Pumped up .308

13908 Views 30 Replies 12 Participants Last post by bigohio, Apr 19, 2005

triggerhappy

Discussion Starter · Dec 6, 2004

Ok, the .308 is an obvious favorite among the crowds. Here's my question: Handloaders, I realize there is only so much room in a .308 case. Is this enough room to get 30-06 or higher ME numbers? I would expect an answere something like. "Well you can, but its not recommended" Since I don't reload I simply have no clue.

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Jeffvn

· #2 · Dec 6, 2004

You can run a .308 incredibly hot if you want to. The real questin is why would you want to. When you do so you encroach upon the safety margin of the firearm which puts both your rifle and your face / eyes in jeopardy. That's why they make the other chamberings.

If you want a faster bullet find the chambering that matches your target velocity and bullet choice. For example if you "need" to have Sierra 190 SMK fly at 2,800 to 2,900 fps, get a 300 Win. Mag. it will get you there safely and with no danger of ruining you rifle.

JeffVN

triggerhappy

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 6, 2004

So its actually the structural integrity of the firearm that wil limit how hot you load a .308? I was asking because should I buy a .308 (for all the reasons that have been harped over and over again) I didn't know if I could "pump it" to a 30-06 equivalents for certain hunting situations were a .308 may be considered marginal.

spade

· #4 · Dec 6, 2004

if your wanting to handload, and want a pumped up .308. Then take a 444 marlin case and neck it down to accept the 308. I did this and it was deffinately an insane round.

The 308 will preform every bit as well as the 30-06 ... i wouldnt worry too much about it being considered marginal. The same actions are being used for both cartridges so it will obviously withstand both rounds.

You can very easily hot load the 308 above and beyond factory 30-06 numbers.

Yimmy

· #5 · Dec 6, 2004

re

When NATO 7.62x51mm was adopted, it was designed to give the same performance as the .30-06, in a smaller package thanks to new powder technology.

Getting a .308 to .30-06 level should be easy.

muzzleblast

· #6 · Dec 8, 2004

Hey Triggerhappy,

I just looked through my Federal catalogue and with 150 grain loads the .308 is only 50-100 fps behind the 30-06, and almost 200 ft/lbs behind...

But you can get hot .308 loads commercially, Federal calls em High Energy. With a 180 grain nosler, they give 3000 ft/lbs at the muzzle...thats well into 30-06 energy levels, and stronger than a lot of 30-06 loads. I think Hornady offers suped up loads under the "light magnum" name but I'd have to check that.

Can't use those suped up loads in a semi-auto though.

triggerhappy

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 9, 2004

Thanks muzzleblast.
I've been surfin' round the web and thats the same story I ended up with. I originally asked because I've toyed with the idea of getting a no-frills setup (looking like savage 10flp with $3-500 scope and bipod). The .308 seemed to fit the bill for what I wanted exactly. I was simply curious, maybe I should say hopeful, about whether or not I'd have to buy another gun to shoot larger game if the opportunity came along.

muzzleblast

· #8 · Dec 9, 2004

Hey man thats cool. Unless you want to shoot big things at long range, or tackle any of the bigger bears, your 308 should serve you very well.

Spoon

· #9 · Dec 9, 2004

You might as well get a 300 mag or something along the lines of that. Usually when you push a loads pressure way way up, you are gonna lose a lot of accuracy. The benefits of getting a little bit hotter round are not that great. I handload a lot and have found that the most accurate loads are more often then not below the reloading manuals suggested maximum.

If I had to chose between a little bit faster load and a more accurate load (hiting vitals of big game), id definately go with more accurate. Its also safer, which is extremely important.

An as for a 180 bullet going 3000 fps in a .308 case, wow, dont expect to make it through that one haha. I have a hard time beleiving those ballistics. I dont think there is physically enough space for enough powder. I would think a 180 grn bullet in 308 would be somewhere around 2700 fps.

.308 is fine for big game, as long as what your hunting cant kill you.

Maybe it would be good to have a 44 or 454 at your side just in case.

muzzleblast

· #10 · Dec 9, 2004

That was 3000 ft/lbs dude. Although you were close with the velocity, its listed at 2740 fps.

