There is no more popular long-range cartridge in the world than the 7.62x51mm or .308 Winchester.
Whether on the shelf in its .308 Winchester flavor, or the 7.62x51mm version, this cartridge has been in use since the 1950’s and it has carved out an enduring reputation with hunters, target shooters, the military, and law enforcement.
This legendary little cartridge still offers the same excellent ballistics, and is still available cheaper and more readily than any other round in its class.
We’re going to go over a little history followed by our favorite ammo picks.
But since ammo supplies are tight, here are some choices that are in-stock:
.308 / 7.62x51mm Ammo In Stock
Although I would also check out Palmetto State Armory for the latest choices.
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History of the .308
At one point in time, the equally venerable .30-06 was the rifle of choice for civilian hunters and distance shooters, as well as the US military.
This cartridge helped our grandparents defeat the Nazis, but problems quickly became evident in the close-in jungle fighting of the Korean War, especially when it became evident that .30-06s on fully-automatic were basically uncontrollably fired from the shoulder while standing up.
Also, there’s the simple logistical nightmare of having troops carry large amounts of very heavy ammunition through dense brush.
To combat this problem, the US government went on a search for a smaller, lighter cartridge that could be carried en masse, while retaining most of the desirable ballistics of the .30-06.
The 5.56×45 we all know and love would eventually come out of this, but the good ole 7.62x51mm NATO, first known as the .308 Winchester, came first.
You can read all about this process in the AR-15 vs Ar-10 discussion I did a while back.
Eventually, the standard M1 Garands were phased out, and the M14 was in, the 7.62×51 predecessor to the M16.
The US adoption of the M14, as well as the widespread use of the cartilage around the world in things like the FN FAL meant that the 7.62x51mm NATO was here to stay, and its enduring popularity as both a military and civilian round is in no small part because of this.
What Makes the .308 So Great?
First of all, the .308 Winchester is absurdly popular because of its popularity.
Don’t think about that too much, you’ll give yourself a headache.
What I mean is that the .308 beast is sort of self-sustaining at this point. It’s available everywhere because everyone uses it, and everyone uses it because its available everywhere.
You can find it anywhere firearms and sporting goods are sold, from your local Walmart to sporting goods stores and outfitters in any country that allows hunting with centerfire rifles, and that level of availability has ensured that the round has stayed popular ever since it was adopted by various militaries as a service cartridge…hence the 7.62x51mm NATO designation.
Second, there’s the versatility of the round.
It was originally chosen as a service cartridge because it excels at typical combat ranges (inside 500 yards), carries a significant amount of energy to the target thanks to the larger bullets that are possible thanks to the .30 cal chambering, and finally it’s relatively light recoil that makes it an incredibly shootable cartridge.
Choosing .308 Ammo
So, how do we pick from all those options?
Simple, we follow the Matthew Collins Patented System For Ammo Selection, or MCPSFAS (Help me come up with a better name in the comments).
Step One: Choose a Bullet Weight Based on Your Barrel Twist Rate
Step one, you have to look at your rifle. It’s important to match your bullet weight to your rifle, specifically the rifling in the barrel. This is measured as “twist rate” and will be expressed in a ratio like 1:15.
This means that the rifling in the barrel will complete one full rotation every 15 inches of barrel, and will thus impart one full spin to the bullet in that distance.
Now, if you’re just plinking at dirt clods with a service-grade Garand, I wouldn’t worry too much about this.
At a certain point, .308 is .308 and bullet weight doesn’t matter.
That said, if you’re looking to put lead down range accurately, here’s a general guideline for matching your barrel’s rifling to the ideal bullet weight.
- 1:15 twist: up to 150 grains
- 1:14 twist: 150 – 168 grains
- 1:12 twist: 168 – 170 grains
- 1:10 twist: 170 – 220 grains
- 1:8 twist: 220 grains or more
Again, this is just a general guideline, but it’s certainly a good starting point.
