Most Popular .308 in Australia?

[Member-Deleted]

Hi Fellas,

I'm new to the community, so thanks for having me. I'm just chasing any knowledge people may have when it comes down to what the most popular hunting .308 rifle in Australia is.

I'd be looking to use it for hunting and at the range to train. Just in case the inquisitive individuals out there are wondering why I'd like to know such a thing.. Well, it's simple, I'd like to know there are plenty of spare parts around should things get tough.

My bets (no money); Remington 700, Tikka T3, Howa 1500.

[No1Mk3]

G'day BangWhizzCrack,
Welcome aboard, the 3 you name are surely popular, but most? Impossible to say, even if you could get importers and retailers sales figures. A group of rifles commonly seen and seldom complained about would be the best you can expect, and the 3 you named would be in that group, along with the Savage, Sako and Ruger, as well as a few others. Spare parts are seldom a problem with current models of rifles, and many of them are imported by the same wholesaler so no one rifle would have "better" support than another. Visit a large shop and shoulder a few, you may be surprised at just how bad a rifle may feel to you, where others swear by it, for myself I really like the Ruger 77 MkII paddle stock, but many hate it. Best of luck.

[AZZA'S HJ47]

Tikka t3x or the howa 1500 cant go wrong with either rifles. Although my 308 took a bit of work to get the booring 1/2 inch consistency of a tikka rifle the price difference is hard to beat.

[Ziege]

Howa 1500 and Weatherby vanguard are almost identical if that helps.

[TassieTiger]

Spare parts ? In today’s world? Google is your friend...

[Farmerpete]

Truth is that all guns made today are capable of acceptable hunting groups, the gun that's right for you will depend on how you intend to hunt, (stalking through scrub or sitting over a dam) the likely distance to your target (if a pigs close a lever might be better than a bolt) and most importantly how it feels when you pick it up (is it heavy?, does the stock give you a good cheek weld?, is the stock too long or short?) Not to mention budget.
You've probably nailed three of the most popular but I'd be inclined to look at everything to find just right rather than just popular, a new gun is exciting but make sure to look more than once before buying.

[Shootermick]

Be sure to consider the Lithgow.

[Blr243]

For aftermarket or genuine accessories it may be logical to buy something common but for original spare parts be mindful that most are well made and will likely last a few decades before you have a part failure .....they are not like tvs , or iphone charging cables

[straightshooter]

One would have to consider that the only part on a rifle subject to wear is the barrel and it would be a rare situation where one would seek out a manufacturer's replacement barrel in preference to a custom barrel.
Other parts on modern rifles generally don't break unless subjected to hamfisted ignorance.
If you actually need a spare part for a commonly available modern rifle then it's an arm and a leg as well as an indeterminately long wait. If it's a discontinued or short production run rifle then it's arms and legs if available or if you can find somebody to make it for you.
However high production volume military actions such as M98 and Lee Enfield when used in sporters are well served with the availability of parts but they don't fall within the original poster's selection criteria unless he were to consider a Zastava M98 but even then if he wanted an original factory part for it then reread the previous sentence.

[SCJ429]

Unfortunately the most popular are going to be the cheapest, and the better rfiles are going to be more expensive and less popular. If there was a $150 Chinese built 308, it would sell like hot cakes. A $6,000 custom action rifle is less popular but the after sales service is likely much better.

[Aliqua]

Just make sure when you are researching reviews etc you check the review date, sometimes they may be outdated.

No one mentioned the browning and I love my browning - it is heavy especially with the scope so probably not a rifle you want to carry around without a sling for too long unless you are planning on proning.

Goto a gun shop and handle all the guns. So much makes up for their comfort specific to you -- including things like stock, cheek rest, balance... once you have a list of a couple do your research on the indicidual products.

When I was looking at 308s I wanted the rem 700 pcr, but some guys on here stated the quality of barrel may not be as it used to be -- all the reviews I saw said good things - but they were in fact popular reviews prioritised by google from 2013-15. When I typed in 2019 review I did actually find some negative reviews.

