If you’re in the market for a good hunting rifle chambered in 308 Winchester, check out two bolt-action rifles Contributing Editor Joe Woolley’s team tested in the August 2024 issue.
The first was Weatherby’s Model 307 Range XP.
It sports a 22-inch stainless-steel fluted barrel.
Next was Ruger’s Second Generation American Rifle.
It has a 20-inch fluted barrel with a heavier profile and a new radial muzzle brake.
Most shooters would put accuracy as their most important buying factor.
In this area, the Ruger was a mild favorite, shooting two of the three ammo choices better than the Weatherby.
However, the 307 had the smallest groups in the test with Federal PowerShok 150-grain jacketed soft points.
A problem area with the Ruger was its magazines.
We tried quite a few AICS-pattern mags from different manufacturers in the Ruger. The metal mags worked fine, but all of the polymer mags refused to seat.
Elsewhere, the Ruger uses a full diameter three-lug bolt and the Weatherby uses a two-lug fluted design. Both were very smooth.
Both the Ruger (left) and the Weatherby stocks employed cheek risers to help the shooter’s eye line up with the height of the scope.
The Ruger American (bottom) and the Weatherby 307 (top) both sport fluted barrels for weight savings. Both have threaded muzzles for brakes and suppressors.
These are two excellent 308 rifles. But we preferred one over the other.
