.308 MATCH vs .308 WIN

[dangerouspower]

Noob question here.. but what are the differences? Can a rifle that uses .308 WIN use .308 MATCH ammo, and vice versa?

Thanks in advance!

[762cavalier]

Yes a rifle can use both. the difference between the two is Match ammo is usually assembled more carefully. More precise powder charges. more consistent bullet weights, better cases.

[dangerouspower]

Thanks 762! I bought a rifle recently and waiting my 10 days. A friend of mine checked out the specs, and said that I better check with the builder because the caliber is not 308 WIN, but 308 MATCH.. We incorrectly thought they were two different calibers...

[DirtRacer151]

Probably means it has a 308 match chamber, what gun is it? A match chamber usually just has tighter specs.

[dangerouspower]

Here is a link to the rifle:

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=215724

The builder is very informative, but I just I figured it was easy for me to get answers here from all you knowledgeable enthusiasts out there.

My other question is, what is 'tight bore'?

[DirtRacer151]

thats a nice gun... ive seen it posted before.

[dangerouspower]

Thanks DirtRacer. It's been a long count towards day 10..

I'm trying to decide whether or not to sell my Sako TRG22 after comparing the two. The great thing is that the builder, Randy Cain is a great guy and lives not far from me.

[Scratch705]

it means as it says. the bore is tighter to allow for better bullet/barrel contact.

with a lot of the commercial guns, they allow for a bit of tolerances and make the bore/chamber bigger than needed to allow for variation of factory ammo. with a match chamber/bore, the tolerances are very tight, and only allows perfectly sized ammo to fit correctly.

so for the gun you bought, you have to run match grade factory ammo, or reload your own.

[dangerouspower]

That's what I thought- thanks Scratch for the reassurance. I can assume greater accuracy with a tight bore, but does this translate to reliability issues?

[jmf_tracy]

That's what I thought- thanks Scratch for the reassurance. I can assume greater accuracy with a tight bore, but does this translate to reliability issues?

you bought a precision 'match' rifle. you won't have any reliability issues, just don't get a bunch of dirt or sand in the action and chamber. you will need to feed it match grade ammo whether you roll your own or buy it. i have a GAP crusader and i use M118LR and it works great for me. you can purchase HSM M118LR or at sniper central as they are the exclusive retailers for that ammo. HSM is a lot cheaper than federal or black hills.

[dangerouspower]

Thanks jmf- I'll definitely look into the ammo you recommended.

[rksimple]

The tight bore will bump the velocity a bit. You shouldn't run into any reliability issues as long as you use good ammo and no milsurp junk.

[Scratch705]

btw ammunitiontogo.com just put the federal gold medal match ammo on sale.

$19.95/box so about $1 a round after shipping.

[dangerouspower]

That's a hell of a deal!

[Gnzrme]

buy all of it if you can because that is almost 50% cheaper than anywhere else...