The American .30-06 Springfield, .303 British and German 8x57mm JS Mauser rifle cartridges served their respective nations through two world wars and a number of smaller conflicts. All three were used in magazine fed infantry rifles and belt fed machine guns and performed very well in combat. They proved to have good penetration and excellent stopping power at distances well beyond their maximum point blank range (MPBR).

More important to the readers of Guns and Shooting Online, all three cartridges have long been successful big game hunting cartridges, used around the world. They are classic CXP2 and CXP3 game cartridges that practically define the term "all-around big game cartridge." They are covered individually in articles on the Rifle Cartridges index page.

The .30-06 Springfield

The .30-06 (.30 caliber, introduced in 1906) is a rimless, bottleneck cartridge with a 17.5-degree shoulder and moderate body taper. .30-06 rifles have a .300 inch bore diameter and use .308 inch diameter bullets. This is the standard diameter for .30 caliber bullets. The SAAMI maximum average pressure (MAP) for the .30-06 is 50,000 CUP. Factory loaded .30-06 ammunition is probably more widely distributed than any other big game hunting round, both in North America and around the world.

The '06 was designed for use in the Model 1903 Springfield bolt action rifle and, before WWII, successfully adapted to the semi-automatic M1 Garand rifle. More important to civilian hunters and shooters, practically every hunting rifle that can chamber the .30-06 is offered in the caliber and it is the best selling all-around hunting cartridge in the world. New .30-06 rifles can be purchased with almost any sort of action, including lever, bolt, pump, autoloading, falling block single shots and break-open single shots.

A great many civilian rifle cartridges have been based on the .30-06 case, both wildcats and SAAMI standardized numbers. Included among these are the the 6mm-06, .25-06 Remington, 6.5mm-06, .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, 8mm-06, .338-06 A-Square and .35 Whelen.

The .303 British

The .303 British was introduced in 1888, practically at the end of the black powder era, and it was initially charged with black powder. When smokeless powder became available, the British changed to using long strand Cordite, a long obsolete form of smokeless powder with which the conservative British persisted for decades.

At the time of its introduction, and for decades afterward, the sun never set on the British Empire. Thus, the .303 cartridge was used worldwide as a sporting cartridge. All over the UK, Africa, India, Australia, South East Asia and Canada, the .303 British served as an all-around hunting cartridge.

It is a rimmed, bottleneck cartridge with a lot of body taper and a shoulder angle slightly less than 17-degrees. Rifles for the cartridge have a .303 inch bore diameter and use .312 inch diameter bullets. In modern terms, the .303 actually shoots .31 caliber bullets. The SAAMI specification for MAP is 49,000 psi.

Visually, the .303 shows its age and its rimmed case is not readily adaptable to Mauser type, double column magazines. This has limited its popularity in modern sporting rifles, since practically all of them use some sort of double column box magazine.

Despite this, .303 ammunition remains a strong seller, due primarily to the great number of surplus Lee-Enfield SMLE military rifles that have been released to the public. Many of these rifles have been sporterized and some are even hunted in original condition. With civilian hunters the shorter, lighter Jungle Carbine version of the Lee-Enfield is very popular.

The 8x57mm Mauser

The M/88 cartridge that became the 8x57mm JS Mauser was adopted by the German Army in 1888, using a .318 inch diameter, 227 grain RN bullet. It was one of the first smokeless powder military cartridges.

After the German Army adopted their new, very strong, Model 1898 infantry rifle that was destined to set the world standard for bolt action rifles, in 1905 the 8x57 cartridge was revised to shoot a 154 grain, .323 inch diameter (.32 caliber) spitzer bullet at over 2800 fps. This is the 8x57JS Mauser cartridge we know today, the one that is still popular. Its introduction forced the US Army to adopt the .30-06 and the British Army to revise the .303 to use lighter, pointed rather than RN, bullets at high velocity.

The 8x57 uses a modern style rimless case with moderate body taper and a shoulder angle of a little less than 21 degrees. The rim diameter is .473 inch, the same as the 7x57 and .30-06. The C.I.P. (European) standard maximum pressure for the 8x57JS is 49,347 CUP. As with the .30-06 in the US, in Continental Europe the 8x57 case has been necked up and down to form hunting cartridges of many calibers.

American SAAMI spec 8x57mm ammo is loaded very light, to a MAP of only 37,000 CUP in deference to the old, comparatively weak, Model 1888 rifles still in existence and idiots that might try to fire JS ammo in them. This explains why the 8x57's reputation as an all-around hunting cartridge has never been as good in the US as it is in the rest of the world.

