.308 Winchester

Infobox Firearm Cartridge


caption= From left to right 9.3x62mm, .30-06 Springfield, 8x57mm IS, 6.5x55mm and .308 Winchester cartridges.
The 7.62x51mm NATO is similar in appearance to the .308 Winchester.
name=.308 Winchester
type=Rifle
origin=flagcountry|United States
design_date=1952
parent=.300 Savage
case_type=Rimless, Bottleneck
bullet=0.308
neck=0.343
shoulder=0.454
base=0.470
rim_dia=0.473
rim_thick=0.050
case_length=2.015
length=2.800
rifling=1/12
primer=Large Rifle
max_pressure=62000
max_cup=
velocity=
energy=
bw1=150
btype1=Nosler tip
vel1=2820
en1=2648
bw2=165
btype2= BTSP
vel2=2700
en2=2671
bw3=168
btype3=BTHP
vel3=2650
en3=2619
bw4=175
btype4=BTHP
vel4=2600
en4=2627
bw5=180
btype5=Nosler partition High-Energy
vel5=2740
en5=3000
test_barrel_length=24 in
balsrc= [http://www.federalcartridge.com/ballistics Federal Cartridge Co. ballistics page]

.308 Winchester is the commercial name of a centerfire cartridge based on the military 7.62x51mm NATO round. Two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65 in 1954, Winchester (a subsidiary of the 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.cite web | url=http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/l/aasttopriflecar.htm | author=Simpson, Layne | title=The 20th Century's Top Rifle Cartridge | accessdate=2008-06-06 | date=February 2000] It is also commonly used for civilian targets, military sniping and police sharpshooting. The relatively short case makes the .308 Winchester especially well adapted for short action rifles.

Among calibers larger than 6mm, the .308 is by far the most popular short-action big-game cartridge among hunters worldwide.dubious

Cartridge dimensions

The .308 Winchester has 3.64 ml (56.0 grains) H₂O cartridge case capacity. 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).

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.

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.

"The .308 Winchester and 7.62x51mm cartridges are not identical and there are minor differences in their inner case dimensions, though SAAMI does not list either cartridge as unsafe in a firearm designed for use with the other. [ [http://www.saami.org/Unsafe_Combinations.cfm Unsafe Arms and Ammunition Combinations] technical data sheet at SAAMI] "

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. These are the .243 Winchester, the .260 Remington (aka 6.5-08 A-Square), the 7mm-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

* C.I.P. decisions, texts and tables ( [http://www.cip-bp.org/index.php?id=tdcc-telechargement free current C.I.P. CD-ROM version download (ZIP and RAR format)] )

See also

* List of firearms
* List of rifle cartridges
* Hydrostatic shock
* Delta L problem

External links

* [http://www.6mmbr.com/308win.html .308 Winchester Cartridge Guide] by AccurateShooter.com
* [http://stoppingpower.info/index.php?title=.308 .308 Videos] by StoppingPower.Info