.308 rifle with 1 in 10 twist and .308 vs 7.62 X 51 Nato

S

stevenorlando

Inactive
Hello All,

I purchased a .308 sporterized rifle. The twist rate as best I can measure is 1 in 10. Does anyone know what weight range .308 bullet would be optimal?

Also, can 7.62 X 51 Nato ammo be shot in a .308 barrel?
 
IIRC, 1 in 10 is good for the heavier bullets 168 to 180 grains...but I think it is ok for the lighter as well. You just have to shoot it to find out.

I am sure someone with more knowledge about this will chime in soon.
 
It is not a good idea to shoot 7.62 in a .308 rifle. There are more people on here that can tell you exactly why. There is or could be an extraction problem.
 
1:10" twist should stabilize anyhting you put in it, that's why the factories choose that twist as "standard". Doesn't mean other twists won't work, it just means that's what most use. Just for reference, the USMC M40A3 sniper rifle uses 1:11" twist to properly stabilize the 172 gr SMK used for sniper ammo.

There is no problem shooting 7.62X51mm NATO in a 308 chamber, there may be issues shooting 308 Win ammo in a 7.62X51mm NATO chambered gas-operated rifle due to pressure issues.
 
I have two target rifles in 308, a Rem Bolt gun and a Super Match M1A, both with a 1:10, they shoot 150-180s quite well. I've shot 175 & 180 SMKs at 1000 yards with zero problems (except for me blowing a wind call or two). I will admit about all I shoot with them now is 168 & 175 SMSs simply because they are my target rounds.
 
Specific It is

It is an Argentine Mauser, it has a laminate stock, a 24" fluted bull barrel, it is glass-bedded and I think it was blueprinted, because the bolt is very shiny and polished where it meets the barrel.

I have attached pics, and though the crown may look rusty it is not. It was just some dirt that I cleaned.

Steve
 

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You have a Model 1909 Argentine Mauser that has been sproterized. They are a variant of the famous Model 98 Mauser, one of the better ones. Yours has been restocked and rebarreled. You can shoot any 308 ammunition you want in it without fear of damaging it.
 
I've stuck with 150-165 in 308 because I've gotten 2900 and 2800 on the chrono in 22". The 180s are hard to push past 2600.
 
You can not shoot 7.62x51 in .308 because the pressure of the 7.62x51 when fired is a lot more and may blow the chamber up. But you can however, shoot .308 in 7.62x51 because the chamber is designed to with stand the higher pressures of the 7.62x51. Same thing goes with .223 and 5.56x45.
 
Scorch said:
There is no problem shooting 7.62X51mm NATO in a 308 chamber, there may be issues shooting 308 Win ammo in a 7.62X51mm NATO chambered gas-operated rifle due to pressure issues.
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swizzle said:
You can not shoot 7.62x51 in .308 because the pressure of the 7.62x51 when fired is a lot more and may blow the chamber up. But you can however, shoot .308 in 7.62x51 because the chamber is designed to with stand the higher pressures of the 7.62x51. Same thing goes with .223 and 5.56x45.
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Which one is right??
 
Swizz, this has been debated till the horse has decomposed. From WIKI - Although not identical, the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge is similar enough to the commercial .308 Winchester that the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) considers it safe to fire the NATO round in weapons chambered for the commercial round. The only difference is the cases have the necessary thicker walls for extreme duty, i.e. combat.
 
The explanation I got was that 7.62 was loaded to lower pressures and the ..308 Winchester is considered "commercial" and loaded to higher pressure. I think it was only a consideration in the 93 (small ring) Mausers that were rechambered or re-barreled to 7.62. I used mil spec 7.62 and mild reloads in my 93 Mauser.
 
I shoot surplus 7.62 x 51 nato in my bull barreled Rem 700 all the time..I haven't blown it up yet. Hope I don't blow up my new Browning X Bolt! That would be tragic.
 
My 1:10 twist Savage 10 FP shoots everything from 150 to 175 well under .8 inches all the time.

Its best average for a hand load is under 0.5 inches with a 150 grain Sierra Match King bullet.

It has 8 loads of 168 grain SMKs using 3 different powders that average 0.58 inches and it shoots 175 Sierra Match Kings around 0.75 inches.

It also shoots several factory loads under 0.8 inches, mostly 165 to 168 grains.

My buddies 1:10 twist .308 has had similar results.
I would say that that 150 to 180 is a verified effective bullet weight range of a 1:10 twist as long as you don't just load for velocity without considering accuracy.
 
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