.308/7.62 compatibility

[Readyrod]

Will the 7.62 Nato safely work in a store bought .308 hunting rifle? If so are there any other considerations?

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Should as long as it chambers. Nato 7.62 is lower pressure than commercial 308, but the tolerances are a bit on the looser side. Also there is some out ther meant specifically for machine guns. It's my understanding it's high pressure stuff similar to the 9mm stuff that was loaded for sub-guns.

 

[Acera]

Readyrod, as a new member you might not know about the search feature incorporated into this forum. This has been done over and over on this board.

Read these threads, and you should have all the answers you need.


http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=365079&highlight=7.62mm

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=376239&highlight=7.62mm



Got it backwards, edited out

 

[3pairs12]

Acera the first link you provided was loading .308 bullets on 7.63x39 brass which is a no go. I shoot 7.62 nato in my .308. I know others that do as well. So yes you can.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

But as a quick answer to your question. NO you should not do that.

Nothing wrong with 7.62 in a 308. Its the other way around that might be a problem.

 

[jonnyc]

Neither way is a problem. The only issue is reloading warm .308 loads into 7.62 NATO cases. The military brass has a thicker ID and can't hold the same max. charge as a thinner .308 case. If the NATO round chambers in your commercial .308 chamber it will work as intended.
Please search for more info on the WAY DONE TO DEATH question.

 

[Acera]

Thanks 3 pairs, cut and pasted the wrong one.

edited it out.

Don't know where my head is tonight.

 

[Readyrod]

Sorry guys. I was doing too many things at once and forgot to do a search.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Most mil-surp rifles that are mid-forties or later will handle the higher pressure commercial 308 just fine. But be careful.

 

[Average Joe]

Yes you can, just don't use modern commercial .308 in a surplus rifle that's chambered for 7.62x51. Commercial ammo has more pressure than Nato ammo.

 

[jonnyc]

I believe with a bit of research you will find that is not necessarily true.

 

[mpmarty]

Agree. 7.62X51 NATO and commercial 308 Winchester operate at virtually the same max pressure. They are measured differently, NATO is listed in CUP at 52,000 units and the commercial is generally listed at 62,000 pounds per square inch. They are absolutely not the same units. Finally, there is now a transducer pressure measurement accepted by both SAAMI and the military and for both cartridges they are the same number. Commercial cases have thinner walls and require more of the same powder charge to achieve the rated pressure. When reloading cases, they should be weighed and separated and it is recommended that powder charges be reduced by twelve percent of the difference in weight of the cases in grains.

 

[280shooter]

check this out from Guns and ammo

http://www.geocities.com/fritz125541/Gammo

 

[Readyrod]

I'm going to get a hunting rifle so I guess I'll be ok if I put 7.62 rounds in it. I'm not going the other way around so I should be ok. Thanks guys.

 

[jonnyc]

That makes no sense. Why wouldn't you go "the other way around" and use .308, what it was nominally chambered for??? The 7.62 NATO is just fine, but a commercial "hunting rifle" would be engineered for .308 (for anyone who might think they're different).

 

[longdayjake]

they can safely be interchanged just fine. Its 5.56 shot from .223 that should not be done.

 

[Don357]

You should definitly use caution and invest in a broken case remover especially if you use commercial .308 in a rifle with a roller locking system such as a CETME or one of it's variant's such as a PTR-91 or HK G-3 or 91. These rifles have an extremely violent extraction cycle and have been known to rip the heads of even the heavier military cases right off. Also, in these rifles you should stay with the standard loads and avoid the "high velocity" loads as they can adversely affect extraction timing. But as for NATO rounds in a commercial rifle you should have no problem. I have used both Indian OFV 96 M-80 FMJ and Lake City Match BTHP with no problems and extreme accuracy in my Stevens Model 200. And as was stated earlier, most military rounds are loaded to slightly lower pressures than commercial rounds so you should not encounter any problems.

 

[jonnyc]

"And as was stated earlier, most military rounds are loaded to slightly lower pressures than commercial rounds so you should not encounter any problems."

Considering the wide variety of both 7.62 Nato manufacurers and rounds, and .308 manufacturers and loads, that statement simply is not true.