.308/7.62x51 Rifles?

I've shot .308 Winchester and 7.62 NATO ball out of my McCoy .308 M1 Garand and Springfield Armory M1A with no problems.

x51 is safe in a .308 chamber, not the other way. most modern rifles will handle both safely, i know my cetme, fal, and saiga all have .308/7.62 nato stamped on the side.

From my understanding if your gun is chambered in .308 win it can shoot both.

If it is 7.62x51 NATO on the gun it might have issues with .308 because of the difference in cartridge sizes.

This is pretty much the opposite of 5.56 and .223. If you have a 5.56 you can shoot both. If your gun is .223 you should only shoot .223.

From my understanding if your gun is chambered in .308 win it can shoot both.

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+1

Real simple:

If the gun is marked ".308 Win", then EITHER is safe to shoot in it.

If the gun is marked or designated "7.62x51mm" or "7.62mm NATO", then that is what should be shot in it, NOT the hotter .308 Win.

I shoot both in my Ishapore 2A bolt action (patterend after the Enfield No1MkIII).

It's a military rifle, so it's presumably meant to shoot 7.62x51, but it has never given me a problem with .308Win.

just along as it say's .308 win you are good to go

THEY ARE INTERCHANGEABLE ROUNDS!!!!! JUST BE SURE NOT TO RELOAD .308 CHARGES INTO 7.62 MILITARY CASES!!!!!
SEARCH AND READ BEFORE STARTING THIS SILLINESS AGAIN!!!!!
Thanks,
Jon

sorry, it's just that this question gets asked all the time and incorrect info continues to get spread. shoot what ya' got and enjoy.

These .308/7.62x51 threads are kinda funny.
A lot of misinformation running around out there.

Take the FN FAL for instance, FN could not sell the FAL to Belgium civilians because it was marked 7.62 and was considered a Military rifle. So FN sold em with .308 match on the side and put a semi auto selector in it and walla, a civilian rifle. Same chamber, same rifle.

No one has the right answer here.



It has to do with headspace! Not every M1A (7.62) well shoot .308 safely.

I have an M1A and shoot both.

I use quality factory ammo.

The Springfield Armory CS Rep says its fine.

But *** does he know.....

Gunnerpalace Does anyone know of a rifle (bolt semi lever) that can shoot both .308 and 7.62x51? Safely too.

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All four of my Smith Enterprise, Inc. M14 builds have M118LR chambers that allow me to shoot both without issue.

These .308/7.62x51 threads are kinda funny.
A lot of misinformation running around out there.

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Yes, indeed. The difference is in the rifle chamber. .308 ammo may or may not be loaded a little hotter. Depending upon the size of a particular 7.62x51 chamber, the case life might be short for factory .308 ammo fired in a 7.62x51 chamber, but not a problem shooting it. And, yes, this subject has been beat to death. The search function is your friend.

Don

I just picked up a Tikka T3 stainless .308, and have been meaning to check into this,myself, so......thanks !!

Depending upon the size of a particular 7.62x51 chamber, the case life might be short for factory .308 ammo fired in a 7.62x51 chamber

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Not likely.

What? The shoulder is blown out all of 0.002" on the first firing?

After that, any issues with case size are going to be on the person who reloads it, and not on the ink from the box where the case was originally packaged.

However, it is true that commercial .308 brass is generally thinner than 7.62x51 military brass. So, for THAT reason, the .308 brass might not hold up as long as the x51 brass, irrespective of whether it is fired in a barrel marked .308 Win. or 7.62x51.

Quote:
Depending upon the size of a particular 7.62x51 chamber, the case life might be short for factory .308 ammo fired in a 7.62x51 chamber

Not likely.

What? The shoulder is blown out all of 0.002" on the first firing?

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Hardly. Since most commercial .308 ammo's case headspace is 1.628", so as to fit a minimum spec 1.630" .308 chamber, and a minimum chambered 7.62x51 is 1.635", you are talking about 0.007" minimum stretch on the first firing. And, since a 7.62x51 chamber can be as much as 1.6455" before being rejected, it could be alot more.

Don

7.62 x 51, has a thicker case and the neck is often annealed, shows discoloring, so that a miltiary rifle shooing it can tolerate an increased headspace range. Other than soem hotter commercial loads, there is little difference in power and pressure. Thge best solution, is to check the headspace of your military rifel and see if it is in the commercial 308 range.

All case necks are annealed. Most commercial brass manufacturers simply polish the discoloration out.

Don