.223 Remington vs .308 Winchester — ballistics compared
Median and range from 64 loads of .223 Remington and 91 loads of .308 Winchester in the pointMoA database — drop, drift and energy computed by the app engine under the same conditions.
Reference conditions
Zero at 100 m, line of sight 50 mm above the bore, 15 °C, 1013.25 hPa, 50 % humidity, wind 4 m/s from 3 o'clock (full value). Muzzle velocity and ballistic coefficient from the manufacturer's data sheet; the velocity was measured in the manufacturer's test barrel — a shorter barrel gives less.
What the numbers show
- At 500 m a .223 Remington bullet is 186.2 cm below the line of sight and a .308 Winchester bullet 197.6 cm (medians).
- Drift in a 4 m/s full-value crosswind at 500 m: .223 Remington 101.3 cm, .308 Winchester 66.2 cm (medians, downwind).
- Energy at 500 m: .223 Remington 355 J, .308 Winchester 1337 J (medians).
- Bullet weight in the database: .223 Remington from 35 to 77 gr, .308 Winchester from 110 to 220 gr.
Drop to 500 m
- .223 Remington: median and middle half of 64 loads
- .308 Winchester: median and middle half of 91 loads
The line is the median drop; the band holds the middle half of the loads in the database — a quarter of them fly flatter than its upper edge and a quarter more steeply than its lower edge. The full range is in the table below. Zero at 100 m; the dashed line is the line of sight.
Median and range
Median, with the range from the lowest to the highest value among loads with complete data below it.
| Quantity | .223 Remington | .308 Winchester |
|---|---|---|
| Bullet weight (gr) | 5535 … 77 | 167110 … 220 |
| Muzzle velocity (m/s) | 978785 … 1219 | 820325 … 914 |
| Drop 100 m (cm) | 0.00.0 … 0.0 | 0.00.0 … 0.0 |
| Drop 200 m (cm) | -9.6-14.7 … -4.9 | -12.8-97.7 … -9.1 |
| Drop 300 m (cm) | -38.3-54.2 … -24.7 | -46.9-307.0 … -34.9 |
| Drop 400 m (cm) | -94.2-149.9 … -66.7 | -106.2-636.8 … -81.2 |
| Drop 500 m (cm) | -186.2-334.0 … -131.5 | -197.6-1096.2 … -152.3 |
| Drift 500 m (cm) | -101.3-219.9 … -65.2 | -66.2-152.0 … -44.9 |
| Velocity 500 m (m/s) | 443284 … 541 | 503266 … 594 |
| Energy 500 m (J) | 355144 … 703 | 1337371 … 1932 |
The table is indicative: it is computed from catalogue data under reference conditions, not from your barrel and your lot of ammunition. Verify the trajectory on the range before relying on it.
Load by load
Every load on its own, with weight, muzzle velocity and ballistic coefficient — on the calibre pages.
Other comparisons
The pointMoA app
Your load from your barrel — in the app
A catalogue median is a starting point, not your trajectory. In the pointMoA app you compute the trajectory for your own firearm and ammunition, check your zero with the zeroing assistant on a photo of the target and save the result in the log — no account and no Internet connection.