Originally Posted by
Patrick Chadwick
Gentlemen,
I for one, am getting tired of an endless argument based on dubious figures.
Some of the values presented appear to be downright wrong. I don't know this SAAMI guy, but I am on good terms with Mr CIP. And here are the CIP figures for 303 British and 308 Win (no mention of NATO 7.62x51 to be found)
............303 British ... 308 Win
Pmax 3650 bar ... 4150 bar
PK .... 4198 bar ... 4773 bar
PE .... 4560 bar ... 5190 bar
The 308 Win values are a touch under 14% higher than the 303 British values.
I do not understand where the huge differences mentioned by some forum members have been taken from. And on this side of the Atlantic we are a bit puzzled by this arcane differentiation between 308 Win and 7.62x51 Nato. I suspect that there is some very doubtful information being thrown into this argument.
Nevertheless, a 14% increase may be considered to be a non-trivial increase in the stress on an Enfield No. 4 system. This increased stress will cause increased strain which may well reduce satisfactory operational life. That is in no way an "inherent weakness" of the original design for the 303 cartridge, long, long before the 308 was developed.
The bad, because unscientific, phrase throughout this saga is "inherent weakness". A rifle design that is too weak to fulfil its specified task with satisfactory performance, reliability and adequate operational life may well be said to have an inherent (design or manufacture) weakness that must be corrected for the design to be satisfactory. Early Springfield '03 receivers with faulty hardening certainly had an inherent manufacturing weakness. It was accordingly investigated and corrected.
Gentlemen, you are arguing round in endless circles and will never agree, because you are arguing from incompatible data. Couldn't you just agree to differ, politely?
Patrick