Good luck in your search! One last thing I'll add '"most popular" doesn't make it the best, it could also be the most affordable to the masses. Have a budget in your head, and look at rifles in that range - if you dont have a budget and you handle something more than you can afford it may make it harder for you to select one you want to buy. Oh and also dont forget to budget for a scope (my scope cost more than my rifle)? bipod? and cleaning assessories... there are PLENTY of topics on these forums re: scopes for your purposes whatever they may be (range, hunting, distances, weather, durability etc).

[allthegearandnoidea]

In my opinion get the Howa if you want value for money and outstanding accuracy (with a bit of tweaking) Out of the box accuracy cant be beat with a tikka,

Also dont underestimate the Ruger American/ranch/Predator - value and accuracy - some people hate the trigger but you can swap it out for a Timney or Jard if budget permits . Heard good things about the new(ish) Mauder entry level M18 (?) and the Sauer 100XT - both offer 3 or even 5 shot MOA guarantees

I think it comes down to intended use but all the above rifles are hunting oriented. At the end of the day the buyer needs to go to the shop and find out which one feels the best as they all shoot well and for hunting, minute of deer is good enough

[Urbanbushman]

Never mind all things American, how about staying with the Ozzie Lithgow 102 in .308, mine is a tack driver with Hornady Whitetail. The only down side is Lithgow are very poor with aftermarket add ons. Any one know where I can get a heavy varmit barrel for the 102? Oh and trying to find an up grade stock, don’t even go there

[SCJ429]

ns. Any one know where I can get a heavy varmit barrel for the 102? Oh and trying to find an up grade stock, don’t even go there

You can get a barrel from Maddco, Hardy, Benchmark, Pac Nor or Lilja to name a few. See your nearest gunsmith.

[southeast varmiter]

Howa's dime a dozen

[brinny]

Bloody hard to go past my Sako Finnlight....one of the best 308s ive had....and ive had a few....

[Member-Deleted]

I've seriously considered the Lithgow LA102 and then a LA105 for competitions further into the future. I own a LA101, having issues with aftermarket and genuine magazines not seating properly which causes feeding issues. I just figured that perhaps something quality that most people have would mean I could trade parts with people. Thanks for your insights guys!

[Harrynsw]

Howa for good value, Tikka if you want something a bit nicer. Don't neglect your optic,spend as much as you can afford, vortex, Burris and Leupold all ha e great warranty.

[bigrich]

Geez fellas, I’m supprised no one else knows the answer, it’s Holden that made the best 308 . Especially the HQ series

[AussieCapitalist]

SLR will always be my fav.

[Stix]

Geez fellas, I’m supprised no one else knows the answer, it’s Holden that made the best 308 . Especially the HQ series

[duddley75]

I can't wait to pick up my Howa 308 in a few weeks. Mine is set in an MDT ESS chassis , so it looks a little different....

[bigrich]

SLR will always be my fav.

i had a modified LH torrie with a worked up 253 and a UC rts front end grafted on . V8 powered go kart

[Stix]

SLR will always be my fav.

i had a modified LH torrie with a worked up 253 and a UC rts front end grafted on . V8 powered go kart

Ah the good ol' 253...good cos its a holden V8...and also because...well...err...ah crap...!!...

With something like the bore of a 186 & stroke of a 202, they were good at guzzling fuel...the only difference i ever noticed from a warmed up 253 was an incredible excess of noise which made them look like they went even slower...cos you'd look up assuming to see a car speeding off in the distance, only to be amazed that a V8 powered car could make that much noise for that long & still only be 15 metres from where it took off & already be needing a re-fuel...

Sorry...im a Holden man so i hate to say this, but my girlfriends gas converted, ...stock as a rock, ...straight 6, ...250 powered, ...typical Ford understeering & dropping door horrible door latching, ...disgusting mission brown coloured Cortina, ...seriously embarrased any 253 powered H-series Holden or Torana...

