{"id":4444,"date":"2021-10-19T08:22:40","date_gmt":"2021-10-19T08:22:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/?p=4444"},"modified":"2026-02-25T12:51:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T12:51:41","slug":"223-vs-308-two-sides-of-the-same-coin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/223-vs-308-two-sides-of-the-same-coin\/","title":{"rendered":"223 vs 308 &#8211; Two Sides Of The Same Coin"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Battle (Rifle) Royale: 223 vs 308<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the dust settled after World War II, the United States military had a problem. Their experience facing the new technology of the German Army demonstrated that the future of military rifles was a smaller gun with full auto capabilities, firing an intermediate cartridge. The issue was, the American service rifle at the time, the M1 Garand, was none of those things. Replacing the M1 Garand was just part of the problem. America\u2019s NATO allies also saw the need for a new type of military rifle, and the race between 223 vs 308 began.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Fast Facts: 223 vs 308<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Both cartridges stem from the post-WWII downsizing of battle rifles\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>223 has been the standard U.S. cartridge for 50+ years, 308 less than a dozen years<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>308 is still in limited use with U.S. forces<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The military conducted tests and trials to determine a better cartridge &#8211; the 30-06 or the .308. When the dust settled, the United States chose the .308 Winchester round as their standard military cartridge. The rest of NATO soon followed suit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meet The New Boss. Almost Like The Old Boss.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.308 Winchester (or 7.62x51mm as the military calls it) is based on the .300 Savage round. The typical bullet weight for this cartridge is something in the 150 to 180 grain range, and the round has the power to reach out to 800 yards and beyond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the 308 cartridge was a bit of a compromise. The same power that gives 308 a nice healthy thump on the target and allows it to reach out to 1000 yards also makes it hard to control when fired full auto. The round is smaller and lighter than the .30-06 round it replaced in U.S. service, but other smaller and lighter calibers were available. A lighter round meant a soldier could carry more ammo in the battle. So, the search for a 308 replacement started only a few years after it became the standard NATO round.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A New Way Of Thinking About Military Rifles<\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_4445\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/223_rifle_vs_308_rifle.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4445\" class=\"wp-image-4445 size-medium\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/223_rifle_vs_308_rifle-300x159.jpg\" alt=\"AR-10 vs AR-15\" width=\"300\" height=\"159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/223_rifle_vs_308_rifle-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/223_rifle_vs_308_rifle-1024x541.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/223_rifle_vs_308_rifle-768x406.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/223_rifle_vs_308_rifle-1536x812.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/223_rifle_vs_308_rifle-610x323.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/223_rifle_vs_308_rifle-1080x571.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/223_rifle_vs_308_rifle-627x332.jpg 627w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/223_rifle_vs_308_rifle.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4445\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AR-10 rifles (top) are commonly chambered in 308, while an AR-15 usually shoots 223<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The U.S. military eventually settled on a slightly modified version of 223 Remington, introducing it as the NATO 5.56x45mm cartridge. America\u2019s allies eventually followed suit, and the round gained worldwide popularity. The changeover from 308 to 223 was not without some drama, however. Even now, 50 years after that change, the battle between supporters of 223 vs 308 rages on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Which is kind of silly. Both rounds are well-suited to service in both the military and civilian worlds. Years of tweaking the 223\/5.56mm round based on combat experience means the rounds of today work both in the field and defending our homes. The 308 round is still used by the military in many different applications, such as designated marksman rifles or in belt-fed, fully automatic machine guns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both rounds can be used to hunt game. 5.56mm does a great job harvesting hogs or hunting predators, and the 308 round can handle just about anything in North America that walks on four legs. 223 and 308 are both excellent for self-defense, and both are used extensively in competitions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can We Really Compare 223 vs 308?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comparing 223 vs 308, then, is like comparing a station wagon to a minivan. They both have similar tasks, but they go about it in different ways. Station wagons and minivans are both designed to haul around 5 or more people. They can hold more goods than a typical four door sedan. They\u2019re great family vehicles, and serve that purpose well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, in North America at least, the minivan has supplanted the station wagon. Are station wagons bad cars? No. I have many fond memories of long road trips in the back of my family\u2019s 1978 Fairmont wagon, and I\u2019m sure the children of today have similar memories about their parents&#8217; minivan. Times change, however, and the advantages of a minivan (more volume, higher seating position, etc) meant the end of the line for the station wagon in the U.S. market.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4447\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ar_magazines-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4447\" class=\"wp-image-4447 size-medium\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ar_magazines-1-300x227.jpg\" alt=\"AR-10 magazine vs AR-15 magazine\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ar_magazines-1-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ar_magazines-1-1024x774.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ar_magazines-1-768x581.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ar_magazines-1-1536x1162.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ar_magazines-1-610x461.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ar_magazines-1-1080x817.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ar_magazines-1-627x474.jpg 627w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/ar_magazines-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4447\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An AR-10 magazine, normally filled with 308, versus an AR-15 magazine usually filled with 223<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are there practical differences with 223 vs 308? Of course. When it comes to self defense, though, those differences are minimal. An <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buckeyefirearms.org\/alternate-look-handgun-stopping-power\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">exhaustive study by author and firearms trainer Greg Elllifritz<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> showed that when it comes to stopping a gun fight, pistols are pistols, and rifles are rifles. But just how much power difference is there between 223 vs 308?