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7.62 ammo in Saiga .308


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I am bad at using the forum for searching topics, but need an easy answer.   Sorry for double posting if topic exists.  Almost finished with my .308 Kushnapup conversion, and a friend gave me a tapco 7.62x39 magazine.    Will my saiga .308 shoot 7.62x39 and 7.62x51 or just .308 Ammo?     I heard saiga 7.62 cannot fire .308 but that the .308 could fire 7.62 ect.    Appreciate all answers in advance.   Will post pictures of final product once done.   Sand blasting polymer and painting Matte White.

 

 

Cheers everyone and thanks

 

 

-Connor

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There are conversion sleeves to allow the use of 7.62x39 in a .308/7.62x51 rifle..

However I've yet to hear a positive review of them being used in a semi auto.

 

I'd suggest keeping to normal loadings of .308 or 7.62x51.

For safety, do not use .308 ammo that states it is an unusually powerful loading.. Such as ".308 Magnum".

These loads are designed for bolt action rifles that are made specifically for high powered loads.

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I am bad at using the forum for searching topics, but need an easy answer.   Sorry for double posting if topic exists.  Almost finished with my .308 Kushnapup conversion, and a friend gave me a tapco 7.62x39 magazine.    Will my saiga .308 shoot 7.62x39 and 7.62x51 or just .308 Ammo?     I heard saiga 7.62 cannot fire .308 but that the .308 could fire 7.62 ect.    Appreciate all answers in advance.   Will post pictures of final product once done.   Sand blasting polymer and painting Matte White.

 

 

Cheers everyone and thanks

 

 

-Connor

Wow....

Just WOW! 010.gif

 

Macbeau!

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Yeah umm no.

This is what you should really be asking....(specifically paragraph #3)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.62%C3%9751mm_NATO

 

Oh god please no...

 

Yea but its a more pertinent question, then whether or not x39 will work....

 

 

True its just been beat to death and really only is relevant to a few rifles.

 

As for his question well everyone starts somewhere.

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I am bad at using the forum for searching topics, but need an easy answer.   Sorry for double posting if topic exists.  Almost finished with my .308 Kushnapup conversion, and a friend gave me a tapco 7.62x39 magazine.    Will my saiga .308 shoot 7.62x39 and 7.62x51 or just .308 Ammo?     I heard saiga 7.62 cannot fire .308 but that the .308 could fire 7.62 ect.    Appreciate all answers in advance.   Will post pictures of final product once done.   Sand blasting polymer and painting Matte White.

 

 

Cheers everyone and thanks

 

 

-Connor

Wow....

Just WOW! 010.gif

 

Macbeau!

 

THIS^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Yeah new to the saiga rifle.   Have to start somewhere.  Hostility over the internet is amusing however.  

Start growing skin, yer gonna need some extra here.......welcome aboard bad_egg.gif

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you cannot fire 7.62x39 ammo in your 308 gun,  they are completely different calibers,  now, I have to tell you that there is some confusion with new people regarding the 308 and the 7.62 round,  There are people that call the 7.62x51 round (which is almost identical to the 308 round yet has a small difference)  they call it the 7.62 NATO round.  The 7.62 NATO round and the 308 have a small difference but can be safely fired in a saiga 308 rifle.  The 7.62 NATO round is the 7.62x51 cartridge.  So when some people say you can fire a 7.62 round in your saiga 308 they are not referring to the ak47 round the 7.62x39.  They are in fact referring to the 7.62x51 NATO round.

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well here's some results from mind numbing research.  I wanted to get to the bottom of real world differences between .308 and 7.62 x 51.  I saw the blueprint diagrams showing the slight difference in angle and length of the case neck. But I wanted to know what the difference in ballistics and impact would actually be.  So I got Federal on the horn, and actually got a couple of interesting responses.  I was asking in particular to the difference between the .308 and the 7.62 NATO in Federal Gold Medal Match would be using a 175 gr. SMK bullet.  They claimed that there would be NO difference in SAAMI pressure and NO difference in velocity, ballistics, etc.  The FGMM website even shows the 2 loads as identical.  They only list one set of specs for both.  I don't buy that.  So I have a case of each now. I haven't done extensive testing.  But the FGMM 7.62 NATO does not come with a polished brass case.  It looks rougher. The .308 FGMM is polished.  When I asked Federal about differing case wall thickness, they said that the 7.62 NATO has thicker cases due to the fact that 7.62 NATO is often used in full Auto firearms such as the M-60, etc.  So the extractors/ejectors pound harder and faster and the case needs to be tougher.  Federal claims there is slightly lower volume in the 7.62 NATO-basically just saying there is more airspace in the .308 since the .308 walls are thinner.  But this doesn't explain the difference in neck length & angle.  All-in-all, I wasn't quite satisfied with their answers.  But I until I see some real world testing using apples to apples such as the two rounds I mentioned above, I will just resign to hitting tight groups out to 500 or so.  I can't shoot much past that yet anyways, even on a good day.  Most of my time is spent at 100-300 m. Any differences in FGMM loads are not gonna show up that close.  This is from my Bolt gun of course.  But I use both load in my Saiga .308 also.  I believe all Saigas  in this calibre are .308.  Isn't the model # S308? I've never seen one that was stamped ONLY for 7.62 x 51

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Furthermore, I would guess that .308 casings are often times loaded to higher chamber pressures since there's more interior volume allowing more powder.  And the only time I've been told that the 2 different rounds are NOT to be used interchangeably is in old firearms that were designed for 7.62 NATO.  Like maybe turn of the century Mausers, etc.  I dont know if it's just their age or if it's a size difference, but they are said to not be able to handle the increased pressure of the hotter .308 loads.

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IIRC the main problem is encountered in rifles using an op-rod to cycle the action.

 

Remember some folks with M1As replacing them with higher strength rods for 308s.

If you reload all the cases come out the same anyway so most speced differences in the necks should vanish with the first press of the 308 die.

 

In a boltie I cant see any reason for worry.

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Polishing the case is an additional manufacturing process, increases cost of the ammo. Probably not polished to increase their profit margin on the ammo. Polished case would also have less friction, and be easier to extract from the chamber, but full-auto guns likely have a MILSPEC or larger chamber with significant clearances that may not require a polished case to feed reliably.

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^That makes sense^  I knew that the polishing would involve an additional process.  It makes sense that they would skimp if they could get away with it on MILSPEC rounds.  I might cycle a few rounds alternating in my bolt gun and see if they .308 extracts any smoother.  Just out of curiosity.  My bolt gun is an M700SS which is MILSPEC in some respects.  But I think the action is more of an upgraded stainless version of the Civilian 700 short action.  The "MILSPEC" part of the rifle is mainly the 24" SS R5 barrel.  Other "MILSPEC" type features are that it's all stainless, blueprinted, trued, & target crowned.  That all came from the Remington factory, built by their custom shop.  Anyways, a better rifle to test the smoothness of extraction between FGMM .308 vs. FGMM 7.62 NATO would be a base model bolt gun.  One that would be more likely to have a commercially sized chamber.  


Maybe that would be a good excuse to buy a new gun.  Strictly for posterity and experimentation purposes of course.  Maybe a savage 110/111.  I like the Accutrigger.  

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