can 7.62x51 be shot in .308 chamber?

[luke s]

Supposedly 7.62 in 308 is not recommended. Same as 5.56 in 223 chamber. The neck is slightly different between them and the pressure could be excessive

[yomomma]

Same die....

[stinkycod]

Answer by METROPOLIS1 from yahoo answers.com
"Are the .308 Winchester and 7.62x51 NATO one and the same?" The simple answer is no. There are differences in chamber specs and maximum pressures. The SAMMI/CIP maximum pressure for the .308 Win cartridge is 62,000 psi, while the 7.62x51 max is 50,000 psi. Also, the headspace is slightly different. The .308 Win "Go Gauge" is 1.630" vs. 1.635" for the 7.62x51. The .308's "No-Go" dimension is 1.634" vs. 1.6405" for a 7.62x51 "No Go" gauge. That said, it is normally fine to shoot quality 7.62x51 NATO ammo in a gun chambered for the .308 Winchester (though not all NATO ammo is identical). Clint McKee of Fulton Armory notes: "[N]obody makes 7.62mm (NATO) ammo that isn't to the .308 'headspace' dimension spec. So 7.62mm ammo fits nicely into .308 chambers, as a rule." You CAN encounter problems going the other way, however. A commercial .308 Win round can exceed the max rated pressure for the 7.62x51. So, you should avoid putting full-power .308 Win rounds into military surplus rifles that have been designed for 50,000 psi max. Reloaders should also note that military ammo often is made with a thicker web. Consequently the case capacity of 7.62x51 brass is usually less than that of commercial .308 brass. You may need to reduce recommended .308 Winchester loads by as much as 2 full grains, if you reload with military 7.62x51 brass, such as Lake City or IMI.

[KRJ]

Answer by METROPOLIS1 from yahoo answers.com
"Are the .308 Winchester and 7.62x51 NATO one and the same?" The simple answer is no. There are differences in chamber specs and maximum pressures. The SAMMI/CIP maximum pressure for the .308 Win cartridge is 62,000 psi, while the 7.62x51 max is 50,000 psi. Also, the headspace is slightly different. The .308 Win "Go Gauge" is 1.630" vs. 1.635" for the 7.62x51. The .308's "No-Go" dimension is 1.634" vs. 1.6405" for a 7.62x51 "No Go" gauge. That said, it is normally fine to shoot quality 7.62x51 NATO ammo in a gun chambered for the .308 Winchester (though not all NATO ammo is identical). Clint McKee of Fulton Armory notes: "[N]obody makes 7.62mm (NATO) ammo that isn't to the .308 'headspace' dimension spec. So 7.62mm ammo fits nicely into .308 chambers, as a rule." You CAN encounter problems going the other way, however. A commercial .308 Win round can exceed the max rated pressure for the 7.62x51. So, you should avoid putting full-power .308 Win rounds into military surplus rifles that have been designed for 50,000 psi max. Reloaders should also note that military ammo often is made with a thicker web. Consequently the case capacity of 7.62x51 brass is usually less than that of commercial .308 brass. You may need to reduce recommended .308 Winchester loads by as much as 2 full grains, if you reload with military 7.62x51 brass, such as Lake City or IMI.

http://www.saami.org/specifications_...mbinations.pdf

One must remember that the pressures are measured at different points/methods between SAAMI & nato. So is there a difference yes is it 12 000 psi no. If SAAMI & C.I.P. say its good its good. All the internet talk in the world won't change that.

[AikiNut]

So... I rather suspect that the chamber specs being larger for 7.62 (than .308) may not influence the die that is used to make the ammo. Why? Military chambers need to have a bit of slop for ammo that's been bounced around a little, dirt and whatever else might contaminate things. Is the ammo made to a different external dimension? If so there's some need for discussion. If the ammo's not made to a different external dimension, whether or not the 7.62 x 51 chamber is bigger won't influence whether or not you can shoot both out of the rifle - but it will influence whether or not you can keep shooting when the brown stuff has hit the fan and you HAVE TO be able to shoot even if there's a speck of dirt on the cases or in the action... (after all - that's the "beauty" of the AK47 - it can be buried in a tank track for a decade, rinsed off, cycled, and shot - largely because the manufacturing tolerances are rather loose. Unlike, say, a Ross, or a Luger, or ....)

[FAST-121]

As far as I know, they are close but not the same. You can use both cartridges with 7.62x51 labelled firearm but cannot safely use 7.62x51 ammo with .308 marked rifles.

Seconded

[Leviathan024]

my friend had a savage .308 that had issues with 2 brands of 7.62 nato. they were very hard to extract. any .308 commercial was fine. his 7.62x51 rifle would eat all nato and commercial ammo

[haha49]

This sounds like the 5.56mm vers .223cal debate I keep hearing,

It goes the other way around with the 223 were the 308 is the oposite... yes most firearms can shoot both just look it up and see what works best with the firearm your shooting and don't worry to much about it.

Heck 1 guy would shoot 308 out of 30-06 the cases would bludge and its very unsafe but he was doing it for years and years.. Do to the gap it causes a pressure spike that makes it unsafe most modern firearms are tested to a load that is 3 times higher then a standard load and if it doesn't blow up it's been proof tested.