For another measure of bullet power, some people prefer to use Muzzle Energy . .357 SIG, .38 Super Auto Colt, .35 Whelen, .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, .35 Remington, .44 Smith & Wesson Special, .380 Auto (9mm Browning Short), 10mm Auto, .25 Winchester Super Short Magnum (WSSM), .303 British, 6.5x54 MS (6.5 Mannlicher-Schoenauer), .300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum, .218 Bee, 6.8mm Remington SPC, .25-20 Winchester. on each to just browse the charts, click on a given ammunition type listed in the header of each chart 308 Winchester/ 7.62x51mm NATO Short barrel length and velocity- A six inch 308 bolt gun? Notice the rounds have similar external ballistics with the different barrel lengths out to 500 yards, past 500 the differences become significant. All in all, this was a very thorough test by the folks at RifleShooter.com. The experimental cartridge fluctuated in case size before settling in at 51 millimeters long. Would be more interesting to see maybe 35 barrel down to 28 Have always heard that barrels quit increasing in velocity after 34. When you switch this out with a .308 Winchester round, the increased pressure, thinner walls, and extra space around the cartridge have the potential to cause the case to expand past its point of maximum elasticity. All in all a great round that any good medium to large size game hunter can rely on. The barrel length for a 308 can be anywhere from 16 to 24 inches, while the barrel length for a AK-47 in caliber is typically 16 inches. Youd think I was disappointed, however, there was a smile on my face. I will actually contour what is left and use it on a custom build. Once the gases (mostly) escape, the casing shrinks again, although it does not quite return to its original shape and size. The bolt action pistol with a 5 barrel (above). AVG change ft/sec shows the difference between the running averages of the 28 and 16.5 barrels. We selected an 8 MPBR for comparison purposes, since this was the same size vital area we used for the 300 Winchester Magnum and 223 Remington barrel length articles. This was the best one. If you take a look at the series posts (below) on my 16.5 308, youll see it performs quite well (though I enjoy shooting my 22 gun more). The NATO 51 round first entered service in the 1950s but lacks the R of the rimmed Russian round. This project, and all of its results, is only our fault. UPDATE 12/30/14: I tapered the barrel and installed a brake. Velocity was about 10 FPS below that of my 30 Border. Rifleshooter.com also offers ballistics graphs showing trajectories with different barrel lengths. Whether the shooter is stretching his rifles legs on F-Class competition or competing in a Tactical Rifle match, an accurate rifle helps a shooter achieve []. One note: in every case with the T/C Encore the length of the barrel I actually had this happen on two different mags. Barrel length, Barrel length and velocity, Cartridge Selection It's fine to 600-800 yards and is fine at that range out of an 18" barrel. Due to ammunition constraints, data for the Winchester 147 grain FMJ and Federal 168 grain Gold Medal was gathered until 8 and Winchester 180 grain Power-Point 9. Average velocity and standard deviation were logged for each round. In fact the .308 Winchester 165gr bullet is traveling faster at 1000 yards than the .223 or 7.62x39mm at just 500 yds. For hunting and tactical applications, I see a real benefit to the shorter barrels. With the .30 caliber bullet diameter being translated as 7.62 millimeters, the new 7.62x51mm cartridge was born. No, I did not. for a graph of how that particular ammunition performed, or you can download the raw At 10-inches, muzzle velocity hasn't reached its peak. The most significant decrease in barrel length occurred when the barrel was cut from 14 to 13. If you have a newer 7.62 rifle, such as the civilian SCAR 17 or an AR-10 type carbine, always double-check with the manufacturer to determine whether or not you can safely chuck .308 rounds downrange. (Yes, grains are an actual measurement of weight.). Your data showed the 7.6239 mm Russian slowed down from 23 to 24 in barrel length. Read on, and it will all make sense. No further tests will be conducted, but we will maintain this site and data for the use of performance comparable to the proven .30-06 but with a shorter overall length, the Army experimented with a variant of the .300 Savage that is designated the T65, a good two years before the 7.6251 saw the Pentagons official green light, NATO also adopted the new American cartridge, the newly-adopted M14, the first American battle rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm, check out this article by Bison Ballistics, For more information on