Is The .308 Winchester Dead?
Is The .308 Winchester Dead?
The .308 Winchester was never a top choice big game cartridge for me. I know this cartridge can performed exceptionally well with the right bullet on some of the toughest game animals out there. But, rarely did I have any enthusiasm about hunting with this cartridge, even though I know it’s more than capable for 99% of the games I hunt.
With such lack of interest on my part, I want to talk a little bit about this cartridge to see if it’s still a popular all-round cartridge so many hunters and shooters have come to love. I want to know your honest opinion about this cartridge in the comments on what you like or dislike about it after reading this blog.
The .308 Winchester is one of the most popular and versatile hunting and shooting cartridges worldwide for many great reasons.
Military Development
Winchester introduced this cartridge back in 1952, just two years before the military version 7.62x 51mm was adopted as the standard U.S military rifle cartridge and later for NATO. The main reason for the development of this round is that it was intended to go into battle if approved for the military. It was eventually adopted by the military due to its exceptional performance in a short action. Despite its similarity, the .308 Win and 7.62×51 are not 100% identical, but we’ll save that for another article.
I have seen the 7.62x51mm NATO in action during my deployments to the middle east and know its deadly potential on an enemy combatant from an infantrymen’s standpoint. When we needed a position suppressed with small arms fire, the dismounted M240B machine gun or the M240C COAX machine gun laying down hundreds of rounds of 7.62 suppressive fires per minute was our answer to maneuver onto the objective to eliminate the threat.
International Hunting Cartridge
The .308 Win has a solid support of international hunters worldwide. It’s one of the few cartridges you can find ammo for anywhere in the world.
The short-action cartridge has generated a whole family of highly useful cartridges for the hunter in terms of hunting cartridge based off the .308 case. Notably the .243 Winchester, .260 Remington, 7mm-08 Remington, as well as the two hard hitting cartridges, the .338 Federal and .358 Winchester. All these cartridges I’ve mentioned have seen their rise and fall from glory, but one still stands out on top, and that’s the .308 Winchester. All these cartridges became internationally recognized and approved by both SAAMI and CIP. Many others that I have not mentioned, remained wildcat cartridges that never really caught on.
The .308 Win is considered by many serious hunters to be ideal for medium to heavy size game animals. It’s reputation as a capable medium to long-range cartridge has been stretched beyond 500 yards by many long-range hunters that have full confidence in the cartridge. It has proven its relevance as a capable hunting cartridge worldwide at various games and ranges beyond what most of us could have imagine thirty or forty years ago.
Age of Precision
The age of precision shooting has always been here and its growing year by year. Manufacturers are pushing their research and development team into hyper-drive to build the most accurate rifles for the fast-growing long-range precision market. It’s a competitive race to be the best of the best, utilizing the latest technology to be ahead of the competitors is a race to feed the hungry market.
Not surprisingly, the .308 Winchester was one of a few cartridges that came for the ride through various precision shooting platforms and have seen its fair share of medals on the world stage of competitive shooting to this today. But have we pushed this old workhorse of a cartridge too far and to its limits already, or does it still have potential?
Loaded with the right bullet, it is more than capable of taking the largest European stag or American Elk with ease. Its popularity is no surprised why so many ammunition and rifle manufacturers make it a priority to have this cartridge on their inventory year after year. Its versatility is considered by many as a one-round solution cartridge for most of their hunting or shooting needs. Long-range and competitive shooters are still relying on this old trusty workhorse to bring home its last medal. It’s a cartridge of passion for many, and for some, it’s a cartridge full of history.
Classic looking rifles like the B14 Timber chambered in .308 Win is a great combo to help drive the popularity of this cartridge to hunters wanting a classic combination.
Pros and Cons of the .308 Winchester
There are a lot more positive things about the .308 Winchester that I could bring up, but I want to go over a 3/3 ratio for the pros and cons and cover down on what I think are worth noting.
Pros:
- Tolerable recoil.
- Ammunition is inexpensive and available worldwide.
- More rifle manufacturers have rifles chambered for this cartridge than most cartridges out there. What this means is more options to choose from.
Cons:
- The .308 Winchester is still considered a military “status” cartridge in some countries. Such status makes this cartridge illegal to hunt with or be used for any other sporting purposes.
- Once dubbed a capable long-range cartridge, it’s a cartridge that is losing some of its glitters and stardom to the new long-range cartridges.
- Old habits die hard, but more hunters and shooters are looking at new alternatives, especially when media popularity of long-range hunting and PRS style shooting is taking the top spotlight in countries that thrives for it.
Success or Failure of this Cartridge
Winchester hit the goldmine by introducing the .308 Winchester. This cartridge is one of the most popular short-action big-game hunting cartridge around the world today, but not just by name-right itself. A lot of hunters worldwide have studied this cartridge with great interest and have a better understanding on its ballistics and performance today than ever before, and with that, we can only hope it will carry on for generations to come.
Failure Will Be on Us
Its failure will depend on a few things; lack of interest and lack rifles and ammo. If the lack of interest is on a decline, the production will also slow down and that can be the end of its reign. Most of us in this industry have seen it happened before. When a cartridge loses its stardom status, it starts to lose its glitter and fade into the back storage space of everyone’s priority. The .308 Win is no different than any other cartridges, it’s still vulnerable to be a victim of supply and demand like any other cartridges out there.
King of Short-Action
The .308 Winchester is king of the short action .30 caliber cartridges. It can be hard to elaborate on old school popularity to the new generations of shooters these days when hunting and shooting has taken a big upswing of interest in the long-range shooting crazed within the last decade.
I do consider myself an old school hunter. I like the challenge of an open-sight rifle and still prefer to get as close as possible. Maybe I need to change my way of thinking about the .308 Winchester and help keep its popularity alive like so many of you that are passionate about this cartridge.
It is king of the short action for many reasons, but the crown on the .308 Winchester might be in jeopardy with the ever-growing popularity of the 6,5 Creedmoor as more international hunters and long-range shooters are opening-up to it. I could be wrong, but time will tell.
Este This Gemsbok (Oryx) was quartering away at 200 yards and a perfect shot placement from a B14 Timber in .308 Win was all it took.
Conclusion
I personally don’t think the .308 Winchester will be completely gone from mainstream media and deer camp anytime soon, not in my lifetime anyway. Whether you are a classic .308 Win shooter or a new breed of .308 Win long-range shooter, one thing we all have in common is our interest and curiosity about in this cartridge.
What’s your thought on the .308 Winchester, is the popularity of this cartridge coming to an end, or is it dead to you already? Let me know your thoughts and opinions on this classic cartridge.
About the Author
Al Louangketh is the marketing coordinator and pro team manager for Bergara Rifles International. He holds a PhD in Wildlife Science and is a retired U.S Army Veteran living in Europe.
Feel free to contact him if you have any questions about this blog or questions about Bergara rifles.