.308 Ammo Question

[snordhol]

Thanks in advance for your advice . . . .

I've just recently entered the market for bulk .308 and have a few questions hopefully some of you might be able to answer.

From what I can tell, my ammo choices fall into two categories; either new .308 ammo or surplus 7.62x51.

Is there anything wrong with the new Brown Bear or Wolf ammo? I understand they both burn dirty, but are there any safety issues others have experienced? What about once reloaded ammo? Also, after time does ammo go bad? If so, under what conditions?

Best Regards

 

[TexasRifleman]

Wolf shoots fine in some rifles, not in others but there is no hard and fast rule, just try it and see. I have never heard of a safety issue. I shoot Wolf .308 in a PTR91 all the time, but I'm convinced that rifle will eat ANYTHING.

Some gun makers say that using it will void the warranty so be aware of that.

Once reloaded ammo. Depends on who reloaded it. Not a chance I'd shoot someone else's reloads unless they are a licensed ammo shop like Georgia Arms.

Reloads too may void the warranty.

Ammo, if kept reasonably dry and cool has a crazy shelf life. I'm shooting 1950's .30-06 that's perfectly fine.

 

[HK G3]

I shoot Barnaul (the manufacturer of all the _____ Bear) .308 FMJs through my HK 91 all the time.

You just have to do a little bit more cleaning afterwards, but I've never noticed anything wrong with it. The accuracy isn't superb, but you get what you pay for.

I've fired Australian 7.62x51 ball that was packaged in the mid-60s, and not waterproofed in its packaging, though I never shot the heavily corroded cases. That worked fine also, although I feel the accuracy was worse than the Barnaul stuff.

 

[marktx]

What type of rifle (or handgun

) are you looking to feed?

Guess I will be the third to report good results with Russian steel cased ammo in HK/PTR-91. In my estimation it's one of the best choices for that rifle as it's not a re loadable shell that will be messed up. In my experience it goes bang every time, is reasonably accurate, and is the cheapest around right now.

The next cheapest that comes to mind is that corroded German stuff that has been making the rounds lately. I picked a little bit up when it was cheaper but I couldn't see spending .50+ a round for it when new Russian stuff is available cheaper.

The Portuguese stuff for sale lately also is reportedly a bit corroded and/or but infested packaging which isn't very appealing.

Lately Wal Mart has had Federal .308 for $13.97 which seems like an excellent option if you are shooting a higher end rifle.

Probably best to avoid the reloads.

 

[stubbicatt]

I've had good luck here.

 

[marktx]

And probably the best resource for .308 price/available evar to be found on the intarwebs:


http://www.rifle-company.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=431&sid=d1d81d9321f4d534fc8c859b180e718f

 

[Detritus]

nevermind figured out/answered my own question

 

[jakemccoy]

Wolf .308 is reportedly unreliable in guns of tight precision. However, the ammo works fine in my Saiga 308, which is like an AK.

 

[snordhol]

Marktx, the gun in question is Savage Scout 10FCM

 

[c5_nc]

I plink with the Nato Training ammo (plastic projectile) that is $170 per 1000 rounds. Your next stup up should be Federal 150gn Soft Points from walmart for $12.47/20. First time I shot out of my 700P the 4shot group was .41MOA. You get good reloadable brass + accurate ammo for only a hair more than surplus, its a much better deal. Past that is hunting ammo and match ammo. Surplus doesn't make since anymore at current prices.

 

[Clarence]

In my experience the Bear and Wolf ammunition is reliable in "most" guns. I had one rifle that would not shoot it, but shot everything else OK. I've fired thousands of rounds of it through my other guns with nary a problem.

 

[TexasRifleman]

I plink with the Nato Training ammo (plastic projectile) that is $170 per 1000 rounds.

Interesting. That stuff leave any residue or anything in the barrel?

 

[T.R.]

Most of the 7.62 surplus ammo from NATO sources has been removed from machine gun belts. It's not exactly precision loaded ammo. But you can pull the bullets and re-weigh the powder charges. Then, load Sierra bullets for very good accuracy.

I've had BEST performance from 7.62 NATO ammo from UK.

TR

 

[TonyDedo]

The three qualities of ammunition which generally concern shooters are reliability, cleanliness and accuracy.

Marktx, the gun in question is Savage Scout 10FCM

In a bolt gun like your Savage, most any .308 will shoot just fine. Most reliability issues are only relevant in semiautos. As jakemccoy mentioned, guns with high tolerances (NM M14, for instance) may have trouble cycling cheap ammo. His Saiga, however, should swallow anything he feeds it.

Are far as "clean" vs. "dirty" ammo, unless you shoot an ungodly number of rounds down your barrel, you shouldn't notice a difference. Yes, dirty ammo may leave a little more residue in and around the gun, but it should not require any more cleaning than normal and won't have any long term affects. Your cleaning cloth may just be a little more groudy than normal.

Accuracy is the only quality that may be an issue - what kind of accuracy are you expecting out of your rifle? If you're plinking at 100 yards or under, any ammo will do just fine. If you're looking for long distance accuracy, you'll get better results with high end competition ammo or custom handloads with heavier bullets.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I'd give Prvi Partizan a try, they have 168 grain match ammo for $16.50/box at graf's, its out of stock now, but it'll show up again.

 

[Ky Larry]

If ammo isn't specifically marked as noncorrosive, treat it like it is corrosive. If the label is written in a language you don't understand, treat the ammo as if it were corrosive.

 

[marktx]

the gun in question is Savage Scout 10FCM

Well if you want to build up a SHTF type stash then a bunch of Barnaul/Wolf at .40 a round is probably the cheapest way to do it, it looks like AIM is out right now but they have it fairly regularly. If you don't mind going through and polishing up some tarnished cases then the German surplus for .50 a round from Wideners and others isn't a bad choice. Beyond that I would say your best bet is to buy new production Federal .308 soft point from Wal Mart at .70 a round. I guess battle packs of Portuguese or British surplus are kind of cool but I don't see any reason to buy 10-20 year old ball ammo for the same price as brand new shiny ammo.

Interesting. That stuff leave any residue or anything in the barrel?

Not in my experience.... I have shot it through a PTR 91 with the special bolt and through a Spanish FR8. It works great in the PTR, cycles reliably and accurate to 100 yards. Up close it will punch through 1/2 inch plywood, at 100 yards it will just barely go through a gallon jug of water. It's clean firing and I haven't seen any plastic buildup/residue anywhere in the gun. Big muzzle flash at night, light recoil similar to a .223. The primers are lead free which makes it a great option if you want to set up an indoor shooting range though watch out for ricochets, the plastic bullets are pretty tough. In the FR8 it shoots great but extraction isn't always 100% as the case head is slightly smaller than regular .308. From my experience the shell will usually extract from the chamber but won't eject, it's a minor nuisance.