308 win. Compatibility?

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wildernessguy

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Hi folks, I am getting back into hunting this fall and had a question regarding compatibility of 308 rounds with milsurp NATO rounds. I used to shoot 270 exclusively, however I have heard that some NATO rounds are interchangeable and a whole lot cheaper than 308 rounds. Is this true? If so, which NATO rounds can I use? I am trying to decide which rifle I calibre I will purchase.

Thanx
 
so what are you trying to do?- from what i gather you have a 270 and want to fire 308 in it?- that's NOT possible-if you have a 308 and want to fire 308/7.62 in it, yes, that's possible- but you can't go HUNTING with the milsurp stuff as it's loaded with BALL, which is FULL METAL JACKET bullets according to the hague convention- just like you can't go to war with hunting( expanding ) bullets- so if it's practise, yes, hunting no- but check and see HOW that milsurp groups in your rifle as well- the quality varies considerably- from pinpoint to barn door- even within the same country- ask the guys that shoot competition around here about domion armories and ivi stuff- or portugese and indian( for gods sakes, avoid that indian stuff like the plague)
as far as being cheaper goes,it probably ISN'T TRUE anymore as most NATO countries switched to 5.56 ( which is a minimal round for hunting- really a varmint round) years ago, and the 308/7.62 is becoming somewhat rare and priced accordingly
 
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Hmmm....... You've got me there. This is more confusing than I thought. In the old days, my hunting partners were limited around here in MB. We all shot either 270, 303, or 7mm and that was that. Now I am reading all this other stuff and that the NATO milsurp rounds are so much cheaper, but no idea how that applies to hunting and that is really what I am trying to find out. For example, I also read that 223 is interchangeable with 556 and is 556 also a NATO round? I see I have much to learn on the subject. Thanks for the response.
 
Ahhh Ok...... Well, my old FAC expired years ago, so late last year I received my new PAL and have zero rifles at the moment. I was checking to see if there was an option for cheaper bulk rounds that I could use for hunting and targets as well. The rest of your very informative reply was exactly the info I was looking for. THANKS! So now I suppose I need to go back to deciding which hunting rifle is best for me, considering the prices of the various rounds. 270? 7mm? 308? others? hmmm.... To be honest, my 270 semi auto Rem rifle used to have a pile of kick, more than I liked, I wonder if 7mm may be alittle better.... Thanks again.



t-star said:
so what are you trying to do?- from what i gather you have a 270 and want to fire 308 in it?- that's NOT possible-if you have a 308 and want to fire 308/7.62 in it, yes, that's possible- but you can't go HUNTING with the milsurp stuff as it's loaded with BALL, which is FULL METAL JACKET bullets according to the hague convention- just like you can't go to war with hunting( expanding ) bullets- so if it's practise, yes, hunting no- but heck and see HOW that milsurp groups in your rifle as well- the quality varies considerably- from pinpoint to barn door- even within the same country- ask the guys that shoot competition around here about domion armories and ivi stuff- or portugese and indian( for gods sakes, avoid that indian stuff like the plague)
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t-star said:
so what are you trying to do?- from what i gather you have a 270 and want to fire 308 in it?- that's NOT possible-if you have a 308 and want to fire 308/7.62 in it, yes, that's possible- but you can't go HUNTING with the milsurp stuff as it's loaded with BALL, which is FULL METAL JACKET bullets according to the hague convention- just like you can't go to war with hunting( expanding ) bullets- so if it's practise, yes, hunting no- but heck and see HOW that milsurp groups in your rifle as well- the quality varies considerably- from pinpoint to barn door- even within the same country- ask the guys that shoot competition around here about domion armories and ivi stuff- or portugese and indian( for gods sakes, avoid that indian stuff like the plague)
as far as being cheaper goes,it probably ISN'T TRUE anymore as most NATO countries switched to 5.56 ( which is a minimal round for hunting- really a varmint round) years ago, and the 308/7.62 is becoming somewhat rare and priced accordingly
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You can hunt with FMJ in Ontario. I wouldnt do it and dont recommend it, but theirs nothing stopping you.

For those who just got their panties all twisted about that comment, I spoke to a CO literally last week about this topic.

