Although my boy is a couple of years too young (for big game hunting) I will buy him one of the above for all of his big game hunting. He will be hunting antelope, deer, and maybe elk (later). Currently he is shooting the heck out of his 22 LR and loves to shoot his 20 gauge.
I will load 110 gr Speer plinkers (or something similar) with unique or blue dot and work up eventually to full loads. This might take a long time; no sweat have plenty of it. MY question is what would you choose and why? These 2 are so similar I am having a hard time choosing! I have brass, bullets and dies for both.

I shoot an 06 - mostly because i like it - th ehistory and such. the only reason I have ever heard anyone go with the 308 over 06 was the short action argument - Shorter = easier handeling, lighter, more accurate (maybe). I neever had to worry bout it myself and went 06 as there isn't anything IMHO that the 308 can do the 06 can't when it comes to taking game.

Currently I have a Ruger M77 going to Greg Tannel (as soon as I can nail down some other crap - getting the barrel I want is a pita) in 30-06.

Pop,

I would seriously lean towards the 06'. Since you are a reloader, you could start the boy out at low velocity, mild recoiling rounds and as he grew into a man he would have a rifle that could be loaded faster than the 308 win. for all of his Big Game Hunting needs.

W/ the reloading experience instilled in him from his dad, he could load that 06' from 30-30 velocities to almost magnum Velocities w/ a variety of bullets. I Good hunting rifle should last a lifetime anyway.

Good Luck!

Reloader

I'm a huge fan of the .30-06 and think that generally it is a bit more versatile than the .308 escpecially when it comes to bigger game. But lately I've become a fan of the .308 as well. If I had to have just one, I'd pick the 06.

One thing that many of my friends and I agree on is that in similar loadings, the .308 seems to be a gentler kicker. I never knew a few grains of powder made any difference. Maybe it is just perception.

Though normally I'd say go with the 06, one arguement in favor of the .308 is that generally the rifles are a bit lighter. Most .308's are built on short actions and tend to run 1/4 to 1/2 lb lighter compared to a similarly configured 06. Not much but maybe something to think about for a kid.

If you are handloading I'd say there is little practical difference until you get into 180+ grain bullets and it may well come down to trying on rifles in each caliber and seeing if there is a preference in fit & feel.

Not a very definitive answer, sorry.

The answer is simple. Start him on a 308 and as he grows older and can handle the .06 then get him one of them also! After all you have more than one rifle yourself don't you?

I own one of each, if Elk is definately on the menu I'd go with the '06 since it handles the heavier bullets better, 180's shoot great in mine. In my opinion the 308 is an excellent rifle for everything else, really at its best with 150 and 165 gr. loads although I know some will say they use 180's. And if he's good enough to only take the right shots a 165 gr. at 2700 FPS (in a 308) would probably be pretty good Elk medicine now that I think about it.

the '06. Your boy will want to "imagine" hunting elk....even bears with his rifle. Its just something that boys do. Since you handload, the less recoil is not a factor. Try the 125 nosler BTs.....I've had GREAT accuracy and performance on deer with that load. With about 41 grains of H4895 he'll not mind the kick as long has he has GOOD ear protection at all times. I have brittle bone disease and I'm 4'6" and I don't mind that load at all and it has "bang flop" history with me on nice bucks. Get him a '06......man's rifle! He'll look at the ballistics and find the Hornady light magnums and love the extra power his rifle might have one day over the "lesser" guns, just a kid thing you understand, us adults never fall for that kind of stuff. Just no reason to go with a smaller caliber if you handload I think. Try those noslers and you'll be very impressed with the BC and the on game performance. 30/06 all the way! BillyR

I dont buy into the nonsense that a 300 winchester mag can be loaded down to duplicate a 30-06 and therefore renders the 06 obsolete, because the mag will never be as efficent and will always produce more recoil than the 06 to achieve the same thing. The same holds true to a lesser degree comparing these two.

The important thing here is not what we think, but what will best suit the owner. This is especially important to a young developing shooter.

Personally I would lean toward a 7-08. Give him something that will build confidence and a love of shooting. If he is one of those "kids" that is built like a middle linebacker for the NFL then maybe a 375 H&H would be the answer.

Really I dont think there is much difference in the two, I have both, but for a trainer round I agree with the U. S. Military. The 308 has a nice little upside.

I bought my first big game rifle with my own money at age fifteen in the fall of 1972, and I still have it. It's a Remington 700 ADL in .30-06 with a fixed 4X Leupold on top.

If I were doing it all over again as a teenager, I'd still likely go with a good bolt-action in .30-06. It's a better and more versatile cartridge than the .308 Win., and can be easily downloaded to .308 or .300 Savage levels if that's what seems prudent, at least for a while. The '06 will solidly cover all western big game, from pronghorn thru elk, and it's easy to learn to shoot well, especially if you install a good recoil pad and start out with reasonable 150 gr. loads.

