CaliberAtlas › Compare › .223 Rem. vs .308 Win.

.223 Rem. vs .308 Win. — Ballistics Compared

.223 Rem. shoots flatter with these representative loads: 60.1" vs 73.3" of drop at 500 yards. .308 Win. carries more energy downrange: 920 vs 240 ft-lb retained at 500 yards. .308 Win. drifts less in a 10 mph crosswind: 32.1" vs 43.7" at 500 yards.

Figures use each cartridge's representative load, computed with our validated G1 model at standard conditions. Full tables and every load are on the cartridge pages: .223 Rem. ballistics · .308 Win. ballistics.

Pick .223 Rem. if…

you want the flatter trajectory (60.1" vs 73.3" at 500 yd)
your focus is varmint, which is listed for this cartridge but not the other profile

Pick .308 Win. if…

you want more retained energy at distance (920 vs 240 ft-lb at 500 yd)
you want the heavier representative load shown in this pairing (180gr vs 55gr)
your focus is hunting, which is listed for this cartridge but not the other profile
your focus is big game, which is listed for this cartridge but not the other profile

Side-by-Side Specifications

	.223 Rem.	.308 Win.
Representative load	55gr Federal Power-Shok	180gr Norma Oryx
Muzzle velocity	3240 fps	2612 fps
Muzzle energy	1282 ft-lb	2728 ft-lb
G1 BC	0.222	0.354
Case length	45 mm	51.2 mm
Overall length	58 mm	71.37 mm
SAAMI max pressure	55,000 PSI	62,000 PSI
Common twist	1:8"	1:10"

Drop Comparison (inches)

	.223 Rem.	.308 Win.
100 yd	0"	0"
200 yd	-3"	-4.7"
300 yd	-12.2"	-17.2"
400 yd	-30"	-39.3"
500 yd	-60.1"	-73.3"

Retained Energy (ft-lb)

	.223 Rem.	.308 Win.
100 yd	952 ft-lb	2233 ft-lb
200 yd	697 ft-lb	1813 ft-lb
300 yd	498 ft-lb	1456 ft-lb
400 yd	347 ft-lb	1160 ft-lb
500 yd	240 ft-lb	920 ft-lb

Wind Drift — 10 mph Full-Value (inches)

	.223 Rem.	.308 Win.
100 yd	1.3"	1.1"
200 yd	5.4"	4.4"
300 yd	13.2"	10.4"
400 yd	25.6"	19.5"
500 yd	43.7"	32.1"

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