7.62x51 or .308 for M1A

Texas Red said:

My pre-ban M1A has a military TRW barrel chambered for 7.62x51 NATO. I do not shoot 308 ammunition in it.

LRB told me that their rifles are chambered for 308, so I would think it is safe to shoot 308 ammo in it as long as I stay with bullets that weigh less than 180 grains. That being said, I have only fired 7.62 NATO from it as well. Stay safe.

Click to expand...

As I understand it, any 308 WIN round will safely load in a 7.62x51 chamber, but the obverse isn't true. In reality, all manufactured ammo I'm aware of will fit either chamber. That is, the 7.62x51 allows for a slightly longer headspace dimension than the 308WIN, but everybody makes them to minimum specification which is well within 308 specs.

I don't which makes me hungrier, the popcorn or the deer.

Hey bud! I have shot both 308 and 7.62x51 in my new m1a standard.
The ammunition I have tried are:

Fiocchi 308 -green box
Hornady 308 BHTP 168 MATCH
Federal XM80 7.62x51
PPU M80 7.62x51

Even though I prefer shooting the nato round I don't mind putting 308 in my gun at all.
I didn't really notice a difference except that the Match ammo from Hornady felt best.

Shoot whatever you have man as long as it isn't steel cased ammo lol.

My SA loaded model has a lifetime warranty, it also has 308 stamped in the medium weight NM barrel. I prefer the NATO ammo for plinking or practice shooting. But when I'm going hunting I sight in my scope with soft point ammo and hunt. This being said it takes 3 rounds too verify scope setting and 5 rounds to fill my freezer. I have several rifles other than my m1a that I hunt with.

I have been running Black Hills 175gr Match BTHP in my Loaded and have had no problems.

Actually, there is very little difference between 308Win and 7.62Nato AMMO - expect for the 'near-magnum' or 'super duper' 308Win loads that SHOULD NOT be used in an M1a.

Due to the way that chamber pressure is measured and reported, the 'number' for 308Win is higher than for 7.62Nato, but the actual pressures are very similar. The higher pressure 'number' for 308Win is the reason that sometimes it is recommended to not use 308Win in a barrel marked for 7.62Nato.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA