going tomorrow to pick up Tikka T3
I have hunted with 30-06 since I was a kid.
I was thinking of getting a 308 but was wondering if it really matters.
the only reason I was thinking of the 308 was the following
1. Does a 308 have less recoil (significantly)
2. Is ammo cheaper and always in stock

what are you hunting and how far?

I find that 308 has SLIGHTLY less recoil but the 30-06 wasn't all that bad. Factory 30-06 ammo isn't loaded to its full potential and so typicaly your only looking at about 100FPS difference between it and 308. I have noticed a lot more 30-06 ammo on the shelves around here. Especially during the ammo crisis when all the 308 was GONE.

For sure the 308 for me. In that rifle any less felt recoil is a plus

99% whitetail at around 100 yeards
may have a slight chance of elk maybe around 100 yards
never more than 200 yrd shot

You won't go wrong with either one. It would be 308 for me - strictly based on personal preference...

Is this choice going to be made in the Tikka T3 next purchase?

Do you own other Hunting rifles in 30 cal or larger? Smaller? Why?

How much does recoil affect your buying decision?

Hunt Texas Only? or in the Rockies more than you hunt in Texas?

Do you reload your own ammo ?

How many rounds a year do you shoot for practice?,
shoot past 400 yrds for long range practice?
Max distance you shoot regularly?
how many rounds do you shoot to prepare for and to hunt with ?
Is ammo cost important enough that you wil base a byuing decision on it , If one caliber was double the cost of ammo than the other calibers cost, would that affect you buying decision?

Got lots more nit picking ??'s I could ask, but you get the drift.

To ME, the way I'd fill out that questionaire...I'd buy the 308...you might NEED to buy the 30'06 though. Just Sayin' We all have different needs wants desires...and in this case there really is NO Bad Decision One Way or the Other.

308 is about 10%+ less: MV, Recoil, Maybe even cheaper to shoot in Commercial ammo, effective on Elk sized game, lighter to carry up a Mountain all day...yadda yadda but I always beleived that if I was going to shoot a 30 caliber rifle it would either be a 308 and a swamp proof hog & Crittter killing machine shooting Mil Surp ammo...or a 300Wmg ...or I might just own both of them...and no other calibers to simplify my reloading bench...and that hasn't happened so far, but then it ain't over yet either.
JMHO & YMMV
Ron

No bad choice, but I'd never buy a .308 for a long action rifle. If you're undecided, then flip a coin. I'm sure this thread will go on for 5 or 6 pages, but there's really no "better" here, only preference.

Buy either.. won't matter.

I have a T3 in .30-06.

Love it. Most accurate factory rifle in '06 I've ever had (and I've had a few). Very reliable, no problems.

EXCEPT for the fact that I've developed shoulder issues in my advancing age. Switched out the factory stock with a B&C and it completely changed the feel of the rifle for the better. Still kicks pretty hard for me, next mod will be a muzzle brake.

Mine REALLY likes 165 grain SGK's over IMR 4350.

I'm more of a .308 man myself. IMHO, any extra performance of the .30-06 (especially for your intended use) doesn't justify the extra recoil. I'm not overly recoil sensitive, but I like to shoot guns that don't beat me up too bad.

The only downfall of the .308 is its popularity. It was harder to find than 5.56/.223 back during "the dark times".

But like others have said, you can't go wrong with either.

The 30-06 is, of course, the superior round. Especially if you hand load. I cherry picked a Win70 CRF 30-06 off the used rack in Cabella's. It came with a BOSS and a black synthetic stock. First time at the range with factory 180's that thing knocked me off my shooting stool. I shelved it and bought a 80% Boyd's laminated stock for it. It took me a year to get the stock fitted and finished but next time at the range it behaved. The heavy stock plus the decelerator pad completely tamed the recoil. If you can get it tamed, the 06 is the clear winner over the 308.

If you handload, then the 30-06 is the obvious, no-brainer choice.

You can load a 30-06 down to .308 levels if you want reduced recoil - but if an elk hunt or a pronghorn hunt comes up where a few hundred extra fps would be nice to have , well then you have it.

You can load a 30-06 down to .308 (or 30-30) levels - but you can't load a 308 up to 30-06 performance.

I would never limit my options with a .308 if I could get a 30-06, instead.

Is this all? The 30.06 / .308 threads usually go at least 10 pages~!

In a light rifle like that I'd take the .308 to keep recoil down, but if that's not a concern the 30-06 cartridge handles a bit heavier bullet better (180ish) grain. A .308 with 150s is pretty mild shooting and plenty effective with the amazing range of bullets available these days.

If there's another ammo shortage 30-06 will likely be more available, but if you stay stocked up, as everyone should, or handload, that should never be a real concern.

I own the .308, 30-06 and 300 Win Mag. All have their purpose and I wouldn't get rid of any other them. My Tikka T3 in 30-06 with muzzle brake and limbsaver pad has the felt recoil of my plain Tikka T3 .243. The reason I have 3 guns is because each one has a custom turret to match a specific round/elevation for different types of hunts I do.

My .308 shoots Winchester Razorback XT monolithic bullets for mostly hog hunting at 800 feet of elevation.
My 30-06 shoots Winchester BST bullets for mostly deer hunting at 1300 feet of elevation.
My 300 Win Mag doesn't have a bullet picked yet. But, will be set at 7500 feet of elevation for Elk/Mule/Sheep hunting.

Of course I have other rifles that don't have scope/bullet/elevation specifics for other types of hunting.

Hope this helps.

These are all fantastic comments, facts and opinions. Ive owned both and still own a rem 700 light tactical 20 in bb and a 26 in rem 700 bull barrel, both in .308. Im currently hunting another rem 721 or 722 in the 30 06 edition. Ive killed deer with both calibers and wouldn't know the difference in the two if you handed me 2 identical rifles and made me shoot them to try to tell the difference. Don't think for a minute that the .308 doesn't kick almost identical to the o6. There might be 1 inch drop difference at 300 yards between the 2.

.308. Shorter barrel, a little lighter, and if you reload, uses less powder and gives basicAlly the same downrange performance as the 06 within nominal ranges. I guarantee any animal won't be able to tell the difference between the 2 when it...Proper Bullet choice is more important than extra speed...
Get a limbsaver or the like recoil pad. Will make extended shooting session a lot more enjoyable.

I like a 308 better but would say the 30-06 can do everything the 308 can do but do it better.

If you go with the 308 just make sure you keep a decent stock of ammo on hand. During the ammo run it was as hard to find as 22LR but you could still find 30-06 just about anywhere.

For your hunting needs I'd go with a .270 and save your shoulder. Just my

If you are shooting bullets of 180 gr or less the 308 will match or best the 06 with less powder and recoil. If I need more medicine than 308 it's 300 win mag.

Actually not a bad idea.

I gotta concur with that one. Or even the 7mm08.

Considering the platform is a t3 I would go 30-06.

Anything a 308 does the 30-06 can do better.