30-06 Springfield Versus 308 Winchester

[Graybeard]

And now for a break from the constant barrage of politics let's talk guns and cartridges for a change.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/blog.php/post/30-06-springfield-versus-308-winchester

30-06 Springfield Versus 308 Winchester A pair of old stalwarts face each other in the ring. Who wins?

Aram von Benedikt March 20, 2023

30-06 SPRINGFIELD

Developed during the early years of the 20th century, the 30-06 was originally designed to serve as a battle round. And serve it did, through two world wars and several other skirmishes. The cartridge shoots a .308-inch-diameter projectile, and final design of the cartridge was completed in 1906, hence the name. Standard rifling twist rate is 1:10, meaning the rifling makes one complete revolution in 10 inches of barrel length. Typical barrel length is 24 inches. At a cartridge overall length (COL) of 3.34 inches, the 30-06 is considered a standard-length cartridge. Recoil is moderate. An empty 30-06 cartridge has an approximate water grain capacity of 68.2.

The 30-06 has no parent case, being the first of its lineage (unless you consider the 30-03, but that can be considered a prototype to the final design). It does, however, have an impressive list of descendants—cartridges such as the 270 Winchester, 25-06 Remington, and 35 Whelen. It shoots bullet weights ranging from 110 to 220 grains fairly well, with 180 grains being the sweet spot as far as performance goes. Average velocity with a 180-grain bullet is 2,700 fps (feet per second), a bit pedestrian by today’s standards, but still a solid performer.

308 WINCHESTER/7.62 NATO

Born in 1952, the 308 is an accurate, mild-shooting cartridge. Its military counterpart, the 7.62 NATO, replaced the 30-06 as America’s fighting round for a time. The cartridge shoots a .308-inch-diameter projectile just like the 30-06. Indeed, the two share a common appetite for many bullets. However, the 308 rifle is usually given a 1:12 rifling twist, rendering it somewhat less capable with heavier, longer projectiles. Barrel length is commonly 22 or 24 inches, though many shooters are using 18- or-20-inch barrels so they can comfortably add a suppressor. This naturally diminishes velocity even further. With a COL of 2.80 inches, the 308 is a considered a “short-action” cartridge. Recoil is slightly less than that of the 30-06, but it still falls within the moderate range. An empty 308 cartridge has an approximate water grain capacity of 56.

The 308’s parent cartridge is the 300 Savage. Notable descendants of the 308 include the 243 Winchester and the 7mm-08 Remington. Available ammunition offers bullet weights ranging from 125 to 220 grains, though it’s pretty rare to find anyone shooting heavier than 180 grains. For comparison’s sake, average velocity with a 180-grain bullet is 2,600 fps, which is downright slow by today’s standards. Many shooters consider 165 to 168 grains the optimal bullet weight for the 308, and with that weight projectile you can expect around 2,680 fps, but ballistic coefficient (BC) suffers.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

HUNTING

In real-world settings, the 30-06 outperforms the 308 as a hunting round by a significant margin. Due to its greater powder capacity and 1:10 twist rate, it will stabilize heavier bullets and shoot them faster, which provides greater terminal authority and penetration. Heavier bullets also maintain velocity and energy, and buck the wind better than a light, fast bullet. If you never intend to shoot at game that’s any farther than 300 yards, the 308 will do a great job for you. Beyond that, the 30-06 is significantly better. Check out the comparison tables below for details.

Some hunters opine that the 308 has an advantage due to its being a short-action cartridge, which reduces bolt travel by half an inch and reload time by a millisecond. Rifle weight is also reduced by 3 or 4 ounces. Personally, I enjoy running a standard-length action and have no need to prioritize the small advantages offered by a short-action over the superior terminal performance offered by the standard-length 30-06.

