Introduced by Winchester as a new sporting cartridge in 1952, the 308 Winchester is nothing more than the NATO 7.62x51mm military round. According to Cartridges of the World 17th Edition, “This was a very smart move, to tack the Winchester name onto what was sure to become a popular sporting number. Practically every manufacturer of high-powered sporting rifles chambers the 308, since it will work through medium- or standard-length actions. The Model 70 bolt-action and 88 lever-action Winchesters were the first American sporting rifles so chambered. It was adopted as the official U.S. military rifle cartridge in 1954, although guns for it were not ready until 1957.”
Gun Tests has evaluated many rifles chambered in 308 Winchester over the last few years, and we’ve often NOT liked some market favorites because we’re able to shoot several side by side, which shows the deficiencies and strengths of each firearm.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled our Top Ten 308 Winchester Bolt Action Rifles list below. We haven’t tested every rifle on the market, of course, so we’ll be interested to see which one is your favorite in the comments below. As always, prices reflect what we paid for the gun at the time of the test. Expect the prices of new or used guns to be different. — Todd Woodard
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Ruger Scout Rifle 6830 7.62mm NATO (308 Win.), $1139 (July 2019)
GUN TESTS GRADE: B+
The Ruger Scout comes closest to the original Scout rifle concept, but it falls short due to weight. We still feel this a great rifle, and it offered excellent accuracy.
Remington M700 SPS 85538 308 Win., $600 (Oct. 2017)
GUN TESTS GRADE: B+
This short rifle isn’t the most accurate, but the overall handling is superb.
Ruger Hawkeye Compact 37139 308 Win., $691 (April 2020)
GUN TESTS GRADE: B+
This rifle has a short length of pull and a 16.5-inch barrel, this could be a great truck gun or an outstanding rifle for a smaller shooter.
Mossberg MVP Scout Combo 7.62 NATO, $780 (July 2019)
GUN TESTS GRADE: B
Not a true interpretation of the Scout Rifle concept. Accurate, well-handling short rifle at a good price.
Savage Axis XP 19231 308 Win., $390 (March 2017)
GUN TESTS GRADE: B
Accuracy was acceptable with the provided riflescope.
Mossberg Trophy Hunter 308 Win., $240 (Dec. 2018)
GUN TESTS GRADE: C
Overall, the rifle was worth the modest price, but there are better choices.
Savage Axis 19223 308 Win, $240 (Oct. 2017)
GUN TESTS GRADE: C
Accuracy wasn’t the best. The rifle was dogged by a heavy trigger that we fixed.
Mossberg 100 All-Terrain Rifle 27230 308 Win., $200 (March 2017)
GUN TESTS GRADE: C
The rifle did not misfeed. We liked the cheek rest. The primary problem was accuracy.
TOP TEN 308 WINCHESTER BOLT-ACTION RIFLES
- Savage Arms 10PT-SR 22356 308 Win., $550 (May 2018)
GUN TESTS GRADE: B+
Good build. It did shoot sub-MOA with one round. We loved the handle and AccuTrigger.
- Remington Model 700 SPS 84218 308 Win., $606 (Oct. 2017)
GUN TESTS GRADE: B+
Hard to find a production rifle that is capable of greater practical accuracy.
- Savage Axis II XP 57095 308 Win. $411 (Dec. 2018)
GUN TESTS GRADE: A-
Best Buy. It works well, is accurate enough for hunting, and it is affordable.
- Savage Model 12FV 18393 308 Win., $420 (Dec. 2018)
GUN TESTS GRADE: A-
Most accurate rifle tested. Modest recoil. The rifle never failed to impress us.
- Remington 700 SPS 85538 308 Win. $655 (March 2017)
GUN TESTS GRADE: A-
There are few rifles that are as handy as this one.
- Remington Model 7 CDL 26423 308 Win., $798 (April 2020)
GUN TESTS GRADE: A
A nice piece of wood, a good trigger and a compact 20-inch barrel on a rifle that could really shoot.
- Tikka T3x Lite Stainless JRTXB316 308 Win., $748 (April 2020)
GUN TESTS GRADE: A-
With a very functional polymer stock, the smoothest bolt in the group of test rifles, and the best out-of-the-box trigger, we really liked this rifle.
- Ruger American Rifle 6903 Standard 308 Win. $382 (Dec. 2018)
GUN TESTS GRADE: A
Light enough, accurate enough, and inexpensive enough for us to want to keep it.
- Remington Model 783 85847 308 Win., $340 (March 2017)
GUN TESTS GRADE: A
Best Buy. The Remington 783 was the most accurate rifle tested this month. There were no demerits.
- Winchester Model 70 Featherweight Stainless 535234220 308 Win., $951 (April 2020)
GUN TESTS GRADE: A
Smooth handling, very good accuracy and classical styling.
Note: Older firearms in this listicle may still be available as NIB products or as used guns.
Hi Todd – long time subscriber. I’ve been a big Ruger fan since the 70’s, being a former FFL and sold and owned quite a few. I recently purchased the stainless steel .308 Scout with the 18.7″ barrel and had problems with it right out of the box. The bolt would not cycle smoothly no matter how much lube I slathered on it. I’ve owned quite a few M77’s over the decades but never seen one this bad. Even my dealers’ gunsmith said he’d never seen anything like it.
They sent it back. After a lengthy, time it was returned -same problem. The dealer sent it back again. Another lengthy wait. This time it was a little bit better, but still horrible. Ruger also let the dealer know there was nothing else they would do. I have a safe full of various Ruger, long and short, some quite rare and collectable, but I’ll never add another one!
It has been my experience too. As of the last 5 years, Ruger has disappointed me, In the old days, I would highly recommend Ruger semi-automatic rifles. Now the only way to get a Ruger semi-automatic rifle to be reliable is to only use factory Ruger Brand magazines. Of the three brands I have used that are not Ruger brand, the rifles will fire the first cartridge and not pick up the next cartridge as the slide travels forward. I tried 10 magazines. Then I inserted two different Ruger brand magazines and all 10 shots from both magazines fired reliably. Now either this is a marketing strategy by Ruger not sharing
engineering data or there is something else wrong. But I used three different USA made Magazines and they all fail the same way. Ruger Magazines are also twice the price of comparable Ruger magazines by alternate USA makers.