To the OP, 7.62x51 is interchangeable with .308 WIN. I stock up on it when I find it for a good price for practice ammo (paid $12 a box on Saturday for some). Thats about $4-6 a box cheaper then the cheapest soft point. I find the PMC 147gr FMJ shoots near identical to my favourite deer ammo.
 
wilderness guy- what KIND of game are you going after?- what the shoot back east goes away different from what we get in the rockies-
you CAN shoot 223 in 5.56, but not necessarily the other way round- has to do with the leade( not a spelling mistake- the word exists) and the barrel twist- you really can't go wrong with a 308, but 7.62 is EXTREMELY hard to come by surplus- i've seen it run as high as commercial at gun shows- the 308/150 is pretty tame as loads go, and will do most of everythiing"back east"- but you have to check your regulations on the use of fmj bullets- in the alberta manual it says/used to say"the use of non-expanding projectiles is expressly forbidden"- that is/was right out of the regs- blasted sabre says they're legal in ont- we also used to have a reg that said the cartridge had to be over 2 inches in length - that let out a good deal of chamberings, but i know that one was repealed
as far as making a soft point out of an fmj, DON'T DO IT- if you drill, file or grind that jacket down or off, what happens is you disturb the integrity of the jacket, and the bullet can and does shed the jacket from time to time-
 
t-star said:
wilderness guy- what KIND of game are you going after?- what the shoot back east goes away different from what we get in the rockies-
you CAN shoot 223 in 5.56, but not necessarily the other way round- has to do with the leade( not a spelling mistake- the word exists) and the barrel twist- you really can't go wrong with a 308, but 7.62 is EXTREMELY hard to come by surplus- i've seen it run as high as commercial at gun shows- the 308/150 is pretty tame as loads go, and will do most of everythiing"back east"- but you have to check your regulations on the use of fmj bullets- in the alberta manual it says/used to say"the use of non-expanding projectiles is expressly forbidden"- that is/was right out of the regs- blasted sabre says they're legal in ont- we also used to have a reg that said the cartridge had to be over 2 inches in length - that let out a good deal of chamberings, but i know that one was repealed
as far as making a soft point out of an fmj, DON'T DO IT- if you drill, file or grind that jacket down or off, what happens is you disturb the integrity of the jacket, and the bullet can and does shed the jacket from time to time-
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More great info thanks. Boy am I glad I posted this thread. The past 15 mins has cleared up the past 6 months of confusion for me. And still more to figure out, but CGN has so many knowledgeable shooters this is the place for me to learn for sure. I still don't quite understand why we don't have standardized rules for hunting in all provinces, just adds to the already confusing regulations. It lends itself to people making honest mistakes and thereby risking legal issues.

As per intended game....... That would include deer, moose, elk, and occasionally a trip up north for caribou possibly.
 
wildernessguy said:
Ahhh Ok...... Well, my old FAC expired years ago, so late last year I received my new PAL and have zero rifles at the moment. I was checking to see if there was an option for cheaper bulk rounds that I could use for hunting and targets as well. The rest of your very informative reply was exactly the info I was looking for. THANKS! So now I suppose I need to go back to deciding which hunting rifle is best for me, considering the prices of the various rounds. 270? 7mm? 308? others? hmmm.... To be honest, my 270 semi auto Rem rifle used to have a pile of kick, more than I liked, I wonder if 7mm may be alittle better.... Thanks again.
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your 270 would have been a remington 740/.42, being a semi-auto pushing a 150 grain bullet at best at roughly 2700 fps- that's just about as little recoil as you can get,and still keep a decent hunting weight- the only to lessen the recoil would be to go to a HEAVIER gun or put on a muzzle break- or a recoil pad-recoil is a product of BOTH bullet weight and VELOCITY- it really doesn't matter as to caliber- ie your 270, using the 150( heaviest bullet weight available according to my manual) is GOING TO RECOIL THE SAME as a 284/7mm or 308/06 using the same weight bullet and velocity- it's about 15-17 pounds of push against your shoulder- the stock on those rifles is a fair stock, so changing designs isn't going to help much- the only other way to lessen the FELT recoil is to use a PAST recoil shield TO DISSAPATE THE recoil over a wider area
if you say your rifle "kicked like a mule" using that bullet weight and velocity, then maybe you need to switch to either a heavier rifle or lighter load
 