Sticking to this will ensure first and foremost that your rifling is “fast” enough to stabilize the size of projectile you’re using, and will also make sure you’re getting the most out of your barrel by using the largest projectiles it can reliably stabilize.
Of course, using a smaller bullet (which will be cheaper) in a faster twist rate than what’s listed is totally fine…you can’t exactly over-stabilize a bullet.
Most .308 barrels are 1-10 twist for this reason. Bullets over 220gr are rare, and the 1:10 twist means the rifle will stabilize almost all factory bullets.
Step 2: Choose a Bullet Type Based on Your Desired Activity
Are you shooting steel targets at 800 yards? You’ll probably want Open-Tip Match (OTM) ammo and a projectile that does a good job of balancing weight and velocity to combat things like wind drift and bullet drop.
Hunting? There are a huge number of hollowpoint hunting loads out there and it’s important to pick a load for the game you’re going after. This means researching bullet type (hollowpoint, polymer-filled, etc) as well as the recommended energy for the game you’re hunting, at the ranges you expect to be shooting.
Almost all factory hunting loads will have velocity and energy numbers on the box, but a ballistic calculator can help if not.
If you’re not going after any game other than steel targets, or you just want to punch holes in paper at close ranges, choose a good mid-range FMJ, or if you’re shooting steel at close range try and hunt down some frangible rounds online.
These rounds explode into metal powder on impact, and are much safer than other bullet types on steel…but still very much lethal. In fact, some folks recommend them for home defense because of the low risk of over penetration and ricochets.
Of course, you’ll notice a very conspicuous lack of “Home Defense Ammo” recommendations in this article for a reason…leave the .308 in the safe during a home invasion unless it’s literally all you have.
Finally, if you’re just going to be ripping through mags at the range or plinking at bottles and dirt clods, I’d suggest going with a cheap military surplus FMJ. You can get military-grade (not a synonym for quality, in this case) .308 like Wolf WPA Military Classic for around $.50/round, which is perfect for when you aren’t worried about accuracy, or you have a non-shooter buddy who wants to try your gun.
This has the added benefit of handicapping them if you’re target shooting and using better ammo for yourself…can’t have the newbies outshooting us experienced hands after all.
Step 3: Know Your Budget
Alright, this last one is optional but it’s important to note that good, factory match .308 ammo can be damn expensive.
Like, $2.50/round expensive. But most shooters aren’t going to need something like that. If you’re really trying to reach out to the limits of what the .308 can do, you should probably be handloading anyway, and with cheap brass and a variety of bullets available wherever reloading supplies are sold, handloading can be a great way to save money and get better performance.
Choosing Factory .308 Ammo
If you don’t want to get into all that reloading/handloading stuff, you still have tons of options for great factory ammo.
So many options in fact, that it can be quite difficult to choose, especially if you don’t have the time/money/energy to test multiple .308 offerings to find the best one.
That’s where I come in. I’ve tried about fifty flavors of .308 over the years, it is one of my favorite and most frequently used calibers, and these are the ones I recommend.
Best .308 Ammo For Hunting
Federal Premium Vital-Shok – 165 Grain Trophy Bonded Tip
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
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Federal’s Premium Vital-Shok line is one of the most popular game rounds around and for good reason. The .308 Vital-Shok offering comes with a 165gr Trophy Bonded bullet with a polymer tip for superior aerodynamics and controlled expansion.
I’ve gotten two big whitetails and numerous hogs with this round, and I’d trust it for any medium game.
Remington Core-Lokt – 150gr Soft Point
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Remington’s Core-Lokt line is a favorite of whitetail hunters, especially in the Southeastern US where we don’t have those long 400+ yard shots to worry about most of the time. The 150gr SP round is perfect for mid-sized games at close to mid-range, and is relatively accurate, even without the polymer tip.
It’s also a good bit cheaper and can be found on sale for under $.70/round at times.
