What is the difference between a .30-06 and a .308?

Question

Is the .308 bullet the same width but just longer to have a more stable flight?

Answer 1

The .30-06 and .308 Winchester are basically similar, using the same diameter bullets and equal powder loadings, and the ballistics of the two rounds are almost identical. In fact, the .308 is a direct descendant of the .30-06, developed by U.S. military ordinance as a replacement fro the .30-06 during the development of the M-14 battle rifle and adopted as a common cartridge by the signatory countries of the NATO alliance, hence its' military designation 7,62x51 NATO.
The difference between the two is the dimensions and overall shape of the shell casings themselves. The .30-06 case is LONGER than the .308 and the case shoulder of the .30-06 is a more gradual taper than the .308.
In fact, in my years of reloading, I have MADE .308 cases from .30-06 by reforming them in my reloading press and .308 dies, then trimming them with a special reaming tool.

Answer 2

The 30-30 was the very first smokeless powder cartridge of serious deer killing power to come out. It fires a 30 caliber 150 grain projectile at 2400 feet per second The 30-06 is an old military cartridge, invented in 1906. It is a 30 caliber like the 30-30 but much more powerful. It fires the same 150 grain projectile at 2900 feet per second. After WW2, the US government realized that gun powder technology had improved a lot. They could make a cartridge that was as big as the 30-30, but almost as powerful as the 30-06. And that is what the 308 is, a cartridge that gives 95% of the performance of a 30-06 in 75% of the size. A 308 fires that same 150 grain projectile at 2800 feet per second, just 100 feet per second less than the 30-06. Note, however, that if you are getting a heavy bullet like for elk or moose, then that heavy bullet impinges on the powder space of the 308, so for 180 or especially 220 grain 30 caliber bullets, the 308 will be more like 200 or 300 feet per second further behind the 30-06 Further, if you handload, you can push the 30-06 probably 200 feet per second faster than factory loads. With the 308, a handloader can match the factory loads, but not easily surpass them. This means that if the deal is good, go ahead and get that 308, but in general the 30-06 is still a slightly better choice

Answer 3

They use exactly the same bullets, though the 30-06 case handles the really heavy (200+ grain) bullets better. The 30-06 case is based on the 7x57 Mauser case, with its base diameter of .473", and is 63mm long. There was actually a 30-03 cartridge that was an intermediate step that only lasted those three years until the German change from the 8x57 I to the 8x58 IS made the US rethink its own cartridge, and the '03 Springfield was based on the Mauser rifle. The US even had to pay royalties to the Mauser brothers up to WW I. A plethora of others developed from modifications, all using the .473 head size, one of little note being the 300 Savage. In the 1950's, it was recognized that the 30-06 was really a bit much for a military round, and develpment of a new case was begun. A rational choice would have been something like the 276 British round, but some old die-hards in the US military didn't want to give up much compared to the 30-06, so the 308 Winchester, AKA 7.62x51 NATO, was developed from alteration of the 300 Savage. Despite being considerably shorter (51mm/2.015") than the 30-06 (63mm/2.494"), it holds almost as much propellant and burns it more efficiently, so there's very little difference in ballistic performance of a given bullet, especially in the 150-165 grain weights, when fired from the shorter case. The 308's reputation for better long-range accuracy is really nit-picky in any practical terms, and comes from two sources: first, the shorter propellant column burns more efficiently, giving a better shot-to-shot variation in pressure curves (this is internal ballistics rather than the external ballistics you were hinting at with the subtext of your question) and second the shorter action on the rifle gives it a little more stiffness, though this is really pretty infinitessimal.

Answer 4

The same bullets can be used in both .308s and .30/06s, but they use different cases. The .308 was designed to replace the .30/06 for the US military, and it did a great job, and an unexpected advantage is the .308 is more accurate because of the shape of the case. The .30/06 uses a little more gunpowder than the .308 so it can get a little more velocity, but the accuracy of the .308 makes the .308 superior, and that's why most SWAT teams use the .308.
I have 5 rifles that shoot .308 and reload for them all. It's my favorite all time deer and bear caliber.

Answer 5

Let me begin by saying, if you are planning on buying a rifle in either round, you can't go wrong.

The 30-06 and the 308 are both 30 caliber weapons. This means that they both shoot bullets 0.308 inches in diameter.

Both rounds are/were rounds in military use. The 308 Win and the 7.62 Nato are pretty much one and the same and can be used interchangably (there is a slight difference, but before people jump on me, a 308 Win can be used in a 7.62 Nato weapon and vice versa....there is a difference of about 0.01 inches between a 7.62 Nato chamber and a 308 Win chamber).

The 308 Win is in current use in the military in various firearms, mostly machine guns. The 30-06 was used up through the Korean War in the Garands, some Machine guns, and the 1903 bolt action rifle.

There is a little difference in ballistics between the two. The 30-06 is about 100 to 200 fps faster than the 308 for most bullets. This translates to the 30-06 having a slightly flatter tragectory. However, the difference in flight path will only be an inch or two at 300 meters. Most people can't shoot accurate enough for that few inches to make a difference.

The 30-06 is the world standard in rifle cartridges. It is by far the most popular and one of the most versitile, but like I said, you really can't go wrong with either one.

Answer 6

The diameter of the projectile is the same. The .308 is loaded to higher pressures than the 30-06. The 308 was designed shorter to work through shorter, lighter weight, actions.

The 30-06 is longer than the .308. The 308, performance wise, matches the 30-06 in ballistics with bullets weighing up to 165 grains. Above that, the 30-06 is better with the heavier bullets due to the powder capacity of the larger case.

Answer 7

The 30-06 is .34" longer in the case than .308. .308 is based on 30-06. Both use a .308" diameter slug. Older velocities for the '06 were actually closer to modern velocities for .308, but now '06 is hotter.

Answer 8

The only major difference, is the .308 has a case length of 51mm, while the '06 has a case length of 63mm - a small case length difference of 12mm, or about a 1/2 of an inch. The .30'06 is 7.62x63mm and was developed in 1906 for the US military, for use in the bolt-action M1903 Springfield. Its use continued to the M1 Garand. In the 1950's, the military wanted to develop a smaller cartridge and eventually settled on the .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm (7.62NATO) for use in the M14. The smaller cartridge allows a shorter action, and slightly shorter magazines than would be required with the .30'06.

The .308 Winchester and .30'06 Springfield are ballistically the same with bullet weights up to around 165-168 grains. The .308 is superior to the .30'06 with match grade bullets at 1000 yards. The additional case length of the '06 allows it to hold more powder, and it can handle bullets weights up to around 200-220 grains. The .308 tops out at 180 grains.

All in all, both are excellent cartridges. My suggestion would be the .308 due to its compact short-action size, superior long-range preformance, and wide ammuntion availabilty in both hunting and newly manufactured mil-surplus.

Answer 9

The bullet or slug is identical.
The 30-06 case or shell is longer and overall slightly bigger.
The .308 is loaded to higher pressures so the bullet performance is very similar to the 30-06.
Both fantastic rounds, you can't go wrong either way.

Answer 10

The 308Win. is the smaller of the two and delivers about 100fps less muzzle velocity then a 30-06.
Shell length on a 308 is 2.015 Vs. 2.494 on the 30-06
150gr. in a 308 ME 2735 and a 30-06 is 2930 with the same 150gr. bullet.

I myself like the 308 over the odd 6.

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