Two of the most popular rifle calibers among American shooters that can be used for long-range hunting and target shooting are the.308 Winchester (shortened to.300 WinMag) and the.300 Winchester Magnum.ย This article compares the two cartridges head-to-head so you can select the one that gives you the best results, on the range and in the field.
This piece starts with a short history of each cartridge. In this case, they are closely related.ย The ballistic performance of each cartridge is then described before a practical analysis is given to help you choose which of these two Cold War era cartridges you should use.
Both the.308 Win Mag and the.300 Win mag are capable long-range cartridges.ย Both the ammo and rifles that chamber this cartridge are more readily available and cheaper.ย The second is more powerful and accurate.ย Both are great options for many shooters. However, the application will determine which one you choose.
Historical Evolution
308 Winchester – Historyย 308 Winchester
The World Wars have been the most important testing grounds for weapons, and in particular, small arms.ย In the First World War, the majority of countries found that bolt-action rifles developed at the end 19th century, while powerful and accurate, were too slow for close-quarter combat in trenches.
In the Second World War the same lessons were learned, with one addition: The pistol-caliber ammunition fired by submachine gun worked well in urban environments, but not at the longer ranges required for mobile combat.ย Logistics were also made more difficult by fighting alongside several allies, each of whom used their own cartridges.
In the early 1950s, the T65 cartridge was developed to meet both the problems of pistols and cartridges at the middle and solve logistical issues for the newly formed NATO alliance, just after World War II.ย The T65 was slightly smaller than.30-06, which is used in the M1 Garand. It was larger than.30 Carbine fired from the M1 Carbine. And it fed reliably with semi-automatic action.ย The 7.62mm NATO cartridge was developed in 1954 after a lot of bureaucratic and politic wrangling. It provided more than enough power to handle most combat situations.
Winchester recognized an opportunity to capture a new market during the NATO trials of the T65 cartridge. This cartridge was more accurate than the older.3006 cartridge, had a softer firing point, and could be fed into a wide variety of actions, such as semi-automatic rifles or bolt-action rifles.ย Winchester developed the.308 Winchester from early versions of T65.ย The NATO round is slightly larger than the 7.62 NATO, but it’s so close in size that the 7.62 NATO will fit into.308 rifles.
This is just one example of how military developments can be applied to civilian applications.ย Both the 7.62NATO cartridge and the.308 Winchester cartridge can be considered to be offshoots from the T65. They are both still in use today due to their effectiveness, accuracy, and reliability.
History of the.300 Winchester Magnum
There is a good chance that anyone who develops a successful hunting cartridge will create a magnum variant that includes more powder and heavier bullets in an effort to produce a cartridge capable of killing larger game animals, shooting from longer distances or both.ย This is exactly what happened to the.300 Winchester Magnum.
Introduced in the early 1960s the.300 Winchester Magnum combines the popular.338 Winchester Magnum with bullets of.30 caliber.ย The smaller bullets allow for greater velocity while using the same amount powder.ย The.30 bullets have the same diameter as the.308.ย The wide range of bullets for.308 NATO and 7.62mm NATO is available to hunters and target shooters.
It is often best to use a widely accepted standard when it comes to the success of any product. This is particularly true for firearms.ย If NATO and the US invest in retooling the arsenals of their respective countries with.308 Bullets, then those bullets will be available for a long time and will help keep the costs low for the consumer.ย The.300 Winchester Magnum is the successor to the.338 Winchester Magnum. It is a cartridge that can be used for hunting and target shooting.
The.300 Win Mag has two parents in its history: the.338 Winchester Magnum, which brought the larger casing, and the Winchester.308 bullet.ย The.300 Winchester Magnum is a modified version of the.308 Winchester for those who want a bit more power at longer ranges.
Ballistic Performance
Powerhouse vs.ย Efficiency
- The.308 Winchester bullet weighs between 125 and 175 grains. Out of a 24 inch barrel, the velocity is 2500-3100 ft/sec.
- The energy of a round from a 308 is typically in the range of 2550-3111 foot-lbs.ย It is a reliable and efficient cartridge.
- The.300 Winchester Magnum loads are heavier, with bullets in the range of 150-220 grains, and they travel at speeds between 2875-3300 feet-per-second.
- The.300 Winchester Magnum bullets have a velocity of 3828-4038 feet-lbs.ย The.300 Winchester Magnum is a bit faster and hits harder than.308 Winchester
Winner :.300 Winchester Magnum
External ballistics: Distance and Trajectory
- The.308 round is flat-shooting out to 200 yards.ย The round continues to drop steadily from that point until the 700-yard mark.ย It is a reliable cartridge for hunting and target shooting.