Sight Picture

Now that you have your gun up, you need to look at your sight picture and sight alignment. “Sight picture” is everything you see when you look down the barrel of your gun. This includes your sights and the target. The correct sight picture for handgun shooting can seem counterintuitive, however. While you generally want to look at your target, it is important that you focus primarily on the front sight. A good sight picture would consist of a slightly blurry rear sight, a crystal-clear front sight, and a slightly blurry target. Now, you align your sights. The correct alignment will have the front sight positioned in the middle of the rear sight notch with equal light space on each side. The top of the front sight will be level with the surface of the rear sight. This orientation of your sights will allow you to hit your target consistently and accurately.

TARGET SHOOTING AND COMPETITION

In the competition and target shooting arena, the story changes. Due to its design, the 308 is inherently a more accurate cartridge than the 30-06. This is on average, of course—you can find superbly accurate 'Ought-Six rifles as well as 308s that don’t shoot well at all. It’s a law of averages, folks.

Since terminal authority and retained energy are both moot when punching paper, the 308 emerges as superior for the purpose of competition and target shooting, with the possible exception of shooting heavy silhouette targets.

CONCLUSION

Both the 30-06 and the 308 are proven, effective cartridges with solid reputations and notable histories. Both offer good ammunition availability from a plethora of manufacturers. If your primary purpose is hunting, the 30-06 will serve you best. If you love punching paper or competing, go with the 308.

In my opinion, the old 'Ought-Six has more panache and, considering the wars it has served in, more noble history. It’s a James Bond of a cartridge. For those reasons, and because I’m primarily a hunter, I consider the 30-06 the ultimate winner between these two legendary cartridges.



FAQs

Q: Is the 308 a good long-range cartridge?

A: Candidly speaking, no, it’s not. That’s going to ruffle some feathers, but the truth is this: The 308 does not shoot long, heavy-for-caliber bullets with high-enough BC (ballistic coefficient) to be good at long range. G1 BC should be 0.600 or higher with a velocity of 2,850 fps or more to really shine at long range. The 308 shoots bullets in the 0.270 to 0.552 G1 BC range at velocities of around 2,600 fps. Compared with the 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western, .280 Ackley Improved, 7mm Rem Mag, and others of that ilk, the 308 is simply not up to the task. Neither is the 30-06.

Q: Which will have a better barrel life—the 308 or the 30-06?

A: The 308 will have a better barrel life because powder charges and velocity are lower. There are too many variables to make an accurate prediction, but a 30-06 should have a barrel life of 2,500 to 3,000 rounds, which is actually pretty high. The 308 might last up to 4,000 or 5,000 rounds, which is superb.

Q: Why has the 30-06 remained so popular in today’s world of new super-cartridges?

A: Mostly because it is such a good all-round hunting cartridge, and because you can find ammo at any corner hardware store. With premium bullets and careful shot placement, the 30-06 is adequate for all North American game, from prairie dogs to grizzly bears.

[ulav8r]

Both cartridges are good, but I don't consider a 4% difference in velocity to be significant.  It has been a while since I memorized their ballistics and have not been motivated to check them recently.  If I wanted to compare them now I would compare retained energy and bullet drop at 350 yards and see that the '06 is slightly better, but is it enough to make a big difference?  Not for me because I limit my shots on game to about 250 yards.

[Dee]

I've had both and prefer the shorter stiffer action in the 308. I habitually used the 150 grain spitzer, and found it good out to 300 yards. It basically has about the same trajectory as a 55 grain 5.56.

Two of my wishidkepts though were a couple of Model 70s both in 3006. Both had iron sights, were quick, and accurate.

[Dixie-Dude]

A 308 rifle is lighter for all day carry.  I also have a 30-06 that I would use out west or my 35 Whelen.  Eastern woods 308.  Longest shot I have on a deer is about 125 yards.  All others were under 100 yards. 

[Casull]

There's a 100 fps difference if you shoot factory ammo.  If you reload, you can get at least twice that difference, possibly a bit more.  My own favorite load sets a 165 gn BTSP out the barrel at about 2900 fps from the 30-06.

