308: Is It Making a Comeback??

[General RE LEE]

I was in my local gun store and the guy at the gun counter said the 308 has been real popular lately. We discussed that because of the increase in popularity of hunting suppressed, the 308 does well in short barrels. We also discussed wide availability of factory ammo and reloading components.

Has anyone else noticed an increased interest in the 308 in your area? I think new shooters are finding out 308 ammo, reloading components and load data is widely available and the cartridge is versatile, especially in short barrels.

308 is back baby

 

[mtwarden]

308 is back baby

not sure it ever went away

 

[General RE LEE]

not sure it ever went away

Not it never "went away" but the 6.5 Creedmoor definitely took the spotlight. Also the new cartridges like 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western and 7mm PRC have great numbers but ammo and reloading components are scarce.

You could literally ask the manager in a drug store if they have any 308 ammo. He would look around to see if anyone is listening and whisper, "come with me".

 

[t_carlson]

Not it never "went away" but the 6.5 Creedmoor definitely took the spotlight. Also the new cartridges like 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western and 7mm PRC have great numbers but ammo and reloading components are scarce.

You could literally ask the manager in a drug store if they have any 308 ammo. He would look around to see if anyone is listening and whisper, "come with me".

Not sure where you're at, but several cartridges have been on my local shelves since before hunting season.

 

[mtwarden]

Certainly some newer cartridges have taken much of the spotlight of late, but the .308 has been and (likely always) will be a mainstay cartridge.

 

[LeftyWilbury]

It never went away but for all the reasons mentioned it's finding a renewed popularity. And with the advancement in projectiles it's a perfectly capable hunting round for probably the ranges 90% of hunters are hunting at.

And with ammo readily available and factory offerings rather accurate, you don't even need to reload. I priced out trying to match Federal's gold medal match with the berger juggernaut and it wasn't even worth trying to replicate.

 

[Austin915]

308 has always seemed popular to me but I have noticed the ammo is usually in stock whenever you go including Walmart so that could be a driving factor. 223/556 has been fairly limited locally for the past 2 years

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Not it never "went away" but the 6.5 Creedmoor definitely took the spotlight. Also the new cartridges like 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western and 7mm PRC have great numbers but ammo and reloading components are scarce.

You could literally ask the manager in a drug store if they have any 308 ammo. He would look around to see if anyone is listening and whisper, "come with me".

It never went away...it just never had the marketing budget/campaign of the the calibers mentioned above.

Can't sell new rifles if you don't have new calibers.

 

[southLA]

The ammo is everywhere, at a cheap price, and perfectly suited for most hunters' ranges of take. What's not to love?

 

[General RE LEE]

I think the increase in popularity of light, suppressed, short barrel rifles is bringing a lot of the flat-bill hat boys over to the 308.

 

[KenLee]

I've rifle hunted 46 seasons. My buddies and I had always thought of a 308 as a "Fudd" old man's round. Swear that until about 10 yrs ago, I had no clue how little it lost to a 30-06.
Ammo availability is the reason I bought a couple....and 2000 rounds of hunting ammo 5 yrs ago. Have only sent 2 rounds at game. Good performance, but both were under 150 yards.

 

[Longhorn4life]

I think the rise in “black guns” chambered in 308 has a lot to do with the resurgence in popularity.

 

[General RE LEE]

BARREL LIFE!!

That's another reason for the appeal of the 308, especially for hunters that like to shoot a lot year round. I bought a Bergara 6.5 PRC and it already has almost 400 rounds own the bore. I really enjoy spending time at the range with the 6.5 PRC but I'm already starting to temper how much I shoot it to avoid burning it out. Even the 6.5 Creedmoor has close to half the barrel life expectancy of the 308.

Let's face it, unless you have the means to swap barrels, a barrel change isnt cheap. I'd rather get comfortable with a rifle and know I will get years of use vs one year.

 

[isItFallYet]

Wth is a flatbill? Keep seeing it referenced.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Wth is a flatbill? Keep seeing it referenced.

It is a derogatory term used by many on this site to classify another group of individuals.

But if you use any other derogatory "bulk classification" phrase for a group of people on this site you will more than likely get a visit by a moderator.

 

[isItFallYet]

It is a derogatory term used by many on this site to classify another group of individuals.

But if you use any other derogatory "bulk classification" phrase for a group of people on this site you will more than likely get a visit by a moderator.

Sounds childish. Maybe some people don’t understand that the brim on a hat can also be used to block the sun..

 

[BBob]

BARREL LIFE!!

 

[BBob]

Sounds childish. Maybe some people don’t understand that the brim on a hat can also be used to block the sun..

It’s the characters that seem to wear them and images like this that promote making fun of the Flat Brimmers.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

It’s the characters that seem to wear them and images like this that promote making fun of the Flat Brimmers.
View attachment 507140

And yet if you call the old farts with their heads so far up their rear ends "asshats" or "40 watt club members" or "404s", their Depends get soiled and you run the risk of being placed in time out.

 

[JPeters218]

I just hopped on the .308 train a couple weeks ago and bought a tikka. Will be chopping to 18” and threading to run suppressed.

I got caught up in the numbers game thinking i needed an 800 yard elk rifle so I built a 20” 300wsm. Well a year later that rifle is gone and here I am. I got tired of paying for the ammo, and all the .223, 6mm, and 6.5 threads on here reaffirmed to me that energy means nothing (I grew up shooting them with .270, 30-06, and even .243). Add in a little self reflection and I realized I’d never be shooting anything past .308’s velocity range (none of my elk have been more than 120 yards).

Now I have a case of .308 ammo on the way for what 3 boxes of .300wsm cost me, and I couldn’t be more content with my decision.