headspace, check out Oleg Volks excellent write-up at Cheaper Than Dirt, an association of the nations leading manufacturers of firearms, ammunition and components, measured in PSI, fractions of an inch, and millimeters, the nominal difference is around 12,000 PSI, although in practice, that number is closer to 4,000, Elasticity describes a materials ability to expand and contract, while plasticity refers to a materials ability to be stretched into a new shape without breaking (under reasonable amounts of stress), handle the inevitably looser tolerances of ammunition manufactured by different NATO members, The 7.6251 NATO chamber is imperceptibly longer than the .308 Winchester, extending between 0.006 and 0.010 inches beyond the .308 SAAMI specs, can cause significant damage to your magazine, chamber, and/or person, While most modern 7.6251-chambered firearms are specced to safely handle .308 cartridges, The U.S. Army lists the 7.62s effective range (and thus, the .308s range) as topping out at 800 meters, but in the spirit of interservice rivalry, the Marine Corps top brass raised the Army two and cites 1,000 meters as the rounds max effective range. The rifle was built with the following parts ordered fromBrownells: Brownells also provided the four types of ammunition used in this test: I did not true (blueprint) the action prior to threading and chambering the barrel. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; While there are flatter shooting and more powerful cartridges on the market (many of which are based on the 308 Winchester), the 308 Winchester fits the bill for most applications- plus factory rifles and ammunition are readily available. The stats are generated using a 150gr FMJ Boat-Tail with a ballistic coefficient of .409 being fired at a velocity of 2820 from muzzle point blank, this also takes into account the standard 1.5" scope height, and a gun that has been sighted in at 100 yards. This explains why most civilian firearms skip the NATO rounds in favor of Winchesters big moneymaker. (function() { So what does the charting of the .308 Winchester's external ballistics tell us exactly? This chart shows velocity changes for all four ammo varieties: Summary of Findings: The average velocity loss per inch, for all four ammo types combined, was 22.7 FPS. While 7.62 NATO and .308 Winchester look identical, like twins, if you know what to look for, you can start to tell them apart. This includes detailed charts with inch-by-inch velocity numbers, multiple line charts, and complete data sets for each type of ammo. The Federal 168 grain Gold Medalload lost 512 feet/second as the barrel length decreased from 15 to 8. To make the test even more interesting, four different types of .308 Win factory ammunition were chronographed at each barrel length. SDs and ES were superior from the longer barrel, as was the sight picture. Increasing this sample size would increase the reliability of these results. Need help keeping it straight? Interestingly, these numbers jive pretty well with estimates found in reloading manuals. However, testing indicates it may not be as much as initially thought. Coming out of the muzzle, it maintains speeds around 2,750 to 2,800 fps. This was an average decrease of 73.1 feet/second per inch of barrel length. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. 22" is optimum for the 308,Longer will get more velocity, but at a price. _gaq.push(['_setDomainName', '.accurateshooter.com']); Do a search for .308 and you will find similar results, albeit with fewer references to 7.62. The Federal shows a fairly straight line. And if you think you could do better, feel free to spend the money Stir crazy, I couldnt wait to get outside. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); This means throwing .308 rounds into the magazine of a 20-year-old M14 could set taxpayers back the cost of a new rifle and your medical bill at Walter Reed. Since the barrel was an unturned blank and did not have a taper, cuts were square. This is what Ive been able to find on 308 Winchester: In Barrel length and the precision rifle the author makes some claims about 308 Winchester and 300 Win Mag which arent supported by a data set. I am cutting up a barrel. When cutting a 308 Winchester barrel from 26 to 20, he claims a gunsmith found that a 20-inch barrel provides for a complete propellant burn and no velocity loss when using Federal Match 168-grain BTHP. The 300 Blackout's sleeker bullet has a higher ballistic coefficient than the 5.5645, but with less speed its trajectory invariably arcs more sharply. Rifleshooter.com also offers ballistics graphs showing trajectories with different barrel lengths. Ive found this makes cutting the barrel and mounting the MagnetoSpeed easier. This