- Depending on the ammo, it may not fly much differently than match-grade target or hunting ammunition.
- The.300 Winchester Magnum has a very flat trajectory and can shoot out to 400 yards, giving it a greater range than the.308 Winchester.
- The.300 Win Mag also drops more slowly: this allows for longer ranges, but because of the wide variation in muzzle velocity between bullet weights, you will want to stick to one specific loading if you want the rifle to shoot consistently.
Winner :.300 Winchester Magnum
Terminal Ballistics: stopping Power
- The.308 can stop a target with ease. There’s a reason why NATO forces have switched to 7.62mm for the SCAR after years of using 5.56mm.
- At ranges of over 500 yards it is best used as suppressive fire.ย It shares its lineage with cartridges used in machine guns like the M60.
- The.300 Winchester Magnum cartridge has the edge here because of its heavier bullet weight. Heavy bullets are hard-hitting, and the heavier they are, the more energy is transferred to the target when they strike.ย This is because of the heavier bullets in.300 Win mag cartridges: this is why Navy SEALS developed the Mk.ย This caliber is used in the 13 sniper weapon.
- The flatter trajectory of.300 Win mag will likely translate to a greater hit probability over a longer range. Hitting the target is what matters most in the discussion about stopping power.
Winner :.300 Winchester Magnum
Rifle Platforms and Ammunition
Rifle Requirements – Action and Barrel
- The.308 cartridge is widely used on Earth.ย It is chambered in the Springfield M1a, and most AR 10s.ย There are also short- and long action bolt guns made by a variety of manufacturers.
- You’ll be able find a rifle within your budget that will shoot well.ย If the shooter is diligent, even a bolt action rifle under $500 can be accurate to 1 MOA.
- This caliber is more powerful than the.308 Winchester Magnum and therefore requires a longer, beefier action. Bolt-actions will be more expensive in this case.
- The.300 Win Mag cartridge is a hunting specialist, so the guns that chamber it are often expensive and precise.
Winner: .308
Ammunition Cost and Availability
- These cartridges are not cheap to use.
- Online, you can find a wide range of.308 ammo.ย Ammo prices are often affected by things like wars and sanctions.
- The cost of.300 Winchester Magnum can vary greatly. Some of the lower-cost loadings are available for the same price or less than.308, while match-grade loads can be twice as expensive.ย Both the.300 Win Mag as well as the.308 will require a significant budget for practice.
Winner: .308
Shooting Experience & Recoil
Felt recoil: Comfort, control and comfort
- .308 Winchester cartridges are characterized by a strong recoil.ย Semi-autos have less recoil, because some of that energy is used to cycle the action.ย Bolt action rifles are stronger, but a good shooting position and butt pad can make a big difference.
- It is essential to practice dry-firing with rifles of this caliber in order to prevent developing a flinch.
Winner: .308
Accuracy & Precision
Both the.308 Winchester Magnum and the.300 Winchester Magnum have a high level of accuracy and precision.ย Both are capable of sub-MOA precision, especially with bolt-action rifles.ย Training is the key factor here. Someone who knows his rifle and the ammo he uses will always beat someone new to it, no matter how accurate they may be.
The.300 Winchester Magnum may be slightly more accurate at long ranges, since the heavier bullet retains energy better at high speeds.ย The difference in accuracy between the two cartridges is less than what can be achieved by practicing.
Winner : The.308 Winchester cartridge has the edge, as.300 Win mag match-grade and hunting loads can be very expensive.
Field Application
Matching caliber to game: Hunting Applications
- The.308 would work well for medium-sized animals such as deer, and it is also suitable for hogs.ย A smaller caliber would be appropriate for smaller game animals.
- Its muzzle velocity and energy are ideal for hunting larger game such as Elk, but it would also be a great choice for longer-ranged deer hunts.
Winner: Tie
Tactical and long-range shooting
- The.308 ammunition is cheaper and allows you to do more repetitions.
- If you want to build the ultimate bolt-action for long-range shooting and money is not an issue, then the.300 win mag is more accurate.
Winner : 300 Winchester Magnum
Conclusion
The.308 Winchester is an excellent cartridge, as is the.300 Winchester Magnum. Both are variations of a tried and tested battle rifle round.
- The.308 is a better choice if you want flexibility and semi-automatics.
- The.300 Win mag cartridge is one of the most powerful long-range stopping ammunitions available today.
Both of these cartridges will be available for many years.
