.308 Winchester and 7.62x51mm NATO: are they interchangeable? We will try to shed some light over the murky waters between myths and truths that abound in various Web forums
Winchester .308 Norma
Military magazine, M14, fully loaded with Federal cartridge: they are completely safe
Standard NATO ammunition is characterized by this symbol: a circle with a cross in it – even though they were legally purchased, there could be doubts about the legality of their possession in some countries
There are many civilian ammunition with a FMJ bullet type (Full Metal Jacket) that duplicate the military ammunition specs
Military ammunition in 7.62x51mm NATO caliber loaded in M13 disintegrating link for the MG 42/59 machine gun
The .308 Winchester caliber is a very common chambering among civilian guns, whether it is hunting or shooting, thanks to its high intrinsic precision
One of the more modern firearm designs in7.62x51 is definitely the FN SCAR
Franco Palamaro
The Sauer 303 is one of the most recent semi-automatic hunting gun in .308 Winchester
A civilian derivation in .308 Winchester of Kalashnikov: the Russian Saiga
Various Mauser K98 were converted in 7.62x51 by the State of Israel: Do you think these huge actions would have difficulties shooting the .308 Winchester if the myths about the higher pressures were true?
American snipers use M118 Long Range ammunition. They are loaded with extreme care and push a Sierra bullet which weights 175 grs to about 2600 feet per second: you don’t get this performance with low pressures
A .308 Winchester cartridge is ready for use in an Armalite AR10
Which bullet has a higher performance: .308 Winchester or 7.62x51? The question makes no sense: they have exactly the same measures
Galil, another weapon designed after Kalashnikov
In some countries, the total capacity of the magazine of a converted military gun is reduced from the original capacity to a civilian gun
The 7.62x51 caliber round can be used on the Beretta BM59
.308 Winchester ammunition reload is very easy accessible to everybody: the components are few and easy to find, all you need to do is to be careful and to make sure you follow the instructions
The M1A is the civilian version of the American M14, which is called “old-soul”: recent field experienced have praised the M14 and its 7,62x51 caliber
German RWS ammunition is one of the most successful loads when it comes to hunting
Military cases shot with a gun with excessive “head space”: the primer was drilled and allowed the gases to leak backwards and create a potential danger. Before using an ex-military gun or a used gun of any kind, always check the chamber condition with trial cartridges Go-No Go
7.62x51 caliber was the first caliber to be used on Eugene Stoner guns, like the AR10: as the popularity of this cartridge grows, the clones and derivatives of AR10 are soaring as well
The heaviest bullets for precision shooting go from 168 to 180 grains, which is more than the 147 grains that a military cartridge can usually offer
There are many civilian cartridges appropriate for precision shooting, like Lapua, for example
Many Garands were transformed and are now being produced in 7.62x51: their op rod, which is long and not very straight, can suffer if the pressure is too high, in relation to the gas port
The operating rod of an M14 has a gradual structure: it gets more and more linear but it is more robust than the gun it was inspired by, the Garand: only an excessive pressure to the gas port could cause problems
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