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

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

.223 Rem. shoots flatter with these representative loads: 59.5" vs 73" of drop at 500 yards. .308 Win. carries more energy downrange: 917 vs 238 ft-lb retained at 500 yards. .308 Win. drifts less in a 10 mph crosswind: 31.8" vs 43.1" at 500 yards. Expect noticeably more recoil from .308 Win. in comparable firearms — its muzzle energy is 113% higher.

Figures use each cartridge's representative factory 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 (59.5" vs 73" at 500 yd)
you're recoil-sensitive or shooting high volume
your focus is varmint — it has the longer track record there

Pick .308 Win. if…

you want more retained energy at distance (917 vs 238 ft-lb at 500 yd)
you want heavier-bullet options in this pairing (180gr class vs 55gr)
your focus is hunting — it has the longer track record there
your focus is big game — it has the longer track record there

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	-12.1"	-17.2"
400 yd	-29.7"	-39.1"
500 yd	-59.5"	-73"

Retained Energy (ft-lb)

	.223 Rem.	.308 Win.
100 yd	958 ft-lb	2235 ft-lb
200 yd	702 ft-lb	1819 ft-lb
300 yd	504 ft-lb	1467 ft-lb
400 yd	352 ft-lb	1168 ft-lb
500 yd	238 ft-lb	917 ft-lb

Wind Drift — 10 mph Full-Value (inches)

	.223 Rem.	.308 Win.
100 yd	1.3"	1.1"
200 yd	5.3"	4.4"
300 yd	13"	10.3"
400 yd	25.1"	19.2"
500 yd	43.1"	31.8"

Hunting Energy References

.223 Rem.: Retains about 1,000 ft-lb (deer-sized energy reference) to roughly 85 yd. Does not reach the ~1,500 ft-lb elk-sized energy reference in the listed data.

.308 Win.: Retains about 1,000 ft-lb (deer-sized energy reference) to roughly 465 yd. Retains about 1,500 ft-lb (elk-sized energy reference) to roughly 290 yd.

A retained-energy reference only — not a shoot/don't-shoot distance. Real effective range depends on your accuracy, shot placement, bullet construction, and conditions. The ~1,000 ft-lb (deer-sized) and ~1,500 ft-lb (elk-sized) figures are commonly cited rules of thumb, not standards.

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