Comparability of America’s Trendy Army Cartridges – FREEDOMBUNKER

In terms of debates at your native gun retailer, your grandfather’s porch, or across the fireplace at your deer camp, there’s none extra heated than 223 vs 308. The 223 Remington and the 308 Winchester are the 2 hottest centerfire rifle cartridges throughout North America, Europe, and the world.

Ever for the reason that 223 Rem changed the 308 Winchester because the U.S. Army commonplace situation cartridge within the Nineteen Sixties, the controversy has raged on hotter than a +P+ 44 Magnum spherical as to which of those two rifle cartridges is best.

Though I doubt we are going to clear up the 308 vs 223 caliber disaster on this article, I’m assured that you’ll be taught which is the proper NATO spherical in your wants.

Seize your favourite AR platform and let’s rack these charging handles on this 60+ yr caliber debate. I hope your magazines are totally loaded as a result of we’re leaping into 223 vs 308 proper now!

A Fast Observe on Nomenclature

Within the context of this text, .308 Winchester (308 Win) and seven.62x51mm NATO (762 NATO) will probably be used interchangeably. The identical could be stated for .223 Remington (223 Rem) and 5.56x45mm NATO (556 NATO).

Nevertheless, please perceive that rifles chambered in .308 Win and .223 Rem are completely different than these chambered of their NATO spec equivalents, 7.62 and 5.56, respectively.

It is best to expertise zero points taking pictures .223 Rem ammo in your 5.56 NATO rifle, however not vice versa. The identical is true for 7.62 NATO in a .308 Win rifle.

This is because of chamber stress variations between the .223 Rem vs 5.56 NATO and .308 Win vs 7.62 NATO rounds.

Backside line: Know what spherical your rifle is chambered in (it’s usually engraved on the barrel or receiver of your rifle) and know what pressures your rifle can safely face up to.

.308 Winchester: Changing the Legendary 30-06 Springfield

Following the tip of the Korean Struggle, the U.S. Army began growing a substitute for the storied M1 Garand. Though the M1 Garand had served the U.S. Armed Forces valiantly via World Struggle II and Korea, the navy needed a extra fashionable service rifle with select-fire functionality and removable magazines just like the Stg-44 and AK-47.

The M1 Garand was chambered within the 30-06 Springfield cartridge, 7.62x63mm NATO designation, a spherical that has been credited with taking down each North American massive recreation animal, together with the good bears. Regardless of its fight effectiveness and lethality, the 30-06 had some downsides that the navy was prepared to repair.

Firstly, the 30-06 Springfield required an extended motion to accommodate the size of the cartridge. An extended motion shouldn’t be ultimate for totally automated fireplace and the navy needed a brief motion cartridge for its new service rifle.

With developments in rifle powder applied sciences and case designs within the Nineteen Fifties, the brand new 7.62x51mm NATO rifle spherical was capable of obtain practically an identical ballistic efficiency because the 30-06 Springfield with its shorter cartridge case size (51mm vs 63mm) and lesser total weight.

The US Military formally adopted the 7.62x51mm NATO spherical in 1954 and the brand new M14 battle rifle in 1958. The M14 featured a 20-round removable journal and choose fireplace functionality (semi-auto and full auto).

The M14 noticed its first motion within the Vietnam Struggle earlier than being rapidly changed by the M16 in 1964, I’ll talk about why within the subsequent part.

The 762 NATO spherical has additionally been utilized in a number of machine weapons fielded by the U.S. Army, together with “The Pig” M60, the M240B, and the GAU-17/A minigun. Moreover, the 762 NATO has been the de facto sniper spherical for legislation enforcement, designated marksmen, and navy snipers since its adoption.

Seeing the potential of the 762 NATO within the civilian market, Winchester was fast to undertake the brand new rifle spherical to its Mannequin 70 bolt motion rifle. The civilian model of the 7.62 NATO was named the .308 Winchester and was launched to most people in 1952, two full years earlier than the U.S. Army formally adopted the cartridge.

The 308 Winchester was virtually a right away industrial success for its astounding accuracy, stopping energy, and an efficient vary out to 1,000 yards (with applicable loadings). Because the Nineteen Fifties and even as much as at the present time, the 308 Win has been a staple in deer searching camps and in marksmanship competitions throughout the globe.

One attraction of the 308 Winchester for giant recreation searching is its vary of bullet weights, usually ranging between 120 to 180 grains.

Though the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 300 Winchester Magnum are starting to achieve reputation within the searching and precision taking pictures circles, there isn’t a scarcity of shooters who swear by and can by no means let go of their beloved 308 Winchester.

