7.62x51 vs .308

jron

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So i splurged on a Remington 700 and had a quick ammo question. The gun is technically chambered in 308, but is it ok to shoot the military 7.62x51 ammo out of it?

I know you do not want to shoot 5.56 out a barrel chambered in .223, I was not sure if the same rules applied to the 308

Thanks.
 
Yes, 7.62x51 is OK to shoot in a .308, but not the other way around. The .308 is designed to create 62,000 psi, whereas the 7.62x51 creates 50,000 psi. Additionally, the .308 is a bit bigger, allowing the semi-smaller 7.62x51 to fit into it.
 
That would be 52,000 CUP versus 62,000 PSI. Don't believe me? Compare loading data in the Lyman manual versus the Hodgdon manual. 150 grain bullet, IMR 4064 powder.
Lyman 48.0 grains 52,000 CUP
Hodgdon 47.5 grains 56,500 PSI

Additionally, the CHAMBER on a 7.62x51 is POTENTIALLY larger than a .308 Winchester.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. The Internet is rife with this kind of misinformation. And of course the wannabee experts just spew what they think/want/know to be true.
 
I only shoot 7.62 NATO through my FAL with STG58 barrel. I'm told by several "experts" that I'd be fine shooting .308 through it, but I headspaced that rifle myself to NATO specs, so NATO is all it gets.
 
According to the NRA Handloading book, a .308 chamber is 1.630" min., 1.640" max.
Ammunition for .308 is 1.634" +.000", -.007".
This means it's conceivable you'd have a .004" interference fit.
However, most ammunition I've checked on a Wilson case gage is close to or smaller than 1.631". And yes, I used a headspace gage to check the Wilson.

The problem is Nato chamber spec. runs 1.635" min, 1.6455" max. The "extra" allows for dirt and mung.
I can't find other than anecdotal evidence for the spec. on NATO 7.62x51 ammunition, but have never measured one over 1.633". That doesn't mean they don't exist, just that I've never found one. My samples were many and included West German, Israeli, Portuguese, Australian, South African and a few from Venezuela.

Of rifles I've seen, the only one that ever failed with commercial .308 was a Century Cetme. Cartridge separation with the first shot of Remington hunting ammunition. It worked fine with Portuguese and South African surplus. The rifle swallowed my .308 Field Gage.

The anecdotal upshot is if you have a longish chamber relative to .308 in your military type rifle, use NATO surplus. My M1A headspaces at 1.632" and has never failed to feed and shoot ANY .308 or 7.62x51 round.
 
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Just bought some ammo at Riley's and wanted to make sure before I sight it in this week
 
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