.308 in a 30/06?

I have about ten of the little inserts that convert a chamber from 30-06 to .308. Used to be a company in Ideeho that sold them. Work great if you locktite them into the chamber, but if you don't they come out of the fired brass.

I get very good accuracy when using them.
For me they are a SHTF item.

Jungle Work
 
I knew this fella that bought an AR upper at a gun show. all new. slapped his lower on and sighted it in. the 223 case was blown out at the neck. checked bore, no obstruction. 2nd shot same thing, and a key hole in target. removed lower and bolt. borrowed a 7.62x39 from a near by shooter- nice flush fit in chamber. bullet end looked better compared to the muzzle than the 223 bullet.
Ordered a 762x39 bolt to hold the correct shell case and the rifle was up and running as a 30 cal. Took the hand guard off and not a single marking or name on it.
But, the 223 bolt, held and fired the shell. instead of letting it fall into the 7.62 chamber.
You try to be on your toes, especially concerning gun shows, But my buddy didn't see that one coming.
Bet the builder is still trying to figure where his 30 cal barrel went.
 
seen the aftermath ... its a no harm no fowl scenario .. yes it can be done but that first extracted case absolutely will convince you against trying again
 
Most 30-06 chambers will accept and hold a 7.62 Nato and/or a 308Win round in a position that allows for acceptable headspace to fire w/o incident.

The 7.62/308 will (nearly always)drop into the 30-06 chamber as already pointed out to about the same depth that a 30-06 round will and allow the bolt to close, engage the extractor and fire.
The shoulder dia of the 7.62/308 is such that it wedges in the 30-06 chamber just before hitting the '06 chamber shoulder.

I say 'most' because there are variations in cartridge dimentions and more than a few rifles with different chamber specs.
If certain highs and lows of specs are mated between cartridge and chamber, certainly a poor headspace situation would be presented. But this is supposed to be a survival situation as originally posted. Not an everyday range event.

There is enough of a difference in between the 7.62Nato and the 308 Winchester commercial cartridge to designate them as 2 different rounds.
The max service pressure difference between the two is 10K psi with the 308 commerial rd running the high number.

So you are really dealing with at least 3 different rounds and combinations of specs.

But it does work most all the time..
 
I have and will continue to enjoy this thread. I must have a fairly tight chambered M-1 as the .308 round would have to be firmly pushed into the 30-06 chamber in my gun to work.

Hobie
 
In my experience , a .308 round will NOT chamber in over a dozen 30-06 rifles I own. Out of 5-1903s , 3-1917s , 4-M-1 Garands and 2-Rugers , a No.1 and M77 , I can only get a fresh 7.62 blank round to chamber in one of the 1917s , and only if I bang the bolt handle forward and down.

Though the case head dia is the same , and the .308 is shorter than the 30-06 , it also has less body taper. The Garands usually needed a chamber reamer with the Navy sleeve.
 
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The shoulder dia of the 7.62/308 is such that it wedges in the 30-06 chamber just before hitting the '06 chamber shoulder.
Sorry-
I had forgotten this.
I learned it many decades ago. I guess I just don't put the wrong ammo in a gun often enough! :D

DO watch out for putting 380 in a 9mm.
In controlled round guns, my #2 scenario CAN happen-

2>The extractor holds the rim tight enough for detonation, but the pin knocks the rd forward as it strikes it.
Bad scene. Expect a head separation, lots of hot gas and/or bits of brass and primer.


It probably won't cause a head separation, but it can blow the primer out of the case and into into quite a few pieces.
We won't discuss how I know this. :rolleyes:
 
I use .380's and 9x21's all the time in my 9mm Luger. :eek:

Oh...that's because it has a longer chamber and uses moonclips.

Don't ever take .35 Remington ammunition to the range along with .308...a friend of mine did that with disastrous results. :eek:
Fortunately, only his pride was hurt.
 
