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Is it worth keeping a 308 around?
- Thread starter swampbuck
- Start date
The 1000 yard F Class Open record isn't held by a .308. It was 200-17X with a 7mm BAT, now its 200-22X with a . 284 Shehane (7mm). The inadequate .308 only has a lowly 200-16X FTR record.
Aren’t most f class 308 shooters running long oal single feeds to gain powder capacity?
Don't know what the load was. The couple FTR shooters I know shoot 175's improving M118 LR, same velocity better consistency. NSSC doesn't have the match records link any more, my Service Rifle mentor from 20 years ago had the Butner range record.
My attitude isn't against 6.5 CM, just that .308 isn't that inferior.
if you wanted to get better at shooting free throws, would you practice with a woman's basketball to make it easier to make them?
I like to keep a few .308 modern battle rifles on hand, to arm the neighborhood.
Train with what you shoot. The only "trainer" I have is a .22 lr upper for the indoor range. My club has a 50 foot pistol range or the 25 yard range at Camp Elmore.
You know... that looks like a R700.... I bet that is the reason you missed so much, They just don’t work anymore. If you’ll send it to me I’ll make sure it’s taken care of free of charge
Started on 6.5 - I'm 65 - why would I back up to .308?
.308 was The Man and it will always have it's followers..it's a viable round. But like 45-70 and 30.06 it is now obsolete. As will be .338 LM and .50 BMG and 300 WM, and....
Gotta learn to let go. There's better stuff...still watching the "Works in a Drawer" 1983 Quasar TV in analog because it was all that back in the day?
VooDoo
.308 was The Man and it will always have it's followers..it's a viable round. But like 45-70 and 30.06 it is now obsolete. As will be .338 LM and .50 BMG and 300 WM, and....
Gotta learn to let go. There's better stuff...still watching the "Works in a Drawer" 1983 Quasar TV in analog because it was all that back in the day?
VooDoo
I use my 2/3 IPSC with a Magnetospeed Target Hit Indicator at our 1000 yard line. It's up on the berm so it's actually 1017 yards. I go down and repaint every hour or so, and I usually am the only one there so I shoot slow and keep my can from getting stupid hot. I have a 700 Police 26" BA in a Bravo with a Razor 4.5-27. I don't reload and shoot only 175 FGMM. This is from the other day. Just as boring as my 6.5. Disclaimer: Schooled by Frank!!
Huh. Better not tell that to all the guys who still employ those calibers quite effectively every year taking game.
They may not be top dog in competition circles, but they still work just fine in the field. The world doesn’t revolve around the PRS/NRL. It’s all about choosing what works to fill your needs, that’s all.
I am so uncool I shoot cast bullets in my .308s. I can buy a suitable mold for less than the cost of one box of 100 jacketed bullets. My barrels will never wear out and I get tons of shooting enjoyment from very inexpensive ammo. Even more uncool my friends and I shoot a lot off hand. Then again we are old Boomers so.....
The only reason I see to keep 308 around is for nostalgia or for vintage weapons that are chambered in it. Otherwise your only holding yourself back and thats fine, its your life its your gun. Life is short I choose not to waste my range time pissing in the wind for the sake of pissing.
I do actually have a 308 though... havent shot it in a couple of years but its in the safe.
I do actually have a 308 though... havent shot it in a couple of years but its in the safe.
You know... that looks like a R700.... I bet that is the reason you missed so much, They just don’t work anymore. If you’ll send it to me I’ll make sure it’s taken care of free of charge
Well yeah it's one of those POS APO Snipers Hide editions. (There really needs to be a sarcasm font). Not once will I blame the rifle. At 630 yards it wasnt an issue, with the wind was at my back last weekend. At 780 it was a low wind but variable speed and direction I just couldn't catch it again. It's the Indian not the arrow.
I have been asking myself the same question and decided just due to ammo consolidation it's not worth keeping the 308 sitting collecting dust in the sefe. Might as well turn it into something that will get use. Now granted my one and only 308 is a cheapo factory Savage so easy to get rid of or replace with an identical 6.5cm.
Yes, but keep it around in an AR10 form. After shooting the 6.5/6CM I've let the .308 bolt gun collect dust, but the AR10 in .308 has been a blast to shoot.
No, that’s the 45 ACP. Don’t steal that line and apply it to 308
The 308 is solid. Keep it. There are better rounds but it’s a mistake to start chasing and getting caught up in the next new thing. Ballistically there’s so many better rounds. Nothing wrong with keeping a few different rifles around
AR10 in .308 would be my chosen weapon if I really needed one, over everything else - versatile and hits hard with knockdown power.
