.308 vs .300 Win Mag for long range accuracy?

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Velocity & ballistic coefficent.

A 260 can drive a 139gr Scenar match bullet (BC 0.615) at 2800fps +/-, whereas a 308 pushes a 168gr Berger VLD (BC 0.473) around 2700fps +/-.

A lighter, faster, higher BC bullet has less drop and less wind drift...

Of course, a 300WM can drive a 208gr A-Max (BC 0.648) at 2900fps +/-...at the price of more powder, recoil, and muzzle blast.
 
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Pigs don't require a cannon. I have shot them with a .223. Lots of people around here shoot em with a .223 or a 22-250. They ain't elephants. A 308 is a good caliber because of less recoil and that it fits a short action, making it more rigid and accurate. And it is plenty or more than plenty for pigs, deer and antelope providing you can get within reasonable range. But that goes for almost all guns.

However, there is a lot of hoopla about the superiority of a .308. It's a great round, but remember, a .308 is everything a 30-06 is and Less.It is not the miracle cartridge that it is put up to be. There has been a lot of accuracy development with the .308, but that's mainly because ammo's cheap and it was the military's chosen cartridge for several years. Remember, the 30-06 has more case capacity. like in a automotive engine, Cubic Inches makes Horsepower. The more cubig inches the more potential power. Well it's kinda the same thing with a .308 and a 30-06. And even more so with a 300 magnum. Yes, a .308 is used for long range target work, but partly because of the availabilty of guns and components. It is an accurate load, but the other 30s can be too. So for me, I would use a .308 for close work and the 300 Mag for long range shooting.

Also, Boilerup has it pegged pretty well. While the .308 is a proven long range round, ther eare better ones out there.
 
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Jim Watson said:
The myth of the all purpose rifle.
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That. The cartridge is good for both, the rifle not so much. My precision rifle (a DT-SRS chambered for none other than the .300WM) is a lightweight at a mere 16lbs or so...i'd not venture to carry that beast in the field.

I was looking at some .260 rem. cartridges in the store today and holding 'em up to a .308 round - is there any particular reason the .260 is better at long distances?
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Yep, better BC and higher velocity equals better performance at long range. It gets pretty darn close to .300WM performance (until you pass 1k yds, where that big ole slug starts to prevail) and does so at much less cost. It is planned to be my next LR build. OTOH, it doesn't hit nearly as hard, but it doesn't take much to punch a hole in paper. ;)
 
I shot a running rabbit at 1127 yards with my 300 Weatherby Mag. I aimed for the head but hit him in the heart so all I could eat were the rear legs. Next time I use a 308 and post the shot on you tube.
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Let us know when you post that; that's something I'd like to see!
 
Apparently British snipers are unaware that the .308 is to weak to make those long range shots
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Its not that the 308 is "too weak" at long range...its just that other cartridges do long range "better" (ie. less drop/drift and in the case of magnums, more energy on target).
 
The British also use some rifles chambered in 8.6X70mm Lapua Magnum,,,
I'm thinking that not all those fabulous 900 meter shots are done with 7.62X51

As far as pig and boar killing, you can get that job done with a .45 Colt lever action rifle if you're good enough to get close.
 
As far as pig and boar killing, you can get that job done with a .45 Colt lever action rifle if you're good enough to get close.
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What about something in .260? I understand that will work for deer - will it work for boar as well?
 
Apparently British snipers are unaware that the .308 is to weak to make those long range shots, they routinely use the .308 L96 to make head shots at 900 yards in Afghanistan.
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I don't believe that a 900yd. shot is routine for any sniper utilizing any cartridge. Furthermore, there are better choices for LR sniping than a 7.62x51mmNATO, hence the Army's recent decision to field the .300WM.

What about something in .260? I understand that will work for deer - will it work for boar as well?
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Yep, it is a great cartridge unless you plan to have close encounters with very large boar (e.g.: greater than about 400lbs). It doesn't retain energy like some of the larger cartridges (like a big .300Mag), but it'll be fine for hunting at any ethical range and do will effectively kill paper at 1k+.

