I want to buy a remingto 700 but i dont know if i wan the .308 cal or the 30-06?

Question

I want to buy a remingto 700 but i dont know if i wan the .308 cal or the 30-06?
I most likely will do alot of target shooting maybe get into some amature competion and some deer hunting. I just want to know what is a better cal. for what i plan on doing or if there is a better remington out there then the 700. thanks, matt

Answer 1

308 all the way. Check out the link below and read up on it and may other great target, hunting and sniper rifles.

http://www.snipercentral.com/m700p.htm
http://www.snipercentral.com/m24.htm

Answer 2

I personally own a early 80's Remington 700 chambered in 30-06. Next to the Winchester 30-30, the 30-06 is one of the most widely used round in history. I have actually hit deer at 700 yards, and I have hit targets at over 800 yards, and this is with basic, off-the-shelf ammunition. The '06 and the .308 are very similar, but the '06 has a slightly higher charge behind it, and both are very common and it is easy to find ammunition for both, including bulk surplus for target shooting. I personally prefer the 30-06, but that is what I am used to.

Answer 3

I just did some recoil equations for my brother, the .308 vastly outshoots the .30-06 with the same amount of recoil. Don't get me wrong here, I like the 30-06, but the .308 outshoots it all around. A 30-36 is slow at 1750 fps and the .308shoots at 3000 fps. The 308 is going to be the most accurate of the two. Shoot targets myself, hence the sign on name.

Answer 4

Bound's hubby here:

The Remington 700 is a great rifle, within its limitations. I own a 700 Varmint that I built for long range competition (800, 900, and 1000 yards ... iron sights and scope). The Varmint barrel in .308 is great for this type of competition. I use my 700 for both long range target and hunting. From this perspective, I believe a 700 is a fantastic target rifle.

However, for NRA "short range" competion, 200 yard standing and standing to sitting rapid fire, 300 yard standing to prone rapid fire, and 600 yard slow fire prone, the 700 leaves a lot to be desired as a match rifle. To be able to compete in these matches, you need to install not only metalic target sights (front and rear) but a stripper clip guide of some fashion, to facilitate the 5 shot reload in rapid fire stages of competition. This would most likely require milling the bridge of the receiver to accommodate a stripper clip (read as expensive!). I would still suggest the the 700 Varmint in .308 for this type of competition, if you want to make those modifications.

If you want to shoot NRA high power matches, I would suggest a slightly different tact. You can purchase either a surplus U.S. M1903 Springfield rifle or a U.S. M1 Garand for about $450 from the Civilian MArksmanship Program (see link, below). With a little work with either of these rifles, you can be both very accurate (with practice) and competitive.

My solemn recommendation is to get the Remington 700 Varmint in .308 Winchester for long range target shooting and hunting, and the M1 from the CMP for target shooting. Do not get me wrong, I love the Springfield (have 3, and compete with them often), but the only '03s the CMP have are actually '03s, not '03A3s ... so you need a micrometer rear target sight (Lyman 48) installed, but these sights have been long discontinued and very hard to find ... better to go with th M1!

Good luck!

Answer 5

Both are excellent calibers. The .308 does not have quite the range a 30-06 has and teh trajectory is a bit flatter, but at 500 yards, I can knock a quarter over with a .308

Answer 6

The seven hundred series is a nice weapon. My son prefers the bolt action, where I like the semi-auto. I've fired both, and if you are doing target work, and very little hunting, I'd suggest the .308. If you want to hunt more, than go the 30.06. Both are good cartirdges, but as I hunt more than target shoot, I prefer the latter. They are both so similar in performance, that it is a difficult choice.

Answer 7

30-06 has a large variety of ammo available. For target I love the 243 or 25-06. More comfortable to shoot.

Answer 8

IMHO, 308 is the way to go. This way if you decide to get a nice M1A1 later the ammo is the same.