From: bartb@hpfcla.fc.hp.com (Bart Bobbit)
Subject: Re: 7.62 NATO = .308???
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Site

Joe Chew (jtchew@netcom.com) wrote:

: a tiny overall length difference between
: the 7.62 NATO that they happened to have on hand and the
: .308 Winchester civilian rifles that some students happened
: to bring.

That difference is meaningless.  Boxes of factory/arsenal cartridges
labeled/named with both cartridge designations have contained rounds
whose overall length varied from 2.7 inches to about 3.0 inches; not
within the same box, though.  Depending on the requirements, either
one will be longer or shorter than the other.  For example, the
7.62mm NATO M80 cartridge is shorter in overall length than M118.
And there are commercially loaded .308 Win. cartridges whose overall
length fits between the M80 and M118.


I've got an idea.  Let's see if we can find out what the difference
is between the:

  * 5.56mm NATO and the .223 Remington.

  * .30-06 and the old military cartridge called the caliber 30 M2 or M72.

BB