Match Results for .308 Win vs. .30-06 — Surprising Findings
The .308 Winchester, a shortened version of the .30-06, has almost completely replaced the .30-06 in NRA competition. The .308 is required for Palma shooting, so it is also used by many Palma competitors in other long-range and mid-range prone matches. However, with the exception of M1 Garand matches, you won’t see many .30-06 rifles on the firing lines. Does that mean the .30-06 is obsolete? Is the .308 Win really much more accurate? Or does it just offer the advantages of reduced recoil and reduced powder consumption?
Cartridge photos courtesy Deuce45s.com, a leading source of specialized military cartridges.
In his Sibling Rivalry: .308 vs. .30-06 article on the Rifleman’s Journal website, German Salazar argues that the .30-06 remains a viable competition cartridge, particularly for the long-range game. This isn’t just a subjective opinion. German has data to back up the argument that the .30-06 can still do the job.
German compares the actual scores produced by his .308 Win rifles with the scores from his .30-06 rifles. German analyzes scores, over a two-year period, shot by “matched pair” rifles (one in each caliber) with similar actions, stocks, sights, and barrels. For comparison purposes, German also includes score data from his 6XC, a modern low-recoil chambering.
RESULTS: .308 Has Small Edge at Middle Distance, But .30-06 Is Better at Long Range
Surprisingly, the .30-06 performed nearly as well as the .308 at middle distances. The .30-06 delivered 99.2% of max possible scores vs. 99.5% for the .308 Win. Notably, at 1000 yards, the .30-06 racked up 97.7% of max scores vs. 97.3% for the .308 Win. So, at 1000 yards, the .30-06 actually proved superior to the .308 Win. German explains: “This isn’t too surprising when one considers [the .308’s] limited case capacity for the bullet weights typically used in Long-Range shooting. They just run out of steam and dip perilously close to the transonic range as they approach 1000 yards of flight. The extra 150 fps or so that can be safely obtained from the .30-06 case really pays off at 1000 yards.”
|
Mid-Range Comparison .308 – 597-36X (99.5%), 960 rounds fired If we look at the score averages, the .308 comes out on top at the Mid-Range distances… by 0.3% of the possible score. By the way, notice that the 6XC, as good as it is, simply straddles the .30 caliber cartridges; it is not the winner. Long-Range Comparison In NRA Long-Range and Palma matches, the average percentage of possible score for each cartridge at 1000 yards was as follows: 6XC – 98.9%, 360 rounds fired Editor’s Note: Among the three cartridges German studied, the 6XC actually proved best at 1000 yards, delivering 98.9% of the maximum possible scores. The .30-06 was second-best with 97.7%, slightly better than the .308 Win at 97.3%. |
You’ll want to read German’s full Sibling Rivalry article, which includes an interesting history of the .30-06 and .308 in High Power shooting, along with tables showing German’s actual scores with his .30-06, .308 Win, and 6XC rifles. German’s story first ran in 2011.
Similar Posts:
- .308 Win vs. .30-06 — Match Results May Surprise You
- “Forgotten” IMR 4320 Powder Yields Great Results
- Reloder 17 shoots 600-39X in First Match
- Ladies Triumph in Arizona. Savage Shocks Shooters.
- Large vs. Small Flash Holes in .308 Win Brass
Share the post "Match Results for .308 Win vs. .30-06 — Surprising Findings"
Tags: .308 vs. .30-06, 6XC, German Salazar, high power, Sibling Rivalry
I feel the same way about the 303 British against the 308 Win. With modern guns and loads I feel the balance would be tipped back to the 303 in the hands of a good rifleman.
I like the 30-06. It’s great for antelope hunting in Wyoming even in the rain and with a 20 knot crosswind at a 45 degree angle. Of course in those conditions I don’t like to exceed 500 yards. I’ll add I’ve never had to shoot more than once to down an antelope at these ranges and conditions.
And 6.5×55 leaves them all in the dust.
With great respect to German, keep in mind he shoots from a sling and using iron sights. This is pretty much a discipline where the shooter is the limiting factor, not so much the cartridge.
If you look at the statistics, keeping the above in mind, you will see that all three pretty much shoot the same meaning the case is not the biggest factor here.
The opening lines suggest that the .308 is s shortened 30-06.
This is not so. The .308 was actually developed from the .300 Savage, and a .308 chamber cannot be reamed out to 30-06.
I can’t argue with Herman’s article but recoil comes into play when considering the difference in the two cartridges. One of those two rifles pictured now has a 308 chambered barrel on it.
TA
When the first .308 bolt rifle appeared at the National Matches at Camp Perry it was a true game changer. For offhand and rapid fire events it left the 30-06 in the dust. At 600 yards the two cartridges are relatively even. At 1000 yards, advantage goes to the 30-06. Keep in mind back in those days a shooter could only use a .30 caliber bullet for this type of competition. Thank you German for another great article!
With bullet and powder technology these days shouldn’t the 30-06 have a better edge over 308 and be closer to 300 mag or ultra mag numbers from back in the day now ??
The 308 case is load to a higher pressure than the 06, so out to 1000 yards with the 168 grain match bullets they are competitive, but the 06 with the larger case when loaded with the 200 to 220 grain bullets it gets the edge over the 308.
Compare the 06 to the 300 win mag, close but not so much after 1000 yds, the larger case of the belted 300 win mag is far above the performance of the 06.
I would feel comfortable using the 308, 30-06 on larger game, including Elk, Moose, Caribou, Deer, and Black Bear. The 300 mag will do the job, but it is overkill for deer, and black bear, while 180 grain will work guite well on Elk, Moose, I use the 300 mag for elk and moose with 180 grain Speer Grand Slams.