[Dee]

There's a 100 fps difference if you shoot factory ammo.  If you reload, you can get at least twice that difference, possibly a bit more.  My own favorite load sets a 165 gn BTSP out the barrel at about 2900 fps from the 30-06.

And nobody has to tell you when it goes off.

[darkgael]

That was a nice accounting of the .30-06 and the ,308 Win. Here are a couple more facts: yes, the parent cartridge of the .308 Win is the.300 Savage. Interestingly enough, the first experimental .308s were shortened and resized .30-06 military brass. The .300 Savage was chosen because the military cases were too thick an did not allow optimal powder capacity.
As to the .308w not being a long range cartridge. It is used by USA shooting teams to shoot Palma Matches.. Those matches are shot at 800, 900 and 1000 yards.
At one point some years ago Lyman listed a load for the 06 that spec’d a 250 grain bullet at more than 2500 fps.

[ironglow]

  My first experiences with those two cartridges, was with the M1 Garand and the M14 service rifle. IMO..what do you value more, better accuracy or an extra 150 ft lbs of energy?

  For my purposes, I favor the .308..and like the shorter action, and thus shorter, lighter rifle.

[Lloyd Smale]

i have 3 of each and love both for what they are. to me the 308 is a great deer rife out to 399 yards with a 150 grain bullet. with its short action and a case thats short and will burn powder a bit faster it really lends its self to light small handy rifles. the o6 is my favorite round and other then my 280s i shoot more deer with it then the rest of the calibers combined. ive shot WELL over a 100 deer with it. an elk, red stag, half a dozen black bear and two pigs. ive seen the reaction to many deer being hit with the 308 and 06 and will say this. at 200 yards its a toss up. at 300 its noticable and at 400 the 06 has so much of an advantage that if im hunt a field that 400 yard shots are likely its the only non mag i would bring. id say it has about the same difference hitting game as between the 2506 and 257wby. at 400 yards i know which of those two id choose. other then the size of the gun the 06 wins in every catagory. its a better round the the latter ronds it spured. like the 2506,270 and even my second favorite round, the 280. i know a bunch of gun nuts all over the country and all of them have at least one 06. many have other pet rounds but all of them will tell you the most flexible caliber ever is the 06 and the only other that comes close word wide is the 375 h&h

[Lloyd Smale]

308 is loaded right up to the max by factorys and theres little to gain. i can easily beat the 308 by 300 fps even with 150s with absolutely no pressure sign and no problem getting 10 firings with good brass. say that doesnt matter? thats as much difference as comparing the 2506 to the 257wby. or a properly load 06 to a 300wby. differnt zip code want an eye opener. my brother in law gave me a bunch of ammo he got from his buddys wife when he passed. i had three different 308s with 150s and 4 o6 brands with 150s. i chrono'd them all and averaged each calibers results and the 06 only beat the 308 by 43fps. its no wonder misinformed people think there equal. want another eye opener. i picked up a new o6 a few years back i had some different old loads from years ago. they were marked at the velocity the reloading manual claimed and that was right at 2900 fps i ran them all over the chrono and none beat 2650. my loads i use now do run 2900 with 150s out of a 22 inch barrel but are a full 3 grains over book loads. this was done intentionally by those company's because these loads are used in 742s and old military guns. everyone talks about the fact that 257 roberts 757 857 and a few others are drastically underloaded but seldom do you here about lame 06 ammo. 

There's a 100 fps difference if you shoot factory ammo.  If you reload, you can get at least twice that difference, possibly a bit more.  My own favorite load sets a 165 gn BTSP out the barrel at about 2900 fps from the 30-06.

[Moleman]

I have both and have used both for deer hunting.  I can't tell any practical difference between the two but I generally take most of my deer under 200yds.  I do prefer to hunt with a 30-06 over the 308 just out of nostalgia. 

[orerancher]

I like both cases...but I neck Em to .338

[Dee]

These days I shoot deer with a 55 grain spitzer loaded to 3,300 fps. Its worked well for about the last 25 years. Deer don't seem to know the difference.