.223 Remington: Mild and Quick Beats Heavy and Gradual

As I’m certain a lot of my energetic obligation and former navy readers will agree, most of the choices from high stage brass are extra politically motivated by way of gear choice. That is very true with the acceptance of the 308 Winchester as the brand new battle rifle cartridge.

The generals cherished the heavier bullet that the 308 Win fired, feeling it was mandatory for fight effectiveness because of the success of the 30-06. Ballistically, the 308 was a straightforward selection because the successor to the 30-06 as nicely. Nevertheless, the one factor that wasn’t gushing in regards to the 308 Win was its host rifle, the M14.

Despite the fact that the M14 was fairly heavy, it was not nicely fitted to totally automated fireplace. The recoil was merely an excessive amount of to permit for efficient and correct suppressive fireplace from the M14 and most troopers utilized semi-automatic fireplace as a substitute of full auto.

Moreover, despite the fact that the 308 was lighter than the 30-06, the U.S. Army needed a good lighter cartridge so their troopers may carry extra ammo into battle.

Right here’s the place the 223 Remington comes into play.

Improvement of the 223 Rem rifle spherical started in 1957 and the ultimate design was submitted by Remington Arms to the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Producers’ Institute (SAAMI) in 1962. The event of the 223 Remington cartridge was a joint operation organized by the U.S. Continental Military Command between Fairchild Industries, Remington Arms, and Eugene Stoner of Armalite, utilizing the 222 Remington as a mum or dad cartridge.

Eugene Stone was the first inventor of the AR-10 rifle (chambered in 7.62 NATO), which he was invited to scale right down to accommodate the brand new .223 Rem cartridge. The ensuing rifle that the navy accepted was the M16, the civilian model being the AR-15. Since its adoption, the AR-15 carbine has turn out to be the preferred sporting rifle in US historical past.

The AR platform is so common, firearms producers have been providing it in numerous, and generally obscure, calibers like 6.5 Grendel, 300 Blackout ammo, 7.62×39, and 6.5 Creedmoor to attraction to a wider viewers who prefer to shoot completely different calibers.

With its light-weight and low recoil, the M16 is a perfect platform for full auto fireplace and the ammo is significantly lighter than its 7.62 NATO counterpart. This permits troopers to hold extra ammo into battle for a similar weight, which means they’ll keep within the struggle longer with out impeding their mobility.

The M16 had some teething issues within the Vietnamese jungles, which soured some GIs on the platform fully. Horror tales of poor reliability in Vietnam have plagued the M16 for years. Nevertheless, after some tweaks had been made to the M16 chamber lining, the powder used for 223 Rem ammo, growing the pace of barrel twist charges (1:10 vs 1:7), and the widespread distribution of cleansing kits to all frontline troopers; the reliability points with early M16s all however disappeared.

Since then, the M16 and the shorter barrel size M4 Carbine have turn out to be a ubiquitous image of American navy prowess throughout the globe.

The unique model of the 223 Rem that the navy adopted was the M193, which fired a 55 gr full steel jacket bullet at a muzzle velocity of 3260 FPS with a muzzle vitality of 1294 foot-pounds.

FN Herstal developed the 5.56x45mm NATO spherical starting in 1970 utilizing the 223 Rem as a mum or dad case.  The 5.56 NATO and .223 Rem circumstances have an identical dimensions.

As soon as accepted as a NATO spherical, the 223 Remington has turn out to be some of the mass-produced cartridges internationally. Moreover, it has turn out to be often called a tremendous varmint searching spherical, because it ballisticly outperforms the 222 Remington and 222 Remington Magnum in all classes.

All the most important ammo producers have a wide range of 223 Remington ammo out there on the market. A lot of your larger finish firms like Hornady, Nosler, Barnes, and Federal supply custom-made bullets that merely outperform full steel jacket (fmj) bullets. Ballistic tip, A-Max, mushy factors, and hole level match bullets are all out there in 223 Rem to actually tailor your ammo for the duty at hand.

The Distinction Between .223 Remington and .308 Winchester: Pace and Capability vs Stopping Energy and Vary

In terms of evaluating .223 vs .308, there isn’t a means we are able to say that one rifle cartridge is best as a result of they every excel of their designated roles.

Nevertheless, what we CAN do is take an goal take a look at every cartridge in our 11 Level Comparability Standards and see which is best in a given state of affairs.

.223 vs .308: Cartridge Specs

Let’s begin off by simply trying on the variations in cartridge case specs between these two excellent fashionable navy staples.

One of many starkest contrasts between the 308 Winchester and 223 Remington is their measurement. You may see it within the image above.

It really seems like David and Goliath as you would virtually match everything of the 223 Rem contained in the 308 Win!