The Comparison

Typical .30-06 military ammunition launched a 150 grain FMJ spitzer bullet at a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2750 fps. Typical .303 military ammunition launched a 174 grain FMJ spitzer bullet at a MV of 2440 fps. Typical 8x57JS military ammunition launched a 154 grain FMJ spitzer bullet at a MV of 2880 fps.

Modern .30-06 big game hunting ammunition is usually loaded with 150, 165, 180 and 220 grain bullets. Modern .303 ammunition is usually loaded with 150, 174, 180 and 215 grain bullets. Modern 8x57mm hunting loads include 150/154, 165/170 and 195/196 grain bullets.

150 grain bullets are available for and popular in all three calibers. These are a good choice for Class 2 game and the 9th Edition of the popular Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading lists loads using 150 grain InterLock Spire Point (SP) bullets for all three cartridges. Therefore, to keep things as equal as possible, this comparison will be based on typical maximum Hornady loading data for 150 grain bullets, which is similar to full power factory load data.

Although they weigh the same and all have similar flat bases and spire points, these Hornady bullets are not identical, so their ballistic coefficients (BC) are different. Here are the BCs for our Hornady 150 grain SP bullets: .30/150 = .338, .303/150 = .361, 8mm/150 = .290.

We will compare the .30-06, .303 and 8x57JS based on velocity, energy, trajectory, sectional density, cross-sectional area, killing power and recoil. I will make brief concluding comments at the end of the comparison.

Velocity

Velocity is one of the common criteria used to compare rifle cartridges. It is the most important factor in calculating kinetic energy and, other factors being equal, significantly flattens trajectory. Some feel that a high velocity bullet impact creates a "shock" effect on the animal's nervous system that can result in rapid incapacitation or death, although this is not proven and not all authorities agree with this thesis. Here are the velocities in feet-per-second (fps) for full power loads using Hornady 150 grain SP bullets at the muzzle, 100, 200 and 300 yards.

• .30-06, 150 grain SP: 2900 fps MV, 2627 fps at 100 yards, 2371 fps at 200 yards, 2129 fps at 300 yards
• .303, 150 grain SP: 2700 fps MV, 2455 fps at 100 yards, 2224 fps at 200 yards, 2005 fps at 300 yards
• 8x57, 150 grain SP: 2800 fps MV, 2497 fps at 100 yards, 2202 fps at 200 yards, 1933 fps at 300 yards

The .30-06 has a 100 fps advantage over the 8x57 and 200 fps advantage over the .303 at the muzzle, but this advantage shrinks as the range increases. This difference is enough to give the .30-06 a win in the velocity comparison, but it is not a deal breaker. We will see how much advantage its higher velocity gives the .30-06 in terms of energy and trajectory.

Note that the .303 bullet starts out 100 fps slower than the 8x57, but at 300 yards is actually moving faster. This is due to the higher ballistic coefficient (BC) of its bullet.

Energy

Kinetic energy powers bullet penetration and expansion and is a major component of killing power. Energy is expressed in foot-pounds (ft. lbs.). Here are the kinetic energy figures for our three loads from the muzzle (ME) to 300 yards.

• .30-06, 150 grain SP: 2801 ft. lbs. ME, 2299 ft. lbs. at 100 yards, 1872 ft. lbs. at 200 yards, 1509 ft. lbs. at 300 yards
• .303, 150 grain SP: 2428 ft. lbs. ME, 2008 ft. lbs. at 100 yards, 1647 ft. lbs. at 200 yards, 1338 ft. lbs. at 300 yards
• 8x57, 150 grain SP: 2611 ft. lbs. ME, 2066 ft. lbs. at 100 yards, 1615 ft. lbs. at 200 yards, 1244 ft. lbs. at 300 yards

The .30-06 is superior to the .303 and 8x57 in kinetic energy. This is due to its higher velocity.

If, as is sometimes stated, an elk bullet should be carrying at least 1200 ft. lbs. of remaining energy at impact, then these are competent elk cartridges at 300 yards. In fact, they have all accounted for a large number of elk, red stag and similar size animals around the world, albeit typically at ranges considerably less than 300 yards. Usually bullets in the 165-180 grain range would be chosen for hunting large animals, but the power is clearly there in these cartridges.

Trajectory

The flatter the bullet's trajectory, the easier it is to place accurately at extended ranges. Since bullet placement is of over riding importance when hunting big game, a reasonably flat trajectory is important to the hunter. Here are the trajectory figures for our three cartridges based on a 200 yard zero with scoped rifles (sight line 1.5 inches above the bore axis).

