Among the older cartridges that remain on the market, a few stand out for still being practical. In fact, when it comes to rifle cartridges, .30-06 Springfield and .308 Winchester might be two of the best that fall into the category of being “old” or otherwise (supposedly) not cool. But which one’s better? Is it the 30-06 Springfield that’s claimed as the cartridge capable of taking any big game in North America, or is it the .308 Winchester that’s still the sweetheart of the deer hunting world? We have a few thoughts on that, and we’re going to share them with you. It’s a .30-06 Springfield vs .308 Winchester faceoff, and there can be only one cartridge left standing.
.30-06 History
It can help to briefly dive into the history of the .30-06 Springfield cartridge. The .30-06 first came to market in 1906 for military use, seeing use in multiple conflicts, including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam. When the military first started using it, it was advertised as having an effective range of about 4,800 yards, which we all know is woefully inaccurate. But even so, it was a solid round that did well in combat for generations. So, what knocked it out of the running? I’ll give you one guess.
.308 Winchester History
The .308 Winchester is a powerful centerfire rifle cartridge that packs a similar punch to the .30-06 but with a slightly reduced weight and smaller footprint. This lighter weight and reduced footprint allowed the .308 Winchester’s military counterpart, the 7.62x51mm NATO, to push the .30-06 Springfield off its pedestal. The 7.62x51mm and .308 Winchester are basically the same thing, but they aren’t technically 100% identical. But for our purposes today, let’s just go with it. After all, .308 Win is the commercial version of 7.62x51mm introduced by Winchester before the military could cut through all the red tape and get 7.62x51mm going on their end. Today, the .308 Win is primarily viewed as a deer hunting round, but you’ll still find some precision shooters running it from time to time.
.30-06 Springfield vs .308 Winchester
Deciding which cartridge is better starts with determining what the rounds are being used for, but in this comparison, it’s less about specific use and more about general performance. With that in mind, stick with me.
Trajectory and Effective Range
For deer hunting, the .30-06 Springfield has an effective range of about 350 yards. There are variables to consider, such as your own skill, the gun, and the ammo being used. It’s possible to take a deer with .30-06 Springfield beyond 350 yards. The .308 Winchester cartridge, on the other hand, has an approximate effective range of roughly 300 yards, give or take.
To be as fair and logical as possible, let’s consider similar loads for .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield. Barnes TTSX BT is a great round with a copper bullet that’s capable of impressive results on target. There’s a 150-grain load in that line for both the .308 Winchester and the .30-06 Springfield, so let’s compare the performance of those two options.
- Muzzle velocity of 2900 fps for .308 Win vs 3000 fps for .30-06 Springfield
- Muzzle energy of 2882 ft-lbs for .308 Win vs 2998 ft-lbs for .30-06 Springfield
- At 100 yards, velocity for .308 Win is 2689 fps and 2735 fps for .30-06 Springfield
- By 500 yards, .308 Win velocity is 1936 fps and .30-06 Springfield is at 1817 fps
- Drop rate at 500 yards of -42.9 inches for .308 Win and -51.9 inches for .30-06 Springfield
What about energy transfer?
If you’re a hunter, energy transfer is a big deal. A bullet that impacts the target with more energy can create a larger wound cavity, meaning faster loss of vital fluids, and a deer, elk, or hog that drops a lot faster (often right on the spot). In a broad statement based on the performance of a dozen loads, it’s accurate to say the .30-06 Springfield can impact targets with about 14% more energy than the .308 Winchester. On the side of terminal ballistics, as mentioned above, .30-06 Springfield does perform better, but nominally.
Is .30-06 Springfield more accurate than .308 Winchester?
A few things affect the accuracy of .308 Win vs .30-06 Springfield. Perhaps the biggest is felt recoil. According to various studies over the years, 20 ft-lbs is about the breaking point for most adult shooters. When that level of felt recoil hits their shoulders, the literal cringing starts (not always, but often). And even if you don’t flinch from the higher felt recoil, it still does a number on your shoulder once you’ve been shooting for an extended period of time. The .30-06 Springfield produces about 20 ft-lbs of felt recoil, depending on the load. As for the .308 Winchester, the average felt recoil is 15 ft-lbs, which is significantly less than the .30-06 Springfield.
The .30-06 Springfield has stellar energy transfer, as does .308 Winchester. However, when it comes to shooting steel, you’re going to find a decent number of precision shooters running .308 Win at 1,000 yards over the .30-06.
When it comes to accuracy, the .308 Winchester wins. It might not be blindingly better, but it does maintain a consistent edge for accuracy. It’s possible to handload your .30-06 Springfield loads into something a little better and more precisely fine-tuned, but generally speaking, .308 Winchester delivers more repeatable accuracy.
In the end, which is better?
Some writers think the debate over .30-06 Springfield vs .308 Winchester depends on your personal history with the cartridges, and they’re not entirely wrong. However, I think the proof is in the numbers.
Plus, when it comes to ammo availability, .308 Winchester is easier to find. There are also more rifles chambered in .308 Winchester, whether you prefer bolt-action or AR platform guns. If you’re interested in variety and having lots of choices, .308 Winchester will be the winner here.
On the other hand, .30-06 is a classic for a reason. It’s versatile and powerful, and you can use it to hunt pretty much anything and everything in the continental United States. My heart wants to give .30-06 Springfield the win here. After all, it’s harder hitting and often creates more impressive wound cavities. However, .308 Winchester is flat-out better. It’s more accurate, and the trajectory is so similar to .30-06 Springfield that the difference is negligible for most loads. It’s hard to argue against that.
