Surplus .308 nato

[Greengo]

Which company in the ammunition market sells the best, but least expensive military surplus .308 nato rounds?

[another shooter]

Check this thread
http://www.fnfal.com/forums/Forum1/HTML/000952.html

[DJ]

Give Dan Tobin at Dans Sporting Goods a call. 724-727-2648. He's selling Portuguese 308 for $150 for 960 rounds delivered. Dan's a god guy to deal with. Tell him Don Iman sent you.

[GCF]

Good question! Recently compared 100 yard (open sight) groups between two types of 308 w/ my CGW custom STG-58.

Hirtenberger surplus (supposed to be good stuff), 1980 manufactured, came in 400 rnd sealed battle packs. Bright & shiny - $189 per thousand. 6" to 10" groups w/ 14" fliers. Inconsistent ejection. Thought it was either me or the gun, until I tried some:

308 Remington 150 grn green box commercial from Academy. $12.99 per box. 1" to 4" groups w/ consistent ejection.

Lousy ammo is a terrible thing! Looks like my bargain boxer primed surplus may be worth more as once fired brass, then as loaded ammo!
WWW.AMMOMAN.COM (http://WWW.AMMOMAN.COM) has reasonable prices - but I'm still on the lookout. Anyone else?

Regards - GCF

------------------

[Richard Bird]

Originally posted by GCF:
Inconsistent ejection


Close your gas port until ejection is consistent. Green box Rem. is simply hotter commercial ammo, and so hits harder with less subjection to wind and flinch.
Saami pressures are higher and FAL will digest it, but designed for NATO specs.

[MARI_OH]

Originally posted by GCF:
Good question! Recently compared 100 yard (open sight) groups between two types of 308 w/ my CGW custom STG-58.

Hirtenberger surplus (supposed to be good stuff), 1980 manufactured, came in 400 rnd sealed battle packs. Bright & shiny - $189 per thousand. 6" to 10" groups w/ 14" fliers. Inconsistent ejection. Thought it was either me or the gun, until I tried some:

308 Remington 150 grn green box commercial from Academy. $12.99 per box. 1" to 4" groups w/ consistent ejection.

Lousy ammo is a terrible thing! Looks like my bargain boxer primed surplus may be worth more as once fired brass, then as loaded ammo!
WWW.AMMOMAN.COM (http://WWW.AMMOMAN.COM) has reasonable prices - but I'm still on the lookout. Anyone else?

Try Shooterz.com for good pricing. The Email listers get good specials even yet!

Regards - GCF

[Cosmo]

Try the Century Arms websight at www.centuryarms.com/store/index.html (http://www.centuryarms.com/store/index.html) and click on the Ammunition tab and scroll down to the ".308 Ball Radway Green U.K.".
I ordered a case last week for $129.87 INCLUDING shipping, but I did have to pay FL tax. I have never shot this before, but it's got a very good reputation around the board.
Good luck

[This message has been edited by Cosmo (edited August 29, 2000).]

[Badger]

Any body know where to find "Santa Barbra" spanish ammo?? I'm down to my last 500 rnds. Good stuff. Need more.

------------------
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

- Thomas Jefferson

"Don't Tread On ME"

[KWL]

Looks like GCF ran into some lousy Hirtenberger surplus ammo. 6 to 10 inch groups is not what I'm after!

Has anyone else observed this kind of performance from Hirtenberger? I thought it was supposed to be good quality stuff. I was all geared up & ready to place a big order but if this is typical of its performance I'll have to do something different!

[BillD]

I have ordered 3 cases of Radway Green from Century Arms. Remember when we thought the Greek 30/06 would last forever? I am thinking about borrowing money for more ammo!

[Mike in GA]

Has anybody had any experience with the Talon Manufacturing stuff? they say that they take US nato 7.62, manually pull the bullet, test the powder, remove the pocket crimp, then put it all back together and sell it! Pricing for bulk looks like $200 per 1k in M19 ammo cans - they also sell ammo components! www.talonammo.com (http://www.talonammo.com)

[Richard Bird]

Not sure, but I think our friend "GCF" is one of the "Radway" hockers trolling for sales by putting down Hirtenburger, seeing how Radway is actually the underpowered cartridge. Anyway, "inconsistent ejection" with any FAL type rifle is simply remedied by adjusting the gas port, so right there he looses credibility.


