Those same characteristics make the .308 Winchester a much better choice for long range shooting. Both the .300 Win. Of these, 55 grain, 62 grain, and to a lesser extent, 77 grain bullet weights are by far the most common. Though they were initially well received by the military, M-16 and the 5.56x45mm cartridge had some major teething problems during the Vietnam War. Finally, the .270 Winchester has a slightly higher maximum average pressure authorized by SAAMI cartridges (65,000psi vs 62,000psi for the .308 Win). This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to create free content that’s useful to hunters like yourself. For a more detailed discussion on the .308 Winchester and how it compares to the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge as well as how the .223 Remington compares to some other popular high velocity cartridges, read the articles below: 6.5 Creedmoor vs .308 Winchester Debate Settled, 22-250 vs 223 vs 204 Ruger vs 220 Swift: Clash Of The Speed Demons. 150 grain, 165 grain, 168 grain, and 180 grain bullets are the most popular. Make sure you follow The Big Game Hunting Blog on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Let us begin by understanding the two cartridges historically. Lithgow Arms LA101 22WMR Rimfire Rifle Review 308 Winchester Load Development: 175-grain Sierra Matchking and Varget AR15 Upper Receiver Build September 11, 2011 0. Buy an excellent .223 Remington hunting rifle here. 223/5.56 vs 300 Blackout vs 308 Winchester: Which Is Best? Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular .22-250 Remington or .308 Winchester cartridge you're looking at purchasing. The .308 Winchester has a much longer case length (2.015″ vs 1.76″) and overall length (2.81″ vs 2.26″) than the .223 Rem. Great article! While there is a small overlap in their capabilities, the two cartridges represent two vastly different ways of thinking: smaller, lighter, and faster vs bigger, heavier, and slower. The 7.62×39 and .300 Blackout split the different to a small degree, but (like always), there’s always some sort of trade-off. We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. It’s loaded to a higher pressure than the M855 load and is designed for optimum performance out of the short barreled M-4 carbines commonly used by the military these days. Before we get started, I have two administrative notes for you. Just took delivery of Czech .223 today and now, like previous person, figure that I need. The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .22-250 Remington vs .308 Winchester ammo rounds. Get a .308 Winchester since it’s much more powerful and there are lots of great ammunition choices designed for that sort of hunting. Shooters, hunters, and preppers use both cartridges extensively, so just about every major gun manufacturer produces rifles chambered in .223 Remington and .308 Winchester. For more detailed ballistics information please refer to the exact round in question or contact the manufacturer for the pertinent information. Test Barrel Lost 22.7 FPS Per Inch (.308 Win Chambering) How much velocity do you think was lost, on average, for each 1″ reduction in barrel length? For this reason, there’s a pretty good supply of surplus military ammo for both cartridges (though .308/7.62 surplus ammunition is not as common or inexpensive as it was 20-30 years ago). Mag. The .308 Winchester is a good all-around big game hunting cartridge with moderate recoil and ample power for most species. Released by Winchester in 1952 (and adopted by NATO in 1954 as the 7.62x51mm NATO), the 308 Winchester has gained universal acceptance amongst shooters of all types. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo. There are also lots of good quality FMJ, hollow point, and soft point .224 and .308 caliber bullets to choose from, so you shouldn’t have much trouble working up a custom load that shoots very accurately in your chosen rifle. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. I prefer 22”, but 20” would be a better compromise in lieu of 18” for me. For starters, 18-22” barrels are the norm, although rifles made for long range shooting may have longer barrels still.Under 18” and you start wasting powder and don’t develop the full potential of the .308 round. Indeed, that dispute spans over five decades and really took off during the mid-1960s when the US Military started replacing the M-14 with the M-16 service rifle. Derived from the .223 Remington (which was itself descended from the .222 Remington cartridge), the original M193 ball load for the 5.56x45mm cartridge fired a .224″ 55 grain full metal jacket bullet at 3,250 feet per second (1,290 foot pounds of energy). The .308 Winchester is a short-action cartridge that has marvelous ballistics. