7.62 X 39 is really a 308
From another forum:
Well,
Having beat this to death, and my exhaustion, I finally have a feel for the situation. My original dilemma was "can I put a 308 bore on a 7.62 X 39" gun. Lots of good people have said "NO" because the 7.62 X 39 bullet is "oversize" and would be dangerous. That is certainly good solid advice. Others have said that 309 or 310 should be OK and that is probably true, as well. So who will I kill? Turns out this is a really deep question with some surprising answers. Follow this:
The 7.62 X 39 round is only "sorta" correctly dimensioned. ACTUALLY the round is ....308( .5 or 9) at the leading part/front of the bullet after the Ogive. In the final 5 or 10 thousandths of the bullet the diameter swells to .311. That is like putting a gas check on the rear. With that design it would perform, ballistically, like a full .311 bullet in a .312 or 311 bore. It would also fire safely in a .308 bore. Recently learned that Savage made a 7.62 X 39 that had exactly a 308 bore. No alarms going off in the community about the Savage bolt guns being lethal to the shooter. Also, no "WARNING odd size bore" stamped in the barrel. Others have done this exact same thing with other firearms, including the VZ 58 foundation design and all has worked out swimmingly. The VZ 2008 had a 308 bore and the other Century VZ 58 clones, using us made barrels, had 308 bores. What a cluster FXXX, right? Conundrum...at least...right. The design of the Russian 7.62 X 39 round is the answer as it is 308 "mostly".
Here is the real danger. If I thought that .311 or .312 Russian bullet was actually that size....I might be tempted to HAND LOAD .312 bullets and use them in a 7.62 X 39 chamber. And that might simply explode in my face.
Thank this guy:
Minesweeper3433
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Bullit OVERSIZE
« Reply #21 on: Yesterday at 11:22 PM »
Quote
Built a 7.62x39 bolt gun on an mini mauser for shooting surplus ammo out of using a 308 bore. Went with 308 as on measuring rounds we pulled found that only the last 5-8 thousandths were larger than 308. Almost like a skirt. That gun shoots great to this day with steel cased ammo or whatever else we feel like putting in it. We put a long 1 degree throat in it as well when ordering the reamer. Although I was always taught that the AK series of rifles had a long throat for that reason. This was however from an instructor at Aberdeen that I didn't hold in to high regard. Will pull a few soviet rounds over seas here today if I can get my hands on a few.
Old guns like old friendships are long retained and must be constantly renewed. James V. Howe The modern gunsmith Pub. 1934 People where smarter before I was born.
Navy...might have known...right?
Good luck,
John
Re: 7.62 X 39 is really a 308
I put together a savage with a mcgowen 7.62x39mm barrel with .310 stamped on it. I shoot the sierra 125 pro hunters with bench mark and get dandy results. I am going to try .308 bullets to see if it will shoot them.
Re: 7.62 X 39 is really a 308
To the OP: I am curious as to why you started yet another thread on this topic?
Why did you not simply post this in your previous "Bullit OVERSIZE" thread?
http://savageshooters.com/SavageForu...c,49531.0.html
If you wish to be 100% safe and correct, I would respectfully suggest you consult the SAAMI specifications for this round.
http://www.saami.org/PubResources/CC...le/7_62x39.pdf
Re: 7.62 X 39 is really a 308
With all the european ammo and surplus ammo on the market, I'm sure that any US made firearms company took into account that someone somewhere is going to shoot wolf ammo in there firearms...........
I had a ruger mini 30, only warning was about hard primers, all I ever shot was steel case ammo...never had any problems.
Re: 7.62 X 39 is really a 308
Quote:
Originally Posted by rjsixgun
With all the european ammo and surplus ammo on the market, I'm sure that any US made firearms company took into account that someone somewhere is going to shoot wolf ammo in there firearms...........
I had a ruger mini 30, only warning was about hard primers, all I ever shot was steel case ammo...never had any problems.
The Mini-30 is/was made with a .308 bore.
Re: 7.62 X 39 is really a 308
Quote:
Originally Posted by thomae
Because I got confused. I am getting info on this from a number of forums. Sometimes I have difficulty "locating" the original post on a particular forum. My apologies.
I understand your sentiment on the SAAMI spec and probably your contempt for my question. While SAAMI can be considered the "final" word, I am finding many credible sources that are not in agreement with SAAMI let alone each other. There is sufficient conflict to raise questions in my mind and that not being a challenge. Safety is always my concern. But, safety is like perfection in that it is a goal that has never been achieved 100% by me on any day that I opted to get out of bed. With safety taken as the prime and only objective I think I would be strictly into AirSoft "with" eye protection. I can't see where a single Wild-Cat would ever have seen the light of day with certified specification being the ruling factor. To be sure, I am not trying to invent anything but more to follow what has been proven to work by some. Now, Savage, as it turns out, has made exactly the chamber and rifling combination that I "want" to make and they sold it commercially. That should meet the "BETA test" requirement. It doesn't meet SAAMI spec, apparently, though it gets very good reviews. I don't think I have a single cartridge that meets, exactly, the SAAMI spec. and I, and numerious Smiths at my behest, have measured a bunch of ammo from numerous sources and quality levels. Maybe the SAAMI spec is a goal but I have always regarded it as the rule but then"rules are meant to be......" Not that I actually believe that. Again, thank you for your interest in my dilemma and taking the time to share your credible opinion. Sincerely, now.
Thanks,
John
John
Re: 7.62 X 39 is really a 308
You got confused? ;D
Honestly--that never happens to me! (Hey Geppetto, why is my nose growing longer?) ::)
Please understand that I am not, nor do I think anyone else is, regarding your questions with contempt. You are relatively new to this forum, and so you made a couple of admin posting mistakes. No biggie. We all do from time to time.
I posted what I did, not out of contempt, but because sometimes, at least for me, going back to the basics helps me gain some perspective on things that have become cloudy. It was a serious, not flippant, response.
As I posted in the other thread, I don't know anything about you. You may be perfectly capable of pushing "the edge of the envelope" in complete safety. On the other hand, any of us (myself included) could do something stupid that would get us hurt. I try not to make blanket recommendations that "could be" unsafe. We all correct each other, not because we are putting each other down, but because we are trying to help each other down the road to success with safety.
When in doubt, I go by the book. Its my nature.
Also, remember that my opinions are free...and worth every cent you paid for them.
Keep on reading and asking questions. That's the only way to get smarter.
All the best,
Re: 7.62 X 39 is really a 308
+1 the ruger mini 30 has a 308 bore but I think it has a swage section. Maybe one or two AR barrels too.
I loaded 110 gr 308 Amax bullets in a 7.62x39 .310 barrel and they shot great.