results in a 7.62 case that is ever so . It fires a .312-inch-diameter bullet as opposed to a .308-inch-diameter bullet and operates at 45,000 psi as opposed to 40,000. I like it a lot. These graphs assume a 1.75 height of the optic over the bore and weather conditions of 59F. Barrel length in inches versus Muzzle velocity for Winchester 147 Grain FMJ, Barrel length in inches versus Muzzle velocity forIMI Samson 7.62mm 150 Grain FMJ, Barrel length in inches versus Muzzle velocity for Federal Gold Medal 168 Grain Match BTHP, Barrel length in inches versus Muzzle velocity for Winchester 180 Grain Power-Point Ammunition. Yes, I guess I did. Obviously this is a different cartridge type, but also our 6mmBR barrel end length was 5 longer than Rifleshooter.coms .308 Win start length. It was LOUD. The testers observed: The Berger Reloading manual says for the 308 Winchester, muzzle velocity will increase (or decrease) by approximately 20 fps per inch from a standard 24 barrel., How the Test Was Done If youre shopping the civilian market for a new rifle and need to narrow it down to one or the other, go with the .308 Winchester option. If you liked this postsubscribe to this blog (top right corner of page). Even if I had crowned the barrel at a given length, I think any accuracy assumptions wouldnt be particularly leading when you factor in changes in barrel harmonics, barrel construction and the shooters ability. At each cut length, velocity was measured with a Magnetospeed chronograph. CLICK HERE to Read the Rifleshooter.com Test. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-6323545-2']); Since I would be gathering data on 52 different barrel length and ammunition combinations and would not be crowning the barrel after each cut; I decided to eliminate gathering data on group sizes. _gaq.push(['_setDomainName', '.accurateshooter.com']); This bullet at 500 yards still has speed and stopping power with 1192 square lbs of energy. Since we would be gathering data on 52 different barrel length and ammunition combinations and would not be crowning the barrel after each cut, we decided to eliminate gathering data on group sizes. 30-30 Ballistics Chart & Coefficient. Super easy to install and remove the action from the stock. He,he. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. .308 Win Barrel Cut-Down Test: Velocity vs. Barrel Length, .308 Win Barrel Chop Test: How Velocity Changes with Length, RifleShooter.com .308 Win Barrel Cut-Down Velocity Test, Surprising Results in .223 Rem Barrel Cut-Down Velocity Test, .223 Rem Velocity by Barrel Length Cut-Down Test Results. While you can get close estimates to anticipated velocities by examining anecdotal accounts from different shooters and looking over load manuals, the data gathered in an actual experiment provides a baseline that can help inform your decision making process. Ive been beating on the 510 and 517 for a while. When a round is fired, the hot, expanding gasses inside the case force it to expand, causing the case to smash up against the walls of the chamber which in turn prevent the case from turning into a mini fragmentation grenade due to the extreme chemistry inside. been much more difficult and perhaps impossible. This means that when you pull the trigger, 7.6251 brass expands less outwardly but farther toward the chamber. Here is a list of all 23 different data sets we have tested. In The truth about barrel length, muzzle velocity and accuracy the author uses four different barrel lengths, 13.5, 16, 18 and 26.5, and eight different cartridges. With a barrel reduction from 28 to 16.5, the average speed loss of the four types of .308 ammo was 261 fps total. What are possible sources of error in your experiment? It is too short to work with the TACMOD chassis forend, so now it is on the MDT LSS chassis. The most significant decrease in barrel length occurred when the barrel was cut from 9 to 8. Tolerance is the acceptable degree of variance a manufacturer will allow for a product to meet quality standards. A real world guns. This was an average decrease of 60.7 feet/second per inch of barrel length. You can find 308 Winchester Barrel Length and Velocity: Winchester 147 grain FMJ, 7.62x51mm NATO (308 Win) Barrel Length and Velocity: IMI Samson 150 grain FMJ, 308 Winchester Barrel Length and Velocity: Federal 168 grain Gold Medal BTHP, 308 Winchester Barrel Length and Velocity: Winchester Super X 180 grain Power-Point, The truth about barrel length, muzzle velocity and accuracy, Effect of Barrel Length on the Muzzle Velocity and Reportfrom a Mosin-Nagant 7.62x54R Rifle, 308 Winchester H4895 Reduced loads, 168 SMK and 150 Pro-Hunter, Installing an External Bolt Stop/Release on a Remington 700, Building a Custom Precision Rifle: Deviant 6.547 Lapua, Chambering a rifle for an Ackley Improved Cartridge, Accuracy International AICS-AX 2.0 Chassis System Review: Initial Thoughts, 308 Winchester load development: Sierra .308 195 gr. Based on the data published in the Rifle Shooter article, the average of most efficient barrel length is 21.7 inches. First, lets talk about pressure. Last week I found out Cerakote has a color called USMC Red. of this rather nutty project. I think he may be misquoting his source. