We as hunters and shooters can be pretty dogmatic when it comes to our round selection that we like to hunt and shoot with. We stick with what we like, or what whoever taught us how to shoot and hunt liked, even to a fault. So, with the age of both of these calibers, it is no surprise there has been a lot of talk over the years about which is a better option between the .30-06 Springfield and .308 Winchester. Both of these classic rounds have put tons of meat in the freezer over the years and both fire a .30-caliber projectile. So let’s get into which one of these rounds is a better hunting cartridge.
.30-06 Springfield History
The development of the .30-06 Springfield was first started back in 1901 by the U.S. in an effort to replace the rimmed .30-40 Krag round of the Krag Jorgensen rifles. While the U.S. had won the Spanish-American War, the Krag rifles and .30-40 Krage cartridge were found to be outclassed by the more modern 7mm Spanish Mausers. So the U.S. military first designed the thick rimmed .30-01 cartridge in 1901, but this was short-lived and quickly replaced by the .30-03 and the 1903 Springfield bolt action rifle. The .30-03 had a heavy 220-grain round-nose bullet that was not very flat shooting, so following the trends in European militaries. The bullet was swapped out for a lighter 150-grain spitzer bullet, and the neck of the case was shortened slightly to produce the iconic .30-06 in 1906. This round would then be used by the U.S. Military in both World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam.
.308 Winchester History
The “newer” kid on the block compared to 30-06, is still over 70 years old at this point. The 308 Winchester started its life as the T-65 series of experimental cartridges developed by the Frankford Arsenal in the early 1950s. These experiments aimed to get a new shorter cartridge with similar ballistics to the venerable .30-06 Springfield. Using 30-06 Springfield cases as a test base, Frankford Arsenal went through six experimental cartridges before finalizing on the T-65 E5 for military use (7.62 x 51mm). This new round had achieved similar performance to .30-06 Springfield even with its substantially smaller case capacity thanks to 40 years of advancements in smokeless powder tech. While this was all going on Winchester, also using the data from the T-65 tests, introduced the .308 Winchester round in 1952, a very similar but not an identical cartridge to the military’s 7.62 NATO round. The .308 Winchester cartridge was initially brought out to the hunting market with several models of rifles that were chambered in the round with the Model 70, Model 88, and Model 100 rifles.
.30-06 Springfield vs .308 Winchester Ballistics
The original goal of designing the .308 Winchester was to have a shorter round with ballistics similar to that of the .30-06 Springfield. So it is not surprising to find that both of these rounds are kind of ballistically similar. They both use the same size projectile, with many ammo makers offering the same weight bullets in both calibers. But you can’t ignore the case capacity difference between the two cartridges, 68 gr for .30-06 and 56 gr for .308. With modern powders and projectiles, this leaves the .30-06 Springfield with a slight advantage, capable of shooting at a higher FPS, with more energy on target, and a flatter trajectory. But even with these added bonuses when you compare the two cartridges side by side for shooting inside 300 yards the speed, power, and trajectory of .30-06 Springfield are not very significant from a practical standpoint when using the rounds with the same bullet weights. Now talking about bullet weights, where .30-06 Springfield really shines is when using heavier projectiles (180 gr on up). .308 Winchester quickly falls behind in both velocity and energy while .30-06 keeps on chugging.
.30-06 Springfield vs .308 Winchester: Which is a Better Hunting Cartridge?
So when it comes to which of these two classic heavy hitters is better the biggest factor is you the hunter. Both of these rounds are plenty capable of effectively taking down most animals. So pick the one that fits you the best, if you already own a rifle in one of the calibers stick with it. If you don’t have a hunting rifle in either caliber then think of where you hunt. If you are hunting out in the Southeast like me where the longest line of sight I have out in the woods is usually under 200 yards you don’t really need the longer reach of the .30-06. Now if you are out west in open country where 400-yard shots are not unheard of, then the longer reach and extra oomph of .30-06 could be the better choice for you. But you also must be aware, that the extra power and range comes at the cost of extra recoil. So if you have someone more recoil-sensitive shooting the rifle maybe stick with .308. So if you are on the fence make sure to be aware of all these factors before you make your choice, either way, you’ll end with a very capable round choice. Also, one last thing, no matter what caliber you choose be it .30-06 Springfield or .308 Winchester, shot placement matters more than the round you choose. So make sure you get a bit of training in before you head out to the field. That way you can make ethical shots and recover your quarry every time.
