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7.62 NATO vs .308 Winchester: What’s the Difference

Seriously what I got from this and please, please, please correct me if I’m wrong.
You can shoot a 7.62 in a gun barreled and chambered in .308 but not the other way around and......
You can shoot .223 in a gun barreled and chambered in 5.56 but not a 5.56 in a gun barreled and chambered in .223???
Obviously you want to follow what the manufacturer says.
 
Keystone19250 said:
Seriously what I got from this and please, please, please correct me if I’m wrong.
You can shoot a 7.62 in a gun barreled and chambered in .308 but not the other way around and......
You can shoot .223 in a gun barreled and chambered in 5.56 but not a 5.56 in a gun barreled and chambered in .223???
Obviously you want to follow what the manufacturer says.
Click to expand...
Yes 5.56 and .308 are higher pressure producing rounds.
 
5.56/7.62= NATO rounds. 5.56 NATO round is hotter than the .223 whereas the .308 is hotter than the 7.62. The headspace on the 7.62 is longer than the .308 and is what “could” cause issues. In the Semi-Auto’s we have now, I wouldn’t and haven’t had any issues shooting .7.62 or .223 out of 5.56 or .308 marked barrels. Barrels stamped .223 should only shoot .223. and .308 should be .308. I say should, as most of us know that 7.62 can be shot out of .308 stamped barrels.
 
7.62 NATO vs .308 Winchester


The 7.62 NATO and .308 Winchester rounds are very close to identical with each that many people think that they can be used interchangeably. The main difference between the 7.62 NATO and .308 Winchester rounds is with which rifles you can use them. If you have a modern rifle that shoots .308 Winchester rounds, then it is very likely that you can shoot 7.62 NATO rounds. If you have an old rifle meant to shoot 7.62 NATO rounds, then you should never use .308 Winchester rounds. The reason why you should never use .308 Winchester rounds in a rifle meant to fire 7.62 NATO rounds is the size of the chamber. The rounds of a .308 Winchester will be too loose inside a 7.62 NATO, This can have terrible results when you fire the round. As the powder detonates, the shell might stretch too much, causing it to rupture and explode. A round exploding in the chamber is a bad situation by all accounts and you will probably ruin your rifle as well as injure yourself. The 7.62 NATO rifles were meant to take military spec bullets that have much thicker shells. Not only does the thicker material make the shell stronger, it also reduces the space inside for the powder.
But if you turn the tables and put a 7.62 NATO round in a .308 Winchester rifle, you should have no problem except for a minor hitch when it comes to the length. Some 7.62 NATO rounds may not fit into the .308 Winchester chamber simply because it is too long. This happens very rarely and many people have used 7.62 NATO rounds for years and have not encountered this problem. This is probably a problem with older rounds and rifles.
f you have a .308 Winchester rifle, you can use either of the two rounds just as both are perfectly usable. But if you own a 7.62 NATO rifle, it is much better if you just stick with the 7.62 NATO rounds. There’s no reason to compromise safety by using the .308 Winchester rounds.


Summary:


  1. You can shoot 7.62 NATO cartridges in a .308 Winchester rifle but not the other way around
  2. 7.62 NATO rifles may have too much headspace for .308 Winchester rounds
  3. Some 7.62 NATO rounds may be too long to fit in a .308 Winchester rifle
  4. For what it's worth I Shoot 7.62 Nato in my .308 Springfield M1A M-21 rifle & I shoot .308 in my 7.62 nato AR-M110 Rifle and have done so for years without a problem. I use both in my rifles.


http://www.differencebetween.net/object/difference-between-7-62-nato-and-308-winchester/
 
BangBang said:
5.56/7.62= NATO rounds. 5.56 NATO round is hotter than the .223 whereas the .308 is hotter than the 7.62. The headspace on the 7.62 is longer than the .308 and is what “could” cause issues. In the Semi-Auto’s we have now, I wouldn’t and haven’t had any issues shooting .7.62 or .223 out of 5.56 or .308 marked barrels. Barrels stamped .223 should only shoot .223. and .308 should be .308. I say should, as most of us know that 7.62 can be shot out of .308 stamped barrels.
Click to expand...
I have a .223 Remington 700 rifle and I shoot 5.56 nato in it and have never had a problem it likes the 62-grain green tip m855 nato.
 
308win has a higher pressure, but the 7.62 had a thicker head and usually less case volume. USUALLY is the opt word! As BB stated comes down to headspace. That is the safety issue over the 556 vs 223 is pressure only. My headspace gauges have been good for both (go and no go).
 
If you want too check get a piece of duck tape and cover the base. Insert the cartridge and close the bolt. If the bolt won't close then it's a no go and the bolt space should be ok. The word SHOULD is not exact due too different manufacturers.
 
Forgive me, but why would one use a caliber that is not engraved on their weapon? Cost? Availability?

I have a .308 bolt action rifle - in my case, what would be the driving force behind my trying to fire 7.62 in that weapon?

Honest question. I was always taught to ONLY use what was stamped into the weapon.
 
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