Aside from nostalgia and it’s training value, I shoot .308 more because of how cheap factory ammo is. If you’re patient, you can find 175gr FGMM for 85-90¢/round. The next closest equivalent in 6.5CM is something like $1.20-1.25. That’s a 30-35¢ savings with every trigger pull, meaning I get 30% more trigger time with it over a 6.5. Couple that with .22 once I get my trainer finished, and I’ll be saving a good bit of money. After some changes on our end last year, that’s a big deal for us that I’d be a fool to ignore. I do have a 6.5, but may consider moving it and focusing purely on .308 for awhile. Since all I do is local club matches and I have no serious ideation of winning those matches right now, I’m fine with that. Once I can make consistent, accurate, repeatable hits on targets out to 800y or so from a variety of positions on the clock, then I feel the added expense of a 6.5 would be worth it. For now, I don’t often even get all my shots off on a stage because I’m just not fast enough getting in and out of positions, so my goal is simply to make all of the shots I take, and a .308 lets me do that just fine while saving money.
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In these times? When ammo is scarce and money is tight... Those with a 308 in the safe can still find the ammo on the cheap and you can find it anywhere that sells ammo.
Until you are into subsonic, then it’s all back to basics.
part of that has to do with application. Besides the Asian guys defending their businesses on roofs, how many people are taking up a 24 hour watch rotation and setting up a hide, or an OP? Running around crowds with a .308 wouldn’t be my first choice. That’s why 9mm and 5.56 are sold out.
It’s not much skin off your back to keep the rifle you already have chambered in it (rebarreling when necessary isn’t prohibitively expensive either, and you’d need to if you wanted to sell it complete anyway). I still prefer the .308 on larger game like elk than the short action 6.5s
I can also make an argument for owning one weapon chambered in each NATO caliber. They’ll be the cheapest the longest, and the last stockpiles and supply chains to dry up once availability starts to trump cost.
I can also make an argument for owning one weapon chambered in each NATO caliber. They’ll be the cheapest the longest, and the last stockpiles and supply chains to dry up once availability starts to trump cost.
How does the saying go..…."45 ACP 'cause shooting more than once is just silly"
You need to look around for ammo as you can find ammo cheaper for the creedmoor that is comparable to the FGMM .308. The Hornady American Gunner bulk is $139-159/200. That’s only about 80 cents a piece on the high end.
Modern. I don’t think that word means what you think it means. LolI like to keep a few .308 modern battle rifles on hand, to arm the neighborhood.
.308 is a good trainer round but 6.5 is hard to beat especially with accurate Hornady American gunner for .60-.80 cpr and selling your brass for .15-25 cpr
I just got a MK20 in 7.62 for $3500 and was told "it's obsolete, guys are unloading 'em fast as they can, shoulda got the 6.5". To be fair, I mentioned wanting the 6.5 but that for a $500 difference (I can get 'em for $4k from Proven Outfitters) plus the complete lack of loading gear and components vs. having Lapua brass, SMK's and Forster dies, I had to go 7.62.
Besides, I figure I have an SR25 too and if I really wanna go Creedmore I can always get an upper for it. And it has a 22" cut rifle bbl. w/DI gas vs. a 20" chrome lined CHF bbl. w/some kind of piston setup. For sheer accuracy, it'd seem to me you'd want to upgrade the SR25, not the MK20.
Besides, I figure I have an SR25 too and if I really wanna go Creedmore I can always get an upper for it. And it has a 22" cut rifle bbl. w/DI gas vs. a 20" chrome lined CHF bbl. w/some kind of piston setup. For sheer accuracy, it'd seem to me you'd want to upgrade the SR25, not the MK20.
Is the AG stuff that accurate, though? I’ll admit I haven’t looked into it much, as it seemed like a cheap plinking load compared to other loads on the market.
Interdasting. Yeah, a bit low on the BC side compared to other offerings, but still better than a 175 as you note. I’d better track some down and give it a try to see if my rifle likes it.
Still, my .308 is a chrome-lined FN SPR, so it will likely remain a .308 for many years to come, hahaha.
God has a sense of humor because I just flat out don't like 308 but I have two in the safe somehow, lol!
One is a fancy heirloom I inherited from my Dad, which is a 1970 Sako FinnWolf lever gun that he had a german gunsmith fit a fancy walnut stock to. I have 20 rounds through it.
The other is a 80's Rem40x target rifle that a friend sold me brand new a couple years ago for $500. How could I pass that one up??
I wanted to revisit 308 to make sure I was thinking straight with what I remembered from years ago when I had another 308 and when shooting friends rifles. Yuh know - out west here where the wind blows it can be darn hard hitting 1' wide steel past 600Y in field conditions without the help of wind flags!!! By 800Y it gets worse. I almost feel like I'm lucky when I connect which means I get frustrated and also feel like I'm wasting ammo. Plus my rifle doesn't have a brake so there's bit of thwack to my shoulder going on.
I think what happens is people that live in parts of the nation where the wind isn't blowing as much or as often as here, or where they don't have access to longer distances, shoot their 308's without the problems hitting as I/we have???
I'll put it this way, it wouldn't bother me in the least if i didn't have a 308! Wish ole Dad had gotten the 243 Finnwolf like I wanted him to back when I was 11 years old. I guess until my old friend dies I'm obligated to keep the 40x. Might have to put a 25x47L/131 Blackjacks -barrel in it then so I won't be tempted to sell it.