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Testing 223 vs 308<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To find out, we\u2019re going to shoot two similar rounds from two similar guns. The ammo we\u2019ll be using is PMC Bronze FMJ, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/223-556-pmc-bronze-55-grain-fmj-20\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">55 grain for 223<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> vs 308 using 147 grain ammo. We\u2019ll shoot them from an AR-10 chambered in 308 with a 16 barrel, and we\u2019ll shoot the 5.56mm rounds from an AR-15 with a 16 inch barrel. We\u2019ll record the muzzle velocity from each round at the barrel and then plug those results into a ballistics calculator to get a sense of the performance of each round. Both rifles are sighted-in at 50 yards, and we\u2019ll compare the bullet drop of each round at 500 yards to get an idea of their effective range.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/223-556-pmc-bronze-55-grain-fmj-20\">55 Grain 223 FMJ Ammo<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle velocity &#8211; 2867 fps<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle energy &#8211; 1004 ft\/lbs<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bullet drop at 500 yards &#8211; 75.02 inches<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>147 Grain 308 FMJ Ammo<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle velocity &#8211; 2672 fps<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle energy &#8211; 2330 ft\/lbs<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bullet drop at 500 yards &#8211; 61.42 inches<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is obviously a huge difference in muzzle energy with 223 vs 308. This has led to a lot of discussion about \u201cstopping power\u201d and the effectiveness of both rounds in combat. 308 is the better choice for longer-ranged encounters, which is why it\u2019s commonly used in designated marksman rifles. However, the 223 round has proven to be effective as the decades roll on. 223 may not be up to the task of dropping a moose in its tracks, but it is well-suited for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/best-5-56-ammo-for-home-defense\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">defending home<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and homeland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4448\" style=\"width: 256px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/cartridge_comparison-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-magnific_type=\"image\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4448\" class=\"wp-image-4448 size-medium\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/cartridge_comparison-1-246x300.jpg\" alt=\"308 compared to 223\" width=\"246\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/cartridge_comparison-1-246x300.jpg 246w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/cartridge_comparison-1-838x1024.jpg 838w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/cartridge_comparison-1-768x938.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/cartridge_comparison-1-1258x1536.jpg 1258w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/cartridge_comparison-1-610x745.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/cartridge_comparison-1-1080x1319.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/cartridge_comparison-1-627x766.jpg 627w, https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/media\/cartridge_comparison-1.jpg 1310w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4448\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">308 (L) is bigger, has more power and more recoil than 223<\/p><\/div>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Purpose-Based Testing<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The results are very similar when it comes to hunting rounds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/308-win-fiocchi-165-grain-spbt-interlok-308d-20-rounds\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">F<strong>iocchi 165 Grain Interlock 308\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle velocity &#8211; 2746 fps<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle energy &#8211; 2762 ft\/bs<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Black Hills 60 Grain V-Max 223<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle velocity &#8211; 2911 fps<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle energy &#8211; 1129 ft\/lbs<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/308-762x51-federal-power-shok-180-grain-sp-20\">Federal 180 Grain Power-Shok 308<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle velocity &#8211; 2531 fps<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle energy &#8211; 2560 ft\/lbs<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/223-556-federal-power-shok-64-grain-sp-20\">Federal 64 Grain Soft Point 223<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle velocity &#8211; 2784 ft\/lbs<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Average muzzle energy &#8211; 1101 ft\/lbs<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The difference in muzzle energy is really noticeable here, with some the 308 caliber rounds delivering more than two and a half times more thump than their 223 equivalents. That sounds like a lot, and it is. You really don\u2019t want to chase down anything bigger than an average-sized hog with a rifle chambered in 223. On the other hand, a miss with a 308 is just as effective (that is to say, not effective at all) as a miss with a 223 bullet. The time you spend on range honing your marksmanship will pay off in spades when it all comes down to one shot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s How And Why You Shoot That Matters The Most<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, the choice of 223 vs 308 is about what tasks you need to perform with your rifle. 223 is a terrific choice for home defense and competition, and because it costs less per round than 308, it\u2019s a great round for plinking or training. However, I chose .308 as the caliber for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/scout-rifle-2-0\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scout Rifle 2.0<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, my \u201cdo it all\u201d rifle because it offered me the best balance between all the potential reasons why I might need to use a rifle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Noted gun writer Towsend Wheley once said that \u201conly accurate rifles are interesting,\u201d and over the years, both 223 and 308 have been proven to deliver outstanding accuracy. However, a rifle is only as accurate as the person behind the trigger. If you can\u2019t with the target on-demand, a miss with a 308 round is just as useless (and a little more expensive) than a miss with a 223 bullet. Devote yourself to marksmanship, and the question of 223 vs 308 will answer itself. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Battle (Rifle) Royale: 223 vs 308 As the dust settled after World War II, the United States military had a problem. Their experience facing the new technology of the German Army demonstrated that the future of military rifles was a smaller gun with full auto capabilities, firing an intermediate cartridge. The issue was, the American [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,19,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guns-101","category-rifle-shooting-tips","category-training","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>223 vs 308 - Two Sides Of The Same Coin - AmmoMan School of Guns Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It&#039;s an age-old argument: Which is better: 223 vs 308? 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