The .308 Winchester (7.62 NATO) The history of the 308 Winchester follows a common path for cartridge development. In 1950 NATO adopted the cartridge as the 7.62x51 NATO with an idea to have a military cartridge that was shorter and more compact than military rounds available at the time such as the 30-06 Government. Two years later Winchester launched the .308 Winchester as a medium size game cartridge in a number of rifles.In the 60 years of the life of the 308 Winchester it has become “the” cartridge for civilian target shooting, military use, sniper matches and hunting. The short length of the cartridge allows for adaptability to shorter rifles for hunting. Billed as one of the most inherently accurate cartridges developed in the last 100 years, the 308 Winchester has been the parent case for numerous wildcats that have eventually become commercial cartridges such as the 243 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington, 358 Winchester and the 260 Remington. Chambered by every major rifle manufacturer in nearly every one of their rifles, the 308 Winchester is about as ubiquitous of a cartridge as they come. It is perfect for hunting, target shooting, plinking and long range shooting. Scopelist handles a complete line of various rifles that are chambered in the 308 Winchester as shown below and our capable sales staff can guide you to the perfect rifle purchase. Please call (866) 271-7212 for more information