:)
 
Yep, it is a great cartridge unless you plan to have close encounters with very large boar (e.g.: greater than about 400lbs). It doesn't retain energy like some of the larger cartridges (like a big .300Mag), but it'll be fine for hunting at any ethical range and do will effectively kill paper at 1k+.
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At the moment, that is all I foresee using it for - paper, occasionally paper at obscene distances, reasonably sized boar and one of these days when time and money allow - pronghorn.
 
For that use I believe it is a perfect match. No need for a .300WM...unless of course you just want one, or have aspirations of reaching the 1mi. marker.

:)
 
unless of course you just want one, or have aspirations of reaching the 1mi. marker.
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I do like things that go boom, and 1 mi with any accuracy at all is a lovely thought, but .300 WM is expensive, the barrel life isn't that long compared to other cartridges that work at that distance. I didn't know much about .260 previously, but the more I read about BC for various calibers, the more sense it made vs. .308 or .300 WM.
 
Article says most kills made over 1200m. The longest confirmed kill with a 7.62x51 is 1250m.
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Yeh, that's what I really question. Using the current USGI sniper ammo (M118 LR), and assuming a velocity of 2750fps (my 26" barreled FN SPR gets 2718fps with this ammo), the 175SMK goes transonic at 1,250 yards, which is 1,143 meters. They make it sound like a "chip shot", when it is anything but that with the .308 at that distance.

Don
 
You are right that bbl life isn't fantastic with a .300WM, but honestly the .260Rem. doesn't do that much better. Replacing a barrel every 1500-2000 rnds is just one of those things you have to live with for a long range "flat shooter". The .260Rem. is, however, much cheaper to load for, so you can save quite a bit in the long run.

:)
 
Is shooting at 1000yds.......um......hunting?
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Depends on what you're hunting and if it can shoot back at you, I suppose...

Honestly, for hunting game, as long as you're confident of getting a good hit from previous experience in those conditions, how much does the range matter?
 
Mark-Smith said:
Depends on what you're hunting and if it can shoot back at you, I suppose...

Honestly, for hunting game, as long as you're confident of getting a good hit from previous experience in those conditions, how much does the range matter?
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Just a different perspective as I hunt primarily on the east coast.......Not that much open country here. If I'm consistently looking at 400-500yd shots on game here, my first thought is not taking a shot but I played the wind wrong, or scouted poorly, or at the very least...need to take a shower :D
 
Just a different perspective as I hunt primarily on the east coast.......Not that much open country here.
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Up north, from what I've seen, I can barely imagine a clear shot of over 500 yards in most places that aren't farm land. Down here, well - if you had good enough glass, good enough of a gun, etc - you could probably shoot something five miles out. Now that gun might need to be an artillery piece, but hey ;)
 
I'm certainly not as qualified as some of the folks in this thread to comment, but I'm going to put another gun out there:

T/C Icon or even Venture. They're both 1 MOA guns, with the Icon being offered now in 6.5mm Creedmor.

I've been toying with the idea of getting into more rifle shooting too, so any input on the T/C rifles and the 6.5mm Creedmor are welcome. Everything I've read on the 6.5mm Creedmor makes it seem like it's all that and a bag of chips. Is it?
 
I've been toying with the idea of getting into more rifle shooting too, so any input on the T/C rifles and the 6.5mm Creedmor are welcome. Everything I've read on the 6.5mm Creedmor makes it seem like it's all that and a bag of chips. Is it?
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While it affords near identical performance to the .260Rem., i'd skip the Creedmoor because it hasn't good brass available (Lapua now makes .260 brass) and it may become a forgotten cartridge before long. That said, you can probably trim and fireform brass from .260...but why not just start with it? On the other hand the new T/C Icon Precision Hunter looks like it would make a pretty decent precision rifle...personally I am hoping that they decide to come out with a .260Rem. in the near future (specifically in the Icon Classic with UltraWood).

:)
 
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