Why I love the 308 Winchester
- Thread starter Petrol & Powder
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Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
I forgot about the 7.5 x 55 Swiss!
What a great concept it was.
What a great concept it was.
First off, I like the .308. Don’t get me wrong. As a retired Army guy. I have probably fired more 7.62 NATO than most guys here.i have owned 3-4 .308s.
I went through basic training with am M-14. I fired High Power with both the M-1 and M-14. I was a machine gunner on a C model Huey gunship in VN. I was an aircraft armament guy for 15 years
I have fired 7.62 NATO sometime 4/5 thousand rounds a day or night. I have test fired repaired aircraft at 4,000 rounds a pop. After VN, I worked at Hunter Army Airfield supporting Ariel Gunnery training. Everyone had a M600 Remington as they were cheap an 7.62 ammo was laying around everywhere.
Don’t get me wrong. The .308 will do the job.
But, I don’t own one. Instead, I chose the old .30/06 Model 70. Why? It just feels right and does the job.
Each to his own./beagle
I went through basic training with am M-14. I fired High Power with both the M-1 and M-14. I was a machine gunner on a C model Huey gunship in VN. I was an aircraft armament guy for 15 years
I have fired 7.62 NATO sometime 4/5 thousand rounds a day or night. I have test fired repaired aircraft at 4,000 rounds a pop. After VN, I worked at Hunter Army Airfield supporting Ariel Gunnery training. Everyone had a M600 Remington as they were cheap an 7.62 ammo was laying around everywhere.
Don’t get me wrong. The .308 will do the job.
But, I don’t own one. Instead, I chose the old .30/06 Model 70. Why? It just feels right and does the job.
Each to his own./beagle
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
I think it is fair to say both the .30-06 & the .308 Win. will do the job unless the job involves extreme ranges.
It's sort of like the Skeeter load 44 Special and the 44 magnum, A warm 44 Special will do about 90-95% of what a 44 caliber handgun is needed for. If you need that last 5%, that's what they make the 44 magnum for. Some will say that it is better to have the 44 magnum platform and not need it most of the time rather than need it occasionally and not have it. I can't offer a good arguement against that logic.
With the .30-06 v. 308 there's a little more in play. It's more than just the long action versus short action, it is also the high efficency of the 308 cartridge. This is why the 308 can get so close to the performance of the .30-06 in all but the heaviest bullets and longest ranges. It's just a well designed platform. I had forgot about the 7.5 Swiss untill somebody here mentioned it but that's another very efficent cartridge and works a bit along the lines of the old 7 x 57 Mauser. (another great cartridge that punches above its class)
I am an unrepentent fan of short actions and make no attempt to conceal that.
It's sort of like the Skeeter load 44 Special and the 44 magnum, A warm 44 Special will do about 90-95% of what a 44 caliber handgun is needed for. If you need that last 5%, that's what they make the 44 magnum for. Some will say that it is better to have the 44 magnum platform and not need it most of the time rather than need it occasionally and not have it. I can't offer a good arguement against that logic.
With the .30-06 v. 308 there's a little more in play. It's more than just the long action versus short action, it is also the high efficency of the 308 cartridge. This is why the 308 can get so close to the performance of the .30-06 in all but the heaviest bullets and longest ranges. It's just a well designed platform. I had forgot about the 7.5 Swiss untill somebody here mentioned it but that's another very efficent cartridge and works a bit along the lines of the old 7 x 57 Mauser. (another great cartridge that punches above its class)
I am an unrepentent fan of short actions and make no attempt to conceal that.
Winelover
North Central Arkansas
My story mimics Rick H. I'm also LH and also from Michigan. LH bolts were rare in the gun stores of Michigan, as stated. I came across a LH Ruger Mark II when stopping in at Jay's Sporting Goods, in central Michigan. Just started leasing hunting property in Mid-Michigan. Was there looking for a new Hoyt compound bow. They were an authorized dealer for Hoyt. Ordered the LH bow and the blue steel & walnut LH Ruger bolt came home with me, along with a blue 4.5 x 14 Leupold Gold Ring VarX-III scope. This was in the early 90's before Cabela's or Bass Pro came to Michigan. Up till that time, I was hunting in the shotgun-only zone. Really, had no need for a centerfire rifle, before then. Was chambered in .270 Winchester, my second choice, after 308 Winchester. Not a big deal, because I had designs on relocating out west, back then............which didn't materialize. That rifle was my first centerfire. Up till then, shotguns, muzzleloaders, and then pistols (after they became legal for hunting deer) in Michigan's shotgun-only zone.
Since then we have accumulated two 308W rifles. Cindy's right-handed Winchester Model 70 Classic and my Armalite AR-10 carbine, with the ambidextrous safety option. IMO, you can't go wrong with a 308W, for most big-game, and being a NATO cartridge doesn't hurt!
Since then we have accumulated two 308W rifles. Cindy's right-handed Winchester Model 70 Classic and my Armalite AR-10 carbine, with the ambidextrous safety option. IMO, you can't go wrong with a 308W, for most big-game, and being a NATO cartridge doesn't hurt!
Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
/\ totally agree /\
When the Canadian Rangers needed to replace their Lee- Enfields, they went with a SAKO designed but Colt Canada manufactured bolt action in 308 Win.
Not only is the 7.62 NATO widespread, there are dozens of different loadings in use by NATO members. The carrtridge is distributed worldwide in many forms. It has been with us since the early 1950'.
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BBerguson
Official Pennsyltuckian
I tried reading that book. Got so disgusted with how we were fighting the war and how poorly our troops were treated that I had to stop and gave it away to a buddy.