found myself reaching for the 308 a lot more than the 30-06's I've had for years. I'm a hunter, not a target shooter. The decision for me is the rifle, not the chambering. My 308 rifles are trimmer, lighter and much more enjoyable to use for a day of climbing mountains. While I can always beat the 308 with my 30-06 by at least 150 fps with comparable bullet weights, both are really more than I need most of the time.
 
jmr40 says his 30-06 handloads in 150, 165, and 180 gr loadings are beating those numbers by 100-150 fps. He's loading about .5-1 grain below a max load that shows around 58,000-59,000 psi.

And you used a SAAMI spec mounted barrel with a pressure transducer installed to SAAMI specs to verify the pressure numbers and a chronograph to verify the velocity. Right?
 
I'm using a chronograph and loads under max listed in multiple sources. 60 gr of H-4350 chrono's around 3015-3025 fps with 150's from my rifle. Book max is 62 gr with an expected velocity of 3068 fps with a max load. 60 gr of Ramshot Hunter is pushing 150 TSX bullets to right at 3000 fps. Max load is 60.7 gr with an expected velocity of 3038 fps.

I'm getting 2890-2900 with 165's and 58.5 gr of H-4350. Max load is 59 gr with an expected velocity of 2934 fps

57 gr of H4350 is giving me 2780 fps with 180's. Max load is 57.5 with an expected velocity of 2798 fps.

All of these loads have proven to be perfectly safe in my rifles with no overpressure signs. I have worked right up to the max loads, but found the best accuracy where I am. Well under 1 MOA.
 
If one makes a comparison between these two using SAAMI spec bullets, barrels, velocity and pressure, it might be more realistic.

.30-06, 24" barrel, max average pressure 60,000 psi:
110-gr. bullet, 3300 fps
125-gr. bullet, 3125 fps
150-gr. bullet, 2900 fps
165-gr. bullet, 2790 fps
180-gr. bullet, 2690 fps
200-gr. bullet, 2540 fps

.308 Win, 24: barrel, max average pressure 62,000 psi:
110-gr. bullet, 3150 fps
125-gr. bullet, 3030 fps
150-gr. bullet, 2800 fps
165-gr. bullet, 2670 fps
180-gr. bullet, 2600 fps
200-gr. bullet, 2440 fps

These are factory standards, correct?
If you handload both calibers can easily be tweaked to gain another 100 to 150 fps.
 
Cheap 870, those are SAAMI standards established under controlled conditions. It's voluntary for ammo factorys to make loads that match them.

I agree you can load ammo to shoot bullets faster than SAAMI specs. Are those loads at the same peak pressure as SAAMI used? If not, then you aren't "leveling the playing field." Anyone can get more velocity by raising pressure as well as using a longer barrel or smaller bore and groove diameters. But when comparing system A to system B, changing more than one thing at a time masks what only one thing will change.
 
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