7.62x51 and .308
- Thread starter sean141544
- Start date
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
The military case has a heavier wall, so it feeds well in full auto without damage. The case will take a little less powder as a result. Other than that you can run 'em through a .308 sizer die no worries, and Canadian made stuff is boxer primed so you won't bust up your die
Frank
Frank
This topic comes up once and again here. There IS a difference between the two, and there are different governance bodies that set the specs for these cartridges. They use different methodologies that aren't directly comprable, so technically it's true that the're not identical. Most manufacturers will tell you that they're not interchangable - they're not members of the NATO governance bodies, so they're not willing to take on the liability for people using NATO ammo.
However - it's all just splitting hairs. The differences are minor enough, and there's enough over-engineering present that they are functionally interchangable, with few caveats. Probably the most important one is that military brass is thicker, so has slightly less capacity. Therefore, if you're handloading with military brass you need to back off your charges slightly. (If you're following the rule of thumb that say to work up your maximums each time you change a component, then you're perfectly fine.)
However - it's all just splitting hairs. The differences are minor enough, and there's enough over-engineering present that they are functionally interchangable, with few caveats. Probably the most important one is that military brass is thicker, so has slightly less capacity. Therefore, if you're handloading with military brass you need to back off your charges slightly. (If you're following the rule of thumb that say to work up your maximums each time you change a component, then you're perfectly fine.)
