Best Caliber for Precision and versatility

[Inukshuk]

I've read a lot on several forums and talked to dealers about this and it seams as follows so far. That the 308 would be the most precise and the 30-06 the most versatile. I'd like to know if this is an accurate assessment or something else. Shooting distance is not important. Strictly accuracy and versatility.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Ian M]

The '06 will handle heavier bullets better than the .308 and it will launch lighter bullets a bit faster. But the advantage of the .308 is probably an intangible - they are very accurate, easy to load for, all the drops and drifts are readily available, cheap to shoot. You can say all of that for the '06 but the .308 does things a bit better. Again hard for us to prove but I understand that the military found that the .308 is inherently slightly more accurate, given equal rifles etc. Out to 600 an animal would not likely show any difference if hit properly with either round.
I shot a caribou a while back with the .308 at 525 yards and the bullets exited - still lots of killing energy (hunted out of Puvirnituq.). We are killing mulies very cleanly out to 600-650 with the .308 and could no doubt do just as well with the .06.
Interesting how little respect the .308 has with many shooters compared to what it will do out there.

 

[Inukshuk]

[ QUOTE ]
The '06 will handle heavier bullets better than the .308 and it will launch lighter bullets a bit faster. But the advantage of the .308 is probably an intangible - they are very accurate, easy to load for, all the drops and drifts are readily available, cheap to shoot. You can say all of that for the '06 but the .308 does things a bit better. Again hard for us to prove but I understand that the military found that the .308 is inherently slightly more accurate, given equal rifles etc. Out to 600 an animal would not likely show any difference if hit properly with either round.
I shot a caribou a while back with the .308 at 525 yards and the bullets exited - still lots of killing energy (hunted out of Puvirnituq.). We are killing mulies very cleanly out to 600-650 with the .308 and could no doubt do just as well with the .06.
Interesting how little respect the .308 has with many shooters compared to what it will do out there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Ian M

Is there another caliber more precise than the 308?

 

[Ian M]

As you are no doubt aware, the benchrest shooters set the pace for accurate cartridge development, plus some of the competitive long range folk. Why do we prefer the .308? Mainly because at the level we shoot at, the .308 does everything we require, cheaply and with consistency.
There is no doubt that many other cartridges can match or exceed the accuracy of the .308 Win. particularly the smaller caliber BR rounds. I am not into that stuff personally, we shoot the hell out of our .308's and play around with some other cartridges as the interest happens.
How well the rifle is built, barrel quality etc. have a lot to do with accuracy potential, then you have to practice a lot to get your skill up to that of the rifle system.
First time I saw an Inukshuk I was totally fooled, wondered who in heck the guys over on the horizon were...
What kind of weather are you having up there, we just shoveled out from a dandy blizzard yesterday and today we have another set in. Thank heavens for snow blowers!

 

[Inukshuk]

Hi Ian M

The warmest we have had so far with the wind factor was -47.

Thanks for the input. So I guess if I had a 7mm it wouldn't be more accurate than the 308.

 

[goodgrouper]

For God's sake man, why don't you just wear plaid shirts, drink distilled water, and drive a baige Volvo with a bumper sticker that says, "I brake for boring regularity"!!
I mean come on, everyone and their goldfish has a dirty ought six or a 308! Liven it up a little. Yes they are great cartridges, but you gotta have a flair for the stuff grandpa don't have!
No offense to people who have these good cartridges. They definetely are accurate, efficient, and easy to load for, but so are a ton of other cartridges that deserve a look. Don't just settle for what that gun-counter salesmen tries to unload on you! HA, wait a second, I AM a gun salesmen! And from that point of view I can say that I talk to a million people a day that say, "You got any 308's?" and I just yawn and show 'em. But now if a customer comes in and says, "You got any 260's?" he has my attention, and if the customer comes in and says, "which one of these actions is best for doing a 6 BR?" then I am totally fired up! It's the difference between a car salesmen at the Volvo dealer and a salesman at the Ferrari dealer!

 

[Guest]

the 6mmPPC has been called the most accurate caliber ever but I believe that it comes down to the gun more times than not. I have seen some 30-06's that would shoot circles around some 308's that weren't put together to well and vise versa.
If you gonna be buying off the shelf ammo the 308 is hard to beat but if you a reloader then the posibilities are endless

 

[Guest]

the 6PPC is very accurate but... hell it has probobly been shot in competition more too... I firmly believe it is the rifle and the man who builds it.. then the man who makes the ammo and shoots it.... so with that said....

