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Posted: 8/31/2009 8:22:51 AM EDT
| DPMS states that if chambered for 7.62x51 nato, then you can shoot commercial .308. I know there are differences in both. If one were to reload what specs would you choose. can you get 7.62 dies? would you use .308 brass in small base dies. re size 7.62 brass to .308 ? What neck length? I need help am new to reloading and want to do it right for this rifle.thanks |
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DPMS states that if chambered for 7.62x51 nato, then you can shoot commercial .308. I know there are differences in both. If one were to reload what specs would you choose. can you get 7.62 dies? would you use .308 brass in small base dies. re size 7.62 brass to .308 ? What neck length? I need help am new to reloading and want to do it right for this rifle.thanks With a new production 7.62x51 NATO chamber it should be fine to run .308 winchester. At the lower limit the two specs are almost identical. Problems come in on older or worn 7.62 chambers since the upper servicable limit is well above those of a .308 Win. The only way to know for certain before making some rounds for you rifle would be to get an accurate measurement of the chamber. I have been relaoding for a long time but not much for semi automatic rifles. I have not tried a small base die yet but did do a little reading on them. Basically they will help if you are having feed issues with a tight .308 chamber in a semi automatic. The RCBS version not only sets the base diameter slightly small it aslo bumps the shoulder back a little to aid in feeding. Since a 7.62x51 chamber can have a longer headspace tolerance than a .308 to begin with a small base die from RCBS might not be a good thing. Also there's something to be said about not overworking the brass during resizing. So I'd start with a standard .308 die and go from there. I like the Lee Factory crimp die since it does not tend to buckle the shoulder of the case when crimping. I've never seen a die set listed for 7.62 NATO but that doesn't mean they aren't out there. Stick with middle to low end of the suggested load range till you know for sure it's going to work in your gun then slowly go up if you want to. In most cases the accuracy is better at the mid to mid-high range of the load data than at the maximum load. Use data and specs for the .308 and it should be fine. My DPMS is chambered for .308 winchester and has a pretty tight chamber. I have fed it both NATO and .308 brass and it works fine with both. The only true way to find out whats best for your rifle is to make some bullets and shoot it. Most of can tell you what ours likes but yours may or may not like the same diet. |
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