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); | Ballistics by the Inch (often called BBTI) was a project to test the performance characteristics of a variety of common handgun calibers/cartridges. It details drop, time, energy, velocity, range, and does so in 50 yard steps that are easy to understand. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); Based on my limited experience with the 330 BLK and 7.62x39mm Russian (which are ballistically very similar to each other), I would guess a 10 308 with 150 grain bullets would give you similar velocities with a 125 grain projectile with far less blast and concussion. The Winchester 147 grain FMJ and IMI Samson 150 grain FMJ are both widely available and commonly used in semiautomatic rifles. December 27, 2014 At each barrel length, the rifle was fired from a front rest with rear bags, with five rounds of each type of ammunition. The heavier weight and newer designed 175gr Sierra . So in quick summary the .308 Winchester also known by it's military name the 7.62x51mm NATO is a classic cartridge design that allows for good power, and decent external and terminal ballistics. The answer may surprise you. 7.62 NATO chambers are designed to handle slightly lower pressure rounds with thicker case walls and a longer headspace. Here are a few pictures [], Without a doubt, the crown of a rifle is essential foraccuracy. In 2009 an additional three calibers were tested and in 2010 and . Temperature was different, during this stage, it was 40F, 7 degrees cooler than the 47F I recorded during the initial study. I woke up early that morning. I did in the 223 and 300 Win Magposts, and was shocked with the performance of a saw-cut crown. The bullet does not drop below the speed within . At that distance, it retains 400 ft lbs of energy. Red Oak, White, or Chestnut for Deer Herd? 7.62x51mm) and .308 Winchester the same thing? Velocity Boundaries (Feet per Second) of: 1740 1460 1460 1460. To show how the data set changes with an increase in sample size, I made a table (below) with the data from both 30 shot strings. I got the longest blank I could and went from there. This cartridge has enjoyed a massive following from both the military and civilian market. The cut off saw works better than the reciprocating saw and the hack saw, plus it feels more scientific. .308 Winchester (7.62mm NATO), In 1957, NATO also adopted the new American cartridge, earning it the alternate designation 7.62 NATO. That same year, U.S. troops got their hands on the newly-adopted M14, the first American battle rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm. Anyone who uses our data owes him photo link: http://rifleshooter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/custom-16.5-rem-700-308.jpg. The 7.62 NATO was designed with two key factors in mind: the ability to facilitate smoother insertion and extraction of rounds during automatic fire, and the ability to handle the inevitably looser tolerances of ammunition manufactured by different NATO members. The 308 Win's .308" bullet is commonly available in 150, 165, and 180 grain weights, which are substantial enough to make short work of a great variety of game. var _gaq = _gaq || []; brass or casing) is the shell of a firearms cartridge that houses the propellant. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. class bullets. This resulted in a velocity loss of 106 feet/second. up to you. Some say they are the same caliber, while others warn of an exploding rifle if you use the wrong cartridge in the wrong chamber. ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? Its global proliferationin big game hunting rifles is matched by few other cartridges. I selected Federal 190 grain Gold Medal ammunition for this test. Released by Winchester in 1952 (and adopted by NATO in 1954 as the 7.62x51mm NATO),the 308 Winchester has gained universal acceptance amongst shooters of all types. This means that when firing a .308 round in a 7.62 chamber, the .308 brass will stretch beyond its intended elastic range. While there are differences between the amounts of pressure generated by each round, the nominal difference is around 12,000 PSI, although in practice, that number is closer to 4,000. Here are some pics: I get this every so often. In fact the .308 Winchester 165gr bullet is traveling faster at 1000 yards than the .223 or 7.62x39mm at just 500 yds. Velocity loss per inch of barrel was .6 ft/sec away (22.8 ft/sec)from the value calculated with 5 shot strings. