Bit of a story but I received a gun though inheritance along with a bunch of ammo (different types). I finally got a few minutes to look through what I have.
The gun is single shot bolt style (turn up, pull back). Stamped 308W on the side, assuming that's a 308 Winchester. Ammo includes 308 but, having become aware recently that a 357 can fire 38 special, I found myself wondering if any of the other ammo could be fired in my 308. After lots of googling, I see a lot of people arguing about 308 and 30.06 ammo and how they're similar and different. Of interest is that the cartridges are the same diameter but different lengths.
The question then is: Can the 308 Winchester fire the 30.06 ammo (because I have both)?
I've found nothing on this. Can anyone help me out?
Absolutely not. .308 and 30-06 are both 30 caliber, but cartridges are not compatible. In fact, though 7.62x51 otherwise known as 7.62 NATO, is compatible in many ways, in others it's not. Long story short, only fire .308 Winchesters from your rifle. See this article about 308/7.62 NATO compatibility