Best .308 Ammo For Serious Target Shooting
Hornady Match 168gr
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Hornady Match ammo is one of the most popular target rounds out there, and the 168gr .308 offering is fantastic for stretching the legs on your .308. This is my go-to factory load if I need to quickly pick up something for some range time where I actually care how I do.
I get sub-MOA groups out of this with a good rifle, and I would be happy to use it in a match if I didn’t have any handloads.
Federal Premium Sierra Match King Gold Medal
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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One of the best match loads on the market, Federal uses Sierra Match King bullets to make an outstanding factory loaded round.
I’ve been about to get half MOA groups with this ammo, that is mighty nice ammo for off the shelf!
What’s your take?
Best .308 Ammo For Plinking
Wolf Military Classic 168gr
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Wolf Military Classic 168gr is a good approximation of a standard NATO military round found all around the world. This is a reliable round that is easy to buy cheap and stack deep. I have…way too much of this stashed in my apartment.
It’s a great round for the price and can be used for hunting, plinking, or target shooting depending on your needs. It’s a good practice round and the SP tip means it’ll do alright against soft targets as well.
Lake City 149gr FMJ 7.62x51mm
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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If you want real mil-spec ammo though, this is for you. Overrun ammo from Lake City can go up and down in price depending on military needs, but it’s normally decent price and is always great ammo!
Prvi Partizan Match 155gr HPBT .308
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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This is decidedly better than normal plinking ammo and is much closer to the good match grade stuff, but at a price that is still affordable. If you want to practise your match shooting, but not spend match shoot prices, this is a top choice!
PMC Bronze 147gr
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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PMC makes solid ammo in almost any caliber and their .308 stuff is no different! Great for plinking and holds good groups for its price.
MEN/Magtech 147gr
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Solid ammo, but not impressive groups. Goes bang every time and is normally decent priced for brass, non-steel, non-bimetal. However, if you’re looking for tight groups from your plinking ammo – this might not be the best pick.
Parting Shots
That’s all she wrote folks. These .308 rounds are more than good enough to get you started.
We tested a lot of these ammo choices when we did our Aero Precision M5 Review, so if you want real-world shooting of these .308 rounds, take a look!
If you try any of these, make sure you let me know in the comments below! And if you have another factory load you prefer, make sure to drop that in the comments as well.
36 Leave a Reply
I cannot see Hornady, Norma, Winchester as ex of other reputable manufacturers, any reason for that? I’m using a .308w ,Winchester xpr
Thanks
Thank you for confirming my suspicions. This is the last year that my M1 Garand will be seeing deer camp. There is a M1A loaded with the Archangel stock in 308 on order for next year. My days of trudging through the woods are over so I set up a shooting bench to watch the logging road in case a deer decides to come across. Few locations provide a 500 yard shot but some reach 700 yards. I was debating on 6.5 Creedmoore but your article makes me think that 308 would be every bit of what I need. My nephew will go completely wild when he finds that Garand under the Christmas tree. He is turning his hobby into a business venture and I know the Garand will be kept as a prize jewel.
For my money, no better factory load than the Federal Premium 165 gr.
with the Sierra Game King. I have shot 3 and 5 shot groups under 1 moa.
out of my Remington 788, at 100 yards.
Check out "TRUEVELOCITY", composite cartridges??? What!? So I had to check it out. This stuff is good, a bet salty in price. We can talk about sub MOA and stuff, (some people, not shooters, think they are doing sub MOA at a indoor range (25 yrds), I just LMAO). So real life, not some game on TV. 62 yrs old (eye balls not as good as they were) Ruger PR, good glass, I am shooting just + MOA, and I mean JUST! No bullshit! I have shot sub MOA with this, but for me it is "about one " MOA. FYE I am doing 5 rounds I need to drop to 3 rounds. Just to much$.
Hi Mathew
Well written and appreciated, just getting to grips with my recently purchased a ruger precision rifle next gen 111. Loving it.
Back of to my local gun shop this week to see what ammo they stock .
Thanks for all the info .
