.30-06 v .308 for LR

[KyCarl]

Are you really locked into a .30 caliber? Some of the 6.5's work very well!
My 6.5 X 284 is faster flatter and just as accurate as either of of those .30's!
I think at 600 yards it would smoke them!

 

[ar10ar15man]

sorry but your shooting experience has clouded your vision.
a 20" target is only "common" in military discipline shooting. the rest of the world shoots at smaller targets at 1000 yards..much smaller, tho who knows what steel shooters shoot at. the ibs and nbrsa 1000 yards targets are much smaller.


and now that i have ****ed you off, what was the load and gun for the 185 jugernauts ?

On the contrary, I completely agree with you here. History is replete with examples of people who make ignorant decisions based on assumptions/gut feelings that are not at all supported by data.

This sounds like a big advantage when you compare a static variable. What is important is how each cartridge performs relative to the other in variable conditions.

Now lets take a look at hard numbers. My old competition rifle in 308 shot a 185gr Berger Juggernaut at ~2600fps, that yields a wind drift at 1000yds of 8.5MOA in a 10MPH 90degree crosswind (rounding to the nearest .25MOA). Lets run that same bullet at 2750fps, which is warm but attainable based on looking at a reloading manual for the 30-06. This gets us 7.75 MOA of drift... cool the 30-06 is "better". Except when you look at actual data and realize that only nets you 1MPH in margin for error vs the 308.

So is there a difference? yes, marginally, is it enough to matter in an actual competition? No

In the article I linked they showed through rigorous statistical analysis that even a whopping 200fps difference in muzzle velocity with all other things equal only nets a 3.2 point increase in hit percentage (75.9% vs 72.8%) on a 20" circle (common long range target size) at 1000yds.

This ignores all of the downsides of running a long action/higher recoiling cartridge in a competition environment (which by the way the OP still hasn't said what the competition is)

 

[ar10ar15man]

DEFINE THE COMPETITION.
DISTANCE
POSITION
TARGET SIZE
NUMBER OF SHOTS/TIME
any answer without that info is just HOT AIR

Really, just starting. My range offers competitions out to 600 yards. Not much for true LR shooters but a starting point none the less.

 

[Don A Parsons]

My pursuit of long-range shooting started four years ago with a 30/06,,, 2 years ago I switched over to the 308 since most of the shoots were at 800 to 900 meters.

Once in a while I do the 1500 to 1700 meter shoots in Southern BC,,, but the majority is close range LD.

No LD in hunting mode,,, "unless" the opertunity comes where I can set-up for the shot,,, even then I'd only reach out to how comfortable I feel getting a clean release on the boolit,,, Ha.

There are endless options of choosing what a person "chooses" to do.

Some of my shoots are competion,,, other are private outting. Kind of the mix that allows for good times,,, we're in the -30 to -45c winter practics time.

Sight seeing by snowmobiles, ohv's with tracks, predator control,,, and iron silhouette stuff.

The 308 is the simple side of things,,, low recoil, easy on powder and brass,,, fun to play with,,, throw what ever charge at it and get at it.

At least in my world,,, lifes to short to pick things apart in my stage of the game. It's all about being out there. No TV, nill for humans,,, and wide open spaces of endless up here above the 49th parallel. Ha.

Billions of miles of expanses,,, and a tool to use along the way.

Ice fishing , archery along with plinking this week,,, alot like last week and the month before that. LOL.

There ain't nothing in the cities for me less picking up supplies once a year to make things last longer in the wilds.

Life is simple if we "choose" to keep it that way.

Ye Ha to the best of times,,, that's what really counts.

 

[jski]

.308 Win vs. .30-06 — Match Results May Surprise You

RESULTS: .308 Has Small Edge at Middle Distance, But .30-06 Is Better at Long Range

Surprisingly, the .30-06 performed nearly as well as the .308 at middle distances. The .30-06 delivered 99.2% of max possible scores vs. 99.5% for the .308 Win. Notably, at 1000 yards, the .30-06 racked up 97.7% of max scores vs. 97.3% for the .308 Win. So, at 1000 yards, the .30-06 actually proved superior to the .308 Win. German explains: "This isn't too surprising when one considers [the .308's] limited case capacity for the bullet weights typically used in Long-Range shooting. They just run out of steam and dip perilously close to the transonic range as they approach 1000 yards of flight. The extra 150 fps or so that can be safely obtained from the .30-06 case really pays off at 1000 yards."

 

[Rogue]

One of the newer and, IMHO, the funnest competitions is the Precision Rifle Series (PRS). If you are considering competing in any match anywhere, you may want to check out the rules and requirements for those matches prior to deciding on a caliber or rifle. Below is one of the rules for PRS.

2.3.6 Production Division Rifles will not exceed a caliber of .30 or a velocity of 3,200 fps. A match DQ will result any rounds over the speed limit of 3,200 fps (+/- 32 fps for environmental factors and equipment discrepancies).

If I were new and buying just one rifle for "Competition" it would be the Ruger RPR in 6.5 Creedmoor. It a good starter rifle that won't break the bank.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I have shot .308 Win since I was 16, and have always loved that cartridge. I also own a .30-06 AI... Not really a big fan of the .30-06. Just never have been. The AI version is better than the standard, but still not really a fan. It's one of only 3 rifles in my safe that I have no attachment to. It's a custom, and it's already been blueprinted, so I've been wanting to rebarrel it for quite a while into a .300 Sherman or .280 Sherman just to mix things up a bit.

 

[Don A Parsons]

My plan was to continue along with the 30/06 till I jumped into F Class and small PRS matches with a old school 308.
Most of these are close range,,, 400 to 900 meters that are easy to accomplish with the small case,,, yes ,,, my 30/06 could do the same thing easy,,, but so can the 308.

Of course the 08 uses less powder, no big deal,,, but I like the 2 rifles I have for these shooting sports,,, my option is limited to one direction since I can't turn the 308's into 30/06's since the actions aren't long enough.

My 30/06 can be switched over ,,, that way I'll have three 308's.

1 style of case,,, 400 chunks of brass for each rifle,,, 5000 boolitz / 5 {thousand} packs of the same bullets,,,, 10.000 primers. Ha. Nothing like having one system with 3 rifle options.

Most shooters pick and choose different cartridges,,, there ain't nothing wrong with that option either.

I like everything standardized under 1 umbrella ,,, that way my shooting sports never run low on supplies.

And it's easy to switch over to hunting and predator control along with general fun plinking with family and friends.

There isnt no 1000 or 500 meter shooting happening in that category of hunting for us.

Life after long range for us is close range fun stuff ,,, each person gets to pick and choose what works for them ,,, good times come to those that find their needs that work for them.

Odd potato in the pack seems to work for our crew.

Mr Potato to my friends that is. Ha

 

[Msgt William Toprock]

Morning. In this day and age, given my 74 years, I no longer like the pounding I received from a 700 Remington BDL, 30-06, with a plastic butt plate especially while wearing a "T" shirt. Today I use a 700 BDL with a custom stock, glass bedded, a Timminey Trigger in 270 Winchester for Hunting and a Ruger SR-762 (308) AR-10 platform, for range work. That gas piston action really makes the AR-10 pleasant to shoot especially with a good muzzle break !! Oh by the was the picture on the left is my baby with a fiddle back maple stock.