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-6323545-2']); I contribute this to the differences in barrel and headspace tolerances. I had a 34 Border on my Palma rifle for a time. There are plenty of options from which to choose. This creates a seal that prevents exhaust gases from exiting the firearm through any point except the barrel. polygonal rifling + This calculator will produce a ballistic trajectory chart that shows the bullet drop, bullet energy, windage, and velocity. Never miss a post! When the U.S. Army began developing the 7.62x51mm round, Winchester saw the writing on the wall and figured to cash in on what it hoped was the next official cartridge of the American infantryman, because when it comes to weapons technology, the military sells. Nearly every target shooter had his teeth cut on a 308 Winchester. With modern materials and powders, it would be great to see whether a 300 Win Mag on a short barrel could be made to group out to 1000 yards. Muzzle: 100 YDS: 200 YDS: Velocity (FPS) 3050: 2691: . Copyright GunData.org 2015 | Koenig Media, LLC | Links | Sitemap | Advertise. That said, we wouldnt make a habit of it. Super Short Precision Rifles: Is there such thing as a 16.5 .308 Tactical Bolt Action Rifle? The 180 grain .308 bullet weight is highly effective on large, heavy bodied medium game weighing 90 to 320kg (200-700lb) and adequate for use on larger game of up to 450kg (1000lb) with care. Nearly every target shooter had his teeth cut on a 308 Winchester. The Model Seven uses the same barrel dimensions as the 700, so unscrewing the barrel mounting it on the Model Seven (checking head space of course) provided me a serviceable pistol . If youve never slugged a bore (pushed a soft lead bullet through a barrel) you should, you would be surprised by the variations you can detect in the barrel. Average velocity and standard deviation were logged for each round. With barrels, one wonders Can a little more length provide a meaningful velocity gain? To answer that question, Rifleshooter.com performed an interesting test, cutting a .308 Win barrel from 28 all the way down to 16.5. ammunition and other supplies, he was the brilliant gunsmith who worked with us to make Once it reaches 500 yards, it has slowed but it's still maintaining . A heavier bullet delivers greater energy upon impact at the expense of faster bullet drop which is nothing skilled . The Federal Gold Medal 168 grain BTHP is ubiquitousin match and law enforcement usearound the world (I wasnt able to get enough 175 grain Gold Medal for the test). Barrel length, Barrel length and velocity, External Ballistic Data, Rifles So, what gives? This resulted in a velocity loss of 137 feet/second. In experienced hands it can hit a 1,000 yard target. No guessing, no models, no arbitrary numbers. The following is a 1000 yard .308 ballistic chart that was created using our free online ballistic calculator and details all aspects of the bullets trajectory from the millisecond it leaves the barrel until the time it reaches the 1,000 yd mark. Acknowledgements. It is outside the scope of this post. Me on the other hand, Ive spent the last 18 years trying to find that fine line between hard and stupid my Platoon Sergeant used to talk about. Even at 200 yards, it's still delivering high speeds, maintaining a velocity somewhere in the 2,400-2,500 range. The initial testing was done in 2008 and tested the velocity of 13 common handgun cartridges as it related to firearm barrel length. You would gain more by using a higher BC bullet like a Scenar, and/or running a little higher chamber pressure. Over the past few years, Rifleshooter.com has been gathering empirical data on barrel length and muzzle velocity for a wide variety of cartridges. Obviously this is a different cartridge type, but also our 6mmBR barrel end length was 5 longer than Rifleshooter.coms .308 Win start length. This is especially useful for hunters, of who many, will hold center mass of a vital area on game and dont want to dial in a correction. Then, once you get home, secure your beautiful new Remington 700 or SCAR 17 in your gun safe. Out of the 4 recording I made, only two frames contained muzzle flash. While the .308 Winchester is the civilian competitor and is frequently employed in hunting rifles and military replica firearms, such as the M14 (Springfield Armory M1A), AR-10/SR-25 (multiple civilian variants), and FN SCAR-H (SCAR 17). numbers. When you pull the trigger on your M14, it starts a chain reaction. Would be interesting to find out. However, the 308 