FAL/7.62 reload questions

[drine]

I have some questions pertaining to my reloads running through the FAL. I figured I'd run my NATO once-fired brass, bought in bulk, through the FAL once or twice before the CETME so if it was ruined I would get the most mileage from it.
The basics: WCC 08 and 09 brass I set up with 42g Varget, 150gr Hornady FMJ, Win LR primers, all cases trimmed to length. All processed on .308 dies.
Does the FAL mind shooting factory .308 ammo? As we all know the CETME and other DRBs can have issues with thin brass. Along the same lines, .308 and 7.62 being a little different, is it hard on the rifle to have the ammo loaded to .308 size?
I processed some of the cases fired through the FAL. I noticed a bit more stretch versus ones I've fired through the CETME. Any of you who reload notice the same? I had some decent curly strips of brass.
On the FAL, I get about half of the rounds with dented case mouths. They seem to be "V" shaped in that they hit the port just right. Normal?
To go along with that, what little milsurp I've shot seems to shoot with a touch less recoil. My load above, not chrony'd, seems to be shared by many of us and thought to be close to mil-spec. Agree/Disagree?
To the rifle itself: I set the gas valve a little more closed to start my session. I had it apart to clean and refinish more and put it back where it was the first time. It needed to be closed 2 more clicks to get the BHO to work. The more I shot the further the brass went. How far do the FALs fling brass? Does it depend on the gas setting? I did not try to open it up more to test my idea that excess lube or finish had the gas system sluggish to start then it was back to normal after the first mag. I honestly was concentrating more on the target. Everything is working fine. I'm trying to get ahead of the learning curve on this rifle! Thanks guys for any put.

[deth502]

ive never had issues with any ammo in a fal. teh cetme/g3 has a unique operating system in its fluted chamber and delayed blowback action. ive not seen the same problems in other conventional rifles.

are the 7.62 and 308 different sizes? i thought it was just a difference in std's for chamber pressure, like the 223/5.56 thing?

yes, the distance it ejects will be affected by the gas setting. the more gas used to cycle the bolt, the faster/more violently it will cycle. since teh ejector is fixed, that means it will hit the ejector harder/be thrown further.

[19Charlie_84]

7.62x51 is to .308 as 5.56x45 is to .223

Military vs commercial. The mil rounds have less powder due to a thicker case wall than commercial rounds packed with powder and thinner case walls. Primers are also crimped in with mil rounds. Some ARs have a Wylde chamber that allows both 5.56 and .223 but I dont think there is an equivilant in the .30 cal world. Case dimensions are also a few thousanths of an inch different, longer in the military chambers I believe.

Same deal with 6.8 SPC SAAMI vs SPC II chamberings.

[7.62guy]

well now that is a few questions to get to. most have been answered. i'll try a couple more. your hand load is very close to the militay round at least by my chrony. the v in the case mouth happens to many of the rounds i fire thru my fal. my fal is a dsa on imbrel receiver and it seems to like a 308 over the mil spec but i have it coming around to shooting both now. it was very much unused when i got it. i think it just needed some breaking in. once you have run the brass through a 308 die and trimmed to lentgh the only difference left is the thickness of the case wall. so basicly your shooting a 308 lenght and shoulder spaced case, just thicher brass. oh and lube seems to have an affect on mine also. and as always just keep shooting, you'll work any bugs out.

[rep30cal]

I worked a load up for my CETME that worked great in that rifle over several different outings so I loaded up a couple thousand rounds. I tried them in my FAL when I got it thinking I would end up having to load a different round for it, nope, worked great in the FAL also. The two rifles had a different zero but fairly close in group size. I use .308 Win FL dies and have had no problems.

BTW, my Ishapore 2A1 and my Israeli Mauser both shoot very well with that same load but remember I'm talking 2-5 inch groups here between all the guns.

[chili]

I have some questions pertaining to my reloads running through the FAL. I figured I'd run my NATO once-fired brass, bought in bulk, through the FAL once or twice before the CETME so if it was ruined I would get the most mileage from it.
The basics: WCC 08 and 09 brass I set up with 42g Varget, 150gr Hornady FMJ, Win LR primers, all cases trimmed to length. I dunno about this load as I use 42.0gr WC846, CCI34, M80 bullet in any case trimmed to 2.005 All processed on .308 dies.
Does the FAL mind shooting factory .308 ammo? Not to my knowledge. I would open the gas as far it will go and still cycleAs we all know the CETME and other DRBs can have issues with thin brass. Along the same lines, .308 and 7.62 being a little different, is it hard on the rifle to have the ammo loaded to .308 size?Again, not to my knowledge
I processed some of the cases fired through the FAL. I noticed a bit more stretch versus ones I've fired through the CETME. Any of you who reload notice the same? I had some decent curly strips of brass.Yes, this happens frequently despite my rifles having tight headspace.
On the FAL, I get about half of the rounds with dented case mouths. They seem to be "V" shaped in that they hit the port just right. Normal? For some guns I suppose. It has happened in my 4 on occasion, but not that much
To go along with that, what little milsurp I've shot seems to shoot with a touch less recoil. My load above, not chrony'd, seems to be shared by many of us and thought to be close to mil-spec. Agree/Disagree?
To the rifle itself: I set the gas valve a little more closed to start my session. I had it apart to clean and refinish more and put it back where it was the first time. It needed to be closed 2 more clicks to get the BHO to work. The more I shot the further the brass went. How far do the FALs fling brass? Does it depend on the gas setting? Yes, the distance the brass flies is dependent on the gas setting. Your powder charge can have some effect on this as well.I did not try to open it up more to test my idea that excess lube or finish had the gas system sluggish to start then it was back to normal after the first mag. I honestly was concentrating more on the target. Everything is working fine. I'm trying to get ahead of the learning curve on this rifle! Thanks guys for any put.

Some of my answers are in red above.

A FAL should have the gas set on the lowest possible setting to cycle the action. To accomplish this, load one round in the magazine and open the gas all the way. Fire the round to see if the bolt locks open. If not, close the gas one click, load and fire one round. Do this until the bolt locks open. Now load two rounds. This time when you fire one round, make sure it ejects and chambers the 2nd round. At this point, your gas should be set for optimal functioning.

[oldpaint0]

The 7.62X51 and .308 cartridge are different in the case thickness, powder charge, but the reason you are experiencing stretch is because they also differ in the angle on the bottleneck case angle. The .308 bottleneck angle will stretch in any chamber made for NATO ammo, it will however feed just fine in your FAL, you will need to trim your OAL more frequently. I think that is about it. Oh yeah, on the CETME/G3 rifles witch are DRB and the cartridge case is floated in the chamber by the blowback of the cartridge gases until it gets pulled back and ejected by the bolt/carrier assy. the .308 with the swelling and flowing of the brass case may get stuck inside the CETME/G3 chamber requiring a stuck case extractor.