As you’ll see within the Ballistics Desk part under, this interprets to the 308 Winchester having considerably larger muzzle vitality (measured in foot-pounds). That added stopping energy comes at the price of weight and recoil, which we are going to talk about subsequent.

The opposite large distinction between these two rifle cartridges is the case capability. The 308 Winchester has virtually 80% extra case capability when in comparison with the 223 Remington.

This permits the 308 Win to fireside a heavier bullet and preserve it going for lengthy vary taking pictures, however all at the price of recoil.

.223 vs .308: Recoil

I’ve seen some stark contrasts in my time, however the distinction in recoil between a 308 and a 223 is nothing wanting monumental.

On common, felt recoil from a 308 Winchester will probably be within the realm of twenty-two foot-pounds. Now that isn’t unmanageable or painful by any stretch of the creativeness. Most shooters won’t have any drawback with handing a 308 with regards to recoil administration.

Nevertheless, examine that to a median of 4 ft-lbs from the 223 Remington! That’s what we name a “evening and day” distinction (over 5x much less felt recoil!)

To present you an thought of what this distinction means, I need to share a narrative my father informed me about his expertise in Superior Infantry Coaching (he was drafted throughout Vietnam).

The M16 had simply been launched whereas my father was in Primary and he truly certified as “Professional” utilizing an M14. Nevertheless, throughout AIT, to display the distinction in recoil between the 2 cartridges, a drill teacher positioned the buttstock of an M16 in opposition to his groin and fired a spherical downrange. (Do NOT do this at your native vary!)

He didn’t keel over in ache and agony; as a substitute, he handed the rifle to my father. Sadly, this drill teacher didn’t repeat this show utilizing an M14 and a 308 Winchester.

If this isn’t probably the most eloquent clarification of the variations between 308 Winchester and 223 Remington recoil then I don’t know what’s!

In terms of recoil, the 223 clearly dominates the sphere which makes it the superior selection for faster comply with up photographs and shooters who’re recoil delicate.

.223 vs .308: Accuracy

Each rifle cartridges are extraordinarily correct and total accuracy will probably be extra of a perform of the taking pictures platform and the particular person pulling the set off. Nevertheless, the listed efficient vary of the 223 Remington is taken into account 500 yards whereas the 308 Winchester is trucking out to 800 yards (1000 yards is attainable with handloads or match ammo).

The 308 Winchester was designed for lengthy vary taking pictures accuracy utilizing a heavier bullet that may resist wind drift whereas the 223 Remington was designed as a low bullet weight, high-velocity cartridge to have interaction targets at intermediate ranges.

All issues being equal, there must be negligible variations in accuracy for photographs below 500 yards. For photographs about 500 yards, the 308 Winchester would be the better option.

Don’t assume that the 223 Remington is ineffective exterior of 500 yards, it most definitely is. Nevertheless, because the 223 bullet begins to hemorrhage fps out previous 500 yards, the variety of corrections wanted will increase. In distinction, the 308 Winchester continues to be trucking alongside at these distances with minimal change in trajectory.

.223 vs .308: Trajectory

Trajectory is the best way we measure the flight of a bullet to its goal primarily based on bullet drop (in inches).

The 223 Remington fires a lighter bullet at a lot larger muzzle velocity than a 308 Winchester. As such, the 223 Rem has a flatter trajectory out to 500 yards.

Taking a look at our Ballistics Desk under, we are going to examine the 308 Winchester 168 gr Match ammo vs the 223 Remington 69 gr ammo.

Assuming a 200 yard zero, on the 400-yard line the 308 could have had a bullet drop of -21.6” whereas the 223 has solely dropped -17.5”. There’s no denying that the 223 Remington has a flatter trajectory. Nevertheless, past 500 yards is the place the 308 Winchester begins to shine, and the 223 Remington begins to fall off (actually).

Past 500 yards, the 308 Winchester will even have the flatter trajectory because the 223 is dropping an excessive amount of fps to keep up its trajectory. Moreover, the 223 Remington usually goes subsonic round 700 yards and that is when accuracy really begins to endure because the bullet is affected extra by exterior forces (gravity, wind drift, air resistance).

To sum all of it up, below 500 yards the 223 Remington could have a flatter trajectory than the 308. Nevertheless, something past 500 yards and the 308 is the clear quick. Because of this the 308 Winchester is the higher ammo for taking pictures lengthy vary.

.223 vs .308: Ballistic Coefficient

Ballistic coefficient is a time period that shooters both actually take note of or keep away from just like the plague. To place it merely, ballistic coefficient (BC) is a mathematical illustration of how aerodynamic a bullet is and the way a lot it resists wind drift.

