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308 Winchester vs 7.62 NATO Cartridges
aldo35
Member Posts: 120 ✭✭
Can I fire 7.62 NATO rds in rifle chambered for the 308 Win?
Thanks
Aldo35
Thanks
Aldo35
Comments
But a rifle marked .308 Winchester should safely fire 7.62 NATO.
I had a Savage 99F that refused to extract 7.62 NATO cases from the chamber when I fired them through the gun, but any and all commercial .308 I fired extracted and ejected out perfectly. Could've been the thickness of the military brass not allowing it to spring back and sticking the case to the walls in the chamber, who knows.
Yes. However, the reverse is not always true. There are rifles made for 7.62 NATO that should not fire .308 Winchester.
But a rifle marked .308 Winchester should safely fire 7.62 NATO.
Here is a reasonable assessment:
quote:Before we go much further, we want to address the oft-posed question "are the .308 Winchester and 7.62x51 NATO one and the same." The simple answer is no. There are differences in chamber specs and maximum pressures. The SAMMI/CIP maximum pressure for the .308 Win cartridge is 62,000 psi, while the 7.62x51 max is 50,000 psi. Also, the headspace is slightly different. The .308 Win "Go Gauge" is 1.630#8243; vs. 1.635#8243; for the 7.62x51. The .308's "No-Go" dimension is 1.634#8243; vs. 1.6405#8243; for a 7.62x51 "No Go" gauge. That said, it is normally fine to shoot quality 7.62x51 NATO ammo in a gun chambered for the .308 Winchester (though not all NATO ammo is identical). Clint McKee of Fulton Armory notes: "[N]obody makes 7.62mm (NATO) ammo that isn't to the .308 `headspace' dimension spec. So 7.62mm ammo fits nicely into .308 chambers, as a rule." You CAN encounter problems going the other way, however. A commercial .308 Win round can exceed the max rated pressure for the 7.62x51. So, you should avoid putting full-power .308 Win rounds into military surplus rifles that have been designed for 50,000 psi max. -
Best.