7.62 vs .308 reloading ?

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Hey guys. So here's my latest inquiry. I have a lot of military surplus brass in 7.62x51. There seems to be no reloading recipes out there that I can find. Being that it is similiar to .308, though .308 has higher pressures from what I have read. Can it be reloaded safely with a low end .308 recipe?
 
There really are craploads of info on 5.56 vs .223 and 7.62x51 vs .308
Is the .308 and the 7.62x51 the same round?


The following came from here: http://www.gunslot.com/forum/308-and-7-62x51-same-round
".308 Win vs. 7.62x51--The Straight Scoop
Before we go much further, we want to address the oft-posed question "Are the .308 Winchester and 7.62x51 NATO one and the same?" The simple answer is no. There are differences in chamber specs and maximum pressures. The SAMMI/CIP maximum pressure for the .308 Win cartridge is 62,000 psi, while the 7.62x51 max is 50,000 psi. Also, the headspace is slightly different. 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. That said, it is normally fine to shoot quality 7.62x51 NATO ammo in a gun chambered for the .308 Winchester (though not all NATO ammo is identical). Clint McKee of Fulton Armory notes: "[N]obody makes 7.62mm (NATO) ammo that isn't to the .308 'headspace' dimension spec. So 7.62mm ammo fits nicely into .308 chambers, as a rule." You CAN encounter problems going the other way, however. A commercial .308 Win round can exceed the max rated pressure for the 7.62x51. So, you should avoid putting full-power .308 Win rounds into military surplus rifles that have been designed for 50,000 psi max. For more information on this interesting topic, read the following articles: Gun Zone's 30 Caliber FAQ; Cruffler.com Technical Trivia, June 2001; and last, but not least, Steve Redgwell's .308 vs 7.62x51 Analysis, which really provides a definitive explanation. Reloaders should also note that military ammo often is made with a thicker web. Consequently the case capacity of 7.62x51 brass is usually less than that of commercial .308 brass. You may need to reduce recommended .308 Winchester loads by as much as 2 full grains, if you reload with military 7.62x51 brass, such as Lake City or IMI."
 
They are the same. Military brass is heavier so reduce your loads by 10% and work your way back up.
If you have a reloading manual from Speer,Lyman etc it will have this information in it,if you don't get at least 2. I suggest the Lyman as it has loads for both cast and jacketed bullets and one other of your choice.
 
Honestly, I ALWAYS load it the same. Never had an issue. Then again, I am not working at the upper regions of pressure in this caliber. Typically, somewhere near the starting load.

So, if you start there, and work up, looking for signs of pressure, you should be ok.
 
Honestly, I ALWAYS load it the same. Never had an issue. Then again, I am not working at the upper regions of pressure in this caliber. Typically, somewhere near the starting load.

So, if you start there, and work up, looking for signs of pressure, you should be ok.
How do you know what pressure you are at? I have had a load that showed NO pressure signs but was close to 65k.
 
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