308win = 7.62x51mm ????

shooterrm

shooterrm

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Hi, just bought a Rem. 700 heavy barrel in 308win, and a guy at the range told me I could shoot 7.62x51mm surplus ammo with it. I know they are almost the same and I'd need a micrometer to measure the diffrence but is this true? Can I shoot 7.62x51mm surplus ammo?
Thanks.
 
I have two 308 win rifles and have shot lots of surplus 7.62x51 ammo thru them.. stay away from the steel core stuff.. i've heard it's bad for the barrel beause it doesn't sqeeze thru the barrel like lead core.. I dont know if its true or not, so I choose to err on the side of caution and not use it.. I believe the main problem with interchanging 308 WIN and 7.62x51 is if you shoot 308 Win in a 7.62 rifle.. from what i've read, this is because 7.62's are military rifles, usually semi auto and they have "sloppy" chambers.. military brass is thicker and can handle the extra expansion experienced in the military chambers, but commercial 308 WIN ammo uses thinner brass that may split, or cause head separation in the 762 rifle.. bottom line is 762 in a 308 is ok but 308 in 762 may not be ok.. This is just my opinion based on a bit of reading and talking to a few people.. I'm sure if this is wrong, someone on this forum will correct me..
 
You can get away with using NATO ammo in a 308, but generally the bullets are light (147 gr) and may not work well with tight twists. As has been made quite clear in many posts and from many sources, you should not use 308 win ammo in a semi-auto designed for NATO ammo...

I personally wouldn't want to waste barrel life shooting dirty surplus ammo.
 
There are differences in 308 winchester and Military 762x51 ammunition and not the stuff that Winchester ,Remington and American Eagle brands [note this is loaded to Sammi specs]of ammunition that is sold at sporting goods stores .I mean real GI surplus ammo military ,Nato specified brass has a longer case length it can be + 15 thou longer and is loaded to higher pressures than 308 win commercial cases this can cause problems a multitude of problems from difficulty in closing the bolt to Overpressure damage when fired .Military ammunition is NOT Loaded to Sammi specs .But who am I to give you any advice but forwarmed if you do have a Kaboom in your rifle while firing military ammo good luck
 
Nothing like cut and paste when someone asks the same question in 2 areas

7.62x51mm vs .308
http://www.303british.com/id36.html

In 1979, I purchased a .308 Remington M788. Over the next 5 years that rifle seen approximately 5,000 rds of Cdn 7.62mm Ball through it. I had absolutely no problems at all. Just fire it through a modern rifle.

valmet762 said:
stay away from the steel core stuff.. i've heard it's bad for the barrel beause it doesn't sqeeze thru the barrel like lead core..
Click to expand...
Who ever said that was full of "S^^T". The exterior diameter of a projectile with a steel insert is exactly the same as a projectile filled with lead.
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Shot at 2007-12-09

cartridgessa303apdd7.jpg

Shot at 2007-12-09
 
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Ya, gotta love cut and paste... Thanks for the info guys. I never really thought about barrel life. Will the surp. ammo wear it out faster than the store bought stuff? I'm new at this so I don't know much, all my experience has been with hand guns, this is my first rifle.
 
In the testing done during the 40's and 50's the use of FMJ ammo, actually gave longer barrel like, because the accuracy of the barrel deteriorated gradually rather than radically. I don't know enough on the manufacture of modern rifle barrels with the wide assortment of methods used in the current manufacture to give a qualified response.
 
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