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deer hunting utah

What is a better round the .308 or the .30-06? ?

I will be hunting Elk and Deer in Utah. I would also like to start shooting long range targets. I have a .243 Sako that I love and is an excellent deer rifle but to small hunt elk ethically. I am looking to buy one of these larger .30 guns. Also does any one have an opinon on a Howa M-1500 Vs. Rem 700?

Ooooh, ballistics. I love ballistics talk Ex-LE rifleman and lifelong reloader and hunter

Neither has an inherent edge over the other at any range. The .308 slightly outperforms the 30-06 with lighter bullets, up to 165 grains. The 30-06 slightly outperforms the .308 with bullets 165 grains and above.

Neither will be by itself any more accurate than the other. The .308 is generally preferred by snipers for a couple reasons. 1. We use lighter bullets to limit over penetration, so the .308′s slight edge in performance is a plus. 2. The case is shorter, so the action takes a smaller motion to chamber a new round which would be harder to detect from a bad guy.

Target shooters are generally after the fastest bullet they can get with the lightest amount of recoil, so again the .308 has a slight edge.

But for hunting and penetration at range energy retention is key. There’s 2 ways to transmit max energy at the end of the shot, speed and mass. You can get just as much down range performance out of a faster lighter bullet that you can with a heavier slower bullet if you do the math right.

However a lighter bullet will begin to shed energy faster as it slows, the heavier bullet will retain more energy at the same range.

Given that most hunting shots are taken around 100 yards, ultimate long range performance is a smallish issue. Most ‘good’ shots become pretty poor at 300+ yards, and energy retention isn’t really an issue with high powered rifles until the 400+ mark.

Both rounds shoot the same bullet, so the bullet mass can be matched up to about 180 grains. 180 and up should be left to the larger powder charge of the ’06.

So what everything above is saying is either will be a perfectly good round for elk size game and neither is better. All you have to do is take a hard look at each rifle, and find the one that fits you best. If you want the ultimate in versatility because you will some day go after the big beasties, go with the ’06. It’s added range of bullet and powder charges makes it slightly more versatile.

When you get your ammo make sure you get a bullet designed for heavy thick skinned game, either 150 or 165 (.308) or 180 grain (30-06) and go sight in.

Four Point Mule Deer

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