the 30/06 was the parent of the 308. The savage 300 is shorter than the 308. The military used shortened 30/06 brass in the beginning. Just my opinion but there is nothing wrong with the 300 savage, except availability.
Onething to consider when looking over all the cartridges that are 'better' than the 30 cals. if you get froggy and wish to compete in F-Class you will be in with every barrel burning cartridge ever dreamed of on bench rest gear.
The 308 goes into the F-tr class and competes against other 308s and a few 223s on a bipod.
There are many low recoil sub 30 cal choices. Last I heard the 6 or 6.5 x47 was in vogue. (that is a foriegn sub for the older savage 300/250 cartridges- it uses Lapua brass so as a sexy foreigner it turns heads) Some guys love comparing 'the numbers', the 6/6.5 x47 series has performance waaay beyond any numbers and has very low recoil. If I was just a paper killer to 1000, it would be the 6x47.
I used the 260 and 6.5x55 in comps and hunting. The long action 6.5x55 was perfect for the old mauser i have. but the 260 in modern short actions is a better choice i believe. both are great, until you put them up against the 6.5x284, which is what serious Open F-Class guys use.
All of that to say I back to the 308 and since there is now a special class for it I dont have to worry about the guys who change barrels every 700 rounds nor their wobble stick bench rests.
Whatever you decide, live with it a few years before caliber hopping. Better to develop skills than a gun safe full of rifles you dont use, or making the local gunsmith's house payment on a regular basis.
Onething to consider when looking over all the cartridges that are 'better' than the 30 cals. if you get froggy and wish to compete in F-Class you will be in with every barrel burning cartridge ever dreamed of on bench rest gear.
The 308 goes into the F-tr class and competes against other 308s and a few 223s on a bipod.
There are many low recoil sub 30 cal choices. Last I heard the 6 or 6.5 x47 was in vogue. (that is a foriegn sub for the older savage 300/250 cartridges- it uses Lapua brass so as a sexy foreigner it turns heads) Some guys love comparing 'the numbers', the 6/6.5 x47 series has performance waaay beyond any numbers and has very low recoil. If I was just a paper killer to 1000, it would be the 6x47.
I used the 260 and 6.5x55 in comps and hunting. The long action 6.5x55 was perfect for the old mauser i have. but the 260 in modern short actions is a better choice i believe. both are great, until you put them up against the 6.5x284, which is what serious Open F-Class guys use.
All of that to say I back to the 308 and since there is now a special class for it I dont have to worry about the guys who change barrels every 700 rounds nor their wobble stick bench rests.
Whatever you decide, live with it a few years before caliber hopping. Better to develop skills than a gun safe full of rifles you dont use, or making the local gunsmith's house payment on a regular basis.