AD

you should be able to let the kid try out both and see what
he likes you must know someone who owns a rifle in each
caliber get the kid involved in the decision and it will
give him a feeling of ownership of the rifle

30/06 for sure...it seems like ford and holden your either a .308 bloke or a 30/06........I don't want to get into talking about blokes who shoot .270's

I think a .270win is the best choice, flatter than a 30-06, more powerfull than a .308, and they seem to kick about the same as a .308 to me.

I just went through this exercise and ended up buying the .308 for moose, black bear and deer. The gun is a back-up gun for me, or it can be used by my wife, my son or my son-in-law without putting them off shooting for eternity.

The scale-tipper for me was simply answering for myself the question of what caliber a target shooter would pick if he were building a rifle. The .308 is likely the most inherently accurate cartridge out there. Since both the 30/06 and the .308 Winchester both use the same bullets, this is not logical. However, it appears to be true.

I am a big fan of accuracy over power, so even my .338 Win. Mag. must shoot sub-MOA, and it does. I have not yet shot the .308, but will be getting the brass and powder today. The gun will either conform to one-inch groups at the end of working up a proper load for it, or it will be for sale.

At that time I will be in the market for another .308.

kk

so:

308=0
30-06=2
undecided=1

Add one for .308. It's more frugal.

My vote is .308, with the only exception to the Elk hunting. In my opinion a youngster can handle the recoil eaisier, the shorter action is nice for young gunners, accuracy is great with both. And I have seen also some very lite guns in this cal. for kids also.

Pop, since you mentioned elk, I think I'd go with the /06. Both are great cartridges but when push comes to shove...the /06 can out "push" the .308. I love them both.

"I will buy him one of the above for all of his big game hunting. He will be hunting antelope, deer, and maybe elk (later)."

Seems like the responses favoring the .308 tend to promote the lesser recoil and also the fact that it can be had in lighter rifles.

Seems to me that these two cancel each other out. The lighter the rifle the more it is going to kick.

I go my first deer at age 14 with a borrowed Savage 110 .30-06 firing Remington factory 150 grain loads. At that age I was a skinny 135 pounder with little string bean arms. The recoil never bothered me a bit and the one shot bang flop kill started me out on a lifelong love affair with the old Ought Six that has remained unabated to this day.

Being, or trying to be objective, either will work fine. Being completely subjective, I'd say get the boy a regular .30-06 and load it light for now - think IMR-4895 and 150 grain bullets at about 2400-2500 fps.

Mostly teach him to shoot straight and put the bullet where it belongs, then it won't matter which chambering you eventually choose.

Pop, For the game you have listed and the part of the country you live in I would select none of the above.For antelope and deer size game in Wyoming I would choose one of the flat shooting speedsters like the 25/06. My go to rifle for anything that can't eat me is a 257 Ackley Improved. If I had to limit my choice to 30/06 or 308 I would go with the 308 for a kids first rifle. A very versatile round that won't kick a youngster nearly as hard as the 06. A 7X57 would also be an excellent choice in your part of the world as would be a 257 Roberts. My point is if you get something he enjoys shooting, he will still own it when he's your age. I started out with a 7mm magnum and couldn't get rid of it fast enough and it damn near ruined me when it comes to a flinch. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it. Jim

Jim,

My comment to lighter rifles was not knowing how big or strong this child was, it would be easier to hold up (unless on a bench) a lighter rifle and carry. I remember when I was young the heavy rifle I was started with, and it was discouraging. Yes a light one will have more felt recoil!!!

Jim in Idaho,

Oddly enough your comment while generally true for some odd reason doesn't seem necessarily true in this case.

I was pretty recoil intolerant when young and the .30-06 was all I could handle especially at the bench. I made sure to never put a light weight part on my Rem 700. Field ready that ADL weighed 8.5 lbs and that was as light as I cared for.

Last Year I put together my first .308 on a 98 action. This little rifle weighs 7.5 lbs and, even shooting Hornady light Magnum loads, recoil still seems less than the 06. These days recoil isn't an issue (there are advantages to growing older and heavier) so maybe I'm just not paying nearly as much attention.

Still, like someone said, there are plenty of smallish rifles in the .308, the Ruger is downright petite, but I can't remember the last time I saw a compact .30-06. Size can be an issue with a smaller shooter so a smaller gun could be an advantage. As for recoil, the poster will be handloading so loads can be tailored to suit the shooter even with a lighter rifle. Just MHO.

I like either caliber, and since the poster asked specifically about these two I'll limit my comments to only those. I'd second what someone already said and say, get the rifle that fits the shooter the best. Since you are handloading you can work up to what they can tolerate or feel comfortable shooting.