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308
Winchester
The .308 Winchester
(pronounced: "three-oh-eight" or "three-aught-eight") is a
rimless, bottlenecked, rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge from
which the 7.62x51mm NATO round was derived. The .308 Winchester was introduced in
1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65.
Winchester branded the cartridge and introduced it to the commercial hunting
market as the .308 Winchester. Winchester's Model 70 and Model 88 rifles were
subsequently chambered for the new cartridge. Since then, the .308 Winchester
has become the most popular short-action, big-game hunting cartridge worldwide.
It is also commonly used for civilian target shooting, military sniping, and
police sharpshooting. The relatively short case makes the .308 Winchester
especially well-adapted for short-action rifles. When loaded with a bullet that
expands, tumbles, or fragments in tissue, this cartridge is capable of high
terminal performance.
Although very similar to
the military 7.62x51mm NATO specifications, the .308 cartridge is not
identical, and there are special considerations that may apply when mixing
these cartridges with 7.62x51mm NATO, and .308 Winchester chambered arms. Their
interchange is, however, considered safe by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition
Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI)
Suggested
Use
- Predators
- Small Game
- Varmint
- Deer
- Black Bear
- Moose (short range)
- Elk (short range)
Performance
The .308 Winchester is one
of the most popular hunting cartridges in the United States, and possibly the
world. It has gained popularity in many countries as an exceptional cartridge
for game in the medium- to large-sized class. In North America it is used
extensively on whitetail deer, pronghorn and even the occasional caribou or
black bear.
Clay Harvey, an American
gun writer, says it is usable on moose and elk. Layne Simpson, an American who
has hunted in Sweden, says he is surprised how many hunters there use the
cartridge. Craig Boddington was told by a Norma Precision executive that the
.308 is one of Norma's best-selling calibers.
In Africa the .308 Win is
one of the most popular calibers among Bushveld hunters and is used on anything
from duiker right up to the massive eland (a small and large African antelope
respectively). Proponents of the hydrostatic shock theory contend that the .308
Winchester has sufficient energy to impart hydrostatic shock to living targets
when rapidly expanding bullets deliver a high rate of energy transfer.
The .308 Winchester has
slightly more drop at long range than the .30-06 Springfield, owing to its
slightly lower (100 ft/s) muzzle velocity with most bullet weights. Cartridges
with significantly higher muzzle velocities, such as the .300 Winchester Magnum
can have significantly less drop at long range.
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