Picked up the new Rifle. Question. Of Course.

[MR WICK]

I was wondering if I could use this ammo to plink at The Range. I'm going to buy the more expensive match grade as well. But I was just curious. Thanks.

It's a Savage 10/110 Precision 308 Win.

Don't flame me V. Lol.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I think that will be fine for range play. Nice rifle too.

 

[gotboostvr]

You can, but your zero and dope will be very different compared to whatever 168-180gr match load you end up using.

Not to mention it almost certainly won't be as precise.

For familiarization, break in and just general "making some noise" it'll be fine.

 

[Jim Watson]

What is it to be for?
Barrel accuracy life is finite, I did not want to spend mine with the cheap stuff.

 

[MR WICK]

I talked to my buddy who is a Marine and he told me to just buy some of the 7.62X51mm until I get comfortable then use the good stuff. My concern is that it's not 308 "in name."

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

It will be fine. 7.62x51 is the nato name. Like 30.06 is 7.62x39.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

It will be fine. 7.62x51 is the nato name. Like 30.06 is 7.62x39.

???Are you playing???

 

[.45Coltguy]

It will be fine. 7.62x51 is the nato name. Like 30.06 is 7.62x39.

Omphh! You mean 30-06 is 7.62x63.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Yes.

 

[12Bravo20]

You can, but your zero and dope will be very different compared to whatever 168-180gr match load you end up using.

Not to mention it almost certainly won't be as precise.

For familiarization, break in and just general "making some noise" it'll be fine.

I mostly shoot Norma Tac 150Gr FMJ in my Savage Model 12FVL and it is very accurate. Now when I switch to 168Gr ammo, POI is 1 MIL off at 100 yards. Using my Bushnell Elite 4500 MIL DOT scope, I use the first MIL DOT below the cross hair for 168Gr ammo after sighting it in with the Norma 150Gr ammo.

@MR WICK that ammo might not be the most accurate out of your rifle but it won't hurt the rifle. It might surprise you and actually shoot well. Like I said, the Norma Tac 150Gr shoots extremely well out of my 12FVL but my 308 AR hates it and actually does better with Winchester White Box 147Gr ammo. Neither are very accurate out of my AR.

 

[MR WICK]

FYI. Savage Arms just opened up and I talked to them. They told me that their firearms are only tested in 308. If I shoot the 7.62X51mm it voids my warranty. Thanks for all the info guys.

 

[243winxb]

ammo

Reloadable brass? Not berdan primed.

Can't see label well.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Shooting reloads voids the warranty too. Don't tell if something would happen where you need warranty work.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Hmmm... might be best not to use the nato rounds.
.308 Winchester vs. 7.62 NATO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? – Top Brass Reloading Supplies (topbrass-inc.com)

 

[gotboostvr]

FYI. Savage Arms just opened up and I talked to them. They told me that their firearms are only tested in 308. If I shoot the 7.62X51mm it voids my warranty. Thanks for all the info guys.

The NATO stuff is actually watered down from the commercial 308win, it's the opposite of 223/5.56 where the NATO stuff is hotter typically.

You'll be fine

 

[citizenconn]

Hmmm... might be best not to use the nato rounds.
.308 Winchester vs. 7.62 NATO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? – Top Brass Reloading Supplies (topbrass-inc.com)

I've shot plenty of NATO 7.62 in a .308 with no issues. I've always been told don't do the reverse: don't shoot .308 in a barrel stamped 7.62x51.
Opposite holds true for 5.56 and .223 which is why the .223 Wylde was invented.

 

[JFrank]

FYI. Savage Arms just opened up and I talked to them. They told me that their firearms are only tested in 308. If I shoot the 7.62X51mm it voids my warranty. Thanks for all the info guys.

Try www.unknownmunitions.com

 

[Varminterror]

I talked to my buddy who is a Marine and he told me to just buy some of the 7.62X51mm until I get comfortable then use the good stuff. My concern is that it's not 308 "in name."

This is the common bad advice that 1) former military folks tend to give because they used ball ammo in service and simply don’t know any better, and 2) people tend to take from those former .mil folks because they too don’t know any better and unfortunately assume former military folks know something about guns, ammo, or firearms instruction.

You’ve stated that you want to learn to shoot long range. You’ve posted some successes and have shared frustration that improving is challenging. Buying junk ammo which isn’t aligned with your goals will slow your progress. You’ll likely be able to hold smaller than that ammo will shoot. Garbage in, garbage out.

Sure, that ammo will go bang, and given big enough targets - likely 2-3 times larger than you’d need for proper ammo - you’ll be able to run bullets into steel at distance. But when you throw a flyer or print a big group, you won’t know whether it’s an issue with your trigger control or a problem with your rear support management or simply your junk ammo. Your progress will be stymied by your inability to see results of your technique. You WON’T get better by shooting junk ammo.

So for me, hard pass. That ammo would be wasted time, money, effort, and barrel life. A gross misalignment with your stated goals.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

There's plinking and there's plinking.

For sub-25 yard fun, one non-handloading option is to use a chamber adapter for .32 S&W Long HBWC target ammo. That's assuming you can find target wadcutters in these times, and preferably for less $$$ than milspec M80 ball. Barrel wear using this setup is almost non-existant.



Adapters for common chamberings sell for around $20-30:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/363675856396?hash=item54acc52e0c:g:yo4AAOSwuSJiYrql
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/197650

I used this combination recently to shoot my 7.62 NATO Garand on an indoor range, where only pistol ammo is permitted -- accuracy is surprisingly good.



Once you start handloading you can put together economical, ultra-light cast or plated lead bullet ammo that can accomplish the same goal out to 100 yards or more.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I found cheap surplus-bulk style ammo has terrible accuracy

Inaccurate rifles aren't fun to shoot

 

[.45Coltguy]

"Only accurate rifles are interesting". Don't recall who said that, but, true none the less.

 

[citizenconn]

I have a couple of Savage 110s in MDT chassis in .308 Win and they are accurate with all ammo I've tried. Most accurate with my hunting partner's handloads. I haven't tried surplus 7.62x51.

Don't overthink things. Go shoot it and you will get a feel for what it likes and what it doesn't. Laboring over this ammo vs that ammo and should I buy this doodad or that one is putting the cart before the horse. Put in some trigger time; it will likely take you a while to shoot as accurately as the rifle can.

 

[Walkalong]

You'll (very) soon get better than FMJ ammo, and your wants/needs will cause you to switch to better ammo. You can never go back then, but who cares, there are other rifles for playing around.

 

[Walkalong]

There's plinking and there's plinking.

For sub-25 yard fun, one non-handloading option is to use a chamber adapter for .32 S&W Long HBWC target ammo. That's assuming you can find target wadcutters in these times, and preferably for less $$$ than milspec M80 ball. Barrel wear using this setup is almost non-existant.

View attachment 1092583

Adapters for common chamberings sell for around $20-30:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/363675856396?hash=item54acc52e0c:g:yo4AAOSwuSJiYrql
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/197650

I used this combination recently to shoot my 7.62 NATO Garand on an indoor range, where only pistol ammo is permitted -- accuracy is surprisingly good.



Once you start handloading you can put together economical, ultra-light cast or plated lead bullet ammo that can accomplish the same goal out to 100 yards or more.

Those are an absolute hoot in a bolt gun.

 

[Legionnaire]

So for me, hard pass. That ammo would be wasted time, money, effort, and barrel life. A gross misalignment with your stated goals.

@Varminterror beat me to it.