7.62x51 = 308?

[ants]

Can you use 7.62x51 in a rifle chambered for .308? I have always thought "yes" but have recently been told by a gun "@#$#" no.  I can admit to being wrong, so give t to me straight..

[cdmckane]

The .308 Winchester (pronounced: "three-oh-eight") is a rimless, bottlenecked, rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge from which the 7.62×51mm NATO round was derived. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62×51mm NATO T65. 

 

Source: Wikipedia, .308 WInchester

 

I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.  OTOH, .308 WIn ammo isn't that hard to come by, just go pick some up.  My BIL just got some at Bass Pro in Auburn and said there's plenty of it there.

[cdmckane]

Although very similar to the military 7.62×51mm NATO specifications, the .308 cartridge is not identical, and there are special considerations that may apply when mixing these cartridges with 7.62×51mm NATO, and .308 Winchester chambered arms.^[5] Their interchange is, however, considered safe by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI).^[6]

[CuseHunter]

To answer the question simply. Yes, you can use the standard 7.62x51 ammo in a rifle chambered for .308.

For more info, you can read up on the specifics of the issue as it can get very nitty gritty with science and ballistics. There are differences in the brass of a 7.62 and .308 as to thickness and powder charges usually differ. The general/simplified rule is...

If it is NOT a semi/full auto rifle, it's perfectly fine to use any 7.62x51 ammo in a .308 rifle. And vise Versa (.308 in 7.62 chambered rifle)

If it IS a semi/full auto rifle it's okay to use a 7.62 in a .308 chambered rifle, but NOT okay to use a .308 in a 7.62 chambered rifle because of potential problems with the action/chamber/feed/ejection issues that come with the differences in thickness of the brass. Also generally .308 is charged "hotter" than 7.62 and can in the long run create problems with the parts and wear/tear.

I hope this short response helped, and may have sparked some interest to keep reading into it via looking online or in a book.

Edited December 14, 2013 by Cusehunter

[CuseHunter]

The .308 Winchester (pronounced: "three-oh-eight") is a rimless, bottlenecked, rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge from which the 7.62×51mm NATO round was derived. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62×51mm NATO T65.

Source: Wikipedia, .308 WInchester

I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. OTOH, .308 WIn ammo isn't that hard to come by, just go pick some up. My BIL just got some at Bass Pro in Auburn and said there's plenty of it there.

unfortunately I have to say, .308 is becoming hard to get. I went to the local herb philipsons, and they were all out. The guy said there is a shortage and I didn't believe him. So I went to the dicks in destiny mall. They were all out. So thennnn I went to gander, and they were all out. I talked to my buddy who works there and looked in the back and found one box of Remington corelocts and that was all.

[Pygmy]

The thickness of the brass tends to be THICKER on the military stuff than it is on the civilian .308 stuff. Not generally a big deal, but maximum handloads might cause excessive pressure.. Keep your loads in the moderate range and there should not be a problem.

[cdmckane]

unfortunately I have to say, .308 is becoming hard to get. I went to the local herb philipsons, and they were all out. The guy said there is a shortage and I didn't believe him. So I went to the dicks in destiny mall. They were all out. So thennnn I went to gander, and they were all out. I talked to my buddy who works there and looked in the back and found one box of Remington corelocts and that was all.

My BIL just bought a rifle from BPS and 5 boxes of .308. Must've gotten lucky.

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[ants]

unfortunately I have to say, .308 is becoming hard to get. I went to the local herb philipsons, and they were all out. The guy said there is a shortage and I didn't believe him. So I went to the dicks in destiny mall. They were all out. So thennnn I went to gander, and they were all out. I talked to my buddy who works there and looked in the back and found one box of Remington corelocts and that was all.

Yeah …. a friend wanted some .308 for target shooting and said that he couldn't find any. … I noticed that Gander (Cicero) had a lot of 7.62x51 and thought that he could just use that. But then I got to talking to a guy, at my wife's x-mas party, who got into case thickness, pressure,  powder blah..blah blah .. barometric pressure.. wind speed, the price of tea in china….ya know.

[CuseHunter]

Yeah …. a friend wanted some .308 for target shooting and said that he couldn't find any. … I noticed that Gander (Cicero) had a lot of 7.62x51 and thought that he could just use that. But then I got to talking to a guy, at my wife's x-mas party, who got into case thickness, pressure, powder blah..blah blah .. barometric pressure.. wind speed, the price of tea in china….ya know.

yeah... For general purposes you definitely can shoot 7.62x51 in a .308 rifle. I personally won't just because I don't really shoot at the range for fun, maybe 3-4x's a year on the civilian side. No need to deviate from the standard hunting round when I only go through say 3-4 boxes a year.

[covert]

Let me look in my files and I have an email from Federal where I asked them this and got a response.

 

Rats, can't seem to find it.  Basically it said that 7.62x51 and .308 are the same, 5.56 and .223 are not.

Edited December 15, 2013 by covert