Patronen? German 7.62 NATO ammo questions:

[Bill_Rights]

I bought two battle packs of 200 rnds each at a gun show for $120 ea. pack. 60-cents per cartridge, 63 cents w/tax. Pretty good. Compare at http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=123624680 .

But, what are the details on this ammo? Here are the headstamp and package pics:

I wiped some ink in the markings here.





Here's what (I think) I know:
- bullet weight should be 147 grains for 7.62 NATO
- bullet is strongly magnetic (mostly iron? steel?)
- German lingo "Los" means "loose" and indeed the box contains 20 rnds packed loose (no stripper clips, etc.)
- German lingo "Weichkern" means something like "soft kernel", maybe soft core?

Here's what I want to know:
- What year was the ammo mfgd?
- What is powder charge or expected muzzle velocity?
- What kind of bullet is this? What application is this ammo for?
- What do the other markings mean? "AB 22"?, "DM 41"?, "DAG"? "69-27"? Cross-in-circle emblem?
- Does "Patronen" mean something like cartridges? Or what?
- Note corrosion on neck-down of casing. I think I'll just shoot it, but I guess I could polish it off. What would you do?

Thanks for any help specing this ammo!

 

[Bearhands]

Does "Patronen" mean something like cartridges? Or what?

Yes, I believe it does.

 

[Pulse]

- German lingo "Los" means "loose" and indeed the box contains 20 rnds packed loose (no stripper clips, etc.)

while 'Los' indeed means 'loose', it also means 'Lot', wich should be the right translation here.
your ammo was made by the company 'Dynamit Nobel', very high chance that you have some good stuff here, they are a premium manufaturer.

- bullet is strongly magnetic (mostly iron? steel?)
- German lingo "Weichkern" means something like "soft kernel", maybe soft core?

weichkern means softcore, the ammo is made from a very soft lead core in a steel case.

- What year was the ammo mfgd?

1969

- What is powder charge or expected muzzle velocity?

DM41 was the standart ammo for the Germany Army, expect NATO specs.

- What kind of bullet is this? What application is this ammo for?

softcore should allow hunting, but i am not sure on soft the lead is in oder to not go against the huage convention.
before you go deer hunting with that stuff, maybe shoot some milkjugs to see if and how mutch it expands/fragments, if at all.

What do the other markings mean? "AB 22"?, "DM 41"?, "DAG"? "69-27"? Cross-in-circle emblem?

AB22 -> not sure, probably packet nummber?
DM41 -> standart describtion for german ammo, dont ask me for the nomeklatur, there 120mm Thungsten Tank round is called DM63.
DAG -> Dynamit Nobel, company name that made those
69-27 -> the first is the year, the second should decrypt in to the month.. dont know how exactly, they changed in the 90's, modern german ammo is coded with 'A-L' for the month
Cross-in-circle emblem -> NATO

Does "Patronen" mean something like cartridges? Or what?

yes

Note corrosion on neck-down of casing. I think I'll just shoot it, but I guess I could polish it off. What would you do?

its german ammo, the same germans that tend to overengineere everything they can get there hands on AND the ammo comes from a topnotch manufaturer.

German greatings (swiss.. actualy)

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

Sehr gute! Ausgezeichnet

We should all find some puzzle to post, and try to stump the group here at THR. The groups knowledge is very good!

 

[Pulse]

We should all find some puzzle to post, and try to stump the group here at THR. The groups knowledge is very good!

hive mind beats single mind.. every time.

before you go deer hunting with that stuff, maybe shoot some milkjugs to see if and how mutch it expands/fragments, if at all.

just noticed there is a other topic with almost the same ammo.

apperently they fragment just right.. so hunting deer might very well be possible, yet your ammo is 40 years old, still should maybe take a few milkjug shots, to be sure.

AB22 -> not sure, probably packet nummber?

also from the other topic, AB 22 is on all those boxes, so i guess it is either a marking by the german bundeswehr for surplus ammo for export or a marking by the importer.
...still not sure

 

[jim in Anchorage]

You got me on this one. I hauled out my 1927 Mauser SS .22 and it has "patrone 22 long rifle" stamped on the barrel.Not Patronen.

 

[hexidismal]

I just bought some of this same stuff at a gunshow not long ago because the price was slightly better than the south african. I've never used this ammo, hope it turns out to be good stuff.

 

[Bill_Rights]

I love it:

hive mind beats single mind.. every time.

How true!

Pulse,
Vielen Danke! Ja, ich habe soviel gelernt. (entshuldigung Sie mir bitte für miene "broken German")

DAG -> Dynamit Nobel, company name that made those

Yes, I think the "AG" part is just the abbreviation for "Aktiengesellschaft", designation for some legal form of German corporation. So the "D" part probably is "Dynamit" something-or-other.

69-27 -> the first is the year, the second should decrypt in to the month.. dont know how exactly, they changed in the 90's, modern german ammo is coded with 'A-L' for the month

I suggest maybe "27" is the week of the year the ammo was made. I have dealt with German (and Swiss!) manufacturing companies, and they tend to mark time by weeks.

My big concern is that the primer not be corrosive. The salesman said it is not. A member on the other 7.62 NATO thread concurrent with this one says also it is not - corrosive primers were being phased out at this size of ammo was being introduced, so never/rarely found with corrosive prime. Agree?

 

[Pulse]

DM41 is non-corrosive, the germans stoped using corrosive primers at the end of worldwar2, the MP44 did not react kindly to corrosive gunk in the gassystem.