Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

R

Russell3812

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Full Member
Minuteman
Apr 4, 2011
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Maryland
#1
Ok...just got a great deal on military surplus ammo from cheaper than dirt. Said it was 7.62x55mm which ... in my newbie head translated into .308. Started poking around the web and now I'm questioning if I can use this.

I have a savage bolt action rifle chambered for a .308 and bought 7.62x55mm rounds. Can I go shoot this stuff tomorrow or am I going to blow my face off. whatcha say?
 
#3
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

Did you mean to say 7.62x56mm? I've never even heard of 55mm so I looked it up and... See below and compare what you have to those listed. PS. Cheaper than dirt doesn't have a listing for 7.62x55

# 6.5x55: Used by Sweden until the adoption of the 7.62x51 NATO cartridge. It was used in the Swedish Mausers, Norwegian Krag-Jorgensen rifles, Lljungman AG-42, and initially was used in Swedish variations of the FN MAG machine gun.

# 7.5x55: Used by Switzerland until the adoption of the 7.62x51 NATO cartridge. It was used in the Schmidt-Rubin M1911 and M1931, and others.

# 7.62x45: Adopted in the postwar period by Czechoslovakia, but discontinued after they succumbed to pressure by the Soviet Union to adopt the Soviet standardised calibres. It was used in earlier versions of the Vz.52 and Vz.58 rifles.

# 7.62x54R: A rimmed cartridge, first adopted by Imperial Russia in 1891, and still in service with the former Soviet Union, Soviet/Russian client states, etc. This is a rimmed cartridge, and is used in the Mosin-Nagant rifle, Simonov AVS-36, Tokarev SVT-1938 and SVT-1940, Dragunov SVD, Romanian PSL, PK machine gun, and others.

 
#7
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Russell3812</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ahhhh.... ok. I did put a round in the chamber and the bolt closed shut. Still no good right?
</div></div>

Gene pool cleansing anyone??
 
#8
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Russell3812</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ahhhh.... ok. I did put a round in the chamber and the bolt closed shut. Still no good right?
</div></div>

wow, surprised that happened. . <span style="font-weight: bold">NO NOT GOOD DO NOT FIRE</span>

never mind, posted your correction before i posted this.
 
#10
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Russell3812</div><div class="ubbcode-body">correction. It reads, 7.62x51mm. It is german military surplus
</div></div>

It should be good to go, probably going to be dirty but should work.
 
#13
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

So we need a range report, was there a darwin award after you tried to fire this or not? :p

Seriously, pay very close attention to what you're buying and what you're putting in your gun. Death is a very real concern when chambering the wrong ammunition.
 
#16
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Russell3812</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Rained out today. Range is closed. Hopefully tomorrow. </div></div>

What kind of limp-wristed, fair-weather shooters do you have running that range?!?! I mean good grief, man...what the hell is the world coming to when you can't shoot with some rain coming down???
 
#17
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KSKevin</div><div class="ubbcode-body">and why was this posted in the OPTICs forum??? </div></div>

The plot thickens,...
 
#18
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

Russell, here's a simple rule to follow: buy ammo that matches what is printed on your barrel: 308WIN. Do you really think risking life and limb to save a few bucks is a good idea? It's apparent you are a new shooter: stick to the basics.
 
#19
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

Clearly you are unfamiliar with "Dorothy Syndrome". Apparently, it seems to be most contagious at outdoor activities like shooting ranges. Carriers of this malady appear as follows:

wizardofzwitchmelt1-1.jpg


They have also been known to utter the following:
"Who would have ever though a good little girl like you could spoil my beautiful wickedness?"
 
