Firearms and Casings...

[alpha niner]

Someone earlier mentioned something to me about different casings in regards to different rifles. So, I got the following rifles:

Rem 700 SPS Tac 308
Norinco M305 Shorty
POF-USA P308

And I have the following 308s in the following casings:

Brass (S&B, Federal, Winchester & Remington)
Zinc Plated (MFS)
Copper Washed (Norinco)
Polymer Coated Steel (Hornady)

I heard some will do minor "damage" and some will work like a charm. Any thoughts anyone?

 

[dogzilla]

If you ask 10 people you will get 10 answers. There has been some talk about steel cased ammo lately yet others swear by it. Some love the Chinese Norinco ammo and others can't stand it. Pretty much you have to take anything said with a grain of salt. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot anything out of a Norinco M14, same thing if you are just a plinker, use whatever's cheapest, but don't expect to be cutting cloverleafs with it.

 

[Winston1984]

Someone earlier mentioned something to me about different casings in regards to different rifles. So, I got the following rifles:

Rem 700 SPS Tac 308
Norinco M305 Shorty
POF-USA P308

And I have the following 308s in the following casings:

Brass (S&B, Federal, Winchester & Remington)
Zinc Plated (MFS)
Copper Washed (Norinco)
Polymer Coated Steel (Hornady)

I heard some will do minor "damage" and some will work like a charm. Any thoughts anyone?

Funny, I had a similar question, so I'll second the OP and add something else.

The MFS is marked inconsistently: The box it was exported in says 7.62, the small boxes inside say .308WIN and the round itself is stamped .308WIN. So, from this thread I see (http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...pace-thread!&p=8597843&viewfull=1#post8597843)

7.62x51mm NATO Go 1.6355"
7.62x51mm NATO Field Reject 1.6455"
.308 Winchester Go 1.630"
.308 Winchester No Go 1.634"
.308 Winchester Field Reject 1.638"
7.62x51mm NATO minimum cartridge headspace 1.630
7.62x51mm NATO maximum cartridge headspace 1.633
7.62x51mm NATO average cartridge headspace 1.6315
.308 Winchester minimum cartridge headspace 1.627
.308 Winchester maximum cartridge headspace 1.633
.308 Winchester average cartridge headspace 1.630

My m305 is stamped .308WIN but dimensions based on fired cases suggest otherwise..

So my question is the MFS with the headstamp of .308WIN is likely to be on the small side for a NATO chamber? (A chamber that it already large...) Does the zinc plated have the same properties as brass in terms of expansion?

Thanks all.

 

[dead meat]

I would use the brass cased ammo with good bullets in the Rem and use the steel cased ammo with most likely fmj bullets in the semi auto, those barrels will last you a long time as long as you don't shoot them until they are smoking hot. The difference in 308 vs 7.62x51 is not an issue like the 223 vs 5.56. The main difference in steel is you can't reload it, well you can but only if you like to punish yourself. The better quailty ammo will shoot smaller groups in a good bolt action the cheap stuff is good for spray and pray is how i look at it.

 

[jonnyc]

Dogzilla pretty much hit it, .308 and 7.62x51 are the same thing any all factory ammo should be perfectly interchangeable. The only issue you might experience is the same anyone would have comparing military and commercial rifles, in any caliber. A military "7.62" chamber will generally have looser tolerances than a commercial ".308" chamber. At the same time, military surplus or cheaper brands of ammo will have looser tolerances than premium commercial ammo. you might have some chambering difficulties with military/cheap ammo in quality commercial guns. If it doesn't fit easily, just switch to another brand.

 

[alpha niner]

All I have are 308win ammo...no access to 7.62x51 and not planning on it anytime soon.

I do plan on using the limited amount of Brass ammo through the Remington since the majority of them are all match quality. The Norinco and the AR I can pretty much shoot any of the 4 different casings I have.

My hesitation and concerns were for the Zinc (MFS) and Steel (Hornady) ammo through the Remington since I do have an abundant supply of them and don't know the effects it may have on the barrel and/or performance. If anybody out there have shot the following below through their 308 SPS Tac, what are your effects and performances like?

MFS - http://www.theammosource.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_108_110&products_id=628
Hornady - http://www.theammosource.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_108_110&products_id=2192

 

[LUTNIT]

Zinc plated, copper washed, and polymer coated are all still just steel cases.

Zinc plated or copper washed steel will do the same thing. I've heard stories about them damaging chambers or breaking extractors but have never seen it myself. The only steel cases I shoot are in rifles with chrome lined chambers and it doesn't seem to effect them.
Polymer coated steel is similar but if it's a sub standard polymer coating it can also leave a residue in your chamber if it gets really hot. I would assume any quality ammo wouldn't have this issue.

I almost exclusively fire .308 Win with soft civilian primers through my Norc M305 which is listed in the manual as being cut to 7.62NATO dimensions. I have no idea if it really is or not though in terms of throat dimensions. Brass life is greatly reduced for reloading purposes because of the loose chamber and always being resized back to the same dimensions but I haven't noticed any issues whatsoever (no full auto or slam fires from soft primers either). I know some guys who have fired thousands of steel cased Barnaul ammo listed as "308 Win/7.62x51 NATO" through their Norc M305's and have reported no issues at all.

I don't know anyone who regularly fires steel cased ammo through a civilian rifle without a chrome lined chamber though so can't comment on that either way.

*edit*
Also any milspec ammo will have harder primers. There are many accounts online of people that get FTF's with Barnaul steel cased ammo in civilian rifles since they have milspec primers. Brownings seem to be the most common to have issues. I've never seen a FTF with them in a military style rifle like a Norc M305 or a 308/7.62 chambered Mauser. I've picked up quite a few Barnaul steel cased rounds with lightly struck primers discarded as "duds" that all fire first try through my M305.