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I have fired, 7.62 Nato's out of my M1, no problem, they seemed to head space on the slightly bigger shoulder and fired and ejected fine with no noticed effect on the rifle. I was always told this was by design when they adopted the cartridge. I think the military learned their lesson with the .45 Colt-.45 Schofield fiasco of the 1870's.
 
I find an empty case at the range once in a while where this has happened. It looks like a straight case with a roll crimp, but nothing else seems out of whack.
 
I never cease to be amazed at the dumb stuff people come up with regarding firing arms and ammunition!!

Thankfully, the gene pool is self-cleaning!!

Firearms should have the proper ammunition printed on it somewhere...if it isn't on the firearm DON'T use it!!! This ain't brain surgery.................
 
.308 in an 06

A few years ago my son and I were at the rifle range. He accidentally loaded a .308 round into my 30.06 It shot fine and it hit the target down-range. When he went to extract the casing the bolt was stiff. I had to work a little to get the newly formed casing out. It looked odd but the brass wasn't torn or anything. I wouldn't want to make a habit of it but the gun didn't blow up and the bullet went down range.
 
308 in 30.06 Rem 700 ADL

Three possibilities-
1> The extractor holds the rim, pin strikes primer, round fires and is HELD by extractor.
Mostly no harm-no foul.

2>The extractor holds the rim tight enough for detonation, but the pin knocks the rd forward as it strikes it.
Bad scene. Expect a head separation, lots of hot gas and/or bits of brass and primer.

3> In a push-feed like the Ruger 77 or Rem 700, I doubt it will even fire. If anyone tries it, get back to us when you can.

I had just bought my Rem 700 ADL Thanksgiving 2013 at Wal-Mart with a 20% discount. This was my first real Big Game (ELK) hunting rifle. It was an indoor range, and I had just fired my first 20 30.06 rounds, out of amo I bought another Box but was given 308 in a all white box, I loaded 4 into the rifle, I chambered the first 308, and fired, it fired without incedent, I cyclrd the bolt and out came the spent 308 casing, then the next 308 did not want to load properly, I got help from a old sniper seal who unloaded the rifle and said you are shooting 308's he looked at the chamber and barrel and said looks OK. I have fired 40 additional rounds and the rifle seems to be OK???
comments welcome, my Dumb Mistake -Always check your Ammo, now at 100 yards my group is 4 inches, however my CVA 50 Cal Optima (New 2014) shoots a 2 inch group at 100 yards, Both rifles are 3 X 9 scopes, sitting and leaning on concrete table.
 
Please don't take this as criticism but why would anyone dredge up a thread that was almost three years old? I've seen this before and am just curious. It would seem that a thread from 2011 is pretty much dead.

Please no offense meant just piqued curiosity.
 
A friend of mine in Alaska did this when he was first learning to shoot.
No harm to the rifle or shooter, can't recall any remarks about accuracy.
He sent me pictures of the brass.
That is scary looking.
I'd do it if and only if I was so jammed up I'd be risking my life by not taking the shot.
 
I view this whole thread as "A STUPID - what if",

We all know the basic safety rule "use the correct ammo for the gun".

There is a difference between "can I ?" & "should I ?"

Now, for instance let's say a person is 20 miles from home, been partying & is slightly intoxicated. Can he drive home? - probably, should he drive home? - DEAFINATLY not! - Would it be safe for him to drive? - ABSOUTLY not!

Enter all the "YAH, but once I did 28 miles & nothing bad happened!" ETC. Does the various testimonials make it right?

GET REAL folks, the safety rules are there for a purpose. Will each time you push the limit jump up & bite you? Prolly not, but realize when you deviate from safe procedure, you become a candidate for the Darwin Award of self extermination.

Murphy's Law is real & can jump up & get you!
 
Once fired a .270 out of my buddies 7mm RM. Got a face full of powder burns and a wierd piece of fire formed brass with a spkit in it. Accuracy wasnt bad

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