Looking to buy a dedicated hunting rifle with a 4x scope

[D5CAV]

.30-06 Government is more versatile for a hunting round. Most launchers seem to be incredibly forgiving of different bullet weights.

I prefer the .308 Win because I like to have ammo compatibility between my hunting rifle and my battle rifle.

[Vonz90]

308 vs 30-06: I've shot deer with both, they don't really seem to notice the difference.

If I was artificially limited to one rifle and had to pick between the two, I would probably take the '06 (depending on the day of the week) just because the better performance with heavy bullets gives it a bit more versatility and my hunting locations limit me to about 200 yard shots due to the terrain, but that is not really conclusive because there is no actual limit in that regard.

As mentioned in another thread, I have an 8x57 Mauser filling the 30-06 niche at the moment, but I do have a 308 too which I have used too. The 30-06 is gone with the wind (or more accurately traded in on something else).

So, tomato'/toma'to - whatever you like.

[NVGdude]

So, is there a consensus on .30-06 vs. 308?

.30-06 is far more flexible, and is still the #1 hunting caliber in the US.

For the species listed in the original post I'd want something lighter and flatter shooting such as the 25-06 though.

[blackeagle603]

.30-06 because Dad and Alvin York.

[HTRN]

Without checking the books I couldn't tell you how many Axis and American rifles I've done trigger and bed jobs on, at the customers insistance. One didn't understand when I pointed out that for what he paid for his brand new Axis, the trigger and bed job, he could have had a like new 50's Model 70 at the pawn shop.Its gone, sorry.

The Axis is a cheaper replacement for the Stevens 200, itself a Budget bolt action. The problem was, the margins were too tight for the reduced price they were selling it at, hence the Axis. It's too bad, because the Stevens 200 is basically a pre accutrigger Savage 110 action with a cheap finish on it. They're great for ripping apart and building something, as they can had for as cheap as 250 bucks used.

So, is there a consensus on .30-06 vs. 308?

If you're not handloading, a 30 US Government is the way to go - one of the most versatile cartridges out there, and quite possibly the most common - you can get ammo for it basically anywhere that sells it.

[First Shirt]

And as Col. Cooper pointed out, more than once, "There's not too many problems a man can't fix, with $700 and a .30-06."