[rutro]

I've noticed several posts about the .308 bolt guns out there. Well I've finaly had time to go shoot my Howa 1500 in .308 win. in and it's a keeper for sure. I bought it several years back and with problems on the home front it was put on the back burner so to speak. It came with the old cheap plastic stock and wanting to keep it as low budget as posible I left it that way. The first few times I shot it left something to be desired as it was all over the paper. So I did some 'ol Stanley gun plumbing, bedded the action, then pillar bedded the action screws. Yesterday I spent several hours at the range and dialed in the scope and the groups just kept getting smaller. The only down side is the light weight stock which is nice for carry can be punishing on a shoulder, and this morning I can feel it for sure. But that will pass, I hope :lol::lol::lol:. All in all not a bad shooter for $299.00. Once I work up some reloads for it I'll post some more.........

 

[magnomark]

:lol:Hey there "old sparky"-you still got them big piggies runnin around the neighborhood?Is that why the 308?

 

[LunaticFringeInc]

A Bolt Action in .308 Winchester makes for a fine gun here in North America and will cover just about all the bases you need to cover. Its a good balance in power and effcientcy and modest recoil.

I have a Remington 700 VLS in .308 winchester that weighs about 9.5 lbs before adding a scope which easily puts it in the 10.5-11 pound range. This makes it a bit heavy to hump around in the field all day but even at the bench its a powder puff to shoot all day long! Its been one of the best shooters right out of the box from the get go turning in .75 inch groups or there abouts with more than a few commercial loads!!! While I own some heavy hitters in 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag and 338 Win Mag and shoot them very well, I enjoy the much milder and nearly as effective .308 Winchester. Seems the older I get the more I appreciate the more moderate recoiling and effcient rounds like the .308 Winchester even more. I obviously suffered a severe case of "Magnumistis" when I was young, dumb and stupid and had to be bigger aqnd better than everyone else I ran around with. Besides...does a Texas Whitetail or Mule Deer really need anything more potent than the .308 Winchester anyways? If they do, the ones I have shot over the last 17 years didnt get that memo!

 

[rutro]

Hey Mark!!! Those 200lb + sows walking down the big middle of the street early in the AM will make ya think twice about any thing less than a good .30 cal rifle round. There's nothing like a .30 cal kill for sure!!!!

LunaticFringeInc that Rem 700 in 7mm08 is what spoiled me to start with. One of those tack drivers right out tha box. It was before I started rolling my own though and the high price of ammo made me sell it one day when the money got tight, wish I still had that one.....

 

[LunaticFringeInc]

ruto...your right about the 7mm-08. Its not a round to be snubbed. It will do just about anything the 308 will and do it just as well. Its got great ballistics too and its a very effcient chambering. It works very well with bullets in the 120-160 gr range. Were the 7.62x51 not in use by the military I would have probably opted for the 7mm-08 instead!

 

[Indyarms]

I would think a 7mm-08 is no different in price to reload than a 308... Hell if ya wanna go cheap on brass, just resize 308 brass to a 7mm neck. The rest is all the same... and bullets in 7mm cant be any more expensive than in 30 cal for the same brand/model/weight bullet. I fine a few 7mm-08 brass at the range now and then... they get resized to 308 and mixed in with similar headstamp of 308 brass... never notice any difference after resizing.

JUst so long as you DONT HAVE BOTH CALIBERS.... that could make things dicey if you mixed up the brass.... LOL

 

[rutro]

I thought about another 7mm-08 and your right about reloading cost. But the Howa that came on sale was .308 and at $299 I couldn't pass it up. So far this .308 is looking to be as good or better of a shooter than the Rem 7mm-08 was. Only time will tell........ and there are so many different bullits and loads available for .308 it's unreal.