Win. "7.62" must be comm. .308?

[Ignition Override]

The largest local gun store has had a special at $12/box for a few weeks and the store only has a few left. This is a new caliber for me.

This week I bought eight boxes. It has red lettering on white background: "147 gr. FMJ", "Q3130".
Being packaged as commercial ammo, why is it labeled 7.62?
Is the powder load similar to what NATO used many years ago?

Although this is a different topic, I spent about six hours recently reading about the misunderstandings between actual NATO 7.62 and .308, and saw the chart with the Huge conversion factor between C.U.P. and Saami pressures, which most people are not aware of.
The topic regards my new Spanish FR8 Mauser.

 

[Davek1977]

I guess I'm not sure why you are confused. If its labeled as 7.62, theres no reason to expect it to be loaded to .308 specs. Many companies produce "5.56" commercial ammo, and that actually has HIGHER pressures than standard .223 ammo. In regards to the 7.62 NATo round, the NATO loads are actually LOWER pressure than .308 commecial loads. Labeling something as 7.62, but loaded to .308 specs, carries the potential for issues, and I don't know why any reputable company would label their ammo with the wrong designation. However, simply because its a commercial load in 7.62 NATO isn't caause for alarm..... its just commercial ammo loaded to NATo specs most likely....

 

[Shadow 7D]

NOPE
depends on which Winchester, they also sell x39, 30-06 etc...
most likely, it is military contract overrun, and reading the headstamp would tell you whose.

As for the nato is lower, depends on whose standards you are reading. And please remember that CUP does NOT translate into PSI, But if you do the math (and accept the level of error) they come out REALLY close

 

[Double Vision]

FWIW my M1A happily shoots 7.62x51 and .308.

 

[USSR]

This week I bought eight boxes. It has red lettering on white background: "147 gr. FMJ", "Q3130".
Being packaged as commercial ammo, why is it labeled 7.62?
Is the powder load similar to what NATO used many years ago?

It is labeled 7.62x51 because it is basically built to Nato standards. If you look at the headstamp, it should have the Nato symbol on it. There is no powder standard for the cartridge, and various powders are used by the different countries that manufacture it. In this case, the powder used would be one produced by Winchester's St. Marks powder plant in Florida.

Don

 

[W L Johnson]

In regards to the 7.62 NATo round, the NATO loads are actually LOWER pressure than .308 commecial loads. Labeling something as 7.62, but loaded to .308 specs, carries the potential for issues, .

7.62 NATO a.k.a 7.62x51 = 50,000 CUP (Copper Units of Pressure) not PSI, that's how it was tested. People keep changing CUP to PSI without doing any kind of conversion and then proclaim that 308 at 62,000 PSI will blow your 7.62x51 firearm.

7.62 NATO pressure is 50,000 CUP which roughly = 60,200 PSI

and I don't know why any reputable company would label their ammo with the wrong designation.

Because that for all practical intents they are the same. The only real difference is a slight one in head space which is only an issue if your head space is borderline one way or the other, which would then mean you have other issues.

And besides, even if there was a big pressure difference, per NATO docs 7.62 NATO chambers are proofed to 75,000 PSI

 

[Onmilo]

What are you planning to shoot the ammunition in?
NATO standard designated ammo will have a cross in a circle stamp on the rear of the cartridge head.
If it doesn't have that stamp, the case is a commercial dimension .308 Winchester case.

Winchester tends to load promotional white box "Q" load ammunition intended for the commercial market on the mild side be it a NATO or commercial dimensioned case.

 

[desidog]

OP, did you try searching "7.62 CETME" here on THR. You can cross reference with FR-8 and FR-7.

The "7.62" stamped on your FR-8's barrel refers to 7.62 CETME, not 7.62 NATO. NATO was not around yet when that FR-8 was built.

The only guns that i'm aware of that are a safety concern with .308win are the pre-98 Spanish Mauser actions.

 

[jonnyc]

1. 7.62x51 and .308 are the same thing. Do a little bit of research and it is quite evident.
2. Spanish FR7s were meant for 7.62 CETME, a lower powered 7.62x51 cartridge, but FR8s are on large ring Mauser actions and meant to use standard 7.62x52 (or .308!) ammunition.

 

[Ignition Override]

onmilo, desidog, johnnyc:

Those results are exactly what I read days ago (hours of it), after buying my first Spanish FR8 Mauser. The conversion between CUP and Saami is about 10,000 psi., and the results are only about 4,000 apart. People forget that the Spanish steel in the FR7 (not an FR8) was a weaker, different generation.

My question was started because I was puzzled as to why this heavily-discounted ammo sold very slowly at "Guns And Ammo" here. $12/box seems very attractive (like Heather Graham).

Don't suppose that this Winchester brass is any more durable than other US commercial brass?

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I got some of that. It's hot ammo, loaded to NATO specs with the circle/cross on the headstamp.
Midway and a few other places have it on sale for $140/200
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=366288