Can 7.62 be shot in my Trophy Hunter .308?

[Lonecoyote]

Good day! Sorry but I rearched but can't find a previous post that surely has been asked before. Can I shoot 7.62 out of my .308?

Thank you in advance!

[wbm]

Might not want to shoot commercial 308 ammunition in an M1A.

[LoneWolf]

if you're reffering to 7.62x51 NATO than yes it can be. It is not the same scenario as 223REM and 5.56 NATO that may have lead you to this question because 308 does not see the pressure spikes that the 223 can see.

[Hotolds442]

If you're referring to the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, then the answer is yes.

[wbm]

http://www.fulton-armory.com/%5Cfaqs%5CM14-FAQs%5C308.htm

[Lonecoyote]

Thank you both! Seems like buying bulk, the 7.62 rounds are cheaper. I don't mind shooting bulk/junk ammo for plinking. In the thousands of rounds of the cheap .223 and 9MM stuff only had 1 FTF.

[darkker]

Yes, assuming that there isn't a reject issue. There are differences between Nato headspace and SAAMI. That said, no one I'm aware of builds NATO ammo that isn't to SAAMI headspace specs.

[Lonecoyote]

A follow-up question: Is 7.62X39 also okay to shoot in the .308?

[LoneWolf]

NO!!!

[Lonecoyote]

Thank you!!

[darkker]

308 Win, which is essentially the same as the 7.62 NATO; has the dimensions of 7.62X51mm.
The 7.62X39 is the round fired from the AK-47. The 7.62X54 is from the Mosin Nagant; they do NOT interchange!

[Lonecoyote]

308 Win, which is essentially the same as the 7.62 NATO; has the dimensions of 7.62X51mm.
The 7.62X39 is the round fired from the AK-47. The 7.62X54 is from the Mosin Nagant; they do NOT interchange!

Thanks again!

[handirifle]

Actually the 308 has always been loaded to higher pressures than the 7.62 NATO. The NATO rounds are pressure loaded to be suitable in the semi auto's like the M14 or M1A1. Those rifle have had a historical problem when shooting factory 308 Win ammo, in that it will cause bent op rods on the gas systems of the M14's.

And I agree 100% on NOT using AK ammo in a 308 of ANY type. It is never advisable to shoot any ammo in a rifle that it is not specifically chambered for, and that sometimes includes using 22 shorts in a 22LR chamber. SOME 22 rifles specifically say NOT to use anything other than 22LR. Semi autos almost never suggest using it.

Shouldered rounds, can never be swapped. You cannot use 243 ammo in a 308 rifle. It will fire, and MIGHT not hurt you, but could hurt the rifle, maybe not. The AK round also uses bullets of a .311 dia as opposed to the .308 dia of the NATO and 308 Win.

[darkker]

1) Actually the 308 has always been loaded to higher pressures than the 7.62 NATO. 2) The NATO rounds are pressure loaded to be suitable in the semi auto's like the M14 or M1A1.
3) Those rifle have had a historical problem when shooting factory 308 Win ammo, in that it will cause bent op rods on the gas systems of the M14's.


Broke it down to deal with each piece.
#1) This gets thrown out a lot, and I think it comes down to people repeating numbers without the story behind it. Everyone will tell you that the 7.62Nato is a 50,000 psi cartridge, and the 308 is 62,000. Remember that the 7.62 was built to replace the 30-06, same ballistics, less powder. How can that be? By running higher pressure than the 30-06(spec pressure at the time). 50k isn't higher than the 30-06. But people love to quote one of the few army tech manuals floating around widely, TM 43-001-27. But what most don't know, is the army publications SAID psi, when they meant CUP; and did so for some time. Looking at the performance requirements (fps) all but guarantees that is the case. In those terms the 308 has a MAP of 52,000, a distinction without difference. Sticking with honest PSI & NOT the unreliable copper units:
EPVAT standards show the 7.62 NATO @ 60,190 psi.

2) And every other machine gun at the time of change over, so in not sure where this goes other than you think they can't take the pressure?
3) That is news to me. The M1 Garand is notorious for having bent op rods, if you run a powder that is suitably slow enough to be incompatible with the gas system, assuming not using an adjustable gas block. But that is a hazard in any gas system, not a function of operating pressure; a function of wrong pressure curve for a system.

[handirifle]

The gist of it all is NATO ammo is safe in a bolt 308 rifle (or 30-06 depending on the rifle). 308 Win ammo may NOT always be safe in a military rifle. The M14 and Garand have been around a LONG time. I can tell you for a fact than when I shot NATO 7.62 ammo from my bolt 308 in 1973, it was slower, usually by 100-150fps, than commercial 308 ammo with the same weight bullet (150gr).

I talked to too many military smiths that had to repair the M14's after someone used factory ammo in them. Usually this was done so they could shoot them and not have to account for fired ammo when turning them back in. They'd buy factory ammo and turn in the same amount of NATO ammo they took out. No one the wiser, until the gun did not operate correctly, ie bent OP rods. Heavier bullet weights also caused issues in them. It did change the pressure curve.