7.62×51mm NATO
The 7.62×51mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 7.62 NATO) is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It is a standard for small arms among NATO countries.
| 7.62×51mm NATO | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unfired 7.62×51mm NATO round (B) next to three recovered bullets, showing rifling marks (A) | ||||||||||||
| Type | Rifle, Light Machine Gun | |||||||||||
| Place of origin | United States | |||||||||||
| Service history | ||||||||||||
| In service | 1954–present | |||||||||||
| Used by | NATO and others | |||||||||||
| Wars | Vietnam War, Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, Iran–Iraq War, Falklands War, The Troubles, Gulf War, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War, Libyan Civil War, Syrian Civil War, Yemeni Civil War (2015–present), Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, among other conflicts | |||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||
| Parent case | T-65 experimental cartridge series (derived from the .300 Savage and .30-06 Springfield) | |||||||||||
| Case type | Rimless, bottleneck | |||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | 0.308 in (7.82 mm) | |||||||||||
| Land diameter | 0.300 in (7.62 mm) | |||||||||||
| Neck diameter | 0.345 in (8.8 mm) | |||||||||||
| Shoulder diameter | 0.454 in (11.5 mm) | |||||||||||
| Base diameter | 0.470 in (11.9 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rim diameter | 0.473 in (12.0 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rim thickness | 0.050 in (1.3 mm) | |||||||||||
| Case length | 2.015 in (51.2 mm) | |||||||||||
| Overall length | 2.800 in (71.1 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rifling twist | 1 in 12 in (304.8 mm) | |||||||||||
| Primer type | Berdan or Large rifle | |||||||||||
| Maximum pressure (NATO EPVAT) | 60,191 psi (415.00 MPa) | |||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||
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| Test barrel length: 22 in (559 mm) (M80) 24 in (610 mm) (M118 Long Range) Source(s): M80: TM 9-1005-298-12, 7 August 1969, TM 9-1005-224-10, July 1985, M118 Long Range: U.S. Armament | ||||||||||||
First developed in the 1950s, the cartridge had first been introduced in U.S. service for the M14 rifle and M60 machine gun.
The later adoption of the 5.56×45mm NATO intermediate cartridge and assault rifles as standard infantry weapon systems by NATO militaries started a trend to phase out the 7.62×51mm NATO in that role. Many other firearms that use the 7.62×51mm NATO fully powered cartridge remain in service today, especially various designated marksman rifles/sniper rifles and medium machine guns/general-purpose machine guns (i.e. M24 Sniper Rifle and M240 Medium Machine Gun). The cartridge is also used on mounted and crew-served weapons that are mounted to vehicles, aircraft, and ships.