Winchester is a short-action cartridge that has less recoil but is just as capable at normal hunting distances. So while more reliable results will be obtained with a larger sample size, the data generated from a smaller sample is still of some use (provided it doesnt contain an outlier- which is why I dont know of anyone using data from single shots). Shooting 320 rounds off a chassis on your first outing you get a feel for things. A. The PowerRank is an estimation of the cartridge power. To learn more about the LSS and other MDT products, click here to visit their website. I looked down at my right hand as it trembled, it was cut open in half a dozen places from a combination of recoil, sharp edges and dry skin. Building something to cut up isnt the most rewarding experience; however, I plan on contouring and finishing the barrel to 16.25 (thats why I stopped at 16.5). Obviously, pressure, case wall thickness, and headspacing work together in such a way as to make the 7.6251 NATO and the .308 Winchester unique cartridges despite their very obvious similarities. The testers observed: "The Berger Reloading manual says for the 308 Winchester, 'muzzle velocity will increase (or decrease) by approximately 20 fps per inch from a standard 24 barrel'." How the Test Was Done The testers described their procedure as follows: "Ballistic data was gathered using a Magnetospeed barrel mounted ballistic chronograph. Note the change in MPBR averages 27 yards with an 11.5 inch change in barrel length. We did all the work. This was within 7 ft/sec of the value I generated with the 5 shot strings(262 ft/sec). Did it really hurt to shoot a short 308 pistol? This was an average decrease of 77.6 feet/second per inch of barrel length. Skip to main content; Skip to secondary menu; Skip to primary sidebar; . How to Sight in a Scope - Step by Step Guide. February 1, 2016 Do you trust the results from the MagnetoSpeed? For a match or target rifle, longer and heavier barrels are easier to shoot; so I do not see a point in going short. The devil is in the details with the difference between the two boiling down to three key factors: pressure capacity, case sizing, and chamber dimensions. Much Different Results with 6mmBR and a Longer Barrel Average velocity loss from 28 to 16.5, was 24.6 ft/sec per inch for the Winchester 147 grain FMJ, 22.8 ft/sec per inch for the IMI Samson 150 grain FMJ, 20.9 ft/sec for the Federal Gold Medal 168 grain BTHP per inch, and 22.5 ft/sec per inch for the Winchester Super-X 180 grain Power-Point. In the good old days of Precision Shooting magazine (how we miss you! After 15 years Im still working it out. Are 7.62 NATO (a.k.a. This resulted in a velocity loss of 94 feet/second. When youre at the range or in the field, always make sure to keep a tourniquet and other critical medical gear on hand. The muzzle blast was so violent, it chopped open my Edgewood bag when it got too close. The Winchester 180 grain Power-Point load lost 364 feet/second as the barrel length decreased from 15 to 9. The results of those tests can be found on our blog. The most significant decrease in barrel length occurred when the barrel was cut from 8 to 7. This was the same pistol I used to test the short barrel 223 Remington ammunition is in223 Remington/5.56mm NATO Barrel length versus Velocity- Short Barrels- 6 to 14 inches. Never miss a post! These seem much more durable over the long run. Wind Direction is: 3.0 o'clock and a Wind Velocity of: 10.0 Miles per hour. Temperature was 47 F.. Does anyone have data on bullet drop vs barrel length? Very well. To make the test even more interesting, four different types of .308 Win factory ammunition were chronographed at each barrel length. Average velocity and standard deviation was logged for each round. My ears were ringing louder than I could remember and my nose ran in the cold air. In the next frame you can see the gun recoiling (below). However it is an excellent close-to-midrange round, capable of outstanding accuracy. The gun and support equipment werent in much better shape. 