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/223-556-vs-762×39/ https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/556-vs-300-blackout-vs-308-winchester/. Nosler provided the load data used to compare trajectory and recoil for the cartridges (here and here). For a more detailed discussion on the differences between the .223 Remington and 5.56x45mm NATO cartridges, read this article: Second, some of the links below are affiliate links. The 308 Winchester was birthed by the 30-06 back in 1952. 7.62 NATO vs .308 Winchester – Headspace Last but not least we get to the real difference. However, modifications to the rifle and the propellant used in the cartridge solved many of those issues and both remain in common use by military forces all over the world. The .308 commonly has a 150 to 180 grain range. The .308 Winchester may not be the end-all, be-all cartridge for deer hunting, but it is a winner and for a majority of people and hunting environments, it just might be the best “compromise” caliber. To really get down to the nitty-gritty of this comparison, let’s briefly take a look at each of these rimfire cartridges’ history. My ol'man shot many moose with his .303 lee enfield, he bought a winchester 88 .308, used it for 2 years. Both will work, but the .223 Remington is the better choice here because it has a flatter trajectory, ammunition is cheaper, and there are many types of .223 ammo specifically designed for predator and varmint hunting. Buy some of the best .308 Winchester hunting ammo here. So, we’ve covered how the .223 and .308 are similar, but how are they different? 100 grain bullets are for deer. Unlike my 308 vs 30-06 article, this one is NOT splitting hairs. Specifically, they wanted a rifle capable of fully automatic fire and with a detachable magazine along the lines of the German StG-44 or the Soviet AK-47. If you’re into hand loading, then you’re also in luck because reloading components for both cartridges are widely available. On the other hand, most .308 Winchester factory loads use bullets in the 110-180 grain range. These rounds have been on the market for over 50 years, and there is no reason why they won’t continue to be a … The 308 is essentially a shortened version of the 30-06 Springfield cartridge used by the U.S. Military from 1906 through the late 1950s. Winchester Big Bore 94's the platform. FWIW there was a rimmed version of .308 win called the .307 win (they also did a rimmed version of .358 win called the .356 win). That being said, not only does the .223 Rem have a flatter trajectory at short range, but it recoils a whole lot less than the .308 Winchester. The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .22-250 Remington vs .308 Winchester ammo rounds. In fact, the .308 is really just a development of the .30-06. First, lets start with the areas where the .223 Remington and .308 Winchester are similar. Additionally, the military adopted a the M16A2 with a faster rifling twist rate (1:7 vs 1:12) and a new 5.56x45mm ball load (the M855) firing a 62 grain full metal jacket boat tail bullet at 3,025 fps during the 1980s. For all the strengths of the M-14 and the 7.62x51mm NATO, leaders in the military wanted a lighter rifle and cartridge so Soldiers could carry more ammunition and more easily control the rifle when firing in fully automatic mode. Which one of these popular rounds will be named the best all-around black bear hunting cartridge Cartridge case capacities were obtained from Chuck Hawks. The .30-06 Springfield round began its life when it was developed as the caliber for the Springfield M1903 bolt action rifle, which was adopted into widespread serviceby the U.S Army in World War I. First, though the .223 Remington and the 5.56x45mm NATO are technically different cartridges (the same goes for the .308 Winchester and the 7.62x51mm NATO rounds), the practical difference in performance between the .223 vs 5.56 (and the .308 vs 7.62) is very small and doesn’t make any difference for the purposes of this article. are great chamberings for a hunting rifle. Main thing is impact velocity being around 1,800 fps for good performance. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say. Buy some quality .223 Remington hunting ammo here. Truth be told, the .223 Remington is still just a borderline big game hunting round (at best) and can’t hold a candle to the .308 Winchester in that regard. The .22 WMR round only drops 2.1 inches, giving it better accuracy at medium-range distances. What Is The History of The 300 Winchester Magnum vs. 308 Winchester? Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online. The .308 Win is undoubtedly one of the most successful calibres of all time. Battle of the Black Bear Cartridges: .308 Win. At the same time, the military appreciated those same characteristics in the 7.62x51mm and it gained widespread approval for its performance in designated marksman/sniper rifles as well as machineguns. This round was originally brought to be in the form of the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, but Winchester commercially produced and sold it as the .308 Winchester. Though the US Military was pleased with the performance of M-1 Garand and the .30-06 during World War II, American military leaders started looking for a new rifle and cartridge in the years following the war. I bought mine used, with the longest kill on a groundhog being at 750yards. If weight is the issue I’d rather make it up on the stock, mounts and glass. For that reason, the .223 Remington isn’t a legal deer hunting cartridge in many states. The .223 Remington shoots small diameter, lightweight bullets at a very high velocity. and the .308 Win. For the most part, the .223 Remington has a flatter trajectory than the .308 Winchester out to 500 yards. On the other hand, the military was not pleased with the performance of the M-14 as the primary infantry service rifle and decided to move on to something new after just a few years. The M855A1 load uses a lead free 62 grain bullet made from copper alloy with a steel penetrator. Military rifles for 7.62x51mm NATO can, and usually do, have longer chambers. I want the .308 for the power but the .223 for the cost to run and lack of recoil. For instance, the vast majority of .223 Remington factory loads shoot bullets in the 35-90 grain range. Offered in the Model 70 bolt-action, Model 100 semi-automatic and the Model 88 lever-action rifles, the .308 Win. Though the .308 Winchester does have more stopping power, both cartridges are well suited for home or self defense, particularly due to the availability of well designed semi-automatic rifles and large amounts of high quality ammunition at a reasonable price. The .308 Winchester certainly doesn’t look like a long-range cartridge, though it can certainly handle shots out to ethical distances. Note: while the case capacity figures listed below do give a good indication of the differences between the three cartridges, exact case capacities vary slightly according to the brand of brass used. vs. .338 Federal vs. .45-70 Govt. Read the articles below for more information: The more common term for these cartridges among enthusiasts is the Flobert. The shell casing was designed to ease case extraction and cartridge feeding in bolt action rifles as well as machine guns. Additionally, the .308 Winchester has a larger (.473″ vs .378″) case diameter than the .223 Remington. Furthermore, the muzzle energy of a .22-250 Remington round averages out to 1620 ft-lb, while a .308 Winchester round averages out to about 2620 ft-lb. All things considered, it’s an excellent all-around cartridge for big game hunting in New Zealand, Africa, or North America. Felt recoil will vary from shooter to shooter and rifle to rifle, but free recoil energy is still a useful way to compare the two cartridges. For a more detailed discussion on the .308 Winchester and how it compares to the .30-06 Springfield, read this article: 308 vs 30-06 vs 300 Win Mag: Which Cartridge Should You Be Hunting With? Indeed, the typical .308 Winchester load still has as much or more energy remaining at 400-500 yards as the .223 Remington does at the muzzle. Generally speaking, .223 Remington ammunition is less expensive than .308 Winchester ammunition. Now I have another rifle in .308 that has a 22" barrel that I was considering having cut down to 20" to make it … Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, bullet weight, o When using a quality bullet like the Hornady GMX, it will really do a number on all but the biggest hogs. We examine the history of these cartridges and compare them side-by-side in several categories that are important to hunters and sport shooters. As you can see, the table below comparing the 55gr Winchester Varmint X (.255 BC), 62gr Barnes TSX BT (.314 BC), and 64gr Winchester Deer Season XP (.282 BC) loads in .223 Remington to 150gr Winchester Deer Season XP (.392 BC), 168gr Barnes TTSX (.470 BC), and 180gr Winchester Power Point (.382 BC) loads in .308 Winchester, there is a pretty sizable difference in the ballistics and kinetic energy of each cartridge. On the other hand, bullets designed for big game hunting (like the Nosler Partition and Swift Scirocco/A-Frame) are most common for the .308 Winchester. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power. 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