I have a newly purchased H&K rifle, and it has been SPECIFICALLY chambered for the 7.62x51 NATO round. I know a round chambered for commercial .308 can accept the 7.62 Nato round, but the 7.62 Nato round won't accept the commercial .308 round. So I was wondering, does the "Federal" .308 round=7.62x51 NATO round, or is the federal .308 the same as the commercial and more widely used counter part?
2007-07-07 15:29:20 · 7 answers · asked by teh dude v666 1 in Sports ➔ Outdoor Recreation ➔ Hunting
You are thinking backwards. A 7,62 NATO rifle will usually accept a .308WIN, but a .308WIN chambered rifle will not always handle a 7,62 NATO round. Like the interchangeability between a 5,56 and a .223. Military ammunition is loaded to higher pressures and are "hotter" than conventional civilian factory ammo. A weapon made for a .223 or .308WIN may not be able to handle the pressure and force of a 5,56 or 7,62 NATO, but a 5,56 or 7,62 NATO would be able to take the lesser force of a .223 or a .308WIN. For the most part military rounds and their civilian versions are dimensionally the same, sometimes there may be slight differences, but it is not usually enough to effect the cycling in the civilian/military version of the weapon. Most of the semi-auto civilian versions of military rifles (like the AR-15 or HK-91) are designed for the civilian version of the military round but can accept the military round as well. I use 5,56 in my AR-15 on coyote all the time. It's typically the traditional style of rifles that have problems with military ammo. A hunting rifle chambered for .308WIN would wear out much quicker if it wear consistently fired with 7,62 NATO and even may malfunction. You should be able to use either in your rifle, but the civilian .308WIN will be much cheaper than 7,62 NATO.
2007-07-07 16:46:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 5⤋
Dylan is correct, but for practical purposes the rounds are dimensionally identical. Your H & K should handle both, but check with your dealer or H & K first. The higher pressure 7.62x51 NATO may cause accelerated wear and tear on a civilian or sporting/hunting rifle intended ONLY for the .308 (Winchester) commercial round.
Best.
H
2007-07-08 08:25:42 · answer #2 · answered by H 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Dimensional data and loadings are the same for .308 Win and 7.62 x 51 NATO. Military bullets weights sometimes are odd ball, but any load for one will work for the other.
Perhaps you are confusing .223 Rem and 5.56 NATO. Weapons chambered for the 5.56 will safely fire the .223, but not vice versa, because the neck is thicker on the 5.56 upping the chamber pressure in a .223 chambered gun.
Ruger does make a rifle that will safely shoot both rounds.
2007-07-07 23:35:02 · answer #3 · answered by eferrell01 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
All these answers are right about the shell size being the same and Dylan is correct on NATO ammo being loaded to higher pressures than standard commercial ammo. This is all so something to look into if you reload, I know the 5.56 and 223 have slight differences on the interior of the shell and the neck and you have to reload them differently. I not sure that the 308 is that way, but this is only valid if your reloading your ammo.
2007-07-08 04:57:35 · answer #4 · answered by Jon 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
As the size is the same, check the powder load and the bullet weight. If they are the same, they are identical. ~
2007-07-07 22:38:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Congratulations on your new rifle.Top of the line!
To answer your question these rounds are one and the SAME!............................. Happy shooting!
2007-07-07 22:35:10 · answer #6 · answered by JD 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
there all the same
2007-07-07 22:49:09 · answer #7 · answered by hunter1 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