Need some clarifaction on .308 and 7.62x51

[Guest Jack Brickhouse]

Can I use 7.62x51 surplus ammo in a Remintgon 700 or a Savage chambered in .308?

[gregintenn]

Same thing.

[MacGyver]

You shouldn't have any issue. Military brass is a little thicker, but in a 700 you shouldn't have any problem shooting quality milsurp ammo.

[Oh Shoot]

I've heard that the 7.62X51 is loaded a little hotter, than the .308 win. ......

No, .308 has the higher maximum PSI spec.

Always ok to use 7.62 Nato in .308, opposite may or may not be okay, depending on various factors.

- OS

[kesava]

there is an actual difference in the throat of the round too. your OK for the most part though.

[DaveTN]

I've heard that the 7.62X51 is loaded a little hotter, than the .308 win. I've shot 7.62X51 nato ammo thur all my guns & never had a problem.

Reverse.

[MasterBlaster]

Slight head space that's it. I've heard folks say anything form no difference at all - to T=totally dangerous and everything in the middle but with a positive locking bolt I see no reason not.

[jeremy155rr]

5.56 in .223 = bad

.223 in 5.56 = okay

.308 in 7.62n = bad

7.62n in .308 = okay (popular majority, scares me though).

confusing enough?

[Guest pawn]

This link covers 308 win vs 308 nato as well as I have seen:

Collecting and Shooting the Military Surplus Rifle (2006) - Surplusrifle.com

Edited December 31, 2009 by pawn
edit

[my82cam]

5.56 in .223 = bad

.223 in 5.56 = okay

.308 in 7.62n = bad

7.62n in .308 = okay (popular majority, scares me though).

confusing enough?

[kesava]

5.56 in .223 = bad

.223 in 5.56 = okay

confusing enough?

I have had 0, issues with this. In my experience they are EXACTLY the same. Even to the PSI, just metric vs. mm.

I have fired both in my .223's

In the OTC we used them interchangeably.

[DaveTN]

It’s a safety issue.

All documentation shows that they are not the same.

The fact that someone has not had a rifle blow up in their face doesn’t mean the rounds are the same or that users should treat them as the same.

Using commercial .223 Remington cartridges in a 5.56mm NATO chambered rifle should work reliably, but generally will not be as accurate as when fired from a .223 Remington chambered gun due to the longer leade.

Using 5.56mm NATO mil-spec cartridges (such as the M855) in a .223 Remington chambered rifle can lead to excessive wear and stress on the rifle and even be unsafe, and the SAAMI recommends against the practice.

Some commercial rifles marked as ".223 Remington" are in fact suited for 5.56mm NATO, such as many commercial AR-15 variants and the Ruger Mini-14, but the manufacturer should always be consulted to verify that this is acceptable before attempting it, and signs of excessive pressure (such as flattening or gas staining of the primers) should be looked for in the initial testing with 5.56mm NATO ammunition.

Always remember it's 50,000 PSI only a few inches from your face.

Be prepared, as I am, for the torrent of "reloading is safe", and "I've been reloading for 20 years and never had a prob", and "can't win witout reloads", and "only an idiot would say such things", and ........ ???

Facts:

• A man I know well in the mil rifle business (a supplier), was sounding a little down on the phone a few years ago, so I asked what was the matter. He answered, "I lost my eye.""—Ruger Mini-14, reloads.
  
• A man who I know well who has been building NM Service Rifles and Match rifles for 25 years blew up a customer rifle while test firing. Face peppered with brass, blood everywhere, no permanent damage, thank goodness. Reloads. His reloads. BTW, this guy holds more records than all of you on this forum, times a few factors.
  
• A man in the firearms business, a shooter, a person whose life was firerams, for over 20 years, was killed recently. Reloads. His reloads.
  
• We have a bunch of large rifles that fit into small boxes (rifles we did not build, BTW), because of reloads.
  
• Friend of a friend who has been reloading for decades, was unclogging primers in his primer feeder when the stack exploded. He's a man wanting several fingers and a thumb.
  
• DCM Garands in perfect mechanical condition, destroyed due to reloads.
  
• Military match M16's disintegrated, due to reloads.
  

And so it goes, and goes, and goes. This stuff happens all the time. But, like that accident we all heard of, we just know we would not have done such a dumb thing. The psychological libraries were filled with this proof decades ago. Sadly, "we" believe things will be different for "us." It's the way we humans are constructed. For those that have been in this business for more than a few years, it's deja vous all over again, and again, and...Oh, and remember, it takes only ONE catastrophic failure over your entire life to really ruin your day. So spare me the "I've been doing this for... years," "I'm a tool & die maker", ...

Because most .223 rifles are of modern manufacture this is not as big a problem as the .308 vs. 7.62 NATO or the 30-06 mil sup vs. modern 30-06; but is still something to be aware of.

A user needs to be informed of what he is shooting and what the manufacturer recommends.

[Guest Jack Brickhouse]

5.56 in .223 = bad

.223 in 5.56 = okay

.308 in 7.62n = bad

7.62n in .308 = okay (popular majority, scares me though).

confusing enough?

Yes, I'm still confused. After reading everyones response, I am more confused. Like one person said we're dealing with something inches from my my face. So, I will as again.

Can I shoot Military Surplus 7.62x51 in my .308 Remington 700? Yes or No!

No explanation needed.

I apologize if I appear to be rude and unappreciative of everyones responses. I'm a "keep it simple, stupid" type of guy.

[DaveTN]

Can I shoot Military Surplus 7.62x51 in my .308 Remington 700? Yes or No!

No explanation needed.

I apologize if I appear to be rude and unappreciative of everyones responses. I'm a "keep it simple, stupid" type of guy.

Then No, you can’t.

Call Remington and see what they tell you. I suspect they will tell you that your rifle is a .308 and that is all you can use.

[Guest Jack Brickhouse]

Hey Jack,I thought they be the same,,,,,BUT read this.It might swing more weight than our personal opinions.The Gun Zone -- .30 Caliber Ammo

Giving you a short answer.I would`nt.

Thank You. The answer is no. The link you provided, due to the drawings, cleared up my confusion.

[DaveTN]

From DPMS...

Subject: Can I use 7.62x51mm ammo in my .308?

While you can physically fire either 308 or 7.62 NATO from a 308, you will see reduced accuracy from increased wear in the throat of the rifling and a higher chance of erratic cycling, including a higher chance of failures to extract. It is for this reason we recommend using only commercial 308 in a 308 barrel.

DPMS does not recommend or warranty the use of 7.62x51 ammo in a .308 chamber.

A 7.62x51 chamber can handle both types of ammo. Determine your actual chambering by looking on the underside of your barrel forward of the gas block or front sight base.

The lower receivers of these two rifles are identical and will be stamped 308 even on a 7.62, the lower stamp should not be used to determine actual chambering. FWIW, the .260, .243, .300 SAUM, .308, 7.62x51 and 6.5 Creedmoor all use the same lower receiver.