Making 308 sexy again

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The 308 Win. is a great cartridge. I have multiple rifles chambered in it, bolt guns and semi-autos. It's boringly efficient, it just works. That's what so great about it. I've been lucky enough to hunt with 308 in multiple states, AK, CA, WY, and South Africa. Bullet weights have been from 150gr up to 178gr. It really has a lot going for it, light recoil, easy to suppress, accurate, powerful and ammo is available everywhere. I have two trips to South Africa scheduled for '26, and there will be a 308 chambered rifle on both of them. The second trip will include the new Field Ethos/Gunwerks collaboration rifle, "the Pygmy." I spec'ed mine out to be as light as possible, I went with a Ti action, in left hand. The Pygmy will be a great bookend to the other Field Ethos/Gunwerks collaboration rifle I have "the Krylon" in 300WM, one of the two left handers they built.
 
Terry Houin said:
Admittedly like most I filed away the .308 as a boomer cartridge that was fine but hadn’t peaked my interest in a long time.

Then all of a sudden I had several .308 rifles appear from the heavens for different projects and it got me thinking. Is the .308 a has been or has it payed a steady role out of the limelight like a silent professional?

In the next couple weeks I’ll be shooting and reviewing a secret rifle chambered in .308 and I'm planning to do a deep dive into current ammo options for precision, hunting, and special applications.

What say you? Is the .308 the sexy quite professional next to the hipster 6.5CM? Or is the 308 a dying has been holding onto former glory?View attachment 738
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I used a rem 700 bull barrel for my Tac gun on the team back quite a few years ago and it never ever let me down. I still love the round. I can’t even count the deer and a bunch of elk that ended up in the freezer with one.
 
wmazelin said:
The 308 Win. is a great cartridge. I have multiple rifles chambered in it, bolt guns and semi-autos. It's boringly efficient, it just works. That's what so great about it. I've been lucky enough to hunt with 308 in multiple states, AK, CA, WY, and South Africa. Bullet weights have been from 150gr up to 178gr. It really has a lot going for it, light recoil, easy to suppress, accurate, powerful and ammo is available everywhere. I have two trips to South Africa scheduled for '26, and there will be a 308 chambered rifle on both of them. The second trip will include the new Field Ethos/Gunwerks collaboration rifle, "the Pygmy." I spec'ed mine out to be as light as possible, I went with a Ti action, in left hand. The Pygmy will be a great bookend to the other Field Ethos/Gunwerks collaboration rifle I have "the Krylon" in 300WM, one of the two left handers they built.
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3 Things
1. Where are you hunting on each of your SA safaris?
2. What animals are you after?
3. Please report back with your thoughts on the Pygmy.
 
Charlie Benton said:
3 Things
1. Where are you hunting on each of your SA safaris?
2. What animals are you after?
3. Please report back with your thoughts on the Pygmy.
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The first trip has been scrubbed, sadly. That would have been in the Northern Cape, in the Kimberley area for plains game and predators/varmints. The trip in August will be to Limpopo. Again for plains game, predators/varmints. We called an audible after we found out the first trip to SA was cancelled. We'll also be going to Spain in November for Ibex. The Pygmy may be the rifle of choice for that hunt too. I'll be happy to report back.
 
Matt Johnston said:
I'm a .308 fan and have both a nice bolt and lever rifle in.308. I had an M1A and it was super cool, but .308 as fast as I could pull the trigger was too pricey. I reload, but I could shoot up two hours worth of reloading output in like five minutes ringing steel gongs. I have a Henry LongRanger now instead.
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I have both an M1A and a long ranger and I share your dilemma.

I have since purchased an RL550C to load the 900ish empty .308/7.62 cases I’ve accumulated over the years, but it’s so time consuming I question if it’s worth it.
 
wmazelin said:
The first trip has been scrubbed, sadly. That would have been in the Northern Cape, in the Kimberley area for plains game and predators/varmints. The trip in August will be to Limpopo. Again for plains game, predators/varmints. We called an audible after we found out the first trip to SA was cancelled. We'll also be going to Spain in November for Ibex. The Pygmy may be the rifle of choice for that hunt too. I'll be happy to report back.
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Sorry to hear you had to scratch the first trip. Hit us back up when you return from Limpopo with pictures and an assessment of the Pygmy.
 
Sorry for the temporary timeout, Show season keeps me busy with real work.

I should have a variety of 308 ammo sitting in the ready room so range time work is high on the list this week. I'll report back with my thoughts on the hunting and match loads as well as the 308 subs that I'm excited to play with.
 
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