Pennsylvania Game News - November 2016 - 62

3-9x variable scope could handle any
situation out to a practical hunting range
of 300 yards.
For a cartridge, we agreed factory
ammunition would need to be available in
a variety of bullet weights, and common
enough it could be found anywhere from a
large sporting-goods store to a little country gun shop. Plus, reloading components
had to be readily available.
It had to be powerful enough to take
most game, yet with recoil light enough
to be easily tolerated by a novice.
Finally someone said, "What's wrong
with the .308 Winchester?"
It seemed the perfect choice for both
novice and seasoned hunters.
It might not handle every type of game
in the world but, with the right bullet, it's
proven effective across North America.
The .308 Winchester initially was
an experimental round the military and
Winchester developed to give near .30-06
ballistics in a compact cartridge.
It was given the metric handle of
7.62x51mm or 7.62 NATO.
The case was a half-inch shorter than
the .30-06. It held about 10 grains less
of a newly developed ball powder, and
gave velocities of about 100 fps less than
the '06.
It was chambered in the M14 rifle,
which had proven its reliability and accuracy on the battlefield and in competitive
matches. It also was chambered in the
M60 squad automatic rifle and the M40
sniper rifle.
The .308 Winchester was made available to the public in 1952. Winchester
initially chambered it in the Model 70
bolt gun and, a couple years later, in its
hammerless Model 88 lever-action.
The cartridge was not an immediate
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success, perhaps because many .30-06
owners didn't see the sense in powering
down, even a little. Its popularity grew
steadily, though, with the rise of shorteraction rifles, which are lighter and stiffer,
and a hair quicker in working the action.
Handloaders could use readily available 30-caliber components (bullets and
military brass) - and 15 to 20 percent
less powder - to obtain close to .30-06
ballistics, and with less recoil.
The .308 has since been among the
top four most-popular rifle cartridges.
Virtually every rifle manufacturer has
chambered it in their lineup. Remington,
Savage, Weatherby, Ruger, Thompson
Center and Armalite - just to name a few -
have it in bolt, lever, pump, semi-auto and
single-shot designs. And foreign manufacturers such as Sako, FN, Mauser, Styer,
CZ and Howa continue to chamber it.
Initially the .308 Winchester had a 1-in12-inch twist that would accurately stabilize practical hunting bullets from 150 to
180 grains, even though 110- to 130-grain
bullets also would shoot accurately.
Today's rifle manufacturers typically
use a 1-in-10-inch twist for the .308
Winchester, finding it suits most sporting
purposes.
But some manufacturers produce 1-in12-inch or 1-in-13-inch twists in their
special models for benchrest and Palma
match shooting, and tactical use. These
twists are tailored more for the 150- to
178-grain match grade boattail bullets for
shooting out to 1,000 yards.
Suitable powders include old standbys,
such as IMR 3031, IMR 4064, IMR 4895
and IMR 4320. Newer ones, such as

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - November 2016