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308 Surplus Ammo

Fchance
Surplus 308 ammo can be purchased quite inexpensively, is anyone having problems with it though????



Frank
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11 comments

Date Votes
  • Fchance
    I'm new to the 308 game having just purchased a DPMS AP4 LR-308. With my 223 I've always purchased surplus Lake City ammo. I've seen lots of choices in 308 (Lake City, Wolf, Austrailian, South African, Indian, Spanish, Portuguese, etc). What's good, what should I avoid?

    Thanks,

    Brad
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  • linemech
    I have tried a few different types of surplus 308. What are you going to be shooting it out of and what do you intend to do with it? I have found the lake city, IMI, and ADI to work well in my rem 700vs bolt gun. Be careful with any of the really cheap stuff or steel cased wolf type ammo depending on what you are shooting it out of. Check out ammoman.com they have good prices and shipping is included in the stated prices. You can also find decent prices here on GB.
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  • Pearyw
    The Indian made ammo has given problems. I buy a lot of the surplus South African 308.
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  • Fchance
    Primarily, I'll just be using the surplus ammo for plinking and roughing in the scope.. I don't think I would want to trust surplus ammo for the 40 point buck !!!! But I guess ---- well maybe ....


    Frank
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  • ern98
    Surplus ammo is like anyother ammo, some folks rifles like some brands better then others. If I was you I'd go to a gun show and buy a box or two of several of the more popular types and give them a try. The brand that shoots best for the least money is the one to stock up on. In my various .308s some surplus hold a decent 2" group and others have a hard time staying inside 10". I'm not aware of any that is just plain bad, like that .223IMI stuff five or six years ago.
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  • Hunter375
    I have run hundreds and hundreds of Argentine-made 7.62mm NATO through my G-3 with no problems besides the occasional squib (maybe 1 in 300 or so) But for $15 per 100 rounds I can deal with clearing the barrel occasionally. However, when I get my AR-10C, I won't be putting this stuff through it. IMHO, expensive guns should be fed expensive fodder. Perhaps just pick up some different makes and see what your gun likes.

    It's easy to spot liberals-they are the ones who have no assets to protect and need every handout they can get. They have forbeyed themselves ascendence to a productive lifestyle.
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  • Taylor46
    I have run the Indian stuff from Sportsman guide through my Imbel FN FAL clone with no problems. I am using just the iron sights supplied but I can hold 3" at 100 yards from a bench rest. You can't beat the price.

    Taylor 46
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  • Blckhrn
    I bought some 400 rounds of the Indian ammo and about the same of the Australian ammo. The Indian misfired a few times in my M1A because of irregular primer pocket depths. Still shot OK in that one. Then I tried it in my CETME and on the last round of the first mag the rifle fired and left my ears ringing, noticeably louder from where I was than the previous 19. I looked the gun over and nothing looked damaged. Wrote to another forum and was told that the Indian stuff was made for the Ishapore Enfields and made for lower pressures which may explain the ear ringer in that the pressure wasn't enough to fully engage the chamber flutes and hold the bolt closed long enough for the action to work as it was meant to. I also noticed that the cases showed varying evidence of the chamber flutes, some having grooves that could be easily detected with a fingernail, some less apparent.

    Another thing, a guy in the other forum made note of the sealant at the case mouth, which is kind of like roofing cement. Said it was hell to get out of the barrel.

    Long story short, IMHO, considering what's out there anything you might save on the Indian stuff isn't worth it. Probably won't do any damage but not reliable.

    The Australian stuff is nice, again IMHO.

    "You can build a man a fire and keep him warm for a couple hours or douse him with fuel oil and keep him warm the rest of his life"
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  • Blckhrn
    One more thing, when the cetme added to my hearing loss I told a gun dealer about it and he forwarded an article about some German ammo from the 60's that blew up an M1A.

    Speculation about pistol powder being used by mistake, another theory was that the propellant had degraded into an explosive. Never heard any positive answer for the whole situation but I'd go with the pistol powder theory. Heard about the same thing happening with another surplus batch, maybe here. Too bad I'm too old to remember all the details.


    "You can build a man a fire and keep him warm for a couple hours or douse him with fuel oil and keep him warm the rest of his life"
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  • moreammoplz
    My Cetme will eat about anything brass cased.

    "Shoot Straight and Shoot often."
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  • GaBob
    I had problems with some South American surplus .308 in my M1-A. About ten percent misfire. Work fine in my bolt actions. Theory is that I have a maximum headspace in M1-A and minimum headspace on cartridges. Any ideas? My buddy weighed and measured fired brass and says it is some of the most consistant brass he has ever seen.

    Keep Your Powder Dry
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