I own both, a 7mm-08 and a 308. I didn't know until just the other day, but the 7mm-08 will chamber in the 308! Question: Would firing a 7mm-08 in a 308 be hazzardous, as in, would it "blow up" or something like that? Would you just end up with fireformed brass ready to load to 308? Just wondering! Don't want to do it! Again, just wondering!
Posts: 454 | Location: Russell (way upstate), NY - USA | Registered: 11 July 2003
No, not hazardous (at least to the shooter). You would just end up with a .284" bullet bouncing down the barrel and exiting as a very unstable projectile at something less than the velocity it would if fired in the proper firearm. How far it might stray from the point of aim and what kind of unintended damage it might do as a consequence is another matter.
The case neck would likely evenly expand, or it might slightly "egg".
Posts: 13243 | Location: Henly, TX, USA | Registered: 04 April 2001
I was at the public part of the range the other day and the rangemaster showed me a full box of .308 (20) cases that a guy had shot in his 30.06! He told the range master that he noticed they were chambering hard and that his accuracy was bad, but didn't bother to look at his cases which now looked almost like a straight wall case! Sounded like a candidate for a Darwin award! To answer your question, it is always advisable to be very aware of what you are putting in your rifle.
Posts: 373 | Location: USA | Registered: 05 December 2000
Last month a buddy of mine stuck a 270 win iinto a 7MM rem mag. Case fireformed out and ruptured near the base, about 3/4 inch long. Didnt really notice anything different when he shot it except for the small amount of smoke that came out near the bolt
Posts: 17 | Location: Fresno, CA | Registered: 02 October 2003
I hate to admit it , but I shot a 270 Win in my 30-06. I was at the range and shooting both rifles with the ammo for both on the bench. Both rifles are Pre-64 M70's and look identical. I was chronographing the load and when I pulled the trigger I notied the recoil to be a bit light and instead of the chronograph reading 2,800 +/- fps, it read somewhere around 2,100 fps. I pretty much just had a fireformed case as a result.
Tim
Posts: 1430 | Location: California | Registered: 21 February 2001
Had a friend who accidently shot a 30-06 in his 35 whelen, made a funny sound. Darned if he didn't hit his target, never expected it to be that accurate. He ended up with a fireformed case. If memory serves me right the 7-08 is nothing more than a 308 necked down, if that's the case then shooting one in a 308 would not be dangerous at all, and who knows, it may be accurate too...Gary D.
Posts: 56 | Location: Western Washington, USA | Registered: 25 August 2003
the 243, 708, 308 and 358 have the same headspace... I have, as an experiment, fired all the above in a 358 chamber... goes POP, cases formed perfectly.... and HIT a 8" at 50 yards...
try this would a different case (270 and 7mag) WILL GET YOU HURT/KILLED
I've seen idjiot survive lots of things... but why risk it?
btw, I have nearly a box of range pickups in 300sav fired in a 308...
quote:Originally posted by ol blue: I was at the public part of the range the other day and the rangemaster showed me a full box of .308 (20) cases that a guy had shot in his 30.06! He told the range master that he noticed they were chambering hard and that his accuracy was bad, but didn't bother to look at his cases which now looked almost like a straight wall case!
I saw a guy zeroing his rifle that way last year -- he was at the next bench and puzzled where his shots were going. I glanced at the straight-walled cases on his bench and asked what he was shooting -- rimless, beltless and no shoulder ... of course he had grabbed the wrong box of ammo on the way out the door.
Posts: 1246 | Location: Northern Virginia, USA | Registered: 02 June 2001
When you go the other way is when you get into dangerous pressures. Firing a 308 in a 7mm 08 would cause a bad situation. Come to think of it I don't think I would want to be any where near you guys when you start trying guns and bullets that don't go together. Can't think of why you would want to put your guns in danger of being damaged. LLB
Posts: 93 | Location: Louisiana | Registered: 12 November 2003
The fact that it is hard to close the bolt doesn't even seem to go through some peoples minds when going to the range. I would suggest you use the correct size bullet and not bounce bullets down the barrel of a 500 to 2000 dollar gun. I can't think of a better way to ruin a day than ruining a gun you have longed for for years. I understand the fireforming part. risking life and firearm just doesn't seem a smart thing to do IMO. LLB
Posts: 93 | Location: Louisiana | Registered: 12 November 2003
A few years ago I was at the range shooting my 15 inch 308 Encore and had been shooting my 24 inch 7-08 Encore also(anybody see it coming?). During the shooting session I reached over and picked up a cartridge and put it in my 308 Encore pistol and fired it. There was almost no recoil and the 7-08 case was 75% fireformed, didn't hit the 2 x 4 piece of cardboard target backing. My mistake was having more than one kind of ammo on the shooting bench at one time. I learned from my mistake and am reasonably safe to be around now.
Steve E........
Posts: 1837 | Location: Semo | Registered: 31 May 2002
I didn't think that being close to the same dementions that the 7mm-08 in a 308 would be "dangerous", just wanted to get other opinions!
Where you could get "VERY DANGEROUS" would be by putting a 308 in the 7mm-08! I know that it won't properly chamber, but what if the bullet was shoved down inside the case when you closed the bolt! BIG DANGER!!!!
After I checked and verified that the 7mm-08 would fit in the 308, I switched brass! I use nickle plated for the 7mm-08 and plain brass for the 308!
Thanks for your input guys;
Posts: 454 | Location: Russell (way upstate), NY - USA | Registered: 11 July 2003
I'm pulling this one out of my memory bank so I hope I get it right.
There was a story in the American Rifleman back in the late 40s or early 50s about a guy who rechambered an Arasaka so he could shoot store bought 30-06 ammo. He wrote to someone and told them that his rcovered bullets were longer and smaller in diameter than when he shot them. Supposedly some how the 06 reamer was used on a 6.5 rifle and the guy was shooting it and not blowing up the action.
Does anyone else remember that article?
Rick Jamison ran a test to see what it would take to blow up some rifles. His results were interesting to me anyway, in that it took a lot more than I thought it would.
Posts: 10226 | Location: Temple City CA | Registered: 29 April 2003
quote:Originally posted by bartsche: I'm pulling this one out of my memory bank so I hope I get it right.
There was a story in the American Rifleman back in the late 40s or early 50s about a guy who rechambered an Arasaka so he could shoot store bought 30-06 ammo. He wrote to someone and told them that his rcovered bullets were longer and smaller in diameter than when he shot them. Supposedly some how the 06 reamer was used on a 6.5 rifle and the guy was shooting it and not blowing up the action.
Does anyone else remember that article?
Rick Jamison ran a test to see what it would take to blow up some rifles. His results were interesting to me anyway, in that it took a lot more than I thought it would.
Last year a fellow with a huge bandage on his face brought a Remington 700 to our local gun store and hangout. Seems he'd been shooting his rifles and managed to chamber a .308 Win. in his .270.
Blew the bolt out, striking him just below the cheekbone and resulting in some reconstructive surgery. Rifle was DOA.
It do pay to be very very careful
Posts: 1912 | Location: Charleston, WV, USA | Registered: 10 January 2003
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, but I shot a 270 Win in my 30-06. I was at the range and shooting both rifles with the ammo for both on the bench. Both rifles are Pre-64 M70's and look identical. I was chronographing the load and when I pulled the trigger I notied the recoil to be a bit light and instead of the chronograph reading 2,800 +/- fps, it read somewhere around 2,100 fps. I pretty much just had a fireformed case as a result.
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Can't think of why you would want to put your guns in danger of being damaged. LLB