My the 308/7.62x51 over any the 6.5 Creedmoor or any other cartridge; it’s all about availability, if you go out, you find .22, .223/5.56, and 308/7.62x51 calibers a lot. Two 308/7.62x51 builds.
great
I’ve used the Remington 180 grain, Core Lokt BTSP load for years. I shoot a Tikka M55 Custom Deluxe I bought while stationed in Germany in 1984. Tried other loads through it, none have proved to be as consistently accurate. I took an 8 point MO whitetail 8 days ago with one shot at 260 paces from the ground blind. The buck crumpled, kicked once, and was done. Works for me.
I intend to hunt with with a bullet weight between 170-220gr (in accordance with your recommendations). How important is it for me to use that same bullet weight when zero-ing my optic?
I’d not only use the same weight but the exact same bullet.
I have a 9.5” 308 pistol with a 1:7 twist and wonder if the 168gr IMI I use in my Mossberg MVP for hunting will be ok to use.
I have a question,I bought am AR 10 308 1/10 twist with a 16.5 barrel,I've that a heavier grain is better for a shorter barrel, between 168 and 180,before I found this out I bought a few boxes of 150 grain,would it do anything to the barrel if I shot them to get rid of them
The barrel will be totally fine! The 150gr ammo might not stabilize at longer range, but no damage to the rifle will occur.
Thanks,so basically you should be concerned about the twist when it comes to the weight of the bullet no matter the length of barrel
Technically speaking, it's the length of the bullet that matters most for twist rate. But for general use, weight is what people go by. It's kind of like how mass and weight are the same things in beginner science, but in higher science, it's totally not the same thing.
Barrel length is not super important for stabilization, really a bullet only needs about an inch of rifled barrel to get enough twisting force.
All of that said -- yes, weight is what you should be looking at when considering twist rate!
The only reason u use heavier bullet out of shorter barrel is for better terminal ballistics. If ur just shooting to shoot then it’s fine
I am interested in drop pr feet. If I zero at 50 ft. what is teh rise at 100 ft then 200 then 300. We should be going down soon so what drop is at 400 to 600????
Whatever you shoot, I don't recommend Aguila .308 150gr FMJ. Scoped in two .308 rifles (RAP and a Savage Axis). The Savage indents seemed good, but MAY be a little light, but the indents from the Ruger all seemed like normal hits.
I'm not a hunter, but have been asked to advise a new shooter on the best round for elk (not deer) hunting in northern New Mexico. He bought a Ruger American in .308 and plans to take an elk next hunting season. I am merely helping with scope and ammo selection. Would any of you hunters object to Hornady Precision Hunter .308 in 178 gr ELD-X? The published statistics show it runs at 2,600 FPS and delivers 2,672 ft. lbs. of energy. He has limited funds and I don't want to spend his money trying a bunch of different loads to see which one his rifle prefers. My idea is to use the heaviest .308 round suitable for hunting. All comments, suggestions, and criticisms welcome.
Thank you for a great article. I just bought a Weatherby Vanguard 20" barrel. I noticed you never mentioned the Hornady SST. On another site I read where at close range they can blow up. Do you agree with that? I'll buy the Federal that was your first choice. From one of the other comments it sounds like the SST isn't the most accurate anyway. At least from his gun. Your thoughts??
I love Hornady American Gunner, Black, ELD Match, and more - but I've never had their SST ammo do well for me. 6.5 Creedmoor, .308, 6.5 Grendel, none of those in SST have grouped well.
“My Chosen Plinking Solution For All Situations”
MCPSFAL.
MCPSFAS*
I have a PSA, AR-10 in .308 Win/7.62 NATO with a 20" heavy stainless barrel. After having shot five different brands of factory hunting ammo, all in 150 grain loadings, I have found Remington Core-Lokt to be the most accurate in my rifle. This ammo gives me sub-moa groups at a little more than 3/4". Next is Winchester Power Point and then PPU soft point. Both of these yield sub 1.5 moa 3 shot groups. Next was Federal Non-Typical which gives me right at 1.75" and, lastly, Hornady SST Superformance came in right around 2 inches at 100 yards. Also, for whatever reason, the Hornady ammo made noticeably bigger holes than all other ammo in the paper target. My barrel is 1:10 twist.
