7.62×51mm NATO
| 7.62×51mm NATO | ||||||||||||||||
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Unfired 7.62×51mm NATO round (B) next to three recovered bullets, showing rifling marks (A) | ||||||||||||||||
| Type | Rifle, General Purpose 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 (2014–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, straight walled, 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 and M59) 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 | ||||||||||||||||
The 7.62×51mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 7.62 NATO) is a rimless, straight walled, bottlenecked, centerfire rifle cartridge. It is a standard for small arms among NATO countries.
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 (e.g. 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.