Whats with the .308....

[edge]

I've only used and owned a few 308's and their use was strictly brush country blacks and whitetails.

I have met several guys in the west that can shoot waaaaay out there with it,and hit what theyre aiming at.......my question,why the 308?The more I research it,the more I see the LD accuracy it can produce.I always thought it was a 200 yarder but rarely shot one over 100........

Edge

[lb]

It's a cartridge I never had a use for. So, ask me why I own one? I don't have an answer, 'cause I sure don't use it...about like the AR. Impulse buying, I guess?

Good hunting. LB

[akona20]

I shoot the NATO 7.62 out to 1300 yards and with hand loads hit what I aim to hit. As an animal shooter with normal sights and an ability to read the wind you can kill way way out there.

[lb]

Wow, that's great! Just think how far you could shoot, accurately, with a decent chambering.

Good hunting. LB

[richc]

I believe the .308 remains fairly popular because of it's inherent accuracy. I have owned two different .308's. One was a model 600 Remington "Mohawk", and the other was a modell 99 Savage. Both of these guns were very accurate, no matter which fodder I fed em.

[edge]

Thats what I'm finding,rich,it must be some bullet to powder ratio or something;I was watching a guy shoot 600 meters,in a nasty intermittent wind;unbelievable.Shooting well in a steady cross is one thing,but......

I'm running a few rounds thru a 338 Lapua this weekend;might uncrate the model 99 just for filler.

Edge

LB,let me know if your AR needs a new home....ya gotta admit,they *look* cool............

[edge]

** Just think how far you could shoot, accurately, with a decent chambering.**


Which would be what,LB?What would you consider a lefitimate 1000 yarder?Presuming of course that the guy on the trigger was capable.I am a real consistant 500 yd guy,pretty good to 600 meters,after tht.......not so much;anything over 600 meters is new to me.

Sorry about the typos,my hands are in rough shape today;I'm fighting for custody of about 7 digits.

Edge

[lb]

I don't know, Man? But when you consider the looping trajectory of a 308 at 1300 yards, there are several dozen better suited, if the objective is to hit what you are aiming at....without several sighters. I mean, to kill an animal, sighted in, zeroed at 1300 yards, what is your bullet doing at 100? Just a plain vanilla 300 Win Mag tilts the odds a little bit better in your favor, but me? I have no interest whatsoever in shooting any animal beyond 600 yards, max. How far can a coyote move while a bullet is in flight, if you have ranged him accurately at 1300 yards? Then again, unless the animal is bedded down and there is a prominent landmark nearby, I would not shoot past 500 very often. That lessens the chance that the animal will move, from the time of ignition to the moment of impact. But, you need a flat shooting cartridge for the long range game, and the 308 doesn't qualify, in my book.

Good hunting. LB

[edge]

**Just a plain vanilla 300 Win Mag tilts the odds a little bit better in your favor, **

Yep,no question,thats why I am really inquisitive on the 308....it just doesnt seem to have al that much to offer;and *yet*..look at the LD competitions......too often for chance the winning chambering is 308.

I also prefer close shots,but sometimes the stuff that needs killin isnt too cooperative,thats why I shoot quite a lot.As far as the over 600 shots;in every case it has been an option,it would have been a choice,so I got closer or called them closer,it would just be nice to have the ability should it ever BE required,but I'll just keep with the 243.....familiarity breeds competence.

Edge

[markymark]

look at the LD competitions......too often for chance the winning chambering is 308.

It is, now that's news to me.

[richc]

I am not a long range shooting expert by any stretch. Having said that, I would also like to say that the lack of pain from recoil may well be a large factor when we are talking about hunting weight rifles. There is no doubt in my mind that a .300 Win mag would make a better long range shooter if the man behind the trigger hasn't developed a flinch. The lowly .308 would probably be a better choice for the average hunter, simply because he can shoot it more accurately than a hard kicking .300 Win mag.

