Ruger M77 .308 and 7.62x51

[theliberalgunowner]

The Firing Line Friends,

I have recently gotten a Ruger M77 Hawkeye Predator in .308 and have a question regarding the safety of firing 7.62x51 out of it. The military round is from Federal Premium (XM80220) and I have to wonder if it is worth the risk shooting it anymore through the Ruger, knowing I might cause permanent damage. I know that the Gunsite Scout is chambered for both the .308 and 7.62x51, so this has me believing I could also be overreacting and that Ruger rifles are strong enough to handle the 7.62x51. I have around 90 rounds through the rifle.

Thanks for the information and your opinions, and have an excellent fall season!

Sincerely,

Theliberalgunowner

[Scorch]

You will not damage the rifle. The 308 Winchester is the 7.62X51 as released to the public. 308 operates at slightly higher pressure nowadays, but not when it was introduced.

[stagpanther]

This one comes up a lot especially since milsup and combloc bulk ammo is available so frequently. Opinions vary but the consensus seems to be if your weapon is chambered for 308 your GTG with 7.62 x 51.

In general--your 7.62 x 51 stuff is going to have a thicker/stronger case--though externally it has the same dimensions as the "civvie" 308. About the only caveat I can think is if you reload--I'm guessing if you load a compressed 308 charge into the smaller volume milspec 7.62 x 51 case you might get a dangerous spike in pressure due to the smaller volume--and the fact that 308's generally headspace a bit tighter than military use weapons.

[cw308]

Stagpanther is correct. Federal brass is also a thicker brass, when loading thicker cases drop your listed load by 1. Grain and work from there

[theliberalgunowner]

Thanks for the information! I have spent a lot of money on this m77 and want to make sure it lasts, so thank you so much for your opinion and your quality information!

Sincerely,

theliberalgunowner