I was stationed at Keesler AFB in the early 80s and I have a vague recollection that we were only able to use shotguns in some counties in Mississippi. In any case, the woods were so thick in southern Mississippi you couldn't see more than about 50 yards unless you were in a cultivated field.
.308 vs 30.06 vs .338 . Which One to Choose?
- Thread starter IJ1981
- Start date
md7
Member
I’m from south Mississippi, and have been to Waynesboro quite a few times.
Would take the 308 or 30-06… whichever rifle you personally like best. And you’ll be just fine.
Enjoy your visit!
Would take the 308 or 30-06… whichever rifle you personally like best. And you’ll be just fine.
Enjoy your visit!
Barnfixer
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This makes perfect sense. Hunting road trip = new tooth brush, underwear, rifle, scope, boots and a cooler.
WisBorn
Contributing Member
@IJ1981 I'm sure you will enjoy your hunting trip to Mississippi and using your Ruger M77 30-06.
I spent some time in Meridian Mississippi training for work. While there I meet a fellow (now friend) that lives in Central Alabama. He loved using his custom Marlin 45-70. He hunted a small acreage and said the deer has to DROP RIGHT THERE if it went onto a someone else's property they would take the deer.
As far as reliably taking deer in that region of the country, small caliber cartridges will work fine. As mentioned above the 243 might be the perfect choice.
I spent some time in Meridian Mississippi training for work. While there I meet a fellow (now friend) that lives in Central Alabama. He loved using his custom Marlin 45-70. He hunted a small acreage and said the deer has to DROP RIGHT THERE if it went onto a someone else's property they would take the deer.
As far as reliably taking deer in that region of the country, small caliber cartridges will work fine. As mentioned above the 243 might be the perfect choice.
md7
Member
My kids use 243 win.
Can confirm, they absolutely smoke deer with it. A 243 Winchester will wreck a Mississippi whitetail, no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it.
Gun-Reck
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Now, what to feed it.
165 gr. Partitions, or maybe 180 gr. Core-Lokts?
MidwayUSA has Barnes VOR-TX 30-06 Springfield 168 Grain TTSX on sale, for a few more hours, which is fine for woods hunting inside of 250 yds.
hawg
Member
Do not under any circumstance shoot a black bear in MS. They're protected. My exes mom owned land between Eucutta and Heidelberg. I hunted on it a lot. I'm partial to the 30-06 and have killed a lot of deer in that area with one. Any one of those calibers will do you well.
1948CJ2A
Member
These would be 2 of my top choices as well for deer and hogs in a 30-06. I might lean towards the 180gr just because I like the heavier bullets and they work so well but either would do the job.
Chuck R.
Member
Whether or not you need it or want it, the 308Win with comparable bullet weights is NOT catching the 338 Federal in under 200 yds, in fact the 338F is flatter shooting with a 200grain than a .308 is with a 180 and carries more energy out to 500yds:
thebiggamehuntingblog.com
338 Federal vs 308 Winchester vs 358 Winchester: What You Need To Know - Big Game Hunting Blog
Looking for hard hitting, short action cartridge? Here’s what you need to know about the 338 Federal vs 308 Winchester vs 358 Winchester. The best one is
thebiggamehuntingblog.com
DM~
Member
I'm wondering what brand 300 grain .308" bullets you are comparing to .338's?? Or even the 275's that I like to use in my .338-06.
I'm wondering how much BIG game you have taken with BOTH, to make your bold statements?
DM
FL-NC
Member
308. None of those critters are that hard to kill.
lightman
Member
That will do everything that you need it to do. Nothing in Mississippi needs a 338 although I know guys that have shot Arkansas Whitetails with one.
I'm a 308 guy and I use 150 grain Sierra ProHunters for Deer. Those would work good in a 30-06 too.
This is turning into more of a discussion than a recommendation, so, I like the 06 as it will do everything a .308 will do and a bit more; but my rifles get shot A LOT. I like the longevity you get out of a .308 barrel. I take it out to 600 often and range trips consist of 50-100 rounds.
