The .308 Winchester

December 1, 2002

What can I say? She told me I could have a new rifle for Christmas but she would not pick it out or hunt for it. "Just find what you want and go get it".

Who could not love a girl like that?

After much debate and brain draining reasoning, I figured out what it boiled down to. These days, my coyote hunting finds me in more open country and taking longer shots. The low report of my old Hornet really was not a big plus anymore. Simple enough, move my .243 into the coyote slot and buy a new deer rifle. 

I thought long and hard, talked to some friends and narrowed it down to the .260 or 7-08. After packing my 8.5 pound .243 and the 4 plus pounds of the 45 colt on the other shoulder all deer season, a compact rifle was sounding pretty good.

Loosing the barrel length with the compact, it looked to me like what positives there were for the .260, quickly faded. Still open to it, I went to the gun shop and got the prices on compacts.

Remington is pretty proud of theirs. A little to proud for my liking. Ruger rang in $100 less on stainless. Didn't compare them on blue but the blue Ruger was running $509. While the shop owner was looking up prices, I was out front looking over a Ruger blue compact in .308. The tag on it was $459 and the $40 rebate was set to expire the next day. Guess the Ruger's have gone up and if I ordered a 7-08 it would ultimately cost me $90 more than the .308 in my hands.

Not tons of difference between the .308 and the 7mm so I was considering pretty intensely. The first Spire point available for the 7mm is 120 grain and the first in .308 is 110.

These velocities are based on a 22 inch barrel, not the 16.5 that comes on the compact.

I did not know all these numbers off the top of my head while in the shop but I did know there are damn few bullets available in 7mm.

What's the worst thing that could happen? If I don't like the gun, I can always sell it. I'm ahead on money from the start.

I had never owned a .308 but never knew anyone that had one that didn't like it. So I left the store with it, and of course dies and brass.

Never a factory round down the barrel, except for what Ruger did with it before they shipped it out. I'm guessing they load they're own. Maybe I'll ask them.