.308 vs 30-06

[Bluebulldog]

Damn!!! That sounds sweet. Do they have the Mannlicher style in a Swede?

They do in fact.

And Trade Ex here in Canada stocks them.

http://www.tradeexcanada.com/content...-stock-65x55-1

[terrym]

Just checked the website, they do chamber it in the Swede! That is a nice setup. Website lists weight wt 3.5kg which is actually heavy. How much does yours really weigh?

[werner.reiche]

I was actually just thinking of trying a 444. Since I sold my 350 mag I feel like I have a big bore void in the vault....lol. do you use one?

I bought my first one in 1980 - still have it. I've bought two more since then - one is an XLR - my only scoped rifle. I used a .44 mag (1992-1993 - 1 buck), and a .30-30 (1994-1995 1 buck, 3 does) but aside from that, all my big game hunting since 1980 was done with a .444. I've also shot a lot of grouse with it using 2.5" .410 shells.

The original round for it was a Remington 256 grain soft point - that bullet was designed specifically for the .444. Then Remington started loading .44mag designed 240 grains for it - they are very mushy. Just guessing on the years here - about 2000 or so, the 265 grain was discontinued - but I had a pretty good stash of them saved. Now Hornady markets both the 265 grain soft point and the 270 flex tip (lever-evolution). The FTX seems to blow apart easily - the buck I shot two years ago looked like he'd been hit by 3 buckshot - must have hit some brush on the way. The 265 grains don't blow apart....ever.

[Bluebulldog]

Just checked the website, they do chamber it in the Swede! That is a nice setup. Website lists weight wt 3.5kg which is actually heavy. How much does yours really weigh?

That seems a tad heavy, since it's 7.7lbs, I'm pretty sure mines around that or less with scope mounted. Then again, it doesn't seem to kick nearly as much as my Savage Axis in .308, so maybe the weight is accurate?

If you're near Orangeville, stop by, you can always have a look at mine first. I like Trade Ex because they stock a ton of Mausers.

[terrym]

Many times the balance of the gun makes more difference than the actual weight.

[Fox]

Not many people actually use a 220gr bullet in a .30 cal. In fact the 180 is likely the most useful/popular for both the .30-06 and .308. The other thing is the .30-06 is notoriously under loaded by factories so the two are far closer in velocity than most would expect. At the distance the OP stated as his intended use there is no deer,bear,moose that would ever feel a difference. Worry more about selecting a rifle you prefer, the cambering is secondary if choosing between the .308 and .30--06.

Just stating the differences, the bullet weight is one.

30-06 standard seems to be 180gr, 308 standard is a toss up between 150gr and 165gr for the extra velocity.

Heavier bullets can get a longer boat tail on them and are better for matches as they buck the wind better and fly flatter with a better BC. That being said, I agree 100%, at 200 yards there is no difference.

At the range the OP is talking about any 30 cal is pretty much the same, 30-30 through 300 Win Mag will do about the same thing, some rounds just put more energy into the shooter and into the hill behind the deer, the deer is still as dead as a door knob.

[Fox]

When I first shot the 180gr (what they carried at CT) I was applauded at how unnecessary it was for so much recoil to shoot deer at less than 200 yds....I dropped to 150 for the .303 and I'm very happy with that bullet . I will be reloading all my .303 with 150 gr Spitzer's. .

150gr hits a little closer to center with the battle sights at 100 yards too, at least my reloads did.

[sharps4570]

That seems a tad heavy, since it's 7.7lbs, I'm pretty sure mines around that or less with scope mounted. Then again, it doesn't seem to kick nearly as much as my Savage Axis in .308, so maybe the weight is accurate?

If you're near Orangeville, stop by, you can always have a look at mine first. I like Trade Ex because they stock a ton of Mausers.

Many times the balance of the gun makes more difference than the actual weight.

From what little experience I've had with a few Zastava CF and RF rifles .....

The Zastavas are quite close to the advertised mark as far as weight is concerned. The rifles are well balanced though. However, you may wish to check fit prior to a purchase if possible.....when shouldered, the monte carlo stock on my M70s felt a bit weird. The wrist was too thick as well. The bolt is usually somewhat rough in a new rifle and becomes smoother after some use. Trigger is adjustable, however, finish quality may vary from rifle to rifle. Trigger on one of my rifle was very smooth out of the box. Another mediocre. The third was very gritty. The later two became quite smooth after adjustment and use.

The same goes with the safety i.e. one may be smooth, another not so much out of the box. The iron sights, while good quality, are the same ones that Zastava provides on it's rimfire rifle. In other words, the rear sight notches (while ok for rifmfire use) are quite narrow from a perspective of CF rifle use. The finish of the stock as well as the inletting leaves quite a bit to be desired. Moreover, there may be a need to properly clear the barrel channel. Having said that, any recent inventory may not have such QC issues.

All of my rifles shot very well (had to properly free float couple of mine to optimize accuracy). I found that Zastavas perform excellent with Prvi ammo.

Weight perspective, for a rifle in Zastava's price range, the Tikka T3 in 6.5x55 will be far superior in every aspect if one were to ignore the plastic components in that rifle.

[jarret]

Wow some awsome points here guys making the decision a little bit harder

[Bluebulldog]

Wow some awsome points here guys making the decision a little bit harder

Just buy a .308.....you can buy a 30-06 to park beside it in the cabinet later LOL.

In fact, if you know anyone with a range membership, see if someone will let you shoot one of each. I will often let new shooters try out a gun for a few shots just to give them a bit of exposure.