Looking for Bulk 308 components

[Jason977]

I'm awaiting the arrival of my 308 AR, and I would like to have some plinking/ blasting ammo ready for it once it gets here. I'm looking for bulk brass and projectiles, and am willing to buy by the couple thousand.

The options I have seen for brass are:
Wideners: $250/2000
http://www.wideners.com/itemview.cfm?dir=278|282|909|980
Bartlet: 150-225/1000
http://www.gibrass.com/brass.html
Top brass: $250/1000 fully processed
http://www.topbrass-inc.com/reloading-supplies/product_details.php?item_id=351

The fully processed stuff might be appealing because I don't have any experience with trimming cases or crimped primer pockets, but I'm going to need the tools eventually, so I may as well buy the unprocessed. Wideners looks like the best option, Agreed? Any place else I should look?

For bullets I'm looking at M80, and I understand the quality can vary somewhat.
Wideners: $299/2000 never loaded
http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=7239&dir=278|281|1081|1161
Top Brass: $189/1000 new or $125/1000 pulled
http://www.topbrass-inc.com/reloading-supplies/products.php?category_id=28
Hi Tech: $130/1000 pulled
http://www.iidbs.com/hitech.zkb?root&GENMENU6011&object-menu6

I suspect it's worth the slight extra cost to buy from Wideners and get new bullets. Thoughts?

Should I consider buying surplus powder also? I'd like to minimize the powders on hand (only use one for all my handgun loads), and I'm leaning towards Varget for 308 & 223. But at a savings of $50 per 8lb, it may be worth it.

 

[blarby]

Crimped pockets are easy : #3 phillips bit in a powered drill.

That nato lot by wideners looks pretty good. IF it hasn't been shot out of an MG, that is- hard to tell with once fired military.

Fully processed brass isn't a bad start....but for $250 difference, I'd do it myself.

The brass, bullet, and powder question can really be answered easily by what you are expecting in terms of results.

If you want good results, get better quality components.

If you don't care, scrape the barrel- but you don't get to complain about the results on target.

If I was getting a new .308 AR, after about 3 mags I could tell you if it was a shooter or not. If it was, I wouldn't burn it up with cheapy ammo. Did you buy the cheapest, lousy, frankenbuild AR you could, or did you get a good one ?

That, to me, would dictate what I fed it.

 

[Jason977]

If I was getting a new .308 AR, after about 3 mags I could tell you if it was a shooter or not. If it was, I wouldn't burn it up with cheapy ammo. Did you buy the cheapest, lousy, frankenbuild AR you could, or did you get a good one ?

It should be a sub MOA rifle. And I will be loading good loads for it as well. But for probably 80% of my shooting, 2MOA is sufficient.

You do bring up a good consideration though. I'll stay away from steel cases or steel jacketed projectiles to be kind to my barrel/ action. But apart from that, I was under the impression that a std pressure brass cartridge with copper FMJ bullets shouldn't do anything to "burn up" the rifle. Anything I'm missing?

 

[1KPerDay]

It does SOMETHING. Barrels wear out.

 

[Jason977]

I'm more of a 1KPerYear guy myself, so I should be okay for a decade or so

 

[1KPerDay]

Yep.

 

[medalguy]

Widener's has good stuff, I'd not hesitate to recommend them. The pulled bullets from Top Brass are pretty good actually, unless you're doing match shooting, but for plinking I think they will be just fine.

I'd recommend investing in something like a Dillon swager and a Dillon powered trimmer, and you can FL size and trim in one pass. That's what I do, and it goes pretty quick. I definitely would do the processing myself, if only for the satisfaction that I know exactly what was done.

I've bought a lot of pulldown WC846 powder and found it to be excellent, both in terms of price and qualilty. A pound doesn't go very far loading 7.62 so stock up. Remember this is bulk grade powder and you will need to work up a load for the lot number you purchase, so buy enough so you can use the same load data for as many pounds as possible.