Making 308 sexy again

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Terry Houin

Terry Houin

Sensei of Things and Such
Staff member
FE Staff
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?IMG_4796.jpeg
 
No doubt, .308 is one of my favorite rounds, and the caliber I have the most rifles chambered in. I have 6.5, .300 Win Mag, .338 LM, 8.6 blackout, etc., but more often than not I reach for one of the .308s first. Reliable, and easy to buy anywhere, with plenty of range.
 
When I need a rifle that I know is going to shoot lights out at 500 yards or less, the .308 is my go to. My .308 was the first bolt action rifle I bought as an adult and I still have it. My dad has the same rifle and we have developed perfect hand-loads for each rifle. It seems that every other rifle I have (except maybe the 10/22) is finicky in one way or another. The .308 just shoots
 
jeff said:
Q Fix in .308 is on my short list for next year. As mentioned in The Pygmy intro, ubiquity and variety of ammo, and I can’t see past 570 yds anyways. :)
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Looking at possibly trying a 12” barrel for my Fix with some custom 308 loads
 
I’m going to be the dissenter here. I have a custom REM 700 308win with a 22” hart barrel, jewel trigger, and McMillan stock. Loaded hot with Lapua brass and 168gr ELDM’s it does nothing on the range that my 6.5 creedmoor doesn’t do better or more comfortably. In the woods it doesn’t do anything that the 6.5 creedmoor/30-06/300WM etc don’t do better in one way or another.

In short barrels, you have to be careful about minimum expansion velocities for certain bullets.
Now, on the other hand. it’s available, it’s generally reliable, it works for 90% of all hunting situations. I guess I just find it boring.

It’s the girl from the farm next door. 5’5” B-cups, thin and not ugly, but just nothing to get excited about.
 
Built my best friends boy this little guy a few years back. Did switch barrels in 6br and 308. The 308 has been great for him as there is a ton of bullet weights available, it doesnt beat him up to shoot at the range and funny enough seems like everything the kid points it at dies. Ive been a fan of 308 for a long time, hard to beat the federal gmm with the 185 juggernauts. Are there better cartridges? Obviously yes, but a 308 can work just fine for most situations.
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The ammo spread is laying out nicely. Loos like I'll have a variety from Federal, Barnes, Black Hills, and Nosler to get started with. the test guns will be the new Barrett MRAD Covert and a Q Fix for a couple diffferent rifle setups.
 
308 just works. With the trend toward shorter barrels + cans, the 308 remains more efficient (less fps/inch loss) than larger 30's - and certianly more efficient than the 6.5s, 6.8s and 7s of the day - when barrels start getting bobbed. In my opinion, when one considers the sheer volume of quality factory ammo avalible in 308 Win, how well the 308 responds to short barrels + cans - (especially with a 1-8" twist), small enough case volume to easily load subsonic ammo (and easyAF to reload in general), low recoil, low muzzle blast, inherently accurate...and feeds like a fat kid in a candy shop... I don't believe that there is an objectively better cartridge that exists for about 90% of what most folks are ever going to do with a rifle in actual reality. But, thankfully we have that pursuit of happiness thing gaurenteed so we can all go do whateverTF we want in the name of splitting hairs and good, clean fun.
 
SEJohnson73 said:
308 just works. With the trend toward shorter barrels + cans, the 308 remains more efficient (less fps/inch loss) than larger 30's - and certianly more efficient than the 6.5s, 6.8s and 7s of the day - when barrels start getting bobbed. In my opinion, when one considers the sheer volume of quality factory ammo avalible in 308 Win, how well the 308 responds to short barrels + cans - (especially with a 1-8" twist), small enough case volume to easily load subsonic ammo (and easyAF to reload in general), low recoil, low muzzle blast, inherently accurate...and feeds like a fat kid in a candy shop... I don't believe that there is an objectively better cartridge that exists for about 90% of what most folks are ever going to do with a rifle in actual reality. But, thankfully we have that pursuit of happiness thing gaurenteed so we can all go do whateverTF we want in the name of splitting hairs and good, clean fun.
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I agree, if we were autistic enough to care we would probably find 80% of hunting shots occur within 300 or so yards which is where the 308win lives. Yes you can stretch it out and its effective but if we're generally playing a 300 yard game its hard to beat.
 
308 is a keeper.

Yes, it’s about “horses for courses”, and the right application, with other choices being stronger in certain categories.

You “could” use it many places, but “would” you?

For me, California boar/wild pig hunts is the perfect 308 play - have to shoot lead free so that takes me to Barnes 168GR 308 and it’s perfect. I have the FE Fix in 308 dedicated to that pursuit.

I’ll never get rid of my Steyr SSG69, highly modified, also in 308, exceptional range gun, a tad heavy for the field, although I’ve humped it across many miles in a few states.

.308 is a keeper.
 
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