As long as you don't plan on too much long range big game hunting, 308 will do the job...test your load if you are worried about accuracy and see...is it well within the vitals? if so, you should be okay.

Spoon

· #11 · Dec 9, 2004

Ah I see. Blew me away when I saw that.

muzzleblast

· #12 · Dec 9, 2004

lol yeah, I understand, it must have seemed retarded

caver101

· #13 · Dec 9, 2004

spade said:
if your wanting to handload, and want a pumped up .308. Then take a 444 marlin case and neck it down to accept the 308. I did this and it was deffinately an insane round.

Can you give some specs of this round!!!

If you wanted to step up to the 300WM it would be a good choice, the rem 700P with 26" heavy barrel does not kick bad at all. Thats what I recomend!!

muzzleblast

· #14 · Dec 10, 2004

Dang Spade, you actually did it?

SHOTGUNMIKES

· #15 · Jan 24, 2005

The real question is why do you want to push a 308 faster then a 30-06?
Thinking about the fact that the 306 uses a 165gr and the 30-06 uses a 180gr bullet the thing is the bullet I seen a bullet fired out of a 308 at 10 yards in to a 2gal Ozarka water bottle and not exit so what I am saying is that you don’t need a magnum to hunt big.

Hectorvictorious

· #16 · Jan 25, 2005

I live and hunt in Alaska where there is a always a chance of shooting a big bear whether you want to or not. Since I was like 10 I've been packing a .308, before that it was a 30-30, and before that I would go hunting with dad and pack a .22 around. He carries a .338 win mag.
I just switched to a .30'06. I feel perfectly safe wherever I go. Bullet placement means a lot more than bullet size, so shoot a lot and know where your bullet will hit. If you get into a situation where you need to stop something BIG and you need to stop it NOW, you want the biggest cannon you can carry. I, however, want to shoot my hunting rifle a lot without being beat to death by it, and as a .308 or 30'06 can get the job done and have proven it time and again, they'll work for me.
So get your .308, if you're still worried, get a 30'06. It will perform better with bigger bullets. Just try to drop the critters before they get their adrenaline up. If you take your shots while an animal is bedded down or feeding, you can take almost any big game animal with almost any cartridge.

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muzzleblast

· #17 · Jan 25, 2005

Yeah thas right, Hector. If he doesn't know you're there he's a lot more likely to go "hooves up"...but if he sees ya, he has a fairly good idea of who just hurt him...and like you said, Adrenaline...

There is no reason to not load a 308 as hot as is within safety.

OLD TOUCH

· #18 · Feb 7, 2005

308 vs 3006

SHOTGUNMIKES said he saw a 308 at 10 yards that did not penetrate a 2 gallon water jug, this is not a good big game load as you want all the penetration that you can get, and you want the most expansion out of your bullet, other than that the advice from the rest of you has been most excelent.
Rusty

muzzleblast

· #19 · Feb 7, 2005

Has to be one of the frangible round he was showing us. I can't imagine a true big game round from a 308 being stopped. Those bullets that are designed not to penetrate a person though, maybe yeah. Remember the very same huntin bullets get thrown around by the 300 mags and 308 won't ever get loaded that hot.

Hectorvictorious

· #20 · Feb 7, 2005

Re: 308 vs 3006

Yeah, it must have been a frangible bullet or something. And even if it wasn't, I'm still comfortable with the stopping power of the .308. I've shot a moose and several caribou with it, and my sisters have used the .308 to take caribou also. As I said earlier, how easily an animal drops is mostly dependant on shot placement and the attitude of the animal.

My sister shot her first caribou at almost 500 yards. It was a LARGE bull and was feeding with the rest of the herd, they had no idea we were there. Her shot just clipped the bottom of the heart. The rest of the herd took off, and he just wandered around with his head down. He dropped about a hundred yards from where he was hit. One shot. One kill.

Now if that same bull had his adrenaline up because he knew we were there, that same shot might not have done the job. He might have gone a half mile or more if we didn't put more bullets in him.

Oh yeah. My sister was using a .223.

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