Caliber 308 belongs to a large group of combat and hunting cartridges, which has a very wide scope and application. This group includes a number of ammunition varieties very similar in their technical characteristics, developed on the basis of 30-caliber cartridges used in the US Army at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Caliber 308 is versatile and suitable for both the needs of the army and for hunting. This cartridge is produced by almost all major companies in the world. There are a huge number of different modifications of cartridges for weapons of 308 caliber, which differ in the characteristics of the bullet, which have an impact on the scope and ballistic data. The range of hunting rifles and military weapons using this caliber is very wide and includes, among other things, domestic developments. This caliber is optimal in many ways, including shot accuracy, less recoil, lighter weight of the weapon chambered for this cartridge, and extensive reloading automation capabilities. Domestic manufacturers of hunting weapons have long been using the potential308 caliber and offer a wide range of 308 caliber ammunition at affordable prices, as well as developing new variants of carbines in line with the latest trends in the unification of hunting weapons, including options with interchangeable barrels and bolt larvae.
Thirty-gauge Predecessors
The history of the US.30 goes back to the 45-70 Government, which began production in 1873.
It was a heavy and low-yield ammunition for a single-shot military rifle Springfield with the following characteristics:
1. Caliber - 11.63 mm.
2. Powder charge - 4.54
3. Bullet weight - 26.2 g.4. Power - 3000 j.
It was a cartridge of the transitional era, when black powder was replaced with smokeless pyroxylin types. Its ballistic characteristics and stopping effect are very close to those of a 16-gauge smoothbore shotgun. At the turn of the century, the American army needed a new cartridge, lighter, for smokeless powder and a smaller caliber for repeating rifles. So in 1892, the 30-40 Krag cartridge appeared for Krag-Jorgensen rifles. It was the earliest representative of the family of American.30-caliber cartridges, which had a classic bottle-shaped case. The main difference between this cartridge and subsequent developments is the protruding flange at the rear end of the sleeve. Its characteristics were as follows:
1. Caliber - 7.8mm.
2. Length - 78.5 mm.
3. Bullet - 6-13
4. The initial speed is 883-820 m/s.5. Muzzle energy - 2529 J.
It was a sharp jump towards increasing the range and accuracy of fire. At a distance of 200 m, when shooting along a flat trajectory, the bullet goes down by 2 cm. For military purposes, this cartridge was not used for long, but it is still used to hunt large animals up to 250 kg.
The main representatives of the American thirtieth caliber
All cartridges in this family have the same bottle case shape as the 30-40 Krag, but they do not have a raised flange.
Top 30 gauges were developed as a small caliber class of handgun ammunition. These cartridges differ in the length of the sleeve, which affects the amount of gunpowder, as well as the shape, weight and design of the bullet. The case without a protruding flange is a German development and is intended for rifles with a box magazine like Mauser M 98. The first representative of the classic range of cartridges of the American thirtieth caliber was ammunition for Springfield rifles, which are copies of the above-mentioned German rifle with a box magazine and free-sliding rotary bolt. At the beginning of the twentieth century, two such ammunition appeared. These are calibers 30-03 and 30-06 Springfield. Both cartridges differ from each other in the size of the sleeve and the shape of the bullet. Caliber 30-06 has a shortened case by 1.77 mm, but the most significant difference is the design of the bullet. Caliber 30-03 has a heavy bullet weighing 14.3 g with a round head. This bullet didn't get enoughhigh performance in terms of flatness of fire, but it has excellent stopping properties. These characteristics were the reason for her short military career and the rapid transition to the category of hunting ammunition. The last two digits in the designation of the caliber indicate the year the US Army adopted these cartridges. Caliber 30-03 - 1903 Caliber 30-06 - 1906 Adoption of a new 30-caliber cartridge in just three years was due to a bullet. The Germans began to make pointed bullets for their magazine rifles, which were lighter and more accurate. In the USA, they immediately reacted to the German innovation and adopted their own version of the cartridge with a pointed full-shell bullet weighing 9.7 g. This is how the caliber 30-06 appeared, which is still used as military ammunition, it is considered the most common hunting cartridge in the world.
The problem of choosing a 30-gauge weapon
The fact is that there are two main and most common options for 30-caliber ammunition with almost the same ballistic characteristics, but they require two different chamber designs and bolt group sizes. This weapon is for caliber 30-06 and caliber 308 win. Novice hunters constantly face this problem, since they are offered almost the same guns for cartridges with the same ballistics, but the binding to a certain type of ammunition depends on the choice of weapon. To make this circumstance less embarrassing, you need to tell why this problem appeared at all. It's all the Americans' faultmilitary, since both cartridges were developed for military weapons for the US Army.