ETA, I have a 223AI that sends 75eldm at 3003 fps that I enjoy shooting much more than that 40x/308, wind is close to the same "if I want challenge" plus it's cheaper to shoot.
I would like to pop a deer or elk with my Sako in 308 but I don't know if I want to take that rifle into the woods.
One is a fancy heirloom I inherited from my Dad, which is a 1970 Sako FinnWolf lever gun that he had a german gunsmith fit a fancy walnut stock to. I have 20 rounds through it.
The other is a 80's Rem40x target rifle that a friend sold me brand new a couple years ago for $500. How could I pass that one up??
I wanted to revisit 308 to make sure I was thinking straight with what I remembered from years ago when I had another 308 and when shooting friends rifles. Yuh know - out west here where the wind blows it can be darn hard hitting 1' wide steel past 600Y in field conditions without the help of wind flags!!! By 800Y it gets worse. I almost feel like I'm lucky when I connect which means I get frustrated and also feel like I'm wasting ammo. Plus my rifle doesn't have a brake so there's bit of thwack to my shoulder going on.
I think what happens is people that live in parts of the nation where the wind isn't blowing as much or as often as here, or where they don't have access to longer distances, shoot their 308's without the problems hitting as I/we have???
I'll put it this way, it wouldn't bother me in the least if i didn't have a 308! Wish ole Dad had gotten the 243 Finnwolf like I wanted him to back when I was 11 years old. I guess until my old friend dies I'm obligated to keep the 40x. Might have to put a 25x47L/131 Blackjacks -barrel in it then so I won't be tempted to sell it.
ETA, I have a 223AI that sends 75eldm at 3003 fps that I enjoy shooting much more than that 40x/308, wind is close to the same "if I want challenge" plus it's cheaper to shoot.
I would like to pop a deer or elk with my Sako in 308 but I don't know if I want to take that rifle into the woods.
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Variety is always nice! I try to avoid duplication in my collection, so having a .308 around in addition to a 6.5 is a good way to go. It's a versatile round - sure it's not going to win national PRS matches, but you can shoot everything from 147 pulled military bullets up to 220 subsonics out of it, and at most "practical" shooting distances it doesn't give up much. Certainly a respectable hunting round, and reloading components and ammo are plentiful and more likely to be available when people are panic buying (but that's another discussion entirely).
- Will
- Will
Building a new 308 right now, Impact, Bartlein, Triger Tech, Manners, Spur, Nightforce ATACR.
Fantastic ammo. Its slow like all the Hornady stuff but is just as accurate as Prime 130 out to the 900 yards that I have to shoot. I have shot cases of the stuff and have never had to adjust my dope across many lots. FGMM 175gr .308 has been the same dope for all the years I have shot it as well.
Good to hear; I just bought 1,000rnds of the AG stuff in January. Little did I know at the time I’d be ahead of the pandemic train, ha.
Stopped by a local gun store at lunch today...
.308 : 6 types of ammo, one match grade. Guessing ~300-400 rounds
6.5 Creedmoor: 10 types of ammo, 6 of them match grade. 1000+ rounds
The argument has slowly gone from "We'll see if this new 6.5 "fad" sticks around... .308 is still more popular and available" to "Real men use dull tools and after all of the more popular 6.5 ammo is gone, there will still be .308 available".
ETA: And don't get me wrong. Just because it's obsolete doesn't mean it's useless... Just like a .30-30 will still kill an elk deader than hell... But there are better options today IMHO. There's all kinds out there. Some guys still like to recreationally shoot .30-30's. I'm not one of them. I have A) guns I shoot for competition and hunting and B) Guns I don't often shoot for vintage military or family collections. If option B guns suck it's okay. If option A guns suck they get changed or sold. .308 is going the way of the .30-30 and the .30-06. Going to be around, a lot of hunting rifles, a handful of precision/LR rifles, but the favorability is dropping off fast.
.308 : 6 types of ammo, one match grade. Guessing ~300-400 rounds
6.5 Creedmoor: 10 types of ammo, 6 of them match grade. 1000+ rounds
The argument has slowly gone from "We'll see if this new 6.5 "fad" sticks around... .308 is still more popular and available" to "Real men use dull tools and after all of the more popular 6.5 ammo is gone, there will still be .308 available".
ETA: And don't get me wrong. Just because it's obsolete doesn't mean it's useless... Just like a .30-30 will still kill an elk deader than hell... But there are better options today IMHO. There's all kinds out there. Some guys still like to recreationally shoot .30-30's. I'm not one of them. I have A) guns I shoot for competition and hunting and B) Guns I don't often shoot for vintage military or family collections. If option B guns suck it's okay. If option A guns suck they get changed or sold. .308 is going the way of the .30-30 and the .30-06. Going to be around, a lot of hunting rifles, a handful of precision/LR rifles, but the favorability is dropping off fast.
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