article here... Four 7.62 Cartridges For Everything - AllOutdoor.com statement from article... "The title of the article was going to be “All you need is a 308.” However, when we discuss the 7.62×39, some basement baby couch commando will start babbling about how the 7.62×39 will sometimes measure .310-inch." thinkin someone could be setting themselves up for a major law suite.... ? all reports I have seen on this issue indicate the result of hand loading a Russian diameter round into a nato case and then firing it out of a nato sized barrel could result in a very bad thing...IIRC... guess I'm a "basement baby couch commando"? Decided I don't need some writer that thinks of his readership as... "basement baby couch commando" so unsubscribed... also thinkin if they put their readership in danger by NOT clearly warning them... they probably are not to be trusted!
Don't claim to know what is up, but I have seen slugged barrels measured in the 300 + range, 308, 30-06, 30-30, 762 by 54, 762 by 39, 303, modern and antique weapons, and they are all over the place. Even worse in war time production, pre 1900 weapons, re barreled weapons, third world manufacture or just hand made, and they range from just over 300 to 312. If you wish to be safe you really have to slug any weapon that isn't a standard modern manufacture with the original barrel and with relatively little use and good care.
I have loaded .311 bullets in a .308 grove rifle. They were greatly reduced power loads, barely super sonic. I would not attempt or recommend loading a .312 to .310 bullet to full power or near full power in a barrel with .300 bore .308 groves. Yes AK bullets can be up to .312.
The only one I know that was designed for .308 is the Ruger Mini-30 in 7.62x39. They seem to fire the .310 cartridges just fine.
The original Savage 99 in .303 Savage used a .311"/.312" bullet in a .308" barrel which gave higher pressures and higher velocity then the .30-30 Winchester. Later it was changed to .308" bullets so the ammo companies didn't have to have a special line with .312" bullets for a .30-30 clone. The 7.62x54R is pretty much a .30-06 too. The .300 Savage was the 1923 .30-06 in a shorter case. The .308/7.62x51 (1958) was the 1888 7.9x54mm German case necked down. Not mentioned: .300 Win Mag and the other 30 or so .308" cartridges.
This is 1 of my favorite rifles that I have. Although it's a little short for my long arms. It's still a nice firearm.
Yup - the newfangled 30-30, and like all the Mini's fly under the radar with most of the anti black gun crowd..