Munitions

.308 Winchester cartridge

Also known as
  • 308 Win
  • 7.62 x 51
  • 7.62x51

.308 Winchester is a centerfire, rimless bottleneck rifle cartridge introduced by Winchester in 1952 and still loaded by major ammunition makers for hunting, match, and sporting use. C.I.P. lists 308 Winchester and 7,62 x 51 as alternate names, while SAAMI cautions that chamber fit alone does not guarantee safe interchangeability. This relationship-only page records the cartridge family and its rifle links without inheriting any conflict-use claims from a parent weapon page.

.308 Winchester cartridge, Centerfire rifle cartridge in .308 Win, Munitions
Image source: .308 Winchester FMJSP.jpg
Representative Loads

Manufacturer pages show the cartridge spread across match and hunting uses rather than a single load type.

LoadRepresentative detailWhy it matters
Winchester S308M2169-grain match loadShows the cartridge's precision and competition market.
Lapua 308 Win Mega185-grain hunting load at 765 m/sShows the cartridge's hunting and sporting market.
Ruger Precision Rifle model 18104.308 Win chambering exampleShows a cataloged rifle class documented as chambered for the round.

Source labels used here: S308M2 - Winchester Ammunition, Lapua 308 Win Mega cartridge, and Ruger Precision Rifle Model 18104.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
Centerfire rifle cartridge in .308 Win
Service note
Introduced in 1952; still in production
Designer
Winchester Repeating Arms
Designed
1952
Produced
1952-present

Specifications

Cartridge family
.308 Winchester / 7,62 x 51
Case type
Centerfire, rimless bottleneck rifle cartridge
Case length
51.18 mm
Overall length
71.12 mm
Bullet diameter
7.85 mm / 0.308 in
Representative loads
Winchester S308M2 is a 169-grain match load; Lapua Mega is a 185-grain hunting load at 765 m/s
Representative chambering
Ruger Precision Rifle model 18104 is listed in .308 Win
Rifles That Fire It

This cartridge family is documented on manufacturer pages and is linked here to a representative .308 Win rifle class.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
.308-caliber precision rifle, Bolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle class, Infantry Weapons.308-caliber precision rifleBolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle class

Ruger lists model 18104 in 308 Win, showing that this rifle class is chambered for .308 Winchester ammunition.

Sources: Ruger Precision Rifle Model 18104

Designation Notes

C.I.P. and SAAMI both underline that cartridge naming, chamber fit, and safe firing are related but not identical questions.

LabelSource wordingReader takeaway
Commercial name308 WinchesterThe standard catalog name for the cartridge.
Metric alternate7,62 x 51C.I.P. lists this as an alternate name.
Compatibility warningChamber fit does not necessarily mean safe useSAAMI says the firearm maker's markings and chamber guidance still control what is safe to fire.

Source labels used here: C.I.P. 308 Win. TAB. I, SAAMI Cartridge and Chamber Names, and SAAMI Interchangeability.

Timeline

.308 Winchester cartridge Key Events

  1. Commercial introduction

    Boone and Crockett notes that the .308 appeared in 1952, two years before its military twin, the U.S. T-65 later standardized as 7.62x51 NATO.

    Sources: Boone and Crockett .308 Winchester

  2. C.I.P. revises the cartridge table

    The 2023 revision of C.I.P.'s 308 Win table preserves the standard dimensions and lists 308 Winchester and 7,62 x 51 as alternate names.

