7.62x51 NATO
NATO's standard rifle round from the M14 era to today's machine guns and sniper rifles.
Good for: Cold War & modern, Deer today, Elk today
A typical factory load is a 147 gr M80 ball bullet at about 2,750 ft/s, with roughly 2,468 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle.
Typical load
147 grM80 ballMuzzle speed
2,750 ft/sMuzzle energy
2,468 ft-lbsTypical BC (G1)
≈ 0.40typical, varies by brandTwist rate
1:12 (M14) / 1:10Point-blank range
261 yd6" vital zoneHunting today
Yes: same as .308 Win for deer, elk and hogs.On the Military Surplus chart
Service history
NATO's standard rifle round from the M14 era to today's machine guns and sniper rifles.
Service rifles
M14, FAL, G3, M60, M24
Military load
147 grM80 ball
Typical muzzle fps
2,750ft/s
Typical muzzle energy
2,468ft-lbs
Typical BC (G1)
≈ 0.40typical, varies by brand
Twist rate for typical load
1:12 (M14) / 1:10
MPBR (iron sights)
261 yd6" vital zone · Near zero 15 yd · Far zero 221 yd · Min PBR 0 yd · Max PBR 261 yd · Sight-in @100 2.87" high
Hunting today
Yes: same as .308 Win for deer, elk and hogs.
Open the full Military Surplus chart →
Head-to-head comparisons
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Speed, energy and BC are typical figures for the listed load; real numbers vary by brand, lot and barrel length. Always check the ammo maker's data for your exact load.