Availability of downloaded 7.62X51 ammo?

[Lee Enfield]

The 2A rifles did not use recycled NoI bodies. The ejector screw hole is further forward on the 2A and I have never examined a 2A with the ejector screw in the NoI position or evidence of the screw being moved.

ditto
the charger bridge is also different (though easily changeable on it's own).

I suspect the author recycled someone else's miss-information in this case.

I have a brit No4 target rifle which has been seriously weakened (to my mind) by conversion to 1 piece stock.

This rifle has been proofed to 20T in the UK.

[John Sukey (Deceased)]

I don;t disagree with anything in that article except the 2A1 comments. Those receivers have a higher content ov Vanadium, which toughens the alloy somewhat. That being said, I don't thnk any SMLE action would catastrophically fail from 7.62, but it would certainly wear out alot faster.

Claven, finaly the truth is out!
those other tests didn't check the metallurgy. I cannot imagine why the Indian govt. would issue a rifle that blew up! If that was the case, the story would be very old news by now.

You can destroy ANYTHING (except a 6.5 Arisaka) if you try hard enough.
Loaded to NATO specs they are safe.

[Cantom]

Claven, finaly the truth is out!
those other tests didn't check the metallurgy. I cannot imagine why the Indian govt. would issue a rifle that blew up! If that was the case, the story would be very old news by now.

You can destroy ANYTHING (except a 6.5 Arisaka) if you try hard enough.
Loaded to NATO specs they are safe.

That story that's out there is about people ruining 2A1's by using commercial .308. I think that came from Dennis Groh wasn't it? He seems credible...

[moose fat]

Hello all,
My first post here, i realize this is an old post, but.

I recently purchased a 2A and began researching it and the 7.62 vs .308 and shooting in millsurplus rifles. There is another forum, http://p102.ezboard.com/bparallaxscu...firearmsforums, the Enfield forum. This topic has been addressed there. Check it out, follow the links and decide for yourself.

I have heard of using the Reduced loads from Remington(?) with no bad things happening. Another way to go is to reload. I just started reloading because of the 2A and living in Bush Alaska limits ammo choices.

One way is to use 303 Brit loading data with .308 components, that is what I have been doing. Reloading is good!

[JosephDerMauserSchiesser]

There is a manufacturer that makes a load very similar to 7.62x51. It is called Silver Bear and is available online and probably anywhere else. After some playing with the components (pulling bullets, weighing powder, clocking velocity etc...) I found that Silver Bear .308 win (140grFMJ) is similar to South African surplus 7.62x51.

[JosephDerMauserSchiesser]

There's nothing like that available I'm afraid. No company loads reduced charge 308s.

If you have a friend that reloads, you might ask him to load some cartridges to the lowest level listed in the manuals.

There are many out there- Winchester makes a boxed 7.62x51 Nato. The Remington boxes that say "50% less recoil" are light enough to go through a NATO spec rifle