Most .308 win's seem to have a 1 in 12" twist which, as I understand it, makes it more suitable to stabilizing lighter bullets. Whereas .30-06's have a 1 in 10" twist which helps them stabilize heavier bullets (180 gr and up). Assuming I have that right, here is the question...

How would a .308 with a 1 in 10" twist handle heavier bullets. The reason I ask is that Remington makes their 700 ADL .308 win with a 1 in 10" twist. Would you buy a .308 with this twist rate over a .30-06 if the main purpose of this gun was going to be to throw heavier bullets? Or does the extra case capacity of the .30-06 make it that much better for heavier bullets? It doesn't seem that the .30-06 has that much of an advantage, as it seems that the .30-06 has the same energy as the .308, but 50 yards further down range (.308 at 100 yards equals .30-06 at 150 yards, etc.). I thought I had a pretty good handle on the .308 vs .30-06 discussion or maybe I'm just having a brain cramp and forgetting something!!! I thought this might be interesting either way.

I cannot imagine why someone would want a 308 with a 1/10 twist. The whole 308 vs 30/06 discussion falls apart as soon as you start comparing performance with the heavier (180g+) bullets.

The only real reason I can think of for a 1/10 308, would be to shoot some of those long, heavy, sleek bullets used in long range shooting.

The 1/10" twist of the .30/'06 is a carryover from the .30/40 Krag, and is optimum for .30 cal. bullets of 220 grains and above. I had a .308 pre-64 M70 Featherwieght and used 220-grain Hornady roundnose bullets in it with 48 grains of N205 powder. It was very accurate, and killed deer at short ranges like they had been struck by lightning! I say, go for the 1/10" twist in your .308, and don't let anyone tell you that the .308 is no good with 220-grain bullets, because it is! You can load it up to 2200-2300 FPS. While it won't match the '06, it is OK for short range woods shooting of everything up to moose!!

All my .308s are 1-10" but most are heavy match beasts. They shoot the 190s well this way, although others have reported good results with heavy ball in 1-12" twists.

In my M14s, it was a common secret that the 1-10 shot the GI 173gr banana often issued for Leg matches better than the standard 1-12, so I standardized back then and never looked back. The 1-10s shoot the lighter bullets just as well as the 1-12s in my experience. There may be an advantage to the 1-12 under some conditions, but I don't know of any. Maybe someone with differing experience will chime in and enlighten us.

Redial

One of my .308's has a 30" 1:13 Krieger. It handles 155, 168 and 175 grain match bullets equally well. However I really like my .30-06 and 180 grain loads for hunting. Frankly I've never checked to see what the twist is on that old '06. Guy

My 308 match guns have 1-10" and shoot superbly with the 168 grain range of bullets.

However, you wanted to know which caliber would handle the heavyweights better. As long as twist was appropriate, there's no argument that a 30-06 will launch heavier bullets faster (hence farther) than the 308. Simple matter of more powder.

Assess your conditions, and decide for yourself. A 308 is a fine round, but if getting the last bit of energy out of a heavy bullet is your goal, go with the 30-06.

I'm assuming my Ruger ultralight .308 has a 1-12" twist, and with that, it will stabalize 220 gr rn bullets @ 2150 fps, I tried 3 different powders, and all were capable of moa 3 shot groups.

Personally, I think the .308 falls on its face with bullets heavier then 180 gr, also where the 30-06 clearly pulls away from the .308, but, for anything I'd expect to use the .308 for, 180 gr and under bullets are fine. IMHO, if you want to shoot 200+ gr bullets, it's time to go up to a .338" or .358" bore.

BOBVTHUNTER,
I wouldn't consider the .308W for bullets heavier than 165 grains. The longer, heavier, bullets intrude into the powder chamber of a case to far to obtain reasonable velocities with the .308. If you're interested in the 180 grain bullets or heavier, I'd suggest the .30-06. The performance of the 180 or heavier bullets reduces the .308 to near the .300 Savage cartridge. I've found the .308 to be an excellent cartridge with the 150 and 165 grain bullets for hunting. Good luck.

The rifling twist is determined more by the length of bullet and velocity than it is by the actual weight of the bullet. If you use something like the calculator at http://www.realguns.com/calc/riflingtwist you will be able to see the necessary twist for any bullet you plan on shooting.

Hey'
I have a .308 Remington Model 7.It has a 1in ten twist.It loves 165 grain bullets,but will also shoot 125 grainers.Most model 7's com with 91/4 to 1 in 10 twist,only the .223 comes in 1 in 12.One thing for sure,it all comes down to the shooter,and his bullet placement.One shot kills are lots of fun.
1geejay
www.shooting-hunting.com

My Savage Scout has a 20" 1in 10" twist barrel and it shoots 150 and 180 grainers about the same. I haven't tried the 168s yet but imagine they will shoot the best in my rifle as they seem to be the best combo for the .308. I may like to try that 220g load just for gigles and kicks. What 220g bullet do you use?