Shooting Times, November 2014
A Great .308
Jake Edmondson
�Shooting Times field editor Layne Simpson once referred to the .308 Winchester as the most useful short-action cartridge ever developed because it's a versatile hunting cartridge; it's great for handloading; it's the parent for a family of cartridges, many of which are as successful as the .308; and it's the official military round of the NATO members around the world."
�� many of which are as successful as the .308�??? Let�s see, that would include the, uh, ummm, uh, hmmm�. Can�t seem to think of a single one that I would consider as successful as the .308 Winchester, let alone �many�.
And how does the fact that it spawned offspring have anything to do with the usefulness of the parent cartridge itself? It doesn�t.
Never mind that, despite their similarity, the .308 Winchester and 7.62 NATO have slightly different specifications and are therefore technically not the same cartridge.
Not knocking the .308 or its offspring, as I think the .308 Winchester is one of the best rifle cartridges ever invented. There just seems to be a significant lack of logic and precision in the thinking of Simpson and Edmondson.
Besides, I would suggest the �most useful short-action cartridge ever developed � would be the .22LR.
