.308 safe in .30-06?

[snookdock]

I heard that the military would not accept the 7.62 NATO unless it fired fine in
their .30-06s. I tried this once in a Browning BAR semi-auto deer rifle. The casing came out elongated, but worked fine. You have to carefully fit the case under the extractor.

I was going to show this stunt to a 1962 Remington semi-auto owner. I was using a newer 1973 BAR.

I would like some advise. I wanted to try a .308 shell I loaded in 1976 to see if the box works, and I don't have a .308.

Was I just a lucky kid or is this safe?

 

[Sheldon]

Definately NOT recommended!!! That is just unsafe and asking for trouble. Even when guys fireform brass to a larger size, it is done with greatly reduced charges.

 

[P-32]

You want to expose your chamber to all of those hot gases?

 

[1911 guy]

DO NOT DO THIS.

You got lucky once. How many times do you think your luck will hold? If you're like me, you're on borrowed time as it is.

 

[snookdock]

Thank you

I was not sure if it was a bad idea. Now I know.

That still leaves the question:
Did the military want an emergency back up in case older weapons were out of ammo?

 

[Coronach]

I'm going to go with 'no.'

I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that they were only trying to duplicate the ballistics of .30-06 M2 ball ammo in a shorter case. That's it. Period. Full stop.

This would mean that they were pushing the same bullet (basically) out of a smaller chamber. That would mean, logically, that the newer/smaller cartridge would fit in the older/larger chamber.

That does NOT mean that the 'ability' to shoot the new round in the old guns was intentional.

Mike

 

[snookdock]

7.62 NATO in .30-06 myth ??

I heard this sometime in the early 1970's. I'm not quite so stupid as to try this out of whole cloth. Stupid, yes, but someone told this to me.

Has anyone ever heard this as, say, an urban myth?

 

[Grumulkin]

.308 in .30/06

I can't believe someone would try this...well, maybe I can. You should expect a ruptured case or worse each time your fire the .308 in the .30/06 chamber.

You can, however, shoot a .270 Winchester cartridge in a .30/06 chamber though the accuracy will be rather poor. You'll have a fire-formed .30/06 case with a .270 Winchester headstamp. The difference is that the .270 Winchester will have the proper headspace and the bullet diameter is less than or equal to the bore diameter of the .30/06.

 

[Swampy]

snook,

The entire concept is so much bunk. Either the guy who told you that "way back when" was a complete idiot for believing it himself, or was playing you for a fool....

BTW, You might have gotten away with it once..... I'd advise not pushing your luck for either your own health or that of your rifle.

Best regards,
Swampy

Garands forever

 

[salty]

You were lucky - the 7.62 is a high pressure cartridge. US Military developed the 7.62x51 because the development of new powders made it possible to get the same velocity as they were used to with 30:06 and they thought it would function in auto weapons better - ask J.M. Browning about that idea. The Brits and Germans had already developed a new caliber for the G1's that was (is) an improvement for auto and field use but the US military bullied NATO on the adoption of the 7.62.

 

[demusn1979]

YIKES!

 

[hartzpad]

Don't do it, but if you are "special" enough to try this stunt, please have someone video tape it as proof for future Darwins.

 

[Onmilo]

The font size isn't neccessary and whoever told you that bit of information obviously considered you goofy enough to try it!
I find it hard to accept you actually managed to get the thicker, fatter, cartridge case to actually fully chamber in the tight chamber of a caliber .30/06 Browning BAR rifle.
An out of battery ignition can be a truely nasty thing in rifles of this caliber range.

 

[mr.trooper]

NO!

This is a MYTH. The military isnt stupid enough to do crap like that. Someone is playing you.

 

[brentwal]

So all the chamber spacers made for the navy's M1 Garands, so they could fire .308 safely was a waste of tax payers money. :banghead:

 

[Swampy]

So all the chamber spacers made for the navy's M1 Garands, so they could fire .308 safely was a waste of tax payers money.

Actually..... YES... a HUGE waste. The Navy experienced no end of problems with the rifles using the inserts.... both functionally and safety related. Within a year of converting several thousand M1's to 7.62 Nato with chamber inserts the Navy recalled all of them to the arsenals for a barrel swap.

Any M1 found today dating from this period with a 7.62 Nato chamber insert installed is a rifle that escaped the recall. It is generally recommended that these rifles be kept only for their collector value and not be fired. Not hard to do since they are pretty rare..... and if the Navy considered them unsafe to fire, I sure ain't about to shoot one....

On the other hand..... If you find one of the rifles that came back for the Navy arsenal recall and was converted with a new barrel chambered in 7.62 Nato, those are FINE shooters... but also quite uncommon and pricey. Again, mostly collector pieces instead of shooter grade.

Just my thoughts,
Swampy

Garands forever

 

[JShirley]

I'm not even going to address this particular issue, but I heard more outright BS about interchangeability between cartridges in my first short weeks in ITB (Basic) than in my 29 previous years put together.

I have heard claims of such ammo swamping, by deliberate design, about the enemy's weapons in every war since WWI. To be clear:

The ONLY weapons system of which I am aware that will, by design, fire the enemy's round while prohibiting the enemy using your own ammo, is the 82mm ComBlock mortar. That's it.

John

 

[Sunray]

"...someone told me..." We really need to get a hold of this 'someone' guy and sew up his mouth. He spouts a lot of misinformation.
"...a waste of tax payers money..." Yep. The inserts had and have a nasty habit of coming out with an extracted case. Caused lots of excitement with the next shot.
A 7.62/.308 fired out of a .30-06 chamber has a half inch of excessive headspace. That's bad for everyone and everything involved.

 

[racenutz]

I just tried to chamber a round of south afarican 7.62x51 in my 2 mil-surp 30-06's (Remington 1903 & FN Mauser carbine). I couldn't lower the bolt handle in either rifle.

 

[brentwal]

Actually..... YES... a HUGE waste. The Navy experienced no end of problems with the rifles using the inserts.... both functionally and safety related. Within a year of converting several thousand M1's to 7.62 Nato with chamber inserts the Navy recalled all of them to the arsenals for a barrel swap.

Any M1 found today dating from this period with a 7.62 Nato chamber insert installed is a rifle that escaped the recall. It is generally recommended that these rifles be kept only for their collector value and not be fired. Not hard to do since they are pretty rare..... and if the Navy considered them unsafe to fire, I sure ain't about to shoot one....

On the other hand..... If you find one of the rifles that came back for the Navy arsenal recall and was converted with a new barrel chambered in 7.62 Nato, those are FINE shooters... but also quite uncommon and pricey. Again, mostly collector pieces instead of shooter grade.

Just my thoughts,
Swampy

Garands forever

I forgot the sarcastic smile on my post

 

[snookdock]

I did it, trust me

quote

"I find it hard to accept you actually managed to get the thicker, fatter, cartridge case to actually fully chamber in the tight chamber of a caliber .30/06 Browning BAR rifle.
An out of battery ignition can be a truely nasty thing in rifles of this caliber range."
endquote

I never said I got it to fully come into battery. I said I placed the .308 under the extractor and it fired. I carried that spent empty to stump guys as to what it was for years. It had showed no signs of abuse.
I would nevver admit to a falsehood that shows me to be stupid.

I still believe that if I was again in a war and one last enemy was abought to kill me, I would try the 7.62 in a 30-06, if that was all I had. What would I have to lose?



I also had a Sgt in RVN tell me captured 7.62x39 will work in NATO 7.62. This I never tried. Never had to. I carried as many as 56 20 round mags of M-16.

 

[USSR]

This site never ceases to amaze me.

Don

 

[R.W.Dale]

It has come to my attention that 7.62x39 WILL fire in a .243 but that does not mean you should do so. No matter how much your "Buddies" dare you.

 

[greg531mi]

If they told you to jump off a cliff? Would you do it??? NO

I guess this world is full of gulable people.....

I like my fingers, face, arms, and eyes, to this, or anything else SO STUPID

 

[R.W.Dale]

quote


I never said I got it to fully come into battery. I said I placed the .308 under the extractor and it fired. I carried that spent empty to stump guys as to what it was for years. It had showed no signs of abuse.
I would nevver admit to a falsehood that shows me to be stupid.

I still believe that if I was again in a war and one last enemy was abought to kill me, I would try the 7.62 in a 30-06, if that was all I had. What would I have to lose?



I also had a Sgt in RVN tell me captured 7.62x39 will work in NATO 7.62. This I never tried. Never had to. I carried as many as 56 20 round mags of M-16.