I hated that car...but i loved its off the line torque...

[bigrich]

My mildly modified 253 when fitted in a HQ sedan made 200 rear wheel horsepower and ran 15.6 on the quarter mile stix. It was noticeably quicker in the torana but I never got the chance to run it on the quarter mile. I had a mate who built a 253 skid car engine that went in a Gemini, solid cam with big heads and a cain tunnel ram with a pair of 390 four barrel holleys. That made 171 rear wheel horsepower at 7800 rpm , in first gear !
Cortina’s could go hard, but they didn’t go round corners as well as a torana.
Of coarse if you want a real missile , a centura with a 265 hemi is hard to beat.
They definitely don’t go round corners

[TassieTiger]

I saw a 253 do 11 secs in 400m once...

Of course it had a rope attached and the depth sounder was varying between 395 and 405m

What a waste of steel.

[straightshooter]

My mildly modified 253 when fitted in a HQ sedan made 200 rear wheel horsepower and ran 15.6 on the quarter mile stix. It was noticeably quicker in the torana but I never got the chance to run it on the quarter mile. I had a mate who built a 253 skid car engine that went in a Gemini, solid cam with big heads and a cain tunnel ram with a pair of 390 four barrel holleys. That made 171 rear wheel horsepower at 7800 rpm , in first gear !
Cortina’s could go hard, but they didn’t go round corners as well as a torana.
Of coarse if you want a real missile , a centura with a 265 hemi is hard to beat.
They definitely don’t go round corners

What times, I remember the Chrysler put downs of the 253 such as "having the power of a six and the economy of an eight".
But the big two got even for those taunts. When Chrysler had a prospect it would clean up at Bathurst with a 340 in a Charger, mysteriously the homologation rules got tinkered with and worldwide Chrysler, that was in financial trouble at the time, couldn't cope. So we got an E55 that even with a detuned and corked up auto 340 could still pull 14 second quarters.
File that under woulda, shoulda, coulda.

[bigrich]

I hear ya straightshooter, I was a Chrysler guy when I was younger. I had a 67 VC with a modified 318 that used to eat 351’s and 308’s for breakfast
The E55 or even a nice 318 vh or vj 770 would do me now

[Stix]

My mildly modified 253 when fitted in a HQ sedan made 200 rear wheel horsepower and ran 15.6 on the quarter mile stix. It was noticeably quicker in the torana but I never got the chance to run it on the quarter mile. I had a mate who built a 253 skid car engine that went in a Gemini, solid cam with big heads and a cain tunnel ram with a pair of 390 four barrel holleys. That made 171 rear wheel horsepower at 7800 rpm , in first gear !
Cortina’s could go hard, but they didn’t go round corners as well as a torana.
Of coarse if you want a real missile , a centura with a 265 hemi is hard to beat.
They definitely don’t go round corners

Haha...!!
Good stuff bigrich...
Im not sure what you mean about running the quarter though...you say it ran 15.6 but you never got to run it...

Anyway...a 253 running in the 15's is pretty good...
But at the end of the day, you have to admit getting a 253 to go fast would be like trying to get a 310 cadet to perform like a...well...like a 308... ...
The amount of money youd spend on one just isnt worth it--if you wanted fast, youd put your money into a 308 or go a Chev 350 or something...

And i hope you know im mucking around mate with my silly stirring banter...

Speaking of Hemi's...
For something different, to compete down the quarter I wanted to build a sooper dooper 265 powered HR Ute & call it "Sacrilege"--sacrilege for doing that to a holden...
I rekon if couldve got power to the ground it wouldve built a funny little fan club & done well as theres not much weight in a HR Ute...

[TassieTiger]

[
The amount of money youd spend on one just isnt worth it--if you wanted fast, youd put your money into a 308 or go a Chev 350 or something...
...

Ahem. 10.23 @ 143mph at willowbank on a K3 gsxr1000...got the trophy to prove it lol.
Show me a bent 8 that can do that for under $10k.