I have a savage .308 gun that I shoot with pleasure. With ammo being bought up, I was wondering if it is ok to shoot 7.62x51mm rounds through this gun? Is there any difference between the shells that would make any difference? What do you all (that are in the know) think?

The only thing I have found is the 7.62 x 51 shell can be .003 larger . Ideas?

 

5.56 versus .223 can be a problem, but I have never heard of any problems with 7.62 versus .308.

Have you checked with your wallyworld? They seem to have it around here.

 

7.62 is readily available here in the Indy area, the .308 marked ammo isnt anywhere to be found. I was just wondering

 

.308 is rated at a higher pressure than 7.62x51 according to SAAMI .....it may or may not be an issue depending on which model Savage you have and how old it is because the military brass is a little different and thicker at the base...if you are a re-loader that could be deal killer for you.

As a general rule I suggest calling Savage and asking them...be sure to have any available numbers and information off your rifle as they will need that to be able to answer your question.

Most Modern firearms can easily handle both but there are some older Savage rifles out there in .308 caliber and you are not specific in which model you own in order for me to give a qualified opinion on it.

Military ammunition is loaded to maximum average pressure 50,000 CUP (approximately 58,000 PSI using the modern piezo transducer method of measurement). This standard is used to ensure better consistency round to round. It is proofed at 67,000PSI. The ammunition can then be used in a wide variety of firearms with no ill effects.

Commercial ammunition has a SAAMI/ANSI maximum pressure of 62,000PSI. While not every manufacturer may load it to this level, this is the industry established maximum. This is also measured using the piezo transducer method. The proof cartridge pressure is 83,000 to 89,000 PSI. Note the differences between the military test and operational standard vs the commercial one.

Here is an example of the dimensions of "Go" and "No Go" gauges when checking the chambers of the two different rifle calibers....note they are not identical but depending on your chamber it may or may not matter.

The .308 Win "Go Gauge" is 1.630" vs. 1.635" for the 7.62x51. The .308's "No-Go" dimension is 1.634" vs. 1.6405" for a 7.62x51 "No Go" gauge.

Generally speaking it is considered safe to shoot 7.62x51 in a .308 but you shouldn't shoot .308 in a 7.62x51 chambered rifle unless the manufacturer states it is OK to do so.

Where this changes is again dependent on the age and condition of the weapon in question...lots of variables I wont go into here.

 

Not wanting to change the subject much but I was just in the Wall-Mart in Kenai.
They have small signs on the entrance doors and a large sign in the sporting goods department that say:
"Limit of three boxes of ammo per customer only. No exceptions."
Whats up with that?
I have plenty of ammo but it made me want to buy some more.

 

Some people are rolling up to Wally world and buying 50 cases at a time and not leaving any for others so thats the reason around here.
One guy rolled up and bought all the 22 long rifle ammo when the truck came in. A Edit pallet worth.

 

Model 10. About 3 years old. Bolt action, Fluted barrel, muzzle break. I love shooting this. Sounds as if there shouldnt be a problem using the 7.62 ammo.

Savage's website says to only use .308 or whatever is on the side of the gun. I didnt contact them, but I asume because of liability to them, thats what they would say, not to use it.

 

The shelves are bare at my local Wally World. All they had last time I was there was .380. I am completely out of .45acp.

 

Yikes! Speaking of .45 and not wanting to divert too far from the .308 stuff again
(loved Tops explanation of the commercial vs military ammo. I have a lot of NATO stuff and wondered what the difference was)
but about four months ago I bought three new 13 rd magazines for my glock 21 (they were original mags made by glock) from Midway for 17.99 each.
Today I decided to buy a few more just in case. The price is now 27.99 and they don't have any and don't plan on getting any more in the near future.
Cheaper than dirt is also out along with some of my other normal outlets.
Stuff is flying off the shelf faster than it did in 1994.

 

there is no difference in the 308 and 7.62x51. i have never worried about shooting 5.56 in my guns but there is some guns out there i take apart and inspect before i did it

 

There are actually quite a few differences between the two...where it can become a problem is pressure related issues due to head spacing and thick vs thin walled brass that may or may not come apart in the chamber.

The military ammo has a much thicker brass base designed to take more abuse in a semi or full auto battery system. The chamber may also be a tad larger in the military weapon as well which means a .308 case can stretch and separate as well.

Two other things to consider that make a flat statement like the one above false is the type of powder being used between commercial and military rounds....Some rounds use a slow burning powder intended to use the entire length of the barrel to reach the optimum pressure to expel the projectile at the desired velocity. While others use a faster burning powder intended to reach maximum velocity before the bullet exits which greatly reduces muzzle flash and recoil but can boost higher pressures within the chamber itself.

These things may not seem to matter if you are simply plinking away with your favorite deer rifle but they can and often do come into play when we are talking about a rifle that has excessive head space such as a military weapon might or one that has had the throat shot out of it over the years.

You shouldn't have any real problems with your modern Mdl 10 but I would look the brass over carefully as they come out checking for things like bulging or split brass or primers backing out of the case all which could point to a dangerous situation.

I see maybe 1 or 2 of these issues come through the shop every year from people that were incorrectly told there was no difference between 7.62x51 and .308 ammo.

 

Thanks guys for the imput. I think I will use these maybe as a backup. I only got 50 rounds of the 7.62, and it is mainly just for target shooting. Did I say I really like this gun ? lol It is sweet shooting and consistent at drilling holes

 

Savages are like that.

I want a model 12LRP in 6.5 Creedmore for my next bolt gun.

Will probably be my last bolt gun as well........( like THAT will happen )

 

If you want to go the safest route, slug the chamber and leade to the rifling and mike it for dimensions, then compare to your 7.62X51 ammo.

Rules for firearms have always stated "Use only Ammunition of same as stamped on barrel/chamber etc."

I had some Russian/bulgarian 30.06 once. They were close enough to dimensionality but kicked like hell and a little stiff to eject. I left a box of 19 at the range for whoever wanted them. They weren't stamped "30-06 SPRG", just the metric dimension 7.62X69 or whatever the case length is for '06.

I only fire fresh ammo from the big 3, preferably Federal, or my own handloads in my rifles...

 

The Savages were the best kept secret in the country among prairie dog shooters for years....they were the best shooting rifles out of the box and cheaper than the others....once that got back to Savage they raised the price and started marketing them harder.