Originally posted by KWL:
Looks like GCF ran into some lousy Hirtenberger surplus ammo. 6 to 10 inch groups is not what I'm after!

[Noname]

In mid 90's I bought 3000 rounds of Hirtenberger 308--- case lots---1979 headstamp---4 to 8 MOA--- some real loud- some kinda quiet---ejection 12in. to 15ft without adjusting gas.Made Norinco look like LC Match !

[BillD]

I have 2 battle packs of Hirtenberger but haven't fired any yet. I buy Radway Green from Century Arms at $130 per thousand delivered. I have fired 2000 rds through my Norinco M14S (I know, boo, hiss) without a hitch. When I shoot for groups, the worst I have got is under 2 1/2" from the bench. I don't shoot from the bench very often. Century's sale price on this ammo will end tomorrow. I goes up to $150 per thousand. I have no interest in any dealer. this is just great ammo (at least for me) at a great price. This will run out sooner or later. Get it while you can.

------------------
"Tis better to die on your feet than live on your knees."

[KowHunter]

How is the Radway Green from Century packaged? I am interested in buying a case to store for a long time and a case to shoot up so I would like somthing that is sealed up good. ALso have any of you shot this ammo? How well does it do? Thanks.

[lmalterna]

For what it is worth, I have been shooting the Portugese ammo & love it. Bought it from a gent in P.A., I can't recall the name but he advertises in SGN. Ammo is 40.00 for 240 rounds in a .30 ammo can delivered(east of the Miss.) I even shoot it for blasting ammo in my snip... whoops- my "long range precision field rifle".

[Littlejohn]

KOW - the RG packs are opened in order to mark each box with the regulatory "Made in England" stamp needed for importation. At least, this is how the 1k crates arrive...LJ
http://www.fnfal.com/forums/frown.gif

------------------
"May the pens of the diplomat not undo what we have won with the sword!" - Blucher.

[Another Bill]

I bought a case of the Hirtenberger 1980 and have shot about 300 rounds out of my former AR-10 and the other half through my ARS FAL. Zero problems and while it ain't match ammo, I get 2" to 2.5" @ 100 yds off bags with iron sights out of my FAL. For $150/1000 it fills my bill.

Happiness is a warm gun..
Bang bang, shoot shoot........

[BushMeister]

Of course, if you want to discuss the "terminal ballistics" of 7.62 cartridges, Hirtenberger moves well ahead of Radway. Something about the copper-plated steel jacket being thinner at the cannelure, and therefore fragmenting similarly to 5.56mm, creating a similar wound profile, but on a 60% larger scale.

But for shooting paper, you don't need that...

Not sure if the FMP (which is also copper-plated steel jacket) has the same effect.

[jason h]

Went out shooting with a friend. He had his Rem M700 ADL and was shooting 85 radway green, 79 hirtenberger, and american eagle(150gr. FMJ). Was using a 3-9x scope, shooting 3 shot groups. At 100 yards, was getting 1-1.5" groups with the american eagle, 2.5-3.5" groups with the radway green, and really poor groups with the hirtenberger. So bad he had a hard time getting three shots on a 12x12" target.

Had to admit I was surprised, always heard hirt was really good accurate ammo. Oh well, he bought it more for the brass than anything else. I bought a case of it too, but will probably keep it for a rainy day since it is in battlepacks. I have had really good results with the 89 RG as well as the 86 malysian.

The jacket on RG is copper whereas the malysian has a steel jacket. Both are berdan primed. The malysian is a little hotter than the RG. One final thing, concerning the neck fractures. Noticed on one lot of RG, that just the neck was annealed whereas on the other lot the neck and shoulder of the case was annealed. Maybe this has something to do with the fractures in some lots.

[Taz]

I have shot some Portuguese and some Hirt.It seems to me that the Hirt is slightly cooler than the Port. I also had some FN bullets loaded in front of 45 gr. BL-c(2) w/Win primer. I don't know if this is the same bullet as the other stuff but it sure looks like it. Didn't shoot any paper, but the reloads (Rem brass) were slightly hotter than either Hirt or Port. It also seemed that some of the Hirt brass really flew and some didn't. I don't know if this would have much bearing, but some of the Hirt was NOT crimped.