Usually, heavier bullets could have a better BC. The next BC means the bullet is extra streamlined, can resist crosswinds extra successfully, and are much less prone to wind drift than bullets with a decrease BC.

Because the 308 Winchester can fireplace heavier bullets, logically you’d assume that every one 308’s have a better BC. And in comparison with the 223 Remington, you’d be 100% right in that logic.

On common, a 308 could have a ballistic coefficient of 0.434 whereas the 223 will probably be traipsing about with a median BC of 0.252.

The info we mentioned within the Accuracy and Trajectory sections help this conclusion. The 308 Winchester could have a neater time bucking the wind and is significantly extra aerodynamic than the 223 Rem.

.223 vs .308: Sectional Density

Sectional Density (SD) is the measure of how nicely a bullet penetrates a goal. That is extraordinarily vital when searching large recreation, as you want a bullet that may punch via thick cover, bone, and sinew.

Sectional density is calculated by evaluating the bullet weight and the bullet diameter, the upper the quantity the simpler will probably be at penetrating a goal. The upper the SD the deeper the bullet will penetrate into the goal.

Heavier bullets with smaller diameters could have larger SD’s as there’s extra power being utilized to a smaller floor space.

If you’re sitting there considering, “There’s no means the 223 Rem beats the 308 by way of penetration!” You’d be proper once more.

On common, a 308 Winchester has a SD of 0.248 whereas the 223 Remington has a median SD of 0.164.

Because of this the 308 will penetrate deeper than the 223 on common. This is usually a good factor or a foul factor relying in your state of affairs.

.223 vs .308: Looking

Looking is a class the place each rifle cartridges excel in their very own meant use. As there are various kinds of searching out there, let’s speak about the place every spherical finds itself most at house.

When it comes to varmint searching and small recreation, you merely can’t beat a 223 Remington. Firing a decrease grain bullet weight actually makes the 223 Rem ultimate for small recreation like groundhogs, prairie canine, coyotes, and smaller feral hogs.

Its flat trajectory and silly high-velocity make it the higher selection for these varmints and predators when evaluating it to the 308 Winchester. For these small recreation animals, a 308 packs means an excessive amount of punch and is the true definition of overkill (until you’re into that kind of factor…I don’t choose!)

The low recoiling 223 Remington permits for extremely fast comply with up photographs and a number of goal engagement in your favourite bolt motion or semi-automatic searching rifle.

For varmint searching, I’d advocate the Hornady Varmint 50 grain bullet or Nosler FB Tipped Varmageddon 50 grain bullet. Each choices will undoubtedly fulfill your prairie canine popping wants!

However what about large recreation? Like whitetail, elk, and caribou?

That is the place the baton is handed to the 308 Winchester as it’s, with out query, the proper selection for these large recreation animals. The 223 Remington merely lacks the stopping energy and penetration to take down large recreation. It’s unlawful to hunt deer utilizing a 223 Rem in lots of states because of this (please examine your native searching rules earlier than ever heading into the woods).

The 308 Winchester has been some of the common large recreation searching rounds since its inception and deservedly so. Its heavier bullets actually pack a punch and lengthy vary accuracy makes it your best option for taking up large recreation animals at distance.

Though you possibly can make the most of flatter taking pictures choices just like the 6.5 Creedmoor and 300 Winchester Magnum, the 308 Winchester has been the go-to selection of 1000’s of hunters for nicely over 60 years and it’s exhibiting no indicators of stopping anytime quickly.

You need to use a 308 as much as black bears (with correct shot placement), but when I’m going into bear nation I’m most likely going to take a 375 H&H Magnum or a 340 Weatherby Magnum to verify I’ve sufficient penetration to get the job executed.

Don’t get me improper, the 308 Winchester “can” take down a black bear or a brown bear, identical to a 223 Remington “can” take down a whitetail. It’s simply not your best option for these recreation animals.

I’d advocate using the Hornady SST with a 150 grain bullet for whitetail or antelope-sized recreation animals. This feature offers you distinctive growth, flat trajectory, and incredible terminal ballistics.

For the larger recreation like moose, caribou, and elk I’d advocate the Nosler Partition within the 165 grain bullet providing. This bullet offers you the stopping energy, growth, and penetration that you should drop large recreation animals of their tracks.

To sum all of it up, for varmint searching you can’t beat the excessive fps and flat taking pictures 223 Remington. Its low recoil permits for quick comply with up photographs and a number of goal engagement potential.

For giant recreation, seize your 308 Winchester bolt motion searching rifle. The 308 has the ability you should drop whitetail, pronghorn, and even black bears.

Proceed studying extra about .223 vs .308 ammo right here.