Happy .308 Winchester (also known as 7.62x51mm NATO).
In a nod to everybody who is about to correct me in comments: There are different chamber and pressure specs for the two cartridges. One is a commercial cartridge that was introduced by Winchester and was "based" on the 7.62 NATO.
The NATO cartridge has a lower nominal pressure spec, perhaps to allow for the inevitable round being chambered in a very hot barrel and "cooking" for a while before being fired. The chambers are also more open so they can still function even when the outsides of the cartridge are dirty.
Today's .308 Winchester is the equivalent of Grandpa's 30-06
Today's .308 Winchester is the equivalent of Grandpa's 30-06. The original 150 grain load in the 30-06 generated 2700 fps. Today, handloaders regularly exceed 2900 fps with modern powders in the .308 Winchester.
The original 174 grain bullet generated 2600 fps in the 30-06 and modern powders can match that value in the .308.
Bullets are much better today, both in accuracy and in terminal performance. A 150 grain mono-metal bullet like a Barnes TTSX can easily out-penetrate the 180 grain cup-and-core bullets of the 1950s, break bones and it will still expand on a ribs-and-lung shot.
While it might not be the best choice for chasing wounded Brown Bears through the willow brush, the only North American mammal that it is inadequate for are Orcinus orca. That assumes that you are diligent enough to work for an ethical shot. Patient enough to pass up unethical shots. Are marksman enough to hit the target in a lethal area. And are intelligent enough to use ammo with a suitable projectile.
I've hunted for nearly 50 years with the .308 Winchester. When I miss an animal (rare), it is completely my fault. It is a work horse.
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I was unaware that orcas were mammals.... Perhaps you meant Ursus arctos horribilis? (grizzly)
ReplyDeleteEither way, I'd be very unhappy facing either with anything smaller than, say 20mm or 30 mm API. From a considerable distance.
DeleteOrcas are Killer Whales. Whales are mammals. Although rarely considered "land mammals" there is video evidence of them swiping sea lions and seals off of beaches when the seals loiter near the water.
DeleteAnon 5:59, duh! You are correct, thank you!
DeleteIt is not possible to say that the .308 Winchester cartridge is loaded to higher pressures than the 7.62x51mm NATO. The SAAMI Z299-4 2025 ANSI-SAAMI Rifle Cartridge Standard pressure testing procedure is quite different from the MIL-C-46931F - M80 7.62mm NATO Cartridge Specification procedure. The MIL-SPEC actually requires testing at three temperatures (-65°F, 70°F, & 125°F) in two locations (chamber and gas port). SAAMI does not specify test temperature, but most labs test at one temperature somewhere between 60°F and 80° F. The chamber dimensions of the test barrels are also different.
ReplyDeleteSAAMI requires fairly sophisticated statistical analysis of test results to determine Maximum Average Pressure (MAP), Standard Deviation, Standard Error, Maximum Probable Lot Mean (MPLM), Maximum Probable Sample Mean (MPSM), and Maximum Extreme Variation. SAMMI has limits for MAP, MPLM, and MPSM - usually for both piston crusher and piezo measuring technologies.
The MIL-SPEC has maximum lot average and maximum any single cartridge requirements only; for both chamber pressure and port pressure, by both piston crusher and piezo measuring technologies, at all test temperatures.
You can map out all the possible pressures and show that some MIL-C-46931F cartridges will actually exceed SAAMI Z299-1 limits. Most common .308 Winchester cartridges are actually loaded to the port pressure requirement of MIL-C-46931F. This effectively limits their chamber pressures to MIL-C-46931F requirements.
You can get SAAMI Z299-4 2025 on the SAAMI web site. You can get MIL-C-46931F at EverySpec. Both are free.
My remembering is that the pressure spec for one was most commonly in C.U.P. and the other's pressure spec was most commonly listed in PSI.
DeleteThat resulted in an "apparent" difference of about 10,000 because the two are not directly comparable. But that didn't stop thousands of know-it-alls from arguing over tens-of-thousands of pitchers of beer.
Your points about methodology are very germane. People LOVE the assumed precision of electronic measurement but are not aware of the analog filtering and digital smoothing that can change the bottom line numbers.
Thanks for commenting.
According to the SAMMI site .308 is 62,000, while 7.62x51 is 60,000. FWIW... I have both and shoot both, but I 'hunt' with a 30-06 for anything other than pigs. For them, I use a SCAR 17 in .308.
ReplyDeleteIf you had to choose just one rifle cartridge to do it all on North American game and do it adequately the .308 is a very good, well understood, capable candidate. In the correct hands it can handle pretty much anything that exists in North America.
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