Surplus ammo in bolt action?

P

Prof

New member
A year or two back I asked the forum's opinion on using surplus military 5.56 ammo in a Ruger 77 .223 bolt action. The consensus seemed to be that it probably wouldn't hurt but there were several who felt that the difference in the chambers of semi-auto vs. bolt guns could cause problems (ammo stretching, bulging, etc.). I have a bunch of South African '80's surplus and am keeping it but not using it in the Ruger. Now I have purchased a Savage 10FP in .308 and face the same problem. I have been shooting only Federal Gold Medal Match ammo in it but that stuff is expensive. I see ads for Radway Green, Hirtenberger, etc. surplus but wonder if this stuff is okay for the Savage? Thanks for your help!
 
Keith:

Thanks. I have followed your advice regarding the 5.56 I have. However, does the same apply to .308 and the military ammo?
 
I have fired a few hundred rounds of surplus NATO .308 through my Remington 700. No problems yet.

Or am I just tempting fate?

Naaaah, I have heard many people on TFL recommend the .308 because of the availability of cheap surplus ammo. They weren't misleading me, were they?
 
I have several .308 rifles and I routinely shoot mil-surp ammo through them. From what I have read, the SAAMI specs for pressure on commercial .308 are higher than the NATO specs for 7.62x51 ... I feel perfectly safe shooting the mil-surp 7.62NATO in my .308's ... by the way, the Hirtenberger stuff groups very nicely and, in my opinion, is worth the extra penny or two a round that it costs. I recently purchased some mixed surplus US and Isreali from Southern Ammo that was VERY inexpensive ... I'll post a review when I get to the range ... hopefully this weekend.

Hope this helps,
Saands
 
.308 Winc. and 7.62 x 51 NATO

SAAMI has no warning on their interchangability. The only caveat here is on reloading 7.62 rounds using .308 data. Case capacity is lower on the mil stuff.
 
I found the link to dangerous combinations ... Thanks!

Interestingly enough, while common folk lore says "Don't do it," the above mentioned SAAMI site DID NOT list the combination of .308WIN in a 7.62x51 rifle as dangerous ... any comments from the peanut gallery on this one?
Saands
 
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