Surplus Ammo Question: FMJ / Ballistic Tip?

[matsaleh]

I just ordered a Mosin-Nagant M38 (weee!), and I need to order ammo also. I'd like to get some of the surplus stuff because it's cheap and, well that's what the gun was built to eat.

My range has a "no FMJ" policy for rifles because there are homes nearby and they say there is a risk of ricochet. However, when I called them, I asked them if the "colored tip" surplus ammo (e.g. Czech "silver tip", Hungarian "yellow tip", etc.) was okay. I'm not sure if the person I talked to was familiar with this kind of ammo, but she did say that "ballistic tip" ammo was fine with rifles, just not FMJ. As I understand it, "ballistic tip" is simply HP or soft point, with a plastic tip for better feeding and initial penetration.

So, my question is, are these "colored tip" surplus rounds considered "ballistic tip", or are they still FMJ? Do they expand any or do they penetrate and/or bounce off.

If I can't use surplus ammo, then I may have to change ranges, because I want to shoot it a lot and don't want to break the bank doing it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ian]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the colored-tip 7.62x54R ammo is all FMJ of various bullet weights.

 

[pbhome71]

The 7.62x54r that I know of are "FMJ". Hungarian yellow-tip are lead-core. Many other are steel core, and many range does not allow it.

I'm not sure about the "sliver-tip".

-Pat

 

[go8dalejr]

You will not find ballistic tip ammo of any kind for surplus prices. It is quite
expensive a ballistic tip is a polymer tipped bullet such as hornadays v-max
or winchesters silver tip. Surplus ammo with colored tips designate it being
armor pierceing tracer etc. Range will probably frown on all of it. You need
something that will fragment when impacted. The cheapest would be a
soft point lead or hollow point. But check with them before you buy to
see if these meet thier requirements.

 

[chuckles]

A policy of no FMJ really limits your options for both rifles and handguns. That seems extreme but I guess they have to "Lawyer-proof" the range.

 

[matsaleh]

Well it's only no FMJ for rifles. Pistols are low-powered enough, and the pistol range is well bermed, so ricochets - if they happen at all - are contained.

It's a good range in all respects, except for that one policy. Ah well, I'll either pay more for ammo, or find another range for rifles.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[matsaleh]

Well it's only no FMJ for rifles. Pistols are low-powered enough, and the pistol range is well bermed, so ricochets - if they happen at all - are contained.

It's a good range in all respects, except for that one policy. Ah well, I'll either pay more for ammo, or find another range for rifles.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Delmar]

Don't know your situation matsaleh, but if you have a single stage press, you could pull the FMJ's with a collet puller and press a soft point bullet in its place.

 

[artherd]

Winchester makes 7.62x54 SoftPoint ammo.

Well it's only no FMJ for rifles. Pistols are low-powered enough, and the pistol range is well bermed, so ricochets - if they happen at all - are contained.

That's pretty crazy, I can't think of any reason why an FMJ would increase a ricochet hazard. Especially in a rifle. I would think lower-powered rounds would tend to act more like 'volleyballs' and retain enough shape and form after hitting something to be dangerous.

While high powered rifle rounds would pretty much turn to a bunch of molten lead in a hurry after hitting something solid.

 

[matsaleh]

Winchester SP 7.62x54

Winchester makes 7.62x54 SoftPoint ammo.

That's cool. Does Wal-Mart carry it by any chance? That's where I get my .40S&W and 9mm, but I have my doubts about this "foreign" caliber.

How about online?

Thanks!

 

[Snowdog]

Wolf also offers soft point 7.62x54R ammunition (cheap, accurate and non-corrosive).

Maybe another manufacture such as FOM, Igman or Hotshot offers some cheap SPs for this caliber as well. I would guess (though I'm not sure) that Sellier & Bellot offers the 7.62x54R in SP. S&B will typically give any US ammunition manufacturer a run for their money.

Perhaps someone else already pointed it out, but I suspect that "silvertip" ammunition you speak of is Czech steel-core FMJs. If they forbid rifle FMJs for liability purposes at their range, finding someone shooting this stuff would likely give them a coronary.

 

[cratz2]

That's pretty crazy, I can't think of any reason why an FMJ would increase a ricochet hazard. Especially in a rifle. I would think lower-powered rounds would tend to act more like 'volleyballs' and retain enough shape and form after hitting something to be dangerous.

Yeah... many people that have spent a lot of time around plates or pins have probably seen someone hit with a ricocheted handgun bullet of some sort... Usually with no blood lost but I can only think of one person that claims to have been hit with a ricocheted rifle bullet and they were shooting at a car in a junkyard.