[Dirty Dan]

I hear conflicting information constantly, from sources that are supposedly unimpeachable...Expert articles, filled with all kinds of officious sounding gobbledgook. One "expert" will deride one another. I think a lot of this back and forth banter, is just that!... .308 Winchester, and its military derivative 7.63 x 51mm, are virtually identical. The loading specs may be somewhat different, but both can be fired from a rifle barrel stamped .308, period..Same thing goes with the .223 and its military clone, the 5.56 x 45mm. Oh, I will receive many curt, condescending comments from you "experts" out there, but to each his own! As for the inter changeability of .308/7.62 x 51mm, and the AK round, the 7.62 x 39mm round. Yes, the 7.62 x 39mm (AK) will chamber, in a .308 Winchester, because it is 12mm shorter than the .308 but that is where the similarity stops! As someone on the thread has brought forth, the case length of a .308 is a full 12mm longer. If the AK round were to be fired, most likely, is a catastropic case failure would result, and that will send super hot gases right back into your face and eyes, God forbid! In the case of .223/ 5.56 x 45, and .308/ 7.62 x 51, no problem. If you must write them down do so, of better yet, mark your ammo boxes accordingly...Like someone before me, on the thread said, when in doubt, go with what the barrel says, caliber-wise, to be safe, and go home from the range with all your body parts. When in doubt, refer to the barrel stamp information. Please be safe on the range, and in this case, ignorance could be lethal, or a life changing, horrible event!