[Ranger99]

When you shut down the pump house, you get
your animal. No fresh blood to the brain, they're
DONE
I've done it a few different ways
Whatever you have confidence in, and can
accurately poke a hole with to shut the
pump down with will work

[Mule 11]

These days I shoot deer with a 55 grain spritzer loaded to 3,300 fps. Its worked well for about the last 25 years. Deer don't seem to know the difference.

I shoot em with my pellet gun... I save the spritzer for later...

[darkgael]

My own favorite load sets a 165 gn BTSP out the barrel at about 2900 fps from the 30-06.

Have you been able to run a pressure trace for that loading?

[neckisred]

If I could only own one rifle it would be an 06. Not much a handloader can't do with it. And for those who don't handload, even during the ammo shortages, about every mom and pop store has 06 on the shelf.

[Drilling Man]

  I choose the 30-06, as it has one huge advantage over the .308, and that is, pushing heavy bullets faster.

  For many years, I hunted moose and brown bear, and a 30-06 loaded with 200NP's is BIG medicine for even the biggest brown bear, the .308 not so much.

  With lighter bullets, they both are more than is needed for deer sized animals.

  DM

[Lloyd Smale]

if i had to go down to only one rifle it would be one of my 06s. 308s wouldnt even make top 5

If I could only own one rifle it would be an 06. Not much a handloader can't do with it. And for those who don't handload, even during the ammo shortages, about every mom and pop store has 06 on the shelf.

[Lloyd Smale]

i get a kick out of the my smaller is just as good. thats something the girls lie about to make you feel good. 308 isnt an 06 and never will be

[Casull]

My own favorite load sets a 165 gn BTSP out the barrel at about 2900 fps from the 30-06.

Have you been able to run a pressure trace for that loading?

No, don't have the equipment.  But, all pressure signs are normal.  Ever wonder why a .308 and 30-06 out of the same rifle have quite a bit of difference in SAAMI specs for pressure?  Because of old military rifles. 

[Land_Owner]

I have neither owned nor shot a 30-06 (period), nor any other caliber, beyond 275 yards.  I have a 308 Ruger American Predator, for which I reload, and like very much to shoot.

The A10 meme on the Net is, 



I have loved a 270 Winchester Classic Featherweight and its lever-action 30-30 Winchester brother all of my days, and they have served me well within the woods I have hunted.

[Lloyd Smale]

Have you been able to run a pressure trace for that loading?

if your talking to me, no. but i have no pressure signs what so ever and have ran probably a dozen different 150s to the point they did show pressure signs but wont tell you the loads. ill say its substantially higher then my 2900fps load and you cant put enough 4350 even with a compressed load to get there, my loads dont show any primer fattening, sticky extraction and ive got over 10 loadings with different brands of brass. might not be considered safe by some but ive been loading for 50 years using those criteria and have yet to have any problems. like i said i wont give anyone those loads but you can do it yourself. all you need is a chronograph and work up slowly with a powder like 4064,4895. re15 and watch for pressure signs.

like i said it aint my first rodeo. another little trick ive learned over the years working up over a chrono is you will usually come to the added 1/2 grain of powder that you will actually see the velocity drop. when that happens if you dont have pressure signs you are about to. i really shook my head with an 857 rem 700 classic i got on a trade. before i was done i had loads with a 150 with no pressure  signs and a standard i kind of made up that brass needs to last 10 firings and should only need trimming every other firing. some my not believe this but where i stopped i was pushing them to 3200fps. thats 300 mag velocity and most of my mag rifles using book loads need trimming after every firring and primer pockets are to loose to load at around 5 firings.

 another thing people who treat a loading manual as a bible should look at is the big swing in charge weights from on manual to another. alot of that comes from then just using numbers they got 39 years ago and powders like 4831 4350 and many others arent the same as they were 40 years ago. most of the old surplus powder was faster burning. if you think there retesting every load in every new addition to there loading manuals your smoking crack. tell you one that really makes me chuckle is when guys sing the praises of the lyman manual.  that one hasnt been updated since it came out and thats before my time. i had one in high school that i still have today and that makes those loads well over 50 years old 

My own favorite load sets a 165 gn BTSP out the barrel at about 2900 fps from the 30-06.

