[NewShooter78]

Since I might be getting a FAL soon, what is some pretty good, yet inexpensive .308 round? I know that .308 is no where near as cheap to shoot as .223 or 7.62x39, but what should I be looking for? Any sugestions are welcomed.

[Nando Aqui]

As you will soon find out, until a few months ago you could get .308 cheaper than .223 of the same quality. The best are Portuguese and Australian surplus ammo. The Portuguese used to sell for less than $100 for 1,000 rounds, but it has steadily crept up to about $30 to $35 per 200-round pack. The Aussie may still be available at some places and it is really good.

Try http://www.militaryshooters.com/military_rifles.html which is AKA L.C. Enterprises. They still list 800 rounds for $130, in metal cans and excellent bandoleers. I have been shooting this and it is great. Make sure to scroll to the page with the Australian .308, as they have other .308 as well.

Alex

[ocabj]

What ever happened to Hirtenburger (sp?)? I have about 500 or so rounds if Hirtenburger .308 left over from a purchase I bought two years ago for my M1A (which I sold during college).

[Jack19]

AIM has 140 round South African battle packs for $19.95. Excellent stuff. J&G Sales had SA as well, I picked up 500 rounds for $80. Last I chjecked J&G was sold out, but check anyway.

Ammoman has Aussie 200 round cans for $59.

SOG is selling 640 rounds of the Indian stuff for $96. (Personally I'd avoid it. It's been sorted and repackaged because of loose bullets and, if I remember right, varying seating depths. Some people say there is still a problem with the sorted stuff. YMMV)

[twoblink]

The Portuguese stuff, are dirty; but accurate, reliable, and cheap..

[larryw]

The Aussie stuff is clean, accurate, reliable and cheap. :D

I got mine here (http://www.outdoormarksman.com/merchant/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=om&Category_Code=MS-001-308WN). Hurry as the word's out and supplies are drying up.

[Black Snowman]

I've delt with KY Imports a couple of times with good results. Just call them up and ask the same question, they'll let you know what they have and for how much. It changes quite frequently.

http://www.kyimports.com/

[cookie]

Isn't the Portugese ammo just copper-washed? When they have it, I usually get South African from AIM Surplus (http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/_308.html).

[Pumpkinheaver]

Cheaper than dirt has some Santa Barbara surplus ammo. It is more accurate than port or any other surplus ammo I have tried, at least in my FAL.

[Onslaught]

Around here, the most common surplus ammo is Indian...

AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE!

I didn't know any better, and bought 100 rounds when I first got my FAL. I was afraid I had bought a lemon! But since I knew and trusted the seller, I gave it another shot with South African... and had no more troubles.

The Indian stuff was incredibly inconsistent. about 10% didn't go bang at all, some rounds were hot, some were mild, some ejected across the state, some barely cleared the chamber... and some didn't clear at all...

[dbshabo]

I got some Aussie surplus in the cans and nice bandoleers from Sportsmans Guide for ~$32.00/200. Came outta my Savage just fine. I'm gonna get some more.

Shabo

[dbshabo]

Man, I went to Outdoormarksman by way of a link in a previous post. I was gonna order the 800 round pack of the Aussie surplus .308 (4 cans of 200 I assume) for $129.99 Good price right? Well I thought so too till the $42.00 shipping charge was added. Man what a gouge!! I hate businesses that blatantly make a profit from shipping charges. I know .308 is heavy and the cans add to that but $42 is WAY too much. I got 2 cans of this stuff (400 rnds) from Sportsmans Guide delivered to my door for $67 if I recall correctly. That link is going off my favorite list.

Shabo

[iamkris]

Does anyone have any experience with the 308 FMJ advertised at J&G. Anyone know the specs. If I had to guess, it is reloaded with pulled GI components however it says that it is "non-corrosive, boxer primed, brass case"...not much info to go on.

At 1000 rnds for $119 its a good deal though. It is listed in their SGN ad but not their website. http://catalog.jgsales.com/

[larryw]

dbshabo, check the shipping rates on the FedEx.com site yourself. I ordered two cases from Outdoor Marksman and was blown away by the shipping charge. Then I checked and the amount billed was as quoted by FedEx for ground service. Regardless, the to the door price for me was way less than CTD and Sportsman's Guide.

FYI: box weighed in at 147#, was 18"x12x12. Boy, was the FedEx guy bent when he had to drop it off at the door. :neener:

[Nando Aqui]

Shipping charges:

When I last ordered the .308 from LC Enterprises (just received it today) they told me that shipping would be less per case if I ordered 3 cases as the total weight would fall in a different category. Shipping for one case to St. Louis is about $26, and for three cases just over $40. So if you have a couple of friends, you may save some $$. (What gets me is that ended up ordering 3 cases from them, but about a month apart! If I had only anticipated...)

I remember ordering a 1,000 rd case of the also excellent Portuguese .308, (I believe from AIM surplus) and the shipping was included in their very low price. Oh well...

Alex

[anapex]

What are some of the identifying marks of the Indian surplus stuff?

[Hutch]

There's some Brit stuff, NC/Berdan primed, referred to as Radway Green. It's very good, if you can find it. Mine was $130/K, delivered.

[larryw]

Indian OFV97 and 98 are the most common. "Ammo" is also imported under the Royal Ordinance name. Follows are the Indian Headstamp codes (note single letter codes are shared by many manufacturers).

D Dum Dum Arsenal, Calcutta, India
DF Dum-Dum Arsenal, Calcutta, India
I Jubbelpore Arsenal, Jubbelpore, India
K Kirkee Arsenal, Poona-3, Kirkee, India
KF Kirkee Arsenal, Poona-3, Kirkee, India
KH Khamaria Arsenal, Khamaria, India
N Dum Dum Arsenal, Dum Dum India
OFV Ordanance Factory, Varongong
S Dum Dum Arsenal, Dum Dum, India

Check out http://www.battlerifles.com/viewtopic.php?t=18068 for a complete thrashing of the Indian ammo.

[FireInTheHole]

I've shot about 350 rds of indian bought from JGsales. No stovepipes, ftf etc. Im gonna shoot some reloads I made with the brass this weekend.

EDIT: I must admit, the consistancy is spotty. Brass ends up all over the place.