I broke it, and now I'm sad
- Thread starter FromTheNorth
- Start date
.308 is 7.82 mm mathematically.
In a barrel there is rifling.
The raised portions are the Lands between the Grooves which are cut to produce the rifling.
7.62mm is the measurement between the lands. while .308 or 7.82mm is the measurement between the grooves.
It is the same bullet used in a .308 and a 7.62 x 51 rifle.
I forget. Something about best caliber for space bear defense?...
Oh yeah, now I remember:
So, from the north, this 7.62x51 brass you had, any chance the primers were glued/sealed in? I had some years ago that looked like there was a bead of red locktite or something around the primer pocket. I didn't reload at the time, but was told by brass scavengers at my club that they were scrap and couldn't be reloaded due to the red primer pocket goo. Just a thought.
I don't think that's what he was talking about doing... I think he was just talking about depriming?
Thanks for pointing that out, I thought he was just depriming too.
This is fun, and the best laugh I've had all week long. Thank you to all participants and I miss SUNRAY (not)
I am now thinking that some folks that are fairly new to reloading have not yet grasped that a Cartridge Name is simply an official name to identify a cartridge or a chamber (example: .223 Remington). These "official names" are decided by SAAMI and/or CIP or they are otherwise usually called Wildcats and are normally named by their creator(s).
There are MANY cartridges whose "Official Name" has no bearing on the exact diameter of the bullet. Examples:
.22 Long Rifle uses a .223" diameter bullet.
.223 Remington is loaded with a .224" diameter bullet.
.50 BMG is loaded with a .510" bullet.
7mm Mauser uses a 7.21mm bullet.
6.5×55 Swedish uses a 6.71mm bullet.
7.62×54mmR uses a 7.92mm bullet.
I could go on for a long time but I won't...
You see what I'm driving at here? It is just an official name, that's all...
And yes, sometimes, the name does actually mesh with the bullet's diameter: example .308 Winchester actually uses a .308" diameter bullet. Its NATO military "equivalent" is the 7.62x51mm NATO and it also employs a .308" bullet (but differs in other ways). And yes, .308" is actually 7.82mm and not 7.62mm as the official cartridge name would seem to imply. Why? 7.62mm is also ".30 caliber" and that is the "smallest diameter" of the bore (lands to lands)
Last, but not least, I thought I saw someone (Sunray?) mention that a .311" bullet is okay in a .308 Winchester cartridge. Not in my rifle!
I am now thinking that some folks that are fairly new to reloading have not yet grasped that a Cartridge Name is simply an official name to identify a cartridge or a chamber (example: .223 Remington). These "official names" are decided by SAAMI and/or CIP or they are otherwise usually called Wildcats and are normally named by their creator(s).
There are MANY cartridges whose "Official Name" has no bearing on the exact diameter of the bullet. Examples:
.22 Long Rifle uses a .223" diameter bullet.
.223 Remington is loaded with a .224" diameter bullet.
.50 BMG is loaded with a .510" bullet.
7mm Mauser uses a 7.21mm bullet.
6.5×55 Swedish uses a 6.71mm bullet.
7.62×54mmR uses a 7.92mm bullet.
I could go on for a long time but I won't...
You see what I'm driving at here? It is just an official name, that's all...
And yes, sometimes, the name does actually mesh with the bullet's diameter: example .308 Winchester actually uses a .308" diameter bullet. Its NATO military "equivalent" is the 7.62x51mm NATO and it also employs a .308" bullet (but differs in other ways). And yes, .308" is actually 7.82mm and not 7.62mm as the official cartridge name would seem to imply. Why? 7.62mm is also ".30 caliber" and that is the "smallest diameter" of the bore (lands to lands)
Last, but not least, I thought I saw someone (Sunray?) mention that a .311" bullet is okay in a .308 Winchester cartridge. Not in my rifle!
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hometownhero
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Toon Town, Sk
Who's on first?
...I mean, besides Silver Hammer...
Is he even in the same ball park?
Lol. I'll be your Huckleberry (Sunray)
I thought the same thing about the .311/.308 actually, and stated as much in another thread:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1512712-what-velocity-loss-expected
But after my comments, I had my ass gently handed to me by ganderite and a handful of other reloaders far more experienced than me. So I did some research and was surprised to see just how common the practice was. In fact, the early mini 30s had a 7.62x39 chamber that fed a .308 barrel.
One fellow had also posted his results from his experiment measuring the pressure in his .308 with various rounds. He found there was no noticeable increase in pressure going from .308 to .311. Where he did see pressure increases was with longer heavier bullets (more mass and more length to make contact with the barrel) and especially .308 solid copper bullets, which are not only longer, but also much harder and resistant to squishing into the rifling. His opinion was that if someone fears over pressure, then monos are what should be avoided, not .311s.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting. Obviously not for everyone though. And even if you wanted to, you might not have the chamber clearance needed. (One of my .308s won't do it)
Sincerely,
Sunr...er... I mean, KJ ;-P
What seems dangerous often isn't. Real experience trumps assumptions and faulty theory.
People fret that a 0.311" bullet would be forced down a 0.308" bore, but forget that 0.308" bullets are already forced into rifling that measures perhaps 0.300", constitutes a major proportion of the bore, and forces the bullet to twist. Another 0.003" adds too small an increase in pressure to measure outside of typical variations in shot-to-shot pressure. The only concern is that the extra 0.003" might constrict the neck in tight chambers, but adequate clearance is easily verified.