    Sources: C.I.P. 308 Win. TAB. I

Media

.308 Winchester cartridge Videos

.308 Winchester cartridge Images

.308 Winchester cartridge, Centerfire rifle cartridge in .308 Win, Munitions - view 1
Source: .308 Winchester FMJSP.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
.308-caliber precision rifle, Bolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle class, Infantry WeaponsInfantry Weapons.308-caliber precision rifleBolt-action or semi-automatic precision rifle class.308-caliber precision rifles are scoped small arms chambered in .308 Winchester, 7.62x51mm NATO, or closely related .30-caliber service cartridges, depending on the model and markings. The class spans law-enforcement, military, sporting, and long-range precision roles. In the 2022 Haitian Gang Conflict entry, the sourcing supports illicit trafficking of .308 rifles into Haiti and gang-linked demand for higher-powered rifles, but it does not identify a specific model or prove a documented firing incident.
45 Automatic (45 Auto), Rimless centerfire pistol cartridge, MunitionsMunitions45 Automatic (45 Auto)Rimless centerfire pistol cartridge45 Automatic (45 Auto) is SAAMI's recognized name for the .45 ACP cartridge developed around John Browning and Colt's early self-loading pistol work and adopted by the U.S. Army with the Model 1911 pistol. This relationship-only page covers the cartridge as a standardized handgun and submachine-gun round, with SAAMI and C.I.P. dimensions, U.S. military ball-cartridge context, current commercial loads, and a sourced compatibility link to the Glock 21 family.
.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, 8.6 mm long-range centerfire rifle cartridge, MunitionsMunitions.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge8.6 mm long-range centerfire rifle cartridge.338 Lapua Magnum is a Finnish 8.6x70 mm centerfire rifle cartridge developed from .338/416 work into a long-range military, law-enforcement, and precision-rifle round. C.I.P. lists Finland as the country of origin, while Lapua and Nammo sources show current tactical, target, armor-piercing, hunting, and special-purpose load families. The linked rifle relationships stay limited to cataloged weapons whose sources document .338 Lapua chambering.
.300 Norma Magnum, Long-range centerfire rifle cartridge, MunitionsMunitions.300 Norma MagnumLong-range centerfire rifle cartridge.300 Norma Magnum is a Swedish-origin long-range centerfire rifle cartridge in the Norma Magnum family. Norma presents the caliber as a modern precision cartridge tied to its earlier .308 Norma Mag lineage, while C.I.P. lists Sweden as country of origin and SAAMI later accepted the 300 Norma Magnum for standardization. The record links documented chambered rifles such as the Barrett MRAD / MK22 and PGW Timberwolf Gen 3 without turning those relationships into conflict-use claims.
.30-06 Springfield cartridge, Rimless bottleneck rifle cartridge and .30 caliber machine-gun ammunition, MunitionsMunitions.30-06 Springfield cartridgeRimless bottleneck rifle cartridge and .30 caliber machine-gun ammunitionThe .30-06 Springfield cartridge is the U.S. .30 caliber rifle and machine-gun round rooted in the Cartridge, Ball, Caliber .30, Model of 1906 and recognized by SAAMI with equivalent names including 30-06 SPRG, 30 GOV'T -06, and 7.62x63mm. It links the M1903 rifle, M1 Garand, Browning Automatic Rifle, and Browning M1919-family machine guns, with major U.S. service loadings including M1906 Ball, M1 Ball, M2 Ball, M2 Armor Piercing, tracer, blank, dummy, grenade, frangible, and armor-piercing incendiary cartridges.

Sources

S308M2 - Winchester AmmunitionPublisher: Winchester Ammunition | Note: Supports the 308 Winchester designation, Match product background, and representative cartridge description for a factory-loaded rifle round. | Accessed: 2026-06-23Lapua 308 Win Mega cartridgePublisher: Lapua | Note: Supports the cartridge designation, centerfire hunting-cartridge background, bullet weight, muzzle velocity, and .308 Win caliber listing. | Accessed: 2026-06-23Ruger Precision Rifle Model 18104Publisher: Sturm, Ruger & Co. | Note: Supports the representative .308 Win chambering used by the Ruger Precision Rifle model 18104 and the pairing link back to the precision-rifle family page. | Accessed: 2026-06-23.308 Winchester FMJSP.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a representative .308 Winchester cartridge photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-23308 Winchester.svgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a .308 Winchester cartridge dimensions diagram. | Accessed: 2026-06-23Boone and Crockett .308 WinchesterPublisher: Boone and Crockett Club | Note: Supports the 1952 introduction date and the relationship to the later U.S. T-65 / 7.62x51 NATO development line. | Accessed: 2026-06-27C.I.P. 308 Win. TAB. IPublisher: C.I.P. | Note: Supports the 308 Winchester alternate names, the 51.18 mm case length, the 71.12 mm overall length, and the 7.85 mm projectile diameter. | Accessed: 2026-06-27SAAMI Cartridge and Chamber NamesPublisher: SAAMI | Note: Supports the general cartridge-name guidance and the use of approved abbreviated or historical names. | Accessed: 2026-06-27SAAMI InterchangeabilityPublisher: SAAMI | Note: Supports the caution that chamber fit alone does not guarantee safe firing and that the firearm maker's markings and guidance still control use. | Accessed: 2026-06-27