. 308 Winchester The . 308 Winchester ( pronounced : " three - oh - eight " or " three - aught - eight " ) is a rimless , bottlenecked , rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge from which the 7 . 62×51mm NATO round was derived . The . 308 Winchester was introduced in 1952 , two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7 . 62×51mm NATO T65 . Winchester 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 . It is also commonly used for civilian target shooting , military sniping , and police sharpshooting . The relatively short case makes the . 308 Winchester especially well - adapted for short - action rifles . When loaded with a bullet that expands , tumbles , or fragments in tissue , this cartridge is capable of high terminal performance . Although very similar to the military 7 . 62×51mm NATO specifications , the . 308 cartridge is not identical , and there are special considerations that may apply when mixing these cartridges with 7 . 62×51mm NATO , and . 308 Winchester chambered arms . Their interchange is , however , considered safe by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute ( SAAMI ) . Cartridge dimensions . The . 308 Winchester has 3 . 64 ml ( 56 . 0 grains ) cartridge case capacity . The exterior shape of the case was designed to promote reliable case feeding and extraction in bolt action rifles and machine gun s alike , under extreme conditions . . 308 Winchester maximum C . I . P . cartridge dimensions . All dimensions in millimeters ( mm ) and inches . 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 ) rulings the . 308 Winchester can handle up to P 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 . This means that . 308 Winchester chambered arms in C . I . P . regulated countries are currently ( 2008 ) proof tested at PE piezo pressure . Usage and performance . The . 308 Winchester is one of the most successful hunting cartridges in the United States , and possibly the world . It has gained popularity in many countries as an exceptional cartridge for game in the medium - to large - sized class . In North America it is used extensively on whitetail deer , pronghorn and even the occasional caribou or black bear . Clay Harvey , an American gun writer , says it is usable on moose and elk . Layne Simpson , an American who has hunted in Sweden , says he is surprised how many hunters there use the cartridge . Craig Boddington was told by a Norma Precision executive that the . 308 is one of Norma ' s best - selling calibers . In Africa the . 308 Win is one of the most popular calibers among Bushveld hunters and is used on anything from duiker right up to the massive eland ( a small and large African antelope respectively ) . Proponents of the hydrostatic shock theory contend that the . 308 Winchester has sufficient energy to impart hydrostatic shock to living targets when rapidly expanding bullets deliver a high rate of energy transfer . The . 308 Winchester has slightly more drop at long range than the . 30 - 06 Springfield , owing to its slightly lower ( 100 ft / s ) muzzle velocity with most bullet weights . Cartridges with significantly higher muzzle velocities , such as the . 300 Winchester Magnum can have significantly less drop at long range . 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 7 mm - 08 Remington , the . 338 Federal , and the . 358 Winchester ( aka 8 . 8×51mm ) . 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 .