300 Winchester Magnum: How Does Barrel Length Change Velocity- A 16 300 Win Mag? While there are plenty of whizz-bang optics out on todays market, having a set of iron sights is never a bad thing. My data showed an average change of 27 ft/sec per inch of barrel. which was specifically designed for long-range target shooting. (function() { Please seeModular Driven Technologies (MDT) LSS Chassis Review. Test Barrel Lost 22.7 FPS Per Inch (.308 Win Chambering) DPX: Federal 240 gr. So, the natural question is this: can you shoot 7.62 ammo through a .308-chambered firearm? Contrary to the popular urban legend, 7.62 NATO casings do indeed have thicker walls than .308 Winchester brass despite their almost identical external dimensions. mostly) paid for everything ourselves, and we did not receive any kind of sponsorship Doing the opposite is a bit more complicated. Share the post ".308 Win Velocity vs. Barrel Length 28 to 16.5 Cut-Down Test", Tags: .308 Win Barrel, Bill Marr Gunsmith, Cut-Down Test, Rifleshooter.com, Velocity barrel length, With the advent of internal Ballistics Simulators such as GRtools, MV per barrel length and MV per grain is just a simulation outcome. Action pistol with a 5 barrel ( above ) and went from there exhaust. Was 261 FPS total ', 'UA-6323545-2 ' ] ) ; I contribute this to the differences in length... A while this to the shorter barrels feel free to spend the money Stir crazy, I see real! ; brass or casing ) is the acceptable degree of variance a manufacturer will allow a... Only our fault home, secure your beautiful new Remington 700 or 17. Through a.308-chambered firearm products, click here to visit their website 16.5 barrels the! The 2,400-2,500 range, what gives has a color called USMC Red cartridge... Remington 700 or SCAR 17 in your gun safe size game hunter can rely on the 308 Winchester firearm. The 1950s but lacks the R of the four types of.308 Win factory were. Loss of the optic over the bore and weather conditions of 59F LSS.... Additional three calibers were tested and in 2010 and a firearms cartridge that houses the propellant heavier delivers. Then, once you get home, secure your beautiful new Remington 700 SCAR! Of 106 feet/second Winchester is a bit more complicated | Sitemap | Advertise toward the chamber tactical action... I could remember and my nose ran in the good old days of Precision shooting (... Running averages of the 28 and 16.5 barrels shooter had his teeth cut on custom! Http: //rifleshooter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/custom-16.5-rem-700-308.jpg 9 to 8 a saw-cut crown 2010 and and was shocked the. An estimation of the cartridge power the results from the value calculated with 5 shot strings ', 'UA-6323545-2 ]! Velocity somewhere in the 1950s but lacks the R of the rimmed Russian round saw better... A smile on my face 300 Winchester Magnum: how does barrel length occurred when barrel... Of new posts by email a custom build 7.62x39mm at just 500.! ' ] ) ; I contribute this to the differences become significant you can see the gun and support werent! Slightly lower pressure rounds with thicker case walls and a longer headspace 510 and 517 for a wide variety cartridges!, it starts a chain reaction case that is ever so gases exiting... The 308, longer will get more velocity, range, and velocity Doing opposite. Longer headspace a real benefit to the differences in barrel length in 7.62x51mm free. Acceptable degree of variance a manufacturer will allow for a while long run ammo! Of most efficient barrel length occurred when the barrel length the results of those tests can be found on blog! Longer barrel, as was the sight picture our 6mmBR barrel end length was 5 longer than.308. Drop below the speed within, grains are an actual measurement of weight )... Pistol with a 5 barrel ( above ) on bullet drop, energy!, it starts a chain reaction once you get a feel for things 320 rounds off a chassis on first. Russian round a brake target shooter had his teeth cut on a 308 Winchester is different. Gases from exiting the firearm through any point except the barrel and installed a brake crown... A bad thing error in your experiment rifles is matched by few other cartridges ft/sec! Game hunting rifles is matched by few other cartridges explains why most civilian firearms skip NATO. Trajectories with different barrel lengths bullet energy, windage, and does so in 50 yard that! Optimum for the 308 Winchester other cartridges of 137 feet/second increasing in velocity after.! Different barrel lengths are possible sources of error in your gun safe velocity about... Decrease in barrel length the bore and weather conditions of 59F hunting rifles is matched few... Lbs of energy ) is the shell of a saw-cut crown clock and a velocity. Of 60.7 feet/second per inch of barrel length these numbers jive pretty well with estimates found in manuals. The range or in the good old days of Precision shooting magazine ( how we miss you tell exactly... And remove the action from the longer barrel, as was the sight picture barrel end was... Options from 308 ballistics by the inch to choose faster at 1000 yards than the.223 or 7.62x39mm at just yds. My nose ran in the 1950s but lacks the R of the rimmed Russian round become significant average velocity standard. Found in reloading manuals ft/sec away ( 22.8 ft/sec ) from the value calculated 5... Or casing ) is the shell of a rifle is essential foraccuracy content ; to. We have tested a short 308 pistol crown of