Is the 308 dead?

[Sled]

Cartridge debate can be fun but is mostly pointless. They pretty much all work.

Theres another thread about 270 dying........yes it isnt as popular as it used to be. Will it or 308, or .30-06 "die" in any of our lifetimes? Or our grandchildren's lifetimes? No.

It is highly unlikely to go away in the time frame you listed. What is likely to happen though is another economic downturn/ammo shortage where markets do not support the current number of chamberings with any regularity. When you look down the list of ammo searchable on any of the ammo seek style platforms it is daunting. We've already seen two significant shortages in very recent memory. The ammo that sells best is what manufacturers will make available if they can. Firearms sales in the last 20 or 30 years will give a pretty good indication of what those might be. All these near identical chamberings will eventually be consolidated or at least become less available with the one that sells the best being found more often on shelves. 308win likely has the most rifles chambered in still in use throughout this hemisphere at least.

 

[JF_Idaho]

I mean it's still in the top 5 selling cartridges. Any steam it's lost in the hunting arena it has gained the tactical arena.

 

[longtail]

I think you could argue on so many fronts how the 308 is one of the best if not the best cartridges out there........so much availability in factory ammo. if you want speed for your smaller, quicker critters buy the Barnes 130's and zip it through em and if you want to kill the biggest of critters buy the 175's or bigger and Thump em.

 

[medvedyt]

some can decide to not use it and some like me will still use it...

 

[FLS]

308 is alive and well, and not going anywhere any time soon. It’s got a 60 year head start and is still in the top 5 ammo sales every year. If a place sells ammo, it usually has 308 on the shelf.

 

[North of 60]

.308 win is alive and well:

 

[TexasAg99]

I love 6.5CM and 7PRC for long range and big critters, but for me hunting in TX (Pigs/Deer) inside of 300yd I still find myself really preferring my 16" .308.

 

[Pilsner]

I make a habit of reading old magazines/books in the shooting sports arena.
For a while, circa 1952 or 53 and decades after, there was all of these articles about how the 308 would kill off the 30-06.
And then Tyler Freel, who frequents here and might be the world's worst one-time rodeo bronc rider, has done more than one article about how the 270 Win was the 6.5 Creedmoor of its day, with its associated reputation problems from its 1925 introduction until after the 1950's.
Has it been surpassed by modern bullet/cartridge tech? Of course.
Does that matter to 99% of folks who don't know what BC means but just wanna buy their gun and ammo at Walmart and kill stuff dead every deer rifle opener at 38 yards? No, of course not.

 

[Nick4050]

The way I see it, it comes down to what the shooter already has. If they're starting fresh and don't have any other similar cartridges, or they are looking for the "absolute best", I would say go with one of the Creedmoor's. But for someone like me that already has a couple .308 rifles, a bunch of ammo, tons of brass/projectiles, and not worried about the slight disadvantages in wind drift or recoil, there's not even remotely enough incentive for me to switch to a 6.5 for the next rifle I buy in that cartridge class.

 

[nm.otter]

article about how the 270 Win was the 6.5 Creedmoor of its day, with its associated reputation problems from its 1925 introduction until after the 1950's.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/270-winchester-and-6-5-creedmoor/
Which was quite good.

 

[BreechFace]

Love the 308 WIN, wouldn’t be without one. Actually just looking into SBRing my newly purchased Sig Cross and cutting the standard 308 WIN barrel down to 13-14” for a short suppressed hunter. 308 does very well in short barrels.

As far as 6.5 Manbun vs 308 WIN I’ll take the 308 all day.

 

[Shootinsurveyor]

308 in a Gas gun and suppressed is my favorite for hunting in the East. So easy to shoot and spot shots. Way different animal than the old savage 308 I started with years ago.

 

[BreechFace]

.308 win is alive and well:

Unlike the buck posing for the camera

 

[Hondo64d]

My .308s don’t know they’re dead! Ten 168gr TMKs at 700 yards today.

John

 

[trevore]

Definitely not dead. It does very well at distances that 95% of the hunters out there have any business shooting. Now for the dedicated(like many on this site) the newer cartridges do offer an advantage. But if you're one of those then the .308 probably isn't that big of a handicap. It works for me.

 

[J_Wilson]

I agree on new rifle offerings it’s definitely loosing popularity. Being a nato round I think it’ll always have a following. Being in Pa it’s still a very popular hunting round, with 6.5cm all but taken over. 7mm-08 seems to be coming around in popularity too! Fads come and go