For better or worse, I'm not too picky about my ammo. My Ruger American likes the 150gr Hornady Whitetail Interlock stuff and it does the job on Louisiana game. This ammo is downright cheap. I caught 500 rounds of it on sale for $1 a round. That's only about 40% more than my match rimfire ammo costs. That should hold me for a while.
For better or worse, I'm not too picky about my ammo. My Ruger American likes the 150gr Hornady Whitetail Interlock stuff and it does the job on Louisiana game. This ammo is downright cheap. I caught 500 rounds of it on sale for $1 a round. That's only about 40% more than my match rimfire ammo costs. That should hold me for a while.
js8588
Member
338 Federal is the answer to this post, unfortunately, it's basically a dead round.
Necessary_Nutrient
Member
Anyone thinking the .308 isn't enough gun with the heavy bullets should take a look at the combination of 200 Grains and CFE 223. It's squarely in 3006 territory.
Honestly, the more new boutique calibers they make, the more I think .308 is a better choice. In 15 years when 90 percent of them are obsolete and unobtainable for any but reloaders, guess what will still be around?
Disclaimer: If you regularly ring steel or paper at 500+, then you are permitted to value 6.5 CM or (insert boutique wonder-cartridge here) over .308.
Honestly, the more new boutique calibers they make, the more I think .308 is a better choice. In 15 years when 90 percent of them are obsolete and unobtainable for any but reloaders, guess what will still be around?
Disclaimer: If you regularly ring steel or paper at 500+, then you are permitted to value 6.5 CM or (insert boutique wonder-cartridge here) over .308.
Mosin Bubba
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I've never been to Mississippi, but I did live in Texas for a while. Deer there are under 100 lbs and really dinky. Hogs are stocky, but are in the 150 lb range. And most shots will be 100 yards and in.
338 is way overkill for that environment. 308 and 30-06 would both be plenty, and I don't think there's a distinction between them at such short range. I wouldn't even mess around with heavy bullets either, normal 150gr loads are more than enough.
338 is way overkill for that environment. 308 and 30-06 would both be plenty, and I don't think there's a distinction between them at such short range. I wouldn't even mess around with heavy bullets either, normal 150gr loads are more than enough.
DetBrowning
Contributing Member
When I first started deer hunting in 1980 up in the Catskills and Adirondacks of NYS I went with .308
for a number of reasons. It was a quality round that would take down those large Whitetails in that area
and there was plenty of .308 available from military surplus at a discount. I bought 2K rounds of SME ORDNANCE Malaysian NATO 7.62X51
for about 20 cents a round. Wish I'd bought more
I have a box left. Beyond this it boils down to preference and what rifles you have. Why buy ammo (at current market prices)
that don't run in your rifles.
for a number of reasons. It was a quality round that would take down those large Whitetails in that area
and there was plenty of .308 available from military surplus at a discount. I bought 2K rounds of SME ORDNANCE Malaysian NATO 7.62X51
for about 20 cents a round. Wish I'd bought more
I have a box left. Beyond this it boils down to preference and what rifles you have. Why buy ammo (at current market prices)that don't run in your rifles.
Roverguy
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Any one will do. I’m partial to 30-06 but all the youngsters seem to believe that less than a half inch of bolt throw matters, so you might prefer 308. 338 Win seems like much more cartridge (and flinch) than needed.
270 Win 7mm-08 6.5 CM would also work admirably for the intended application.
270 Win 7mm-08 6.5 CM would also work admirably for the intended application.
Yep CFE 223. Ever shot it much. Ya the book says but full load to get there and on a warm day I've had several .308s have a very hard bolt lift. And had to back down. There goes the advantage. I like reading about all the elk and moose loads for a little southern deer that the bullet barely knows it hit something. Ya I fell for that years ago. Makes good reading though.
Yep, .38's got it right...or a .308 depending on the action length you're interested in. Too, you can get a .308 in Lever (Savage 99), Auto (one of those Remington Autos, one of the AR types, or the Garand/M1A), or Bolt (about anybody else that's making centerfire rifles). A 308 will do most anything the '06 will, and may be more available in back country shops.
Best regards, Rod
hawg
Member
Average bucks in the area where's he's going is about 200 lbs with some of them being much heavier.
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