Chinese surplus 7.62x51 ammo

[gunlover_06]

Hey guys have any of you ever heard of this stuff went into my local shop today and he said he had 750 rounds of chinese surplus 7.62x51 ammo, it is copper washed steel non corrosive ammo with a copper washed bullet.

Is this good ammo or should I pass on it he was asking $337.00 OTD for it
Called a friend and he said he had never heard of surplus chinese 7.62x51 ammo.

So what say you experts out there I have till Saturday to decide if I want it or not.

Kenny.

 

[Z-Michigan]

It doesn't sound like a deal to me. First, I've never heard of Chinese surplus in that caliber, although may be it is such a thing. Second, you can get better, brass-cased surplus for something in the range of 50 cents/rd, see ammoman.com or various other places. Your shop is asking 45 cents/rd which seems too high for steelcased surplus. Third, with a steel case and steel jacketed bullet, this is basically just plinking ammo, and it isn't reloadable. Do you have that much .308 plinking to do?

 

[50 Shooter]

Norinco use to import that stuff, my HK91 hated it and I ended up giving it to a friend with an FAL. There's no way it's worth that much, I'm willing to bet they dug it out of someones basement.

I'm sure some will argue about todays prices but to me it's not worth it, I think I bought a case of it (1000) for less then $150. Of course this was when it was on the market back in the early 90's.

It's not the greatest but if it works in your rifle it's good for plinking and nothing else.

 

[Jim Watson]

Well, technically, it can't be Chinese surplus because the Communist Chinese don't issue 7.62x51 NATO. It is just cheap ammo made to sell to the round eyed barbarians. I don't plink with centerfires, my .308s are the best that can be bought or handloaded.

 

[gunlover_06]

Thanks for the replies I had never heard of chinese surplus either that is why I didn't buy any of it wasn't sure what it was.

And yes I'll buy the good stuff or start reloading which is what I have been wanting to do for a while anyway.

Kenny

 

[Ash]

It will be corrosive, so clean accordingly. Yes, it will be.

Ash

 

[wally]

If its the Norinco "China Sports" .308 it is not corrosive. I shot quite a lot of it back in the mid 90's when it was ~$90/500. I think I still have an unopened crate of it stashed in a hard to get at location.

Bottom line I'd trade it straight up for 500 rounds of Brown Bear without hesitation, so yes I think ~$225/500 is too high for it.

I like to plink with .308.

--wally.

 

[3pairs12]

If it is China Sports I'll go in halves with you wally.

 

[Z71]

Yeh, sounds like the Norinco/China Sports stuff. I still have a bunch of that. I've had great luck with it. Nary a jam in 3 M14 style rifles and one FAL style gun.

I just got into a crate of the China Sports 7.62x39 ball ammo, and found that about 1/3 of it is soft points! The 7.62x51 is marked .308 on the box.

 

[Onmilo]

Chinese may not issue 7.62X51 but they make it and still ship the stuff all over the world.
The cartridge case is copper washed steel, bullet weight 147 grain.
Velocities approximate M80 Ball at about 2650 fps.
Earlier lots were corrosive, later lots dated after 1977 will be non-corrosive primed.

I was paying $100.00 per 1040 round case shipped freight paid before Clinton stopped the imports.
Two 520 round tins packed in a wooden case, ammo packed in 20 round paper bundles, 26 bundles to a tin.

Stuff isn't Match grade but will hold 3 minutes of angle in most rifles.

 

[Ash]

I still have a ton of Chinasports and it most certainly is corrosive.

Tested corrosive in a controlled test.

Ash

 

[3pairs12]

Maybe its pre 1977

 

[zoom6zoom]

Offer him 200 for it. after all, it's probably been recalled. It's chinese and it's got lead in it.

 

[Onmilo]

Actually I said later lots dated after 1977 will be non-corrosive.
Since there is no standards of quality for Chinese Factories, corrosive ammunition dated later than 1977 is a possibility.

I Know for a fact that the Military packaged Chinese 7.62X51 I have that is dated 1992 and 1993 is most definately non-corrosive.

Quite a bit of stuff began coming over from China just before the Clinton ban that was commercially and attractively packaged that was what I would call, 'substandard'.
This substandard stuff was one of the reasons for the ban.
The actual Military stuff is quite good.