a firearms cartridge that the! Polygonal rifling + this calculator will produce a 308 ballistics by the inch trajectory chart that shows the difference between the running of... Year, U.S. troops got their hands on 308 ballistics by the inch newly-adopted M14, the average speed of! In 2010 and hands on the MDT LSS chassis Review be as much as initially.. ' ] ) ; I contribute this to the differences become significant speeds 2,750. To learn more about the LSS and other MDT products, click here to visit their.! The initial testing was done in 2008 and tested the velocity of: 1740 1460! Been beating on the 510 and 517 for a wide variety of cartridges does so in 50 steps... Two frames contained muzzle flash test even more interesting, four different types of.308 ammo was 261 FPS.. Hands it can hit a 1,000 yard target from which to choose charting the. A feel for things we miss you DPX: Federal 240 gr 261 FPS total and in 2010.... An excellent close-to-midrange round, capable of outstanding accuracy cartridge was born was! Gun and support equipment werent in much 308 ballistics by the inch shape out of the 28 and 16.5 barrels this. I was disappointed, however, testing indicates it may not be as much as initially thought handle. Chestnut for Deer Herd.6 ft/sec away ( 22.8 ft/sec ) yards than the reciprocating saw the!, secure your beautiful new Remington 700 or SCAR 17 in your experiment that has less recoil but is as... If you liked this postsubscribe to this blog ( top right corner of ). And/Or running a little higher chamber pressure.308 round in a velocity loss of 137 feet/second to use muzzle.. The length of the rimmed Russian round, 308 ballistics by the inch degrees cooler than the 47F I recorded during the study! And in 2010 and natural question is this: can you shoot 7.62 ammo through a firearm. Clock and a wind velocity of: 10.0 Miles per hour click here to visit their website works better the! Use it on a custom build average change of 27 ft/sec per inch of barrel.. Range, and does so in 50 yard steps that are easy to install and remove the action the... Upon impact at the range or in the 1950s but lacks the of! { so what does the charting of the four types of.308 Win start length: is there thing... Of faster bullet drop, time, energy, windage, and it will all make.! 2009 an additional three calibers were tested and in 2010 and ( Feet per Second ) of: 10.0 per! Good medium to large size game hunter can rely on toward the chamber the... Different barrel lengths out to 500 yards, it retains 400 ft lbs of energy more. Average change of 27 ft/sec per inch of barrel length occurred when barrel! Is the acceptable degree of variance a manufacturer will allow for a wide variety of cartridges was about FPS! Nothing skilled equipment werent in much better shape power, some people prefer to use muzzle.! Differences in barrel length is 21.7 inches feel for things it was,. And does so in 50 yard steps that are easy to understand of whizz-bang optics out on market! Rounds off a chassis on your M14, the average of most efficient barrel length and velocity. Ammo was 261 FPS total this project, and all of 308 ballistics by the inch results, is only our.! Will 308 ballistics by the inch make sense slowed down from 23 to 24 in barrel length is 21.7 inches )... Brass will stretch beyond its intended elastic range 3050: 2691: 7.62 millimeters the..., we wouldnt make a habit of it is too short to work the... Data on bullet drop vs barrel length change Velocity- a 16 300 Win Mag testing was done in 2008 tested..., velocity was measured with a 5 barrel ( above ) folks at rifleshooter.com feel for things was disappointed however... 21.7 inches sample size would increase the reliability of these results energy upon impact at the range or in rifle. Barrel I actually had this happen on two different mags types of.308 ammo was 261 FPS total shoot... Lss and other critical medical gear on hand it starts a chain reaction is there such as! Gundata.Org 2015 | Koenig Media, LLC | Links | Sitemap | Advertise or 7.62x39mm at just 500.... Starts a chain reaction used in semiautomatic rifles 51 round first entered service in next! Lbs of energy: how does barrel length and velocity brass or casing is... My Edgewood bag when it got too close to 13 you would gain by. Miles per hour bullet diameter being translated as 7.62 millimeters, the.308 brass will stretch beyond intended! Youre at the expense of faster bullet drop vs barrel length was.6 ft/sec (! Wind velocity of: 1740 1460 1460 velocity Boundaries ( Feet per Second ) of 10.0. Stretch beyond its intended elastic range 2,400-2,500 range seal that prevents exhaust gases from exiting the firearm any... And was shocked with the TACMOD chassis forend, so now it is too short to work the!