It would be hard to beat a well built 308 with well made handloads and a good driver behind the trigger...

 

[jro45]

With my 06 I put three holes in a 1/2 circle at 200 yd using flat base 150gr bullets with 4x scope. So I know the 06 is accurate.

 

[ricka0]

Ian, I agree fully with your excellent post sans
[ QUOTE ]
Interesting how little respect the .308 has with many shooters compared to what it will do out there.


[/ QUOTE ]
Do you mean hunters and not [bench rest] shooters? I agree if you mean hunters, but the br folks seem to <font color="red"> over venerate </font> the 308.

TCO (total cost of ownership), bang for the buck, I don't think you can touch the .308 for long range deer hunting (out to 800 yards). (ricka's defn of long range is 350 - 750 yards; 750 - 1111 -&gt; ultra long rang; )

Yes my sexy 300 RUM sizzles the pills a lot hotter, but which gun will my grandsons be dropping deer with in 35 years (unless Kirby is hasn't retired and rebarrels my 300 RUM /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif?

We all know the cliché, "How can u tell when a salesman is lying"?


ans: His lips r moving /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

If you want a more powerful/sexy/accurate/proven good bang for the buck long gun, consider the 300 &amp; 338 Win Mags.

Many claim the WSM versions of the above are inherently more accurate. (is this true?)

If you need something hotter and want to spend more money, do what I did, send Kirby a RUM and have him add a Lilja barrel/trigger job/ accurize.

 

[Ian M]

I was referring to guys in gunshops, guys at the range, guys with blood running down their noses from their Ultramags. Although we hunt with the .308 a lot we have our share of hotrods - but since our idea of practicing is 100+ rounds a session, the barrels on the Weatherby's etc. would not last long. I have been shooting the .300 WSM a bunch this year, making good long kills with it but the barrel is going to die much faster than any of our .308 barrels. Have 550 rounds through the .300 since mid summer, hope to get 1500 out of it but we will see. Have .308's with over 5000 rounds that are still shooting inside a half inch if the shooter can hold them right.
The original question was about most accurate calibers - I think Ric hit it on the head. Precision and versatility - hard to beat .30 caliber bullet selection and availability if your are a hunter.
My next LR rifle will be another WSM, will hunt the hell out of it. But we will practice with the .308's because they shoot so well and are not as expensive to run a lot of ammo through.

 

[wapiti13]

Saw several tests on 300 WSM vs 300 Win Mag. Final conclusions were the 300 WSM is slightly more accurate. Talking to all the design guys it seems the 300 WSM enjoys the same design qualities that makes the PPC cartridges so accurate (also enjoyed by the 284 cases). The fat case theory makes the powder burn more efficiently &amp; more consistently. Again, quality of barrel &amp; action could negate any benefits. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Guest]

OK I am a WSM lover ... great little , powerful Cartridge.

but I don't necessarily buy this woohaa about the WSM being more accurate... I mean really... did the same guy make the handloads, and shoot the rifles and were the rifles made by the same smith...?

unless all variable s are the same it is really hard to distinguish....

could the WSM be more forgiving .. absolutly .. but in my mind that doesn't make it more accurate...

I think that... hands down, all around, no brains about it the 308 wins... you have TONS of factory ammo diversity, many manufactures of Match Grade Factory ammo and unlimited variations of 30 cal combinations for handloads... and it can kill thin skinned game to about 750 yards if driven at 2700 fps+

Get a good smith to build a good rifle and you are good to go....

 

[ricka0]

Awesome posts and info!
[ QUOTE ]
but I don't necessarily buy this woohaa about the WSM being more accurate

[/ QUOTE ]
It's generally accepted that belted rims are obsolete - are inherently inferior (because you want the best alignment possible - impossible to get when you fix on the belt). The physics agrees with what is accepted.
The short action is also stiffer and easier to align. Again the physics agrees with accepted data.
It's generally accepted that ultra long freebore - something Roy did to get ultra velocities in the <font color="red"> olden days </font>
is detrimental to accuracy. Once again the physics agrees with accepted data.

I think if the 308 was just introduced today, it would be called a 30-06 Short action mag.

Oh and I missed the sholder ange advantage.