t-star said:
your 270 would have been a remington 740/.42, being a semi-auto pushing a 150 grain bullet at best at roughly 2700 fps- that's just about as little recoil as you can get,and still keep a decent hunting weight- the only to lessen the recoil would be to go to a HEAVIER gun or put on a muzzle break- or a recoil pad-recoil is a product of BOTH bullet weight and VELOCITY- it really doesn't matter as to caliber- ie your 270, using the 150( heaviest bullet weight available according to my manual) is GOING TO RECOIL THE SAME as a 284/7mm or 308/06 using the same weight bullet and velocity- it's about 15-17 pounds of push against your shoulder- the stock on those rifles is a fair stock, so changing designs isn't going to help much- the only other way to lessen the FELT recoil is to use a PAST recoil shield TO DISSAPATE THE recoil over a wider area
if you say your rifle "kicked like a mule" using that bullet weight and velocity, then maybe you need to switch to either a heavier rifle or lighter load
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Ok, that all makes perfects sense to me. I purchased the Rem semi 270 brand new from SIR back in the day and I still remember the first time my very experienced hunting partner fired it, he said it had one hell of a kick compared to his Rem 270 bolt. Neither of us could figure out why. I was already looking at a good muzzle brake, recoil pad, however now I think I will also have a look at the gun weight, grain, and also learn more about the PAST recoil shield as I have never heard of that. Again, great info thanks!
 
"...why we don't have standardized rules for hunting in all Provinces..." Because Natural Resources are a Provincial thing.
"...can hunt with FMJ in Ontario..." Yep. Any centre fire for deer, as daft as it is.
"...soft point out of an fmj..." Doesn't work, anyway. You'll still have a bullet with a thick jacket that isn't designed to expand.
 
sunray said:
"...why we don't have standardized rules for hunting in all Provinces..." Because Natural Resources are a Provincial thing.
"...can hunt with FMJ in Ontario..." Yep. Any centre fire for deer, as daft as it is.
"...soft point out of an fmj..." Doesn't work, anyway. You'll still have a bullet with a thick jacket that isn't designed to expand.
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This is all extremely useful info for a newbie like me as well as others. Enough so to almost be a relevant "sticky" type of thread as it cleared up so many questions I had so quickly...... Very happy with all of the responses!
 
can't go wrong with 308 win (7.62Nato), 7.62x39 soviet, or 223rem(556Nato), these cartridges should do everything you'll ever want to do....you'll need something in 22lr and 12 gauge aswell LOL
 
matty86suk said:
can't go wrong with 308 win (7.62Nato), 7.62x39 soviet, or 223rem(556Nato), these cartridges should do everything you'll ever want to do....you'll need something in 22lr and 12 gauge aswell LOL
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No doubt... Gotta have the right tool for every project right? A little of this.... A little of that.... So many cool items out there these days that were not around when I was a hunter in past years that it has been somewhat difficult to narrow it down. Sensory overload!! Lol.

Thanks
 
t-star said:
recoil is a product of BOTH bullet weight and VELOCITY- it really doesn't matter as to caliber- ie your 270, using the 150( heaviest bullet weight available according to my manual) is GOING TO RECOIL THE SAME as a 284/7mm or 308/06 using the same weight bullet and velocity- it's about 15-17 pounds of push against your shoulder- the stock on those rifles is a fair stock, so changing designs isn't going to help much- the only other way to lessen the FELT recoil is to use a PAST recoil shield TO DISSAPATE THE recoil over a wider area
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also for recoil calculation you have to include charge weight

http://ww w.huntamerica.com/recoil_calculator/
 
Recce21 said:
Seriously? Can someone care to explain that one to me?
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yea, they've got some stupid law down there that says you can't have anything bigger than a 270 or somethign- hyper-velocity yes, but bigger diameter, no-or just shotgun in some areas - someone got the idea that bigger bullets travel further than small ones
 
teenahlake said:
also for recoil calculation you have to include charge weight

http://ww w.huntamerica.com/recoil_calculator/
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it STILL amounts to the same thing- 15-17 pounds of recoil at the shoulder- 45-60 grains of powder isn't going to influence the recoil that much, but if you want to be PICKY
 
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