The 308 caliber cartridge is a shortened version of the 30-06 caliber. A shortened version appeared after the Second World War, when a new intermediate cartridge with weaker recoil was needed for military needs, on the basis of which new automatic weapon systems could be developed. A shorter sleeve makes it possible to create compact automation due to the short stroke of the bolt group, and the weakening of the muzzle energy creates even greater prerequisites for reducing the weight of the weapon. In the early 1950s, the caliber 308 was adopted by the US Army and other NATO member countries. This cartridge is still used for submachine guns, machine guns and sniper rifles in the West. The change in the dimensions of the 30-caliber cartridge of the 1906 model had practically no effect on the weight and ballistics of hunting weapons. That is why there are two cartridges of the same caliber, under which almost identical guns are made with different stroke lengths of the bolt group.
What is the difference between caliber 308 win and caliber 30-06 for hunting
Caliber 30-06 model 1906 has the following characteristics:
1. Caliber - 7.62 mm (practical caliber - 7.82 mm).
2. Cartridge length - 84, 84 mm.
3. Sleeve length - 63, 35 mm.
4. Possible bullet weight range is 6.54-16.2 g.
5. The initial speed is 820-976 m/s.
6. The muzzle energy range is 3200-4126 J.7. Ability to manually load a cartridgethe right bullet and the right amount of gunpowder.
Caliber 308 win has the following features:
1. Caliber - 7.62 mm (practical caliber - 7.82 mm).
2. Cartridge length - 71.05 mm.
3. Sleeve length - 51, 18 mm.
4. Bullet weight range - 6.54-13 g.
5. The initial speed is 800-950 m/s.6. Muzzle energy - 3600 J.
Slight differences and price difference
These cartridges have similar technical characteristics, and their ballistic performance is almost the same. Caliber 30-06 has the ability to be equipped with heavier bullets, but advantages over 308 caliber in muzzle energy are possible only with the appropriate barrel length with the appropriate twist and the use of special slow-burning powder. The most significant difference between these ammunition is their cost and availability on the Russian market. Imported 308 caliber for hunting will be cheaper than 30-06. But domestic cartridges of both calibers, which are much cheaper than imported ones, differ greatly in quality. According to hunters, the caliber 30-06 manufactured in Barnaul with a steel sleeve has a lot of complaints about the accuracy of shooting, the number of delays in firing and the likelihood of jamming the shutter. But the domestic caliber 308 has much fewer complaints about quality. When choosing weapons for the thirtieth American caliber, one should take into account the large difference in the price of ammunition that exists between high-quality imported 30-06 caliber cartridges and domestic 308 caliber cartridges, also of quite acceptable quality. In both cases, the differencein ballistic characteristics will be insignificant. Under the shortened version of the American cartridge of the thirtieth caliber, the hunting ammunition market has a wider selection of weapon models.
Ballistics
308 ballistics has some specifics. Loss of velocity of a 308 caliber bullet and its displacement relative to the horizontal plane depend on the weight of the bullet, its type and the capabilities of a particular cartridge. The following table shows the comparative ballistic performance of different cartridges when fired at a distance of 200 meters and a twist of 12 inches.
| Chuck type and manufacturer | bullet weight | initial speed | muzzle energy | deviation |
| Winchester Partition | 150 grains | 884/733 m/s | 3800/2605 J | -19.8cm |
| Winchester Ballistic | 168 grains | 814/703 m/s | 3606/2689 J | - 21.8cm |
| Norma Nosler | 180 grains | 796/668 m/s | 3694/2600 J | - 29.5cm |
| Remington Swift Scirocco | 180 grains | 823/117 m/s | 3961/3000 J | - 21cm |
| Federal Sierra HPBT | 168 grains | 823/710 m/s | 3631/2700 J | - 20.5cm |
| Hornedy Light Magnum SST | 150 grains | 915/775 m/s | 4075/3461 J | - 18cm |
| Lapua Lock-base | 170 grains | 860/746 m/s | 4068/3064 J | - 19cm |
From the above table it can be seen that the ballistics of 308 caliber cartridges from different manufacturers can differ significantly due to the different weights of the bullets used, their different shapes, as well as the different quantity and quality of gunpowder. The ballistic characteristics of domestically produced 308 caliber cartridges are somewhat inferior to imported cartridges, the data on which are given in the table.
