Hornady = PRVI Partisan? What the heck?

[WardenWolf]

I recently bought some Hornady 7.7 Jap ammo for my Arisaka 99. I just noticed the headstamp on the case: PPU. PPU? That looked strangely familiar. I grabbed one of my boxes of PRVI Partisan 150-grain 7.62x54R softpoints, and yep, confirmed it. PPU. Both cases were made by PRVI Partisan. And since both take a .311 bullet, it's likely the bullets are also PRVI Partisan, even though the bullets on my 7.7 have a slightly different tip shape than the 7.62x54R (the 7.62x54R is more rounded, though it can vary by batch). So is Hornady now contracting PRVI Partisan for their overpriced ammunition?

 

[JWF III]

I don't know a definent answer to your question. But I hope that your wrong, and that Hornady is just buying brass from Prvi for their lesser loaded ammo.

On a side note, when did Prvi start producing 7.7Jap? Or do they just make brass for now? This is all news to me. I'd be highly interested in Prvi loaded ammo for the 7.7. Hornady's just always been too expensive to go out and shoot 100-200 rounds during a trip to the range.

Wyman

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Prvi does some subcontract work for other ammo manufacturers. Specifically, I know that they have done some for Wolf.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Check Grafs.com for all that weird foreign ammo.

FWIW, I got a box of PP .303 Brit for my enfield and it shot great.

 

[jakk280rem]

hornady seems to do this. they contract out for cases they don't manufacture. i purchased a box of hornady custom 260rem and was disapointed to find a remington headstamp.

 

[Prince Yamato]

PRVI Partisan makes ammo for Winchester as well.

 

[foghornl]

PRVI Partisan also makes (IIRC) some of the Hotshot branded ammo.

Shoot & enjoy. PPU ammo is good stuff. Hornady does do some 'sub-contracting' for ammo of lesser consumer demand.

Now if Hornady had subbed that out to A-MERC...yeah I would be worried. PRVI Partisan? good stuff.

Not exactly what you expected (a Hornday headstamp on the brass), so I can see why you were disappointed.

 

[WardenWolf]

I agree that PRVI Partisan is good ammo, although I'm not too happy because of the premium Hornady charges on all their ammo, regardless of caliber. I ordered 10 boxes of 7.62x54R for $10.50 a box. This box of 7.7mm cost $20 at Cabela's.

 

[JWF III]

I kind of figured that they just subcontracted the brass.

Yeah, I know that Prvi makes some good ammo. That's about all I shoot in my mil-surps (I'd rather stock pile brass than save a few dollars on surplus corrosive). But I even went to the Prvi website, it says nothing there about them loading either "Jap" cartridge. That's what's got me stumped. I figured that they'd load for their own use before they contracted out their services.

Wyman

 

[etex]

Bought 2 boxes of Hornady 7.5x55 that had a Grafs headstamp. Guess they ran out of "Frontier".

 

[mp510]

And that $20 box of 7.7JAP is about half Norma would charge.

 

[TehK1w1]

+1 on that, mp510. Anyone who thinks Hornady is too expensive has never looked at Norma ammo. (or Weatherby's line of ammo, for that matter.)

 

[WardenWolf]

Yeah. Hornady isn't half as bad as Norma. Ugh. How does that company stay in business? Do they offer anything you can't get elsewhere cheaper?

I figured I'd buy some proper 7.7 Jap, though. The stuff I had before was obviously a reload, and I'm fairly certain he used 30-06 bullets in it instead of the proper .311 bullets. It was some odd weight like 168 grain, and it didn't shoot as well as expected. My Arisaka is an early 1941 Kokura with an excellent barrel. Mechanically, it should be one of the better surviving examples. This could be due to the fact that it sat in my grandfather's closet, in Arizona, unfired, for around 60 years.

Absolutely no doubt about the case, though. the overall appearance and finish is identical to my other PRVI Partisan cartridges. Upon closer examination, the bullet is distinctly different than my 7.62x54R bullet, though, meaning the projectile came from a different source even though PRVI is fully capable of supplying both. Who knows? Should shoot well. I look forward to seeing what she can do. I'll be saving all my brass. I'm looking to buy a reloading press soon.

 

[IndianaBoy]

You will pay a premium for 7.7 Jap, regardless of what is stamped on the brass.

 

[IndianaBoy]

168 grain bullets are very common in .308 projectiles.

I would wager that you were correct about the previous ammo being handloaded with such projectiles.

 

[WardenWolf]

Well, one of the case necks was malformed and would not chamber. It had some extra material bunched up. While a certain amount of stretching in a once-fired case is to be expected, you would also expect this result if an undersized projectile was used that did not properly fill out the neck. The box they came in also was not marked by a major manufacturer. They were reloads, no question. I'm sure the guy didn't do his homework and realize that .303 bullets are also .311 and a proper fit for the rifling.

 

[natman]

So is Hornady now contracting PRVI Partisan for their overpriced ammunition?

I assume you are talking about this product:

http://www.grafs.com/product/211116

If so, it's time for a serious change of perspective. These days $24.99 for a box of an obscure load like this is a bargain, regardless of who makes the brass. You should be thankful that they load it at all. The entire military line probably just breaks even, given the low demand. As far as I'm concerned it's another example of Hornady's enthusiasm for the sport that keeps them supplying obsolesent ammo and bullets that the accountants would probably just as soon drop.

 

[Mikee Loxxer]

+1 Natman!

 

[Deanimator]

Back when I was buying it in the early '90s, Prvi Partizan was the best commercial ammunition available for surplus military rifles at a reasonable price. I especially liked that the .303 and 7.92x57mm used the heavier 173gr. and 198gr. bullets respectively.

It was worth it to shoot just to get the reloadable brass. One thing I noticed was that it was EXACTLY at the maximum case length. You knew you were going to trim every piece of brass the first time you reloaded it.