[SgtWal]

The .308 dominates in competition because the Service Rifle Class requires a military rifle in a military caliber. The M-1, M-14, and the M-1A series are the mainstay. With most M-1's being bought being in .308 over the older 30-06.
The balistic data for this caliber is extensive as well. A competition shooter keeps a log for each rifle and logs every round fired. They can go to that log, which lays beside them on the line, and see how the rifle performed on any given day at the range they are on, at the same distance, and usually under the same or close weather conditions.
Snipers need a first shot kill at any given range and use this technique to learn how the rifle shoots. They find the target, get the range, check the wind, then go to the log to adjust the sights for the shot.
A good long range scope needs easy to use adjustments for this reason. And a good balistics table for your gun and load will put you on target every time.



wayne

[joe]

I'd have to say regardless of the cal. be a 308 or 300 win mag it is in the confidence of the shooter. Time spent on the range shooting learning trajectory and windage. I've personally don't doubt the capability of the 308 I've see it take Elk at 450 yards (ranged) with a well placed shot.

[lb]

all well and good, and I'm aware of the KD Service rifle matches, and what there is to choose from.

However, in a hunting situation, (and target shooters generally have very little advantage), a coyote will not allow you to accurately judge the range, open your book.... and dial up enough clicks to kill him, as is much more possible in a sniper role, for instance.

I'm sorry, but a flat shooting cartridge is a definite advantage, and the 308 is not. There are much better choices. Seems obvious, to me?

Good hunting. LB

[markymark]

The 308 dominates the service rifle matchs that's it. When you get into BR shooting as lb said going the distance is where velocity rules. I'd rather have a 284 Fire bird or a 308 Warbird any day of the week of a plain jane 308.

[richc]

"However, in a hunting situation, (and target shooters generally have very little advantage), a coyote will not allow you to accurately judge the range, open your book.... and dial up enough clicks to kill him, as is much more possible in a sniper role, for instance."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Now there is a sentence worth believing, and is the exact reason that I shoot fast moving bullets when in pursuit of coyotes.

[SgtWal]

Maybe it's old habit, but when I set a stand I get the range to landmarks around me, and identify safe directions to shoot.
The forked tree is 100 yards, the ditch is 250, and so on out to safe shooting distance. Also if houses or other problems are in which direction.
Under 300 the round holds plus or minus about 2.5 inches so a point of aim is all you need.
I don't shoot at running animals. It just isn't safe around here. To easy to swing into an unsafe direction. The first shot does it or the critter gets another chance.
Shooting for fast running critters is for the aircraftl gunners out west.


wayne

[FWS]

Too many guys think the equipment is what'll do it for them.

A 300 Rem. Ultra Mag can reach out and kill at very long range, but how many who own them have actually become proficient enough through practice and experimentation to actually take advantage of the extra margin the 300 Ultra has over a 30-06 or 308 ?

Very bloody few.

And the vast majority are handicapped by the magnums with the recoil and muzzle blast affecting their shooting ability.

I'd much rather see the average hunter buy a 308 and shoot it a lot and recognize what he can and can't do.

Same thing with varmint rifles, how many of you actually practice under field conditions at varying ranges from different positions ?

I do because that's my fun and burning 50 rounds of my .222 Rem. handloads costs about $8, cheaper than a movie.

[lb]

Hey, Sarge. Nobody said anything about running animals, I alluded to the fact that an animal can walk a single step or turn his head and body, when the bullet is in flight. The point I was attempting to make is that shooting at extended distances is inherently risky, and chances are, you will wound, not kill the animal, and then you need to spend time tracking. And, it is safe to shoot around here, (wide open spaces) but I wouldn't do it unless there was a reasonable chance for success. So, if you are retreating to reasonable 300 yard shooting, I'm with you all the way, and a mite further if the second or third animal is leaving the area.

Now, for FWS. You bet, the equipment makes a difference, but it doesn't need to be an UltraMag versus a pokey 308. It doesn't need to be any Magnum. A nice 280 Remington, 25'06 or a 243 is a better choice, with suitable bullets......That's if you must bang away at extended distances, shooting at worthy game; which I would not advocate for even the self annointed experts amongst us. For our purposes here, I mean something beyond 600, out to 1300 yards.

This is what caused me to opine:

"I shoot the NATO 7.62 out to 1300 yards and with hand loads hit what I aim to hit. As an animal shooter with normal sights and an ability to read the wind you can kill way way out there."

I think this is an unrealistic attitude. Personal opinion.

Good hunting. LB

[edge]

Oh,*military* matches......that explains that.i have been to exactly zero formal competions of any kind;thus my ignorance on the *type* of such.


Edge