#21
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

Be easy on him.
We are here to teach and help the people that want to learn.
We can chew ass and flog the fools that don't want to listen,............he's not one of them.
As long as the ammo matches your barrel stamp, you are good to go.
Just make sure you clean the bore of your rifle after you are done shooting and then protect it from rusting.
Old military surplus ammo may be corrosive and you need to take preventative measures to protect the inside of your barrel after you are done shooting.
Also, don't be surprised if you DON'T get good accuracy with the mil-surplus ammo unless it's match grade.
Have fun and enjoy.
......SmokeRolls
 
#22
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TheSmokeRolls</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Be easy on him.
We are here to teach and help the people that want to learn.
We can chew ass and flog the fools that don't want to listen,............he's not one of them.
As long as the ammo matches your barrel stamp, you are good to go.
Just make sure you clean the bore of your rifle after you are done shooting and then protect it from rusting.
Old military surplus ammo may be corrosive and you need to take preventative measures to protect the inside of your barrel after you are done shooting.
Also, don't be surprised if you DON'T get good accuracy with the mil-surplus ammo unless it's match grade.
Have fun and enjoy.
......SmokeRolls</div></div>

+1 for TSR,
 
#23
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TheSmokeRolls</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Be easy on him.
We are here to teach and help the people that want to learn.
We can chew ass and flog the fools that don't want to listen,............he's not one of them.
......SmokeRolls </div></div>

It would be nice to see that attitude more often.
 
#24
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: fw707</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TheSmokeRolls</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Be easy on him.
We are here to teach and help the people that want to learn.
We can chew ass and flog the fools that don't want to listen,............he's not one of them.
......SmokeRolls </div></div>

It would be nice to see that attitude more often. </div></div>

Very Nice
 
#25
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

Im soo amazed at the number of people that think rifles explode on a regular basis. I've only ever heard of the actual chamber/boltface failure when POWDER types are confused. Ive fired 308 out of a 30-06 win model 70 when someone next to me was shooting .308 and a cartridge rolled directly into my ammo pile. I knew something went wrong when I couldnt lift the bolt out of battery and damn near tore the case appart extracting it. I'm not advocating recklessness, just saying rifles dont explode on a regular basis. Anyone ever shot 30-30 out of an Enfield?
Basic physics fail.
 
#26
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

Success..... Went out for the first time to shoot and the ammo worked perfectly in my rifle. I shot 100 rounds and really enjoyed it. Thank you again for the advice and criticism which I rightly deserve. I did great at 50 yards.... at 100 yards not so great but for the first time I was happy. Reading as much as I can on this web site and learning what I can. The ammo was dirty as all hell and it took me an hour to clean the barrel. Towards the end of my shoot I started to notice that the groupings were getting worse. Could have been fatigue but I wonder if all that crap in the barrel had any effect. Looking forward to going out again and using the things I've learned so far from this web page. Till next time......
 
#27
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

Congrats on your range trip with the ammo. It's always nice when the sun comes out after a few days of bleak weather, eh? Hope you enjoyed it!

BTW: you do realize you're hooked now, right? Next step in your plan will need to center around obtaining support ($$$) for all the new gear you will HAVE to have (LOL).
 
#29
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ORD</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Russell3812</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Rained out today. Range is closed. Hopefully tomorrow. </div></div>

What kind of limp-wristed, fair-weather shooters do you have running that range?!?! I mean good grief, man...what the hell is the world coming to when you can't shoot with some rain coming down??? </div></div>

Probably the same kind of guys who won't run car races in the rain?
laugh.gif
 
#31
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BasraBoy</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ORD</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Russell3812</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Rained out today. Range is closed. Hopefully tomorrow. </div></div>

What kind of limp-wristed, fair-weather shooters do you have running that range?!?! I mean good grief, man...what the hell is the world coming to when you can't shoot with some rain coming down??? </div></div>

Probably the same kind of guys who won't run car races in the rain?
laugh.gif
</div></div>
There's no better sight than watching F1 cars try to drive just a little to fast in the rain.
 
#32
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kalman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">There's no better sight than watching F1 cars try to drive just a little to fast in the rain. </div></div>

Yep...nothing like trying to drive a 1400lb, 750hp, slick-tire having F1 racer on a soaking wet track!!
smile.gif
Good times for all (except the drivers and their crews who have to deal with the aftermath)!!
 
#34
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: AXEMAN</div><div class="ubbcode-body">they have rain tires in F1 that are grooved either partially or fully. or they did a few seasons ago </div></div>

They do allow "wet tires" under the F1 rules under specific circumstances.
 
#35
Re: Great, did I buy the wrong ammo......?

Some of the best races I've ever seen have been in the wet. Senna at Donnington in 1993 comes to mind. Best day of my honeymoon (well...almost
laugh.gif
)

NASCAR in the rain would be worth watching.....
 
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