I love my United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1.
I also love the FAL and .308 AR designs.
This leads me to a problem, since there aren't any .30-06 FAL or AR platforms from the factory, and I want to consolidate my calibers. This means 7.62 NATO for a .30 cal cartridge that isn't rimmed.
For those of you that know a thing or two about the 7.62 NATO M1 conversion, can you use any surplus 7.62 (even off the shelf new manufacture). The rifle will likely have a .308 chamber, but I'll probably be buying 7.62 NATO with anticipation of a FAL.
Will .308 Winchester in this rifle cause a problem due to a pressure spike at the gas port with a standard gas plug?
Does it need (or recommend) an adjustable gas plug?
Thanks,
Mike
A professionally built .308/7.62 Nato M1 Garand should function just fine with any GI (or foreign) surplus 7.62 Nato ammo. Winchester white box is made to shoot in place of GI surplus for folks that don't buy in case/can/pallet quantities.
I would not shoot hunting .308 Winchester ammo in it without buying/installing an adjustable gas plug. If the powder is not in the correct burn rate range you could damage the gas system on your M1.
There are 2 types/brands of adjustable gas plugs. One is the McCann. It has separate/different screws that you install to change the gas settings. The Schuster has adjustable sleeve inside the gas plug that you can turn to set the gas system pressure. I can't say either is better than the other but at least with the Schuster you don't have to find a place to keep the additional screws for when you need to change the setting.
I have a Garand "Tanker" version chambered in 7.62. It is a fun rifle to shoot. It is optimized for the 147 - 150 grain bullet. I have a Schuster variable gas plug but have not installed it yet. If I decide to shoot heavier bullets I will certainly use the adjustable plug. Reloading ammo for it requires careful attention to type/burn rate of powder, case condition and trim length, etc. Winchester white box in 7.62 (147 gr) works well in it as does Washougal River Cartridge Co 147 gr.