• .30-06, 150 grain SP at 2900 fps. MV: -1.5" at muzzle, +1.8" at 100 yards, 0 at 200 yards, -8.0" at 300 yards
• .303, 150 grain SP at 2700 fps. MV: -1.5" at muzzle, +2.1" at 100 yards, 0 at 200 yards, -9.2" at 300 yards
• 8x57, 150 grain SP at 2800 fps. MV: -1.5" at muzzle, +2.1" at 100 yards, 0 at 200 yards, -9.3" at 300 yards

Once again, the .30-06 proves to be the superior performer, but not by a lot. A difference in bullet drop of 1.3 inches at 300 yards is unlikely to make much difference in the field.

Sectional Density

Sectional density (SD) is defined as the weight of a bullet (in pounds) divided by the square of its diameter (in inches). SD is an important factor in penetration, as other factors being equal a more slender bullet of a given weight penetrates better than a shorter, fatter bullet of the same weight. The higher the SD, the better the potential penetration and the longer the resulting wound cavity in a game animal. Here are the SD figures for our selected bullet weights.

• .30-06/150 (.308"): .225
• .303/150 (.312"): .220
• 8x57/150 (.323"): .205

The .30-06 is the easy winner, as its smaller diameter bullet of the same weight must have a higher SD. However, in practical hunting terms, the difference between the .30-06 and .303 is inconsequential, while both have an advantage over the 8x57.

Cross-Sectional Area

Cross-sectional area matters, because other things (expansion ratio and such) being equal, a fatter bullet creates a wider wound cavity in a game animal, destroying more tissue. In a way, provided the bullet reaches the vitals and does not exit, the effect of SD and cross-sectional area are similar, as both tend to cause more tissue damage in the animal.

• .30-06 (.308"): .0745 sq. in.
• .303 (.312"): .0760 sq. in.
• 8x57 (.323"): .0819 sq. in.

The 8x57 is the clear winner in cross-sectional area, with the .303 second and the .30-06 last. The difference between the three is not great, but it is there.

Killing Power

There have been many attempts to quantify and compare the killing power of rifle bullets. One of the most recent, and among the best, is Hornady HITS (Hornady Index of Terminal Standards). It considers multiple factors, including 100 yard impact velocity, bullet weight, sectional density and bullet diameter to derive a 100 yard killing power score. HITS have a positive correlation with reality and are easily calculated on the Hornady web site.

Cartridges and loads that score less than 500 HITS are suitable only for small game (Class 1); cartridges/loads that score 501-900 HITS are for medium size game (Class 2); cartridges/loads that score 901-1500 HITS are for large game (Class 3); cartridges/loads that score in excess of 1500 HITS qualify as dangerous game (Class 4) cartridges. Here are the 100 yard HITS scores for our three comparison loads.

• .30-06, 150 grain SP, 2697 fps at 100 yards: 891 HITS
• .303, 150 grain SP, 2455 fps at 100 yards: 810 HITS
• 8x57, 150 grain SP, 2497 fps at 100 yards: 768 HITS

As you can see, the killing power of these loads is in the upper realm for medium game (deer, antelope, sheep, goats and black bear) cartridges, which is what you would expect from 150 grain bullets in these cartridges. Switching to 165-180 grain bullets will elevate them to the large game category, hence their reputation as all-around hunting cartridges. Once again, the .30-06 is in first place, the .303 is second and the 8x57 is third in our HITS rankings.

Recoil

Since the momentum of every action must equal the reaction, recoil is the price we must pay for shooting. Recoil is poisonous to accuracy and should be carefully considered when selecting a hunting cartridge. The inherent killing power of any hunting rifle is moot if the shooter cannot get the bullet into the animal's vitals. Here are the approximate free recoil energy (in ft. lbs.) and recoil velocity (in fps) figures for our comparison cartridges when fired in nine pound rifles.

• .30-06, 150 grain SP, MV 2900 fps: 14.5 ft. lbs.; 10.2 fps
• .303, 150 grain SP, MV 2700 fps: 11.9 ft. lbs.; 9.2 fps
• 8x57, 150 grain SP, MV 2800 fps: 13.8 ft. lbs.; 10 fps

Here the .303s lower MV works to its advantage and the .30-06s high velocity is a disadvantage. Lower velocity means less recoil. The 8x57 kicks a little less than the .30-06 and more than the .303 British.

Summary and Conclusion

The .30-06 Springfield, .303 British and 8x57 Mauser are fine hunting cartridges and there is a lot of overlap in their capabilities. North American deer and black bear hunters and African antelope hunters are likely to be well served by any of them. However, as we have seen, there are differences between them.

Although generally similar in their ballistics, each caliber has its relative strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps the greatest single difference is the .303's case design. Its black powder heritage clearly shows and its rimmed design makes it difficult to adapt to modern magazine rifles. On the other hand, the 8x57 and .30-06 are the prototypical cartridges for which modern type magazine fed rifles were, and still are, designed.