now ive heard that the 7.62 is basically the same as a .308..but i dont think it is..its the same bullet diameter correct?..or is altogether different.

The ONLY thing similar is the bullet diameter. The .308 (7.62X51) outperforms the 7.62X39 in every category. Faster, flatter, more powerful, and WAY more accurate. You can check out ballistics tables at all of the major ammo manufacturers' websites. Remington, Winchester and Federal all have ballistics tables. The 7.62X39 is closer in performance to the .30-30.

The 7.62x39 is even different in diameter also. Its around .310" while a 308 is .308."

It only has two things in common, it is a centerfire and it is 30 caliber.

I think orginally it was a russian cartridge.

Think more like semi auto 30-30 cartridge, and then the 30-30 is even better because it can be had in heavier bullets.

Paul

Origionally a Russian cartridge stolen from the Nazi designed 8mmx33 along with the AK47 design from the german assault rifle .As expected German quality excedes Slavic crudity..........Harold

Thespeed of the 7.62x39 and the 30-30 are both around 2000 ft/sec. How do I know this? I load both rounds and have put them through a chrono.(1980 ft/sec). The .308 is around 1000 ft/sec faster. This gives it much better hitting power. The .308 is far superior in accuracy and why it is the sniper's choice.

ya but waht about the 7.62x51..is that the same as the .308 then?

7.62x51 is the NATO term for the .308 Win, it's like they call the .223 Rem the 5.56 NATO.

However the 5.56 nato and the .223 are different. I would have to check to see if the same thing would apply to a .308. I know the bullets and velocities would be different going from a nato round to hunting bullet.

7.62X51 Wikipedia

5.56X45 NATO Wikipedia

That was pretty hard[&o].

Paul

I find that the 7.62X39mm is essentially a short-range proposition, in the same class as a .30/30. It is NOT, however, an inherently inaccurate cartride. It is chambered in many arms that are pretty crude and imprecise, and NO cartridge can perform well in such contraptions. The SKS is pretty bad accuracy-wise, and the AK's have none at all. However, please note that the PPC rounds are based on the same case.

If one handloads, it is not necessary to limit the round to 122-130 grain bullets. I have a handload that gives a 150-grain bullet 2300 FPS MV from an 18"-barreled CZ 527 with decent accuracy, and one that fires the Speer 180-grain round-nose at 2000 FPS from the same rifle. In addition, in rifles like the CZ 527, Mark X Mini-Mauser, or other front-locking bolt actions, it is possible to get quite good accuracy out of the 7.62X39mm.

But there is no way that this little cartridge can compare to the 7.62X51mm NATO/.308 Winchester!




From the SPECIFICATIONS standpoint, the Russian 7.62mm 's are both (7.62X39mm & 7.62X54Rmm) true ".30"calibers, in that their bore diameters are nominally.30", and the grooves are supposed to be .005" deep, giving a groove diameter of .310", whereas the 7.62 NATO has a bore of .30" and a groove .004" deep, for .308" groove. However, many Russian rifles were made so sloppy that land diameter was often .31" or more, and groove sometimes was as big as .314"-.315".

Mt CZ 527 has a groove of .311" (I slugged it), but it shoots .308" bullets just fine! As you can see above.