page_title: 7.62×51mm NATO
section_title: United States
hierarchical_section_title: 7.62×51mm NATO / Military cartridge types / United States
caption_attribution_description: English: Belts of 7.62 mm ammunition are prepared for distribution to international competitors before an international machine gun shooting match at the 2012 Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting (AASAM) in Puckapunyal, Australia, May 9, 2012. AASAM was an international marksmanship competition that included 16 countries.
context_page_description: The 7.62×51mm NATO is a rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge developed in the 1950s as a standard for small arms among NATO countries. It is sometimes confused with the similarly named Russian 7.62×54mmR cartridge, a slightly longer, rimmed cartridge.
  It was introduced in U.S. service in the M14 rifle and M60 machine gun in the late 1950s. The M14 was superseded in U.S. service as the infantry adopted the 5.56×45mm NATO M16 rifle. However, the M14 and many other firearms that use the 7.62×51mm NATO round remain in service, especially in the case of various marksman/sniper rifles, medium machine guns/general-purpose machine guns such as the M240, and various rifles in use by special operations forces. The cartridge is used both by infantry and on mounted and crew-served weapons mounted to vehicles, aircraft and ships.
  Although not identical, the 7.62×51mm NATO and the commercial .308 Winchester cartridges are similar enough that they can be loaded into rifles chambered for the other round, but the Winchester .308 cartridges are typically loaded to higher pressures than 7.62×51mm NATO service cartridges.
context_section_description: Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, ball, M59 (United States): 150.5-grain (9.8 g) 7.62×51mm NATO ball cartridge.  A further development of the initial T65 cartridge. It has a long heavy bullet with a semi-armor-piercing iron or mild steel core and a gilded steel jacket. After the Vietnam War it was replaced by the M80 ball cartridge as the standard round. Data contained in TM 9-1005-298-12 mentions the approximate maximum range of 3,820-metre (4,180 yd) at 856.2-metre-per-second (2,809 ft/s) muzzle velocity.
  Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, high pressure test, M60 (United States): 7.62×51mm NATO test cartridge. The cartridge is not for field issue, but is used for proof firing of weapons during manufacture, test, or repair. The cartridge is identified by a stannic-stained (silvered) case.
  Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, armor piercing, M61 (United States): 150.5-grain (9.8 g) 7.62×51mm NATO armor-piercing round, black cartridge tip. Data contained in TM 9-1005-298-12 mentions an approximate maximum range of 3,820-metre (4,180 yd) at 854.6-metre-per-second (2,804 ft/s) muzzle velocity.
  Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, tracer, M62 (United States): 142-grain (9.2 g) tracer cartridge, orange cartridge tip. Data contained in TM 9-1005-298-12 mentions an approximate maximum range of 2,340-metre (2,560 yd) at 856.2-metre-per-second (2,809 ft/s) muzzle velocity.
  Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, dummy, M63 (United States): The cartridge is used for practice in loading 7.62mm weapons for simulated firing to detect flinching of personnel during firing and for inspecting and testing the weapon mechanism. The cartridge is identified by six longitudinal corrugations (flutings) on the cartridge case. There is no primer and no vent hole in the primer pocket.
  Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, grenade, M64 (United States): 7.62×51mm NATO grenade launching blank. The cartridge is identified by a rose-petal (rosette-crimp) closure of the cartridge case mouth and sealed with red lacquer. The cartridge provides pressure upon functioning to project rifle grenade to a desired target when using a grenade projectile adapter and dragon missile launch effect trainer (LET).
  Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, ball, M80 (United States): 147-grain (9.5 g) 7.62×51mm NATO ball cartridge. The U.S. Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory measured a ballistic coefficient (G7 BC) of 0.200 and form factor (G7 i) of 1.105 for the M80 ball projectile. Another source mentions a slightly higher ballistic coefficient (G7 BC) of 0.209. Data contained in TM 9-1005-298-12 mentions the approximate maximum range of 3,930-metre (4,300 yd) at 856.2-metre-per-second (2,809 ft/s) muzzle velocity.
  Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, ball, enhanced projectile round, M80A1 (United States): 130-grain (8.4 g) M80 lead free (LF) 7.62×51mm NATO ball cartridge. 114.5-grain (7.4 g) of lead eliminated per M80A1 projectile.
  Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, blank, M82 (United States): 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge is used in rifles and machine guns equipped with blank firing attachments to simulate firing in training exercises and for saluting purposes. The cartridge is identified by its double tapered (bottle nose) neck and absence of a bullet.
  Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, ball, silent, XM115 (United States): Little is known of this round, but it was an attempt to quiet the round. Never adopted.
  Cartridge, caliber 7.62mm, NATO, match, M118 (United States): 173-grain (11.2 g) 7.62×51mm NATO full metal jacket boat-tail round specifically designed for Match purposes.  The round was introduced as the XM118 match in 1963 and was produced at both Frankford Arsenal and Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. It was standardized as M118 match in mid-1965. It used the same bullet as the .30-06 Springfield M72 match ball round, match-grade brass cartridges, and used fitted No. 43 primers. Production ceased at Frankford in 1965 but continued at Lake City until the early 1980s. Lake City used dedicated equipment to produce the ammo up until the mid-1970s and during that time the quality of the ammunition was quit
caption: Linked belts of Lake City 7.62 mm M80 ball ammunition
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