Have you been able to run a pressure trace for that loading?

[mcbammer]

   
             
            In a 1968 article Jack  O'Connor wrote the following:

I have never been wildly enthusiastic over the .308 in a standard-length bolt action, as there is nothing that the .308 will do that the .30/06, because of its greater powder capacity, will not do somewhat better. The .308 with its short length and strong rim is a better cartridge for automatic and semiautomatic weapons than the .30/06, but for a standard-length bolt action I simply can't see it. Nevertheless, for most use in a hunting rifle, any practical differences between the two cartridges would be largely a matter of the imagination.

[nw_hunter]

I have neither owned nor shot a 30-06 (period), nor any other caliber, beyond 275 yards.  I have a 308 Ruger American Predator, for which I reload, and like very much to shoot.

The A10 meme on the Net is, 



I have loved a 270 Winchester Classic Featherweight and its lever-action 30-30 Winchester brother all of my days, and they have served me well within the woods I have hunted.

LOL! I wouldn't even know where to grab that thing to pick it up. I kind of like a old fashion wood stock thing that looks like an upgraded flintlock muzzleloader. But I'm old.........Real old.

[Land_Owner]

OT - I am no fan either of the "plastic revolution" in the AR platforms.  The advent of the Picatinny Rail was almost too alluring for those wanting to hang an assortment of junk off of a rifle.

[Lloyd Smale]

whats is wrong with the way that guns set up. its got a eotech sight. back up iron sights, a flashlight and a forward grip. i dont care for forward grips but many, even special forces soldiers do like them. youd have to be pretty slow to not be able to figure out how to run that gun. about as high tech as a 742 with see through mounts and much more reliable and more ergonomic. nope its not a deer rifle its a serious tool that a guy has to protect his home and it would be hard to beat that exact gun for that purpose. some of you must still pine for crank start model t's. no it doesnt have nice walnut and high gloss bluing and i have guns like that too but i never saw that pretty made something more dead. to me a gun is a tool and i pick the one im using that is the best tool for the job i want it for. im not going to build a house today with my favorite hammer that was dads. im going to grab my passlode nail gun. it may not be pretty but it sure is more efficient

[darkgael]

whats is wrong with the way that guns set up. its got a eotech sight. back up iron sights, a flashlight and a forward grip. i dont care for forward grips but many, even special forces soldiers do like them. youd have to be pretty slow to not be able to figure out how to run that gun. about as high tech as a 742 with see through mounts and much more reliable and more ergonomic. nope its not a deer rifle its a serious tool that a guy has to protect his home and it would be hard to beat that exact gun for that purpose. some of you must still pine for crank start model t's. no it doesnt have nice walnut and high gloss bluing and i have guns like that too but i never saw that pretty made something more dead. to me a gun is a tool and i pick the one im using that is the best tool for the job i want it for. im not going to build a house today with my favorite hammer that was dads. im going to grab my passlode nail gun. it may not be pretty but it sure is more efficient

Well said.

  hang an assortment of junk off of a rifle.

It isn’t junk if it works.

[Dee]

OT - I am no fan either of the "plastic revolution" in the AR platforms.  The advent of the Picatinny Rail was almost too alluring for those wanting to hang an assortment of junk off of a rifle.

Well Richard, I like the Eotech sight, backed by flipup sights, the 6lb weight, fully adjustable stock, and the zero recoil. Big mule deer, hogs, and white tail don't seem to.

The American Indian kept his bow and arrows until the white boys invented the repeating rifle. Practical folks those indians.

Oh, and I do have a light that is clipped on at bedtime.

[Casull]

Got to say, that after owning two of them, I just can't snuggle up to an AR.  Just not comfortable to shoot.  I prefer wood and a well fitted stock.