Advantages of 308 caliber hunting weapon systems
308 caliber hunting carbines can be either multi-shot, automatic, semi-automatic, as well as single-shot and combined, with several barrels of different calibers. Self-loading and automatic carbines for a shortened thirtieth caliber hit more accurately due to less recoil. The 308 caliber hunting carbine has a number of other advantages. Single-shot carbines have a lighter bolt with a short stroke, which makes it possible to reduce the length and weight of the weapon without sacrificing shooting accuracy. The 308 caliber cartridge is universal. Under it, you can find single-shot guns with both horizontally sliding bolts and vertically sliding bolts. The.308 bolt-action carbines are particularly compact, lightweight and silently reload without delay, and the shock spring can be in the form of a brace instead of a coil, making these systems trouble-free. There are other advantages that the caliber 308 has. Hunters' reviews indicate that if the magazine fails, these cartridges are easier to load into the chamber manually, one at a time, and with morelong cartridges, such as caliber 30-06 and others, this technique is not as effective or not possible at all due to the length. And one more advantage. In magazine shotguns for long cartridges, the soft shell of the bullet is much more likely to deform when it is automatically moved into the chamber, which affects the accuracy of the shot. The caliber 308 has much less complaints in this regard. Reviews of experts positively evaluate the 308 caliber in this regard, rather than the longer versions of the 30 caliber.
308 caliber in interchangeable barrel systems
The 308 caliber cartridge has always been in line with modern trends in the development of hunting weapons. Increasingly popular are universal systems in which you can use several of the most popular calibers and their varieties. There are samples that can be modified in the field even into a 308 caliber carbine, even into a 30-06 caliber carbine, as well as change the barrel caliber. For example, the Browning MARAL system kit includes interchangeable barrels and bolt larvae. Its mechanism is very similar to the AK mechanism, but there is no venting device. This moment of reloading is carried out manually by pulling the bolt carrier back and forth. Among domestic developments with interchangeable barrels and bolt larvae, one can name an automatic carbine manufactured by VPO Molot. This unique Russian-made hunting weapon is a fully automatic magazine carbine with a gas-operated mechanism that can operate asrifle 308 caliber, as well as a carbine 223 Rem and 20X76. This is both a gun and a carbine of two types in one system, issued for one license.
Optimal twist for.308
There are a number of.308 twist barrel options available, ranging from 10" to 14" barrel lengths. Twist is a complete revolution of the bullet around its axis, which it makes when moving in the bore. Accordingly, the twist of 10 inches is the full rotation of the bullet in the barrel, which the bullet makes after passing the ten-inch run along the barrel. The heavier and longer the bullet, the shorter the twist should be. To determine the optimal twist for a 308 caliber, you need to know the type of bullet that will be predominantly used in hunting. The standard bullet weight of 168 grains can be considered optimal for 308 caliber. Reviews indicate that for such a bullet the minimum possible twist will be 14 inches. Lighter bullets with this twist will be restabilized, but their ballistics will remain within tolerance. The heavier.308 bullets already need a shorter twist. Many hunters say that 308 requires 12 twists. For example, the Chezet 550 carbine, caliber 308, in various modifications, is often cited as an example. Czech rifles are distinguished by a universal bolt for various lengths of 308 caliber cartridges, which in itself is quite massive. To reduce the weight of the weapon, Czech gunsmiths use a special technology for the production of thin-walled barrels, which greatly affects the ballistics due to the instantaneousbarrel overheating. For commercial hunting, you need a thick barrel, a simple sight when you can quickly catch a target with a fly, a trouble-free mechanism and a bolt for the cheapest cartridge of 30 caliber, which is 308 caliber. The twist must be calculated for the maximum weight and length of the bullet. With all the pros and cons, 308 caliber hunting carbines should be chosen with a 12-inch twist, which will provide a reliable shot for domestic ammunition equipped with domestic bullets. The 308 has more choice in bullet weights at an affordable price, so the 12 twist is a wider weapon potential.
Precision benchmark - Remington 308 caliber
Hunting weapons for 308 caliber from the company "Remington" has the richest line of model options. The sliding action of the main models of single-shot and repeating rifles of this company is structurally based on the Mauser rifle of the early 20th century. 308 caliber allows you to create a wide range of weapons, ranging from sports models to commercial weapons, typical for hunting in the northern regions of the American continent. The accuracy of.308 Remington rifles is unsurpassed. Under $3,000, you can find a.308 Remington rifle for almost any civilian use, including hunting, sports, and defense. The high accuracy is due to the reliance on American weapons traditions and meets the requirements for NATO military weapons, where the 308 cartridge is one of the main ammunition for both machine guns and machine guns. shortenedThe.30 caliber sleeve without a flange provides excellent opportunities for developers to create weapons of high reliability and accuracy, focusing on the needs of the civilian sector. Cheaper versions of domestic 308 caliber cartridges with ballistic characteristics similar to Western counterparts increase the undeniable advantages of 308 caliber for hunting in Russia. Weak recoil, high accuracy and more reliable performance for the reloading mechanism make the 308 caliber indispensable in all areas, including not only hunting, but also defense and security.
