.308 vs .30-06 for 20" Barrel?

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Stick Man

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Today I've been thinking about giving my Winchester Featherweight Compact in .308 (which, for those who saw my question about the VX-2 1-4, I've decided to just keep it's 2-7 Vortex Viper on it rather than replacing it with a lighter, less powerful 1-4 scope) to my considerably younger sister as I'll finally admit that I prefer a bit more LOP (I know that problem can be solved with slip on recoil pads or plastic spacers, but on blue and walnut M70, that just wouldn't look right) and because I want her to be happy.
This got me thinking about what I would replace my trusty carbine with. I thought maybe a rugged, reasonably cheap, and surprisingly light Ruger Hawkeye Standard (only has a half inch more LOP that the Compact 70, but when I replace the silly, thin, red pad from the factory with an appropriately thicker pad everything will be just about perfect) might just be the ticket once I have the barrel sawed down to 20". But if I go with a Hawkeye, I'll have a choice I didn't have with the Featherweight: 30-06 or .308.
For normal rifle I'd always go with the .30-06 when given the choice, but short barrels make things more confusing. I understand that the .308 is better suited to shorter barrels and while I can find velocity charts for the .308 out of a 20 inch tube, I can't for the 06.
Any personal reports/chronograph results from an 06 of of a 20 inch tube? I've been told that it loses enough to make the velocity differences between it and a .308 out the same length barrel meaningless. I don't necessarily believe that, but would like to hear some real world reports.
The other concern is blast. I'm well acquainted with the blast of a .308 out of a 20" (and it isn't bad) but my 06s all wear longer tubes. Basically I just want to hear how bad you think it is, a personal comparison between the two is even better.
If I decide that I prefer the 30-06, I might splurge and get a M70 Sporter and saw some barrel off of that.
Thanks for any comments.
 
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I have a savage 110 pre accutrigger in 30-06 with a 20" barrel, had factory iron sights on it. I removed the rear sight and installed a Williams rear receiver mounted peep sight. It is my go to hunting rifle for thick terrain, points like it's part of me, and doesn't seem blasty at all compared to 308 rifles i've shot in the past.
I prefer 30-06 because of all the different available factory loads you can get. I reload, but it's still nice to have lots of options. The same can be said for 308 until you get to the heavy end of the projectile spectrum. Hard to find 180 and up 308 stuff, where its all over for 30-06. My $0.02

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No animal you're going to shoot will notice the difference between 3006 or 308. No animal you're going to shoot is going to notice the difference between a 16", 18", 20" 22" or 24" barrel.

If 100-300 fps is going to make all the difference, then a larger caliber should be looked at.
 
Only thing that would cause me to scratch my head with that would be why you'd go with a long action versus short action when you're trying to find something in the compact/light realm of rifles. That's a little bit more length and a lot more weight for maybe 100 fps.

I do love the 20" barrel, but why not stick with the .308 and keep the gun light? I agree there are tons of different loads for a 30-06, but surely you can find something comparable for a .308 to meet your needs.
 
I cut a .308 barrel from 22" to 18", for a compact rig with a folding stock. Velocity loss was about 40fps/inch with 150gr bullets.
 
No animal you're going to shoot will notice the difference between 3006 or 308. No animal you're going to shoot is going to notice the difference between a 16", 18", 20" 22" or 24" barrel.
Click to expand...

Strongly agree. I would go with .308 to get the shorter action and slightly lower priced ammo (sometimes, at least).
 
For me it comes down to the bullet weight you intend to use. For 165 gr and less, I would stick with the 308. For 180 gr and up, I would tend to go with the 06. I will note, however, that hot 30-06 180gr loads out of a 20 inch barrel have a bit of muzzle blast.
 
A .30-06 Ruger with 18" barrel is one of my favorite rifles, don't think it much matters except for the additional 1/2" over all length for the 06.
 
To me it boils down to what weight bullet you're going to be loading. If it's 180 and up, I'd personally stick with the '06, 180 and less, the .308.

I actually did some load work ups in an old Husqvarna 30-06 in a 20" barrel several years ago. Since I was preparing for an elk hunt, seems like all the loads were for 180 and 200 gr. bullets, but I'll have to drag my load log out and check.

35W

ETA- I've been loading for a .308 with an 18.5" barrel for 20+ years so can tell you just about anything you need to know in that regard.
 
20" 308 rifles have become normal in the sniper world. The SR25 has a 20" barrel. With suppressors becoming more commonplace, 20" bolt guns designed to accommodate these things are highly desired to shorten the overall length of the system. These fellas are shooting much further with much higher stakes than most of us ever will. There's even an Army solicitation for a M110 (AR10 based) sniper rifle in a 16" barrel to make it even more compact.I am absolutely in love with my new 16" Ruger American predator, which is unsuppressed. The weight of it and the very effective recoil pad make this thing a joy to shoot, not to mention the excellent design features incorporated into all of the models of this rifle.
 
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.308 or 30-06 makes absolutely no difference what the barrel length is. I have both calibers in both semi auto's and bolt guns with 18-20" barrels. The 30-06 still shoots heavier bullets a little bit faster, but it's just not a big deal so get what you like.

For instance my HK SLB2000K in 30-06 and my FNAR in .308 are virtually identical in velocity differences with their 20" barrels as what you would see in 24" barrels.
 
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