.308 Winchester

.308 Winchester
.308 Winchester
Type	Rifle
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designed	1952
Specifications
Parent case	.300 Savage
Case type	Rimless, Bottleneck
Bullet diameter	0.308 in (7.8 mm)
Neck diameter	0.3433 in (8.72 mm)
Shoulder diameter	0.4539 in (11.53 mm)
Base diameter	0.4709 in (11.96 mm)
Rim diameter	0.4728 in (12.01 mm)
Rim thickness	0.0539 in (1.37 mm)
Case length	2.015 (51.18 mm)
Overall length	2.800 (71.12 mm)
Case capacity	56 gr H₂O (3.64 cm³)
Rifling twist	1 in 12 in (305 mm)
Primer type	Large Rifle
Maximum pressure	62,000 psi (430 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet weight/type	Velocity	Energy
150 gr (9.7 g) Nosler tip	2,820 ft/s (860 m/s)	2,648 ft·lbf (3,590 J)
165 gr (10.7 g) BTSP	2,700 ft/s (820 m/s)	2,671 ft·lbf (3,621 J)
168 gr (10.9 g) BTHP	2,650 ft/s (810 m/s)	2,619 ft·lbf (3,551 J)
175 gr (11.3 g) BTHP	2,600 ft/s (790 m/s)	2,627 ft·lbf (3,562 J)
180 gr (12 g) Nosler partition	2,620 ft/s (800 m/s)	2,870 ft·lbf (3,890 J)
Test barrel length: 24 in Source(s): Federal Cartridge Co. ballistics page

The .308 Winchester is a rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge upon which the military 7.62x51mm NATO centerfire cartridge is based. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65. Winchester (a subsidiary of Olin Corporation) 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.^[1] 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.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Although very similar to the military 7.62x51mm NATO, specifications for the .308 cartridge are not identical and there are special considerations that may apply when mixing one cartridge with differently chambered arms.^[5] Their interchange is considered safe by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI).^[6]

1 Cartridge dimensions
2 Usage and performance
3 The .308 Winchester as a parent case
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Cartridge dimensions

The .308 Winchester has 3.64 ml (56.0 grains) H₂O cartridge case capacity.^[7] The exterior shape of the case was designed to promote reliable case feeding and extraction in bolt action rifles and machine guns alike, under extreme conditions.

.308 Winchester maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm) plus Imperial (inches).

Americans would define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 = 20 degrees. The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 305 mm (1 in 12 in), 4 grooves, Ø lands = 7.62 mm, Ø grooves = 7.82 mm, land width = 4.47 mm and the primer type is large rifle.^[8]

According to the official C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) guidelines the .308 Winchester case can handle up to 415 MPa (60,190 psi) piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers.

Usage and performance

The .308 Winchester is one of the most successful hunting cartridges in America, and possibly the world. It has gained popularity in many countries as an exceptional cartridge for game in the medium- to large-sized class.^[10] In North America it is used extensively on Whitetail deer, Pronghorn and even the occasional Caribou or Black Bear. In Africa the .308 Win is one of the most popular calibres among Bushveld hunters and is used on anything from Duiker right up to the massive Eland. 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.^[2]^[4]^[11]^[12]

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.

The .308 Winchester as a parent case

Several more cartridges have been developed using the .308 Winchester as a parent case, some becoming very popular for hunting, particularly in North America.^[8] These are the .243 Winchester, the .260 Remington (aka 6.5-08 A-Square), the 7 mm-08 Remington, the .338 Federal, and the .358 Winchester (aka 8.8x51mm). In 1980, two rimmed cartridges based on the .308 Winchester were introduced for use in the Winchester Model 94 XTR Angle Eject rifle; the .307 Winchester and the .356 Winchester.

References

^ Simpson, Layne (February 2000). "The 20th Century's Top Rifle Cartridge". http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/l/aasttopriflecar.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ ^a ^b Chamberlin FT, Gun Shot Wounds, in Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders, Vol. II, Ackley PO, ed., Plaza Publishing, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1966.
^ Courtney A, Courtney M: Links between traumatic brain injury and ballistic pressure waves originating in the thoracic cavity and extremities. Brain Injury 21(7): 657-662, 2007. arXiv:0808.1443
^ ^a ^b Scientific Evidence for Hydrostatic Shock arXiv:0803.3051
^ 7.62x51mm NATO or 308 Winchester?
^ SAAMI Unsafe Arms and Ammunition Combinations
^ Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, Fourth Edition, 1991, Hornady Manufacturing Company, Grand Island, NE.
^ ^a ^b Nosler Reloading Guide Number Four, 1996, Nosler, Inc., Bend OR.
^ Litz, Brian. Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting. Cedar Springs, MI : Applied Ballistics, LLC, 2009.
^ Speer Reloading Manual Number 12, 1994, Blount, Inc., Lewiston, ID.
^ Sturtevant B, Shock Wave Effects in Biomechanics, Sadhana, 23: 579-596, 1998.
^ Suneson A, Hansson HA, Seeman T: Pressure Wave Injuries to the Nervous System Caused by High Energy Missile Extremity Impact: Part I. Local and Distant Effects on the Peripheral Nervous System. A Light and Electron Microscopic Study on Pigs. The Journal of Trauma. 30(3):281-294; 1990.

C.I.P. decisions, texts and tables (free current C.I.P. CD-ROM version download (ZIP and RAR format))

External links

.308 Winchester Cartridge Guide by AccurateShooter.com
.308 Videos by StoppingPower.Info

Winchester Firearms and Cartridges

Rifles	Model 43 Model 47 Model 51 Model 52 Model 53 Model 54 Model 55 Model 56 Model 57 Model 58 Model 59 Model 60 Model 60A Model 61 Model 62 Model 62A Model 63 Model 64 Model 65 Model 67 Model 68 Model 69 Model 70 Model 71 Model 72 Model 74 Model 75 Model 77 Model 88 Model 100 Model 121 Model 131 Model 141 Model 150 Model 190 Model 250 Model 255 Model 270 Model 320 Model 325 Model 490 Model 670 Model 770 Model 1866 Model 1873 Model 1876 Model 1878 Hotchkiss Model 1885 Model 1886 Model 1887 Model 1890 Model 1892 Model 1893 Model 1894 Model 1895 Model 1895 Lee Model 1897 Model 1900 Model 1901 Model 1902 Model 1903 Model 1904 Model 1905 Model 1906 Model 1907 Model 1910 Model 1911 SL Model 1912 Model 9422

Shotguns	Model 20 Model 21 Model 24 Model 25 Model 36 Model 37 Model 37A Model 40 Model 41 Model 42 Model 50 Model 59 Model 96 Model 101 Model 1200 Model 1300 Model 1400 Model 1500 Model 9410 SX-1

Cartridges	.22 Magnum (WMR) .218 Bee .219 Zipper .22 Hornet .220 Swift .223 Winchester Super Short Magnum .225 Winchester .243 Winchester .243 Winchester Super Short Magnum .25-20 WCF .256 Winchester .25-35 Winchester .25 Winchester Super Short Magnum .264 Winchester Magnum .270 Winchester .270 Winchester Short Magnum 7mm Winchester Short Magnum .30-30 Winchester .307 Winchester .308 Winchester .300 Winchester Short Magnum .300 Winchester Magnum .32 Winchester Special .325 Winchester Short Magnum .33 Winchester .338 Winchester Magnum .348 Winchester .375 Winchester .458 Winchester Magnum