 | For the military variant, see 7.62mm. |
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 | This is a lore summary, presenting intradiegetic or in-universe information about the subject. For game characteristics and similar data, consult the table on the right. |
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The .308 caliber round (pronounced: "three-oh-eight" or "three-aught-eight") is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge in Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76.
Background[]
The .308 is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge that enjoyed tremendous popularity on the market before the Great War. Excellent performance in all aspects led to its widespread adoption by civilian and military weapons manufacturers, with hunting, marksman, and even automatic rifles manufactured to use this type of ammunition. Grandad's brand[1] .308 full metal jacket was particularly popular before the war and packages of this ammunition are still commonly available from merchants and within ruins, though military cases with .308 ammunition are more common in some areas. It was this cartridge from which the 7.62mm round was derived.
Variants[]
.308 caliber FMJ[]
The standard .308 full metal jacket round is a lead core jacketed with copper and offers excellent performance against soft targets, with or without body armor.
.308, armor piercing[]
A .308 round crafted to defeat enemy body armor. The softer metal jacket covers a dense penetrator, while the bullet is loaded with a higher powder load, offering excellent performance against armor. However, the higher velocity reduces the amount of kinetic energy transferred to the target on impact, reducing damage somewhat.
.308, JSP[]
Jacketed soft point ammunition is a variant of the .308 round, designed to maximize the amount of damage transferred to the target by expanding, much like a hollow point round. Unlike the hollow point round, however, the soft point bullet has a flat, soft tip slowing down the expansion of the bullet enough to retain the .308's performance against armor. The drawback of this ammunition is that lead fouls the barrel faster, leading to a deterioration of weapon function.
.308, hollow point[]
.308 hollow point rounds feature a pit or a hollowed out shape at the tip of the bullet. As a result, the bullet expands upon impact, delivering more kinetic energy to the target and disrupting tissue more extensively. However, this same property also leads to dramatically reduced penetrative power, as the bullet will be stopped by armor more easily due to its properties.
References
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas ammo box.