Where does .308 Winchester excel?

[Deywalker]

Recently I've thought about buying a Tikka CTR in .308 as I no longer have a rifle in that caliber after selling my model 10 and already have a 6.5 Creed in a bravo. But it's got me thinking, with all the cartridges that are out now, does it really make sense to buy one new? The ballistics are worse than It's smaller caliber derivatives, it has more recoil, and any animal I would feel comfortable shooting with .308 I'd also shoot with a 6/6.5/7mm and .223 given a good projectile in it's effective range. The biggest points in it's favor that I can think of are
1. Ammo cost relative to the 6/6.5/7mms although those seem to be coming down a bit
2. Ammo ubiquity compared to 6/6.5/7mms
3. Potentially a good trainer as it drifts more in the wind, but I feel like the same thing could be done with .223

What am I missing? The point of this thread isn't to try and shit on .308, I just can't think of a reason I should get one even though I'm likely going to eventually.

 

[CApighunter]

It doesn’t. Call me a 3-oh-hater, but I can’t find any reason to own one. Everything it does, there’s other cartridges that do it better, albeit at the expense of barrel life.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Ammo availability.
Barrel life.
Good to learn wind shooting as your holds will be big and need to be precise.
The single most amount of data out there for any single cartridge.

That being said bad 6.5 data probably has less error then good 308 data.

 

[Bluumoon]

Having a 6.5, .223, and .308 myself each has a purpose. 6.5 in KRG for long range practice, ultralight .308 for mountain carry. Can't say I would personally set up a .308 win similar to my 6.5CM as the 6.5 has it bested for that purpose, but honestly I like guns so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch. For my $ I'll be looking for a rifle class and more ammo next. I hear suppressors are nice too...

 

[Lawnboi]

Buy more 6.5 creed ammo.

I fail to understand the relevance placed on 308 still in the hunting community.

Training wind with inefficient cartridges dosnt help squat imo, and is frustrating. When shooting 223 or 308 for that matter at distance hitting relatively small targets just becomes a crap shoot as wind fluctuates.

But maybe I’m an idiot, my last rifle I built is a 3006.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Buncha man buns up in here.

 

[William Sublette]

Creeds are gay

223 isn't enough

.308 can do everything

 

[Formidilosus]

What am I missing? The point of this thread isn't to try and shit on .308, I just can't think of a reason I should get one even though I'm likely going to eventually.

The number one and two aspects that the 308 has (and 223) over almost everything else, is stability and longevity- long barrel life that requires no maintenance and a static zero. Add in ammo availability, legitimate 600m game and 800m+ targets capability with good bullets, ease of loading/lots of factory loads shoot very well, etc, etc.


The 308 gets used much more than 6.5’s of similar capacity. The 6.5 CM will do 2,500-3,500 rounds on a barrel; the 308 4-5 times that easy. That isn’t a cost of replacing a barrel thing, it’s a hassle thing. I don’t practice much with the 6.5’s (a couple/few thousand rounds a year), but around 10,000 or so a year of 308, even with 223’s.

 

[vonb]

It excels in teaching the wind.

 

[ramsdude47]

The reason I bought a 308 was because when there was a 9 month period I saw almost no ammo on the shelves, the one kind that was almost always there was 308.

It’s good enough for a do anything in North America round as far as I’m concerned.

 

[hodgeman]

There are a lot of cartridges that will outperform the .308, until you can't find any of them.

The .308 has a long history and a stable supply chain. As bad as I hate to use that as a rationale, it's a valid one.

 

[Deywalker]

The number one and two aspects that the 308 has (and 223) over almost everything else, is stability and longevity- long barrel life that requires no maintenance and a static zero. Add in ammo availability, legitimate 600m game and 800m+ targets capability with good bullets, ease of loading/lots of factory loads shoot very well, etc, etc.

It makes sense that it would be your cartridge choice for the scope tests then. I think I'm settled on it for my next rifle as I've already got a .223 and 6.5. I think I'll put in in a bravo and top it with a 6x/10x I've got laying around. I know you're a proponent of using suppressors but all NFA items are completely illegal where I live. would you brake it, and if so what would you use?

The reason I bought a 308 was because when there was a 9 month period I saw almost no ammo on the shelves, the one kind that was almost always there was 308.

It was the same way around here for a long time but .223 was still common enough that I went that route. The prices I've seen .308 recently have surprised me though. I saw 180gr fusions for less than a box of .223 62gr fusions.

 

[Formidilosus]

It makes sense that it would be your cartridge choice for the scope tests then. I think I'm settled on it for my next rifle as I've already got a .223 and 6.5. I think I'll put in in a bravo and top it with a 6x/10x I've got laying around. I know you're a proponent of using suppressors but all NFA items are completely illegal where I live. would you brake it, and if so what would you use?

I would brake it, just make sure to use plugs and muffs.

 

[long hunter]

I run a Remington XCR in .308 killed my Antelope with it at 365 yards, Very accurate rifle for right out of the box. As stated proven hunting round, ammo is easy to come bye, and not bad recoil. Theres a reason its been around for as long as it has.

 

[FLS]

Because it works really well at the ranges most game is taken, good ammo is available, and barrel life is long. I can do the majority of my shooting and hunting with a 223 and a 308. I can use the same powder for both, if I shoot Lapua Palma brass I can use the same primers. Easy button.

 

[Balderdash]

I own a ton of factory loaded .308 ammo. Bought most of it on the cheap anytime I came across sales or rebates, etc. This was prior to the plandemic, of course. But even in these times, there has been .308 ammo available intermittently here and there, whereas I haven't seen ammo of any flavor available for certain cartridges for going on 2 years. For the good reasons stated, I'll always likely own one. Get a good .308 that likes factory fodder, and you can keep right on pulling the trigger often and cheaply while others are conserving what little ammo and/or components they have.

The CTR in 308 would be tough to top for a no fuss rifle set up.

 

[49ereric]

.308 win cuz not everyone needs a barrel burning hot rod.

 

[Broomd]

Love me some .308. ...Especially in a 5lb Forbes lefty rifle.

Losing track on how many Elk and deer I've kilt!

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I will throw in:

-Short action benefits
-AR compatibility
-Versatility- range of bullet weights from low to high depending on application- varmint to big game
-Enormous amount of good factory ammo. I believe the last time I checked Federal has 12 elk offerings in .308
-Enormous availability (most brick and mortars will have a box laying around)
-Cheap ball ammo
-Inside 400 yards, it kills just as well as the .30-06 and .300 win mag
-Manageable recoil for small statured hunters and kids

Pretty easy choice really.

 

[menhaden_man]

I just bought that same rifle. Already have many 6.5s, 7 mags, 30-06, 25-06, etc. so it fills no gaps for me. But it's a damn good rifle so I did it. It's a shooter too, first few groups with the Norma ammo sighting in were all sub MOA 5 shot groups.