Why pick a .308?

[HELLSING]

I've been seeing a few pictures on other forums of "Tactical Bolt Action" rifles, where people try to dress their bolt-actions up like sniper rifles.

The majority of these rifles are .308 caliber. Why are there so many that are .308? Why not .270?

Isn't the .270 cheaper to shoot as well?

I might be wrong, but I'm still learning about bolt-actions.

 

[4Js]

The .308 7.62X51 has been the main US military sniper caliber round for many years. Basically all the homework has been done. Duplicate what military has used, and voila, an extremely accurate round.

Because of it's longevity, many high quality scopes are made with ballistic drop compensator reticules calibrated to that round.

A quick, readily available, affordable, highly accurate rifle.

 

[Badkarma 1]

Military surplus ammo! And .308 has a reputation (rightly earned) for accuracy and can thump things a long way out there.
You can go with another caliber, .30-06, .300 Win Mag, or even .338 Lapua. But the .308/7.62 NATO iS the backbone of the sniper world. Dale

 

[627 city hunter]

AR-10s
FALs
HK 91-93
Cetme
and of course M1s
AR variants
AK variants

Remington 700 series bolt actions

Many others.

Pretty much a 1 shot stop.

This is true for most rounds in rifle .3+

SLOW MOTION 308 Winchester Federal 150gr Fusion JSP impacting ballistic gelatin - YouTube

 

[LVSteve]

I only have .308 rifles because the ammo is readily available. I find that.308 can be quite nasty to shoot as ammo makers are trying to squeeze quart performance out of a pint pot.

As for 7.62 NATO, it was the answer to a question that did not need asking and saddled the Western world with a round that was too powerful to meet the original need of handheld full auto and then created added expense to replace it. The 7x44 and 7x49 intermediate rounds suggested after WWII were a better choice but the US ordnance board just would not be told.

 

[A10]

I think there are better choices in bolt guns but in a semi auto defense/multi purpose rifle I don't think it can be beat. The ammunition is reasonably priced and readily available (normally).

 

[627 city hunter]

.3+ calibers requires no double tap from what I can decipher through the internet.

.3+ penetrates many forms of body armor, buildings, and vehicles.

Basically, .308 (7.62x59mm), AK47 (7.62X39mm), and Russian - forgot the name exactly - (7.62x51mm) are excellent for uncertain times.

Hoard the ammo like Donkey Kong Country's Banana Hoard (SNES days lol after beating Krug or whoever). Fill up your shack with mo' ammo.

Forget about 'assault rifles' and buy real BATTLE RIFLES.

 

[LVSteve]

.3+ penetrates many forms of body armor, buildings, and vehicles.

True, but 6.5 mm and 7 mm rounds will penetrate as well or better at ranges under 500 yards because of their greater sectional density. .308 is not that great a penetrator without "ragged edge" loads.

Basically, .308 (7.62x51mm), AK47 (7.62X39mm), and 7.62x54R are excellent for uncertain times.

Fixed it for ya.

 

[Cdog]

The short action allows for a more rigid action platform than a longer one of the same strength.

The round is very powder friendly too. It's quite easy to load efficient rounds fired from a shorter tube than other calibers may require for optimum performance.

I've been shooting the .308 since I was 19, that was many moons back!

I've yet to find anything to dislike about it. Ample power, exceptional accuracy, and easy on the shooter/shoulder.

 

[kraigwy]

The real advantage of the 308s over the 270 is the availability of match quality bullets but that's changed the last few years with the introduction of high BC .277 bullets.

Try the Berger VLD .277 bullets and you'll be quite surprise. Berger and others limit the 270 to 150 grn bullets because of the twist weight of most 270 bullets.

However there are people out there making 165-175 bullets and if you have the faster twist bullets to stabilize these pencil bullets, there is no 30 cal bullets that will compete.

Get a good ballistic program (Berger Bullets Website has a great free program) and run the numbers.

Compare the 150 Berger, or the Hornady 150 grn SSTs with the bullets you NORMALLY find in 308s (meaning up to 180 gr) and you'll find that when you get out there, beyond 1000 yards, the 270 will more then hold its own.

 

[msinc]

Biggest reason to go with a 308 is the brass...keep all your empties. Because when you decide to convert the platform into a really great caliber {260 or 7mm-08} all ya gotta do is run the brass you already have thru the sizer die!!!!!

 

[mkk41]

The US military cartridges are also the most common match and target cartridges. The 30-06 , the .308 Winchester (7.62x51 NATO) and the .223 Remington (5.56x45NATO). More load development has been done with these rounds than most others combined. Data , brass , bullets are cheap and plentiful. There's military and commercial match ammo widely available.

Have never seen a single box of factory .270 match ammo.

 

[Joe Kent]

As a long time rifleman with multiple calibers of accurate rifles in the rack, we can argue /discuss {and enjoy doing it}"best" calibers all day, but in the end, just like the 45auto, we use the 30's because they work. They may not be the optimum round, but they do work and that is what most platforms are designed around , Sniping ,designated marksman, and for that matter serious rifleman quality battle rifles are still 7.62/308. Now I am also having a great time with the 6.5 calibers, but that is for another thread. All my best, Joe.

 

[Vegetaman]

I have an old hunting rifle in 7.62x51 NATO. It was built in... The 60s? Seems to be a good platform. Some guys can hit 400 yard targets at the range on iron sights...

 

[ACP230]

Surplus .308 brass used to be cheap.

That's one of the reasons I started recommending .308s to
people who wanted to know what rifle to get.

When I was reloading for the .308 I found it easy to make accurate
loads even though I wasn't using premium bullets.

 

[Texas Star]

Military ammo is one thing; hunting rifles are another.

For war and for match shooting, the .308 has the edge, if only because of availaiblitly and ease of feeding in auto weapons and commonality with machine guns using the same ammo.

The hunter wanting a ctg. with flatter trajetory may well prefer the excellent .270.

When the .308 came out, W.D.M. Bell was still living and he commented that the short action would have pleased him greatly when he was ivory hunting with his famed .275 Rigby (7X57mm with Rigby brand bullets). Not only is the .308 bolt throw shorter than for 7mm, .30/06, etc., the shorter action allows making a shorter rifle that's lighter.

Nonetheless, if I was looking for a rifle for pronghorn and other plains game, the .270 Winchester would be my first choice. If the plains game gets large, elk size, like the oryx or the sable antelope, it still works, as Jack O'connor proved. But I think I'd lean toward a .375 H&H Magnum for them. But O'Connor did find the 130 grain Nosler bullet in .270 worked well on lung shots. He also found that it killed moose as well as anything else he tried.

I think you should find and read,"The Rifle Book" and, "The Hunting Rifle" by O'Connor before buying a sporting rifle.

 

[mc5aw]

Before I sold it, my Socom 16 in .308 was a magnificent "battle" rifle ... easily maneuverable, a pleasure to shoot, and offered big .308 bang for the buck. I am looking to replace it with something more cost effective in a Russian contemporary platform ... 54R is very attractive, although my recently purchased Swiss 7.5 may fill the void quite nicely.

 

[4Js]

Shotguns are fun.

Handguns are a lot of fun.

But, rifles are interesting.

 

[R. G. Amos]

The 308 was designed to duplicate 30-06 performance in a more compact round. This is what the people who designed the post M1 Garand wanted in a battle rifle at the time.

 

[mkk41]

Shotguns are fun.

Handguns are a lot of fun.

But, rifles are interesting.

Only accurate rifles are interesting.