308 rifle

[ms]

Can you shoot NATO ammo out of a 308 Winchester rifle?

[jasonprox700]

Yes, but you can't shoot .308 through a NATO chamber.  This is opposite of .223 and 5.56x45 NATO.

Go over to AR15.com.  I just saw this same question over there a few weeks ago.

[Mikey]

The external dimensions of the two cartridges, the 308 and the 7.62x51 NATO round are supposed to be the same.  The real difference twixt the two is the higher pressures of the 308 hunting cartridge.  The 7.62x51mm NATO round averages around 47k psi chamber pressures while the 308 can go as high as 60k psi and some folk do not advocate the use of the higher pressure 308s in military rifles chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO round.  HTH.  Mikey.

[nomosendero]

The external dimensions of the two cartridges, the 308 and the 7.62x51 NATO round are supposed to be the same.  The real difference twixt the two is the higher pressures of the 308 hunting cartridge.  The 7.62x51mm NATO round averages around 47k psi chamber pressures while the 308 can go as high as 60k psi and some folk do not advocate the use of the higher pressure 308s in military rifles chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO round.  HTH.  Mikey.

Yes, the M1A/M14 is designed for lower pressures.