Thread: Re loading 7.62 Nato

Do you need a small base die for loading the 7.62 Nato? I have a
1966 Ishapore rifle.

Because it is a bolt action rifle i would say no. The SB dies are to aid feeding in semi-autos. Your brass should last longer if you work it less. Neck sizing in stead of FL sizing may improve accuracy as well as brass life too. I believe 7.62nato is a shade lower pressure (50,000psi?) than 308 (60,000psi?) so go easy on your loads if using 308 data.

And cool old gun!

To clarify, 7.62 NATO as a caliber, IS .308 Winchester. There are however different cases. The military case has a heavier case wall at the base end, therefore it has a smaller capacity. If you try and cram a full .308 load in a "NATO" case there could be some severe pressure issues.

A small based die is usually only required to size brass that has been fired in a machine gun where the brass is often being extracted before chamber pressures have subsided, thus expanding the case near the case head more than in bolt actions. Semi-Auto Gas operated rifles can do this as well but machine guns are the worst.

I have a lot of 7.62 NATO brass that was fired in an M-60 and merely sized if with a standard F/L die. It works great in my Rem. 700 but I hate the reduced capacity. Have to load at least 2 full grains less of Varget than with my civilian brass.