What throating and seating problems? Just because the "egg-spurts" in the gun rags say the 220 gr. bullet in a .308 is no good doesn't mean it is so. Like a few other old wives tales, I heard this enough times that i decided to try it and see for myself. Using a Winchester M70, 220 gr. Sierra RN bullets and W-760 powder, I was able to reach 2300 FPS with .375" groups at 100 yards.
At one time, the 30-40 Krag was considered a better elk rifle than the 30-06 due to the bullet construction og the period. The Krag had a velocity of 2000 FPS and was good enough. If that is so, why is the .308 with 220 gr. bullet considered 'no good"? Bell was considering just that with a velocity of 2200 FPS, easily attainable most likely in any .308.
Seems like Remington is the only company loading 220 gr. bullets in the 30-06 anymore, according to my 2003 Shooter's Bible. Remington's figures show the 220 gr. Core-lokt bullet at 2410 FPS; not to much faster than what I loaded in my .308. Frankly, I'd be willing to bet it doesn't even go that fast. I'd have to try and find box of that ammo the chronograph to be sure.
My point is, don't say something can't be done unless you've tried it and couldn't do it.
Paul B.

... or because you've decided that a 308 or 30-06 was enough gun and that other things like noise, powder consumption, barrel wear, weight, length, ammo availability, and mag capacity seem like more sensible things to start caring about. Also, it seems to me that there is a distinction between being able to handle recoil and liking it.

"Speaking of Bell, in later years, he wrote that of all cartridges then available, (1954) he thought that the .308 Winchester, loaded with a solid bullet at least four diameters long, (220 grains) would be the ideal load for the kind of elephant shooting for which he once used the 6.5X54mm and 7X57mm. He thought that the short action required for this cartridge would make cycling a new round into the chamber faster and more reliable."

I truely believed that in his thinking Bell in 1954 overlooked the seating and throating problems the .308 presented with the long round nose bullet. Taking that into considerstion you no longer have a short action. roger

All I can say is that is typical of some South African PHs who probably have shot little dangerous game regardless of what many of them claim at SCI...

The .308 is a fine round and I have shot a lot of game with it including several Eland and a Buffalo..Same with the 8x57 and 7x57..but the bottom line is how many of you are going to hunt elephant with a .308, 7 or 8 mm,..These guns are for when you have no other choice and they can certainly get you into trouble in a hurry....

As to culling with the .308, there is a hell of a lot of difference in a full auto burst of 308s in the head of an elephant than one shot from a bolt gun.. I have witness these culls and if shot no. 1 doesn't drop an elephant, and many many times it will not the a full auto burst will..that ain't no fair comparison, that full aut burst is a devastating killer akin to a 900 N. E.

Again the .308 is a fantastic cartridge, but its no dangerous game round....