Hi David - PPT Editor:
Thank you for posting this very informative article.
Please recommend the best plinking & defensive ammo for an AR10 Pistol, specifically:
Sig Sauer:
Item Number: P716-12B-PSB
Caliber: 7.62 X 51 mm NATO or .308
Overall Length: 30.2 in / 767 mm
Rifling: 1 in 10" / 25.4 in 254 mm
Number of Grooves: 6
Barrel Length: 12.5 in / 317.5 mm
Features:
Short stroke pushrod operating system with 4 position gas valve
Precision Armament M11 Severe-Duty™ Muzzle Brake
Thank you.
Kind regards,
David McNulty
Every rifle is slightly different, but I would start with standard Wolf Steel cased .308 for cheap plinking, or PMC Bronze if you want cleaner ammo and are willing to spend a bit more to plink.
Defensive/hunting ammo I go with Remington Core Lokt.
Hope that helps!
Thank you, David.
I shoot the Sako TRG M10 and really must mention the best rounds I've discovered for the 26" .308 barrel are Sako's own 168gr HPBT "Racehead".
They can spread a little on very cold days so I just keep them in my jacket on the range, but if any greater than a very consistent 1/4-MOA spread at 100yds then I'm analysing why.
Great article. Learned a lot.
Btw, no jungle in Korea.
Great article - thanx... I'm nowhere nearly as experienced as you, but I've been having pretty good luck with bulk-buys of "IMI Systems" offerings (in other calibers too). [Midway, Palmetto, A+ Ammo] It's made in Israel (for a long time now), and anyone with any experience at all with products from Israel knows it's usually pretty good stuff even at the baseline. Might give it a try... I also just read an article (in G&A, I think) about a new "budget" .308 from Mauser that sounds very interesting for $700 list. Those on a budget (who isn't) in the market for a bolt .308 might want to look into it. Engineering, and its rationale, are impressive... Thanks again for the nice review...
I have a Precision 308 and shoot it frequently with the match 308 ammo.. I just need to find a longer range to see how well it will shoot at some distance. My M1A also shoots well with the same ammo. Pat
Not a funny trick to pull....I'm not even 1/2 way into my first cup of coffee this morning, so I could be wrong.....buuuuut..... The pic of the empty brass doesn't look like our beloved .308.
Good eye! 7.62x54r is in fact not 7.62x51. Corrected the image, thanks!
Almost any .308 bolt gun is good for 1 1/2 MOA with most factory ammunition. The round is uncannily accurate. And good .308 bolt guns are plentiful and cheap, their former owners lured to more exotic junk by hacks and merchants.
The next step is learning to load for it to bring costs down and advance both rifle and rifleman’s capacity. “Soup can” plinker rounds are ideal for developing offhand skills at moderate ranges and can be made for a few cents a shot. Superb midrange target rounds can be made for less than a quarter and the developing rifleman will achieve 8-ring or better consistency from formal and impromptu positions out to five hundred yards. Point blank range with hunting loads good for any North American game short of really big bears is close to two hundred yards and killing energy is good enough for elk at four hundred.
The point to all this is that the .308 is the 21st century “rifleman’s rifle” in all respects. The adage says, “beware the man with one gun”. For all the foregoing reasons, that’s the .308. Get yourself one, only one, and not some space age fire-power job. And learn it. Well. And become that rifleman you always wanted to be.
My Remington 700 P loves Federal Premium Gold Medal March 168 gr. BTHP. Actually the rifle shoots better than I do! Lol. Sub MOA is routinely easy
Just came across your web site while researching the AR .308s and have toughly enjoyed reading your articles. Can't add anything now but maybe later. Also, I have been shooting a Ruger M-77 .308 seems forever and is my go to rifle for any game animal in the contiguous US. Thanks