.308/7.62x51 ammo

.308/7.62x51 ammo

.308/7.62x51 ammo



308 ammo and 7.62x51 are equal and different at the same time. They were initially designed to perform the same task, but now they grow apart from each other. And in vain. 

The stories of the creation of these calibers are difficult to compare. They appeared in completely different times, but with the same goals. 

The 7.62x51 ammo was developed in 1947 to replace the obsolete .30-06 cartridge in the US armed forces. 7.62x51 was based on the American T65. Then this cartridge was adopted under the designation 7.62x51 NATO in 1953, in the United States. 

Winchester released a new cartridge for sale under the name .308 Win in 1952. The main competitor of the .308 ammo was an old military cartridge .30-06 Springfield. Hunters and shooters tried the new cartridge and found some advantages in it. Firstly, it had less recoil than .30-06. Secondly, the .308 cartridge was slightly cheaper.

7.62x51 VS .308

  • Rifles with 7.62 calibers have long chambers, so firing them with 308win caliber ammunition is potentially dangerous. However, shooting with 7.62x51 caliber cartridges from .308 Win rifles is safe. In addition, the chamber for the 308 is shorter than the 7.62 and leaves less space for the cartridge to expand when fired.
  •  .308 Winchester can withstand 24% more pressure than 7.62x51mm.
  • The case of military ammunition 7.62x51 is thicker than the commercial .308 Winchester. This is not visible but is verified by weighing the cartridges. The thicker walls are, the lower powder capacity, pressure, and velocity is.

Regardless of these differences, both calibers perform the same functions with almost equal success in situations using the same ammunition.

Nowadays, NATO member countries and many other states use 7.62x51 for uniform machine guns and sniper rifles. The .308 Win has also managed to gain fame as an accurate sniper cartridge, thanks to its usage in CISM competitions and a number of other disciplines.

What type of ammo to choose is a matter of your personal preferences and needs. Fortunately, GRITR Sports offers you both .308 and 7.62x51 ammo for sale.