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.308-7.62 NATO armor piercing ammo

ammo guy
Would appreciate reference info on whether or not military .308 ammo with steel core is legal to sell to the public. I have read conflicting comments on this.
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7 comments

Date Votes
  • Iconoclast
    Technically, any US made stuff is illegal; ATF made a ruling to that effect in the 1970s, based on the fact that none of it had ever been released for sale to the public, hence any in private hands was considered - at the time - to be stolen government property. There was also a big stir about any AP rounds in a caliber chambered in the Contender, which includes the .308 / 7.62x51 following passage of the "Cop Killer Bullet" legislation. This is pretty much the last I ever heard on the subject. I don't know that this has ever been enforced, the opinions vacated, if it is simply a matter of other priorities, or if Big Brother is out there waiting to pounce. I do know that one can find vast amounts of it readily available and circulating in the market place, in many "un-released" loadings.

    "There is nothing lower than the human race - except the French." (Mark Twain) ". . . And DemoCraps" (me)
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  • ammo guy
    I know that a quanity of FN and Israeli mfg in .308 AP was imported in the 80's. Based on your reply is this ammo "legal"?
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  • boeboe
    It is my understaning that AP ammo, for most firearms, is legal for non-dealers to own and to sell, but dealers cannot sell it.

    To err is human, to moo is bovine.
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  • drobs
    here's a question for you guys...
    What makes it armor piercing? Steel Core?

    Regards,
    190191.gif
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  • Iconoclast
    ammo guy, to be completely certain, you should probably do a search on the ATF web site . . . "everybody is doing it" doesn't carry a lot of weight in the legal system. My gut feeling is that the answer to your question is "yes," but I sure would not want to have you rely on it.

    drobs - usually there is some especially hard material incorporated into the bullet design. Most commonly it is a form of steel (including in some cases carbide), but tungsten, tungsten carbide, depleted uranium and some even more exotic materials have been used, primarily in experimental designs. Some makers have also worked with the exterior of the projectile - a company called KTW produced handgun cartridges with Teflon coating to minimize drag on penetration before the "Cop Killer" legislation. That line actually was dangerous to the LE community, as the Teflon did improve penetration of soft body armor. Arguably the solid copper and bronze projectiles made for maximum penetration on dangerous game could defeat some types of thin armor, also. The earliest US AP designs (circa 1918) used a soft lead tip ahead of the penetrator to delay the riccochet and had no identifying tip color / headstamp, so it is not possible to ID all AP ammo simply by looking at the exterior.

    "There is nothing lower than the human race - except the French." (Mark Twain) ". . . And DemoCraps" (me)
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  • hughes1
    FYI: TALON Manufacturing Inc., a company that remanufactures ammunition using recovered military grade components for both the military and civillian markets has sold the following types of ammo through the retailer "Cheaper than Dirt": AP, tracer and Ball in 30.06 and .308, etc.
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  • ammo guy
    As a follow up on the various replies. I checked the ATF web site and was not able to find any info on this subject that answers the question. Tried searching under "ammunition" and under "armor piercing" and go no hits. The only thing I found was a reference to record keeping on AP ammo for collectors. I have some FN .308 AP ammo I guess I will try and sell it. I have noted other sellers listing it so one can presume it is OK.
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