[plainsman]

Who makes the best .308 ammo out there? Best shooting, etc. If you were buying what brand/countries ammo would you look for, that was commercially available?

[Tiro Fijo]

I'd wager you mean 7.62 x 51 mm NATO as there is a difference. If not, disregard.


http://www.303british.com/id36.html

[plainsman]

What would you recommend? Thanks

[AGF0526]

Older surplus West German military ball. The bullet breaks up and fragments after impact. Like a big 193 5.56 round. Supposedly very lethal. It might be harder to find for this reason.

[RWBlue]

For BEST, I would not be buying surplus ammo. There is a reason why the ammo is being surplussed.

[Tiro Fijo]

Originally Posted by RWBlue

For BEST, I would not be buying surplus ammo. There is a reason why the ammo is being surplussed.

There are many reasons why Milspec ammo is surplussed out. Some of it is held to higher standards than commercial ammo. I would let the country of origin dictate what I bought.

[FLIPPER 348]

as long as it has the NATO headstamp it is goo2go in my Garand or Styer Mauser

[RWBlue]

Originally Posted by Tiro Fijo

There are many reasons why Milspec ammo is surplussed out. Some of it is held to higher standards than commercial ammo. I would let the country of origin dictate what I bought.

Yea,
The best commercial ammo vs. the best surplus ammo....

Now if we throw cost into the equation or over runs (not surplus).....now that is a different subject.

[4949shooter]

Military M118 special ball shoots consistently into 3/4 MOA out of my Remington 700's. Sometimes it will do a bit better.

You can find M118 at the gun shows. You can probably find it on line if you look. It is older ammo thus it is usually reasonably priced.

[ABNAK]

Originally Posted by AGF0526

Older surplus West German military ball. The bullet breaks up and fragments after impact. Like a big 193 5.56 round. Supposedly very lethal. It might be harder to find for this reason.

This.

Can't remember the designation though. But it acts just like AGF says (or so I've heard). I'll bet it's hard as hell to find these days too.

[Batesmotel]

Originally Posted by 4949shooter

Military M118 special ball shoots consistently into 3/4 MOA out of my Remington 700's. Sometimes it will do a bit better.

You can find M118 at the gun shows. You can probably find it on line if you look. It is older ammo thus it is usually reasonably priced.

This.

Keep the brass and reload it. Look up "Mexican Match Ammo" the USA team kicked butt with it in the 1968 Pan Am Games in Mexico city.

[RWBlue]

Originally Posted by 4949shooter

Military M118 special ball shoots consistently into 3/4 MOA out of my Remington 700's. Sometimes it will do a bit better.

You can find M118 at the gun shows. You can probably find it on line if you look. It is older ammo thus it is usually reasonably priced.

There was an over run a while back of M118. It was very accurate in my M1A and I really liked the brass.

Additionally, I have a question about your M700. What chamber does it have 308, 308 match or 7.62x51?

The reason is my Steyr found the M118 ammo HOT. The first time I shot that ammo was on a very hot day and after shooting the first round I couldn't move the bolt. That evening in the AC, I was able to move the bolt but I am glad the ammo was not any hotter.

[ABNAK]

Put up a thread on ARFCOM and it's West German DAG ammunition. Has a thinner jacker than M80 Ball and therefore fragments easier.

[Tiro Fijo]

Originally Posted by RWBlue

Yea,
The best commercial ammo vs. the best surplus ammo....

Now if we throw cost into the equation or over runs (not surplus).....now that is a different subject.

I never said "best commercial".

Some of the old Hirtenberger was fantastic. Some however was loaded xtra hot for GPMG's however. The USA is not the only place in the world who makes good ammo. The largest shotgun shell manufacturer in the World is French for that matter, Cheddite. Some ammo plants in the World have state of the art CNC eqpmt., e.g., Prvi Partizan, IMI, etc. It is an accepted fact that Lapua makes the best brass in the world nowadays.

Surplus ammo is rotated out for many reasons, e.g., new stock coming in, downsizing, contract negation, etc.

[RWBlue]

Originally Posted by Tiro Fijo

I never said "best commercial".

But your original post says you want the "best"?

If you truly want the best....... (My first post stands.)

If you are looking for second best or cheaper alternatives..... (My second post stands.)

OR let me put it a different way.
The original German 308 which "can" yaw and fragment is pretty good for FMJ, but it doesn't compare with a decent JSP. For grins take a look at Wolf Gold 150gr JSP.


The M118 has never been surplussed to my knowledge. There has been over runs, but that is different than selling it to the gov. and them deciding that they don't want/like it. Then again, we could compare the M118 to Federal GM308M and GM308M2. The M118 has stronger brass, but the Federal is really 308 not 7.62x51.

[4949shooter]

Originally Posted by RWBlue

There was an over run a while back of M118. It was very accurate in my M1A and I really liked the brass.

Additionally, I have a question about your M700. What chamber does it have 308, 308 match or 7.62x51?

The reason is my Steyr found the M118 ammo HOT. The first time I shot that ammo was on a very hot day and after shooting the first round I couldn't move the bolt. That evening in the AC, I was able to move the bolt but I am glad the ammo was not any hotter.

RW both of my 700's are chambered in .308 Winchester. I couldn't tell you if the chambers are match or not. They are the standard 700P and Varmint models.

I haven't had any problems with the M118 in these guns as of yet. I have fired approximately 300 rounds of M118 through each one.

[Tiro Fijo]

Originally Posted by RWBlue

But your original post says you want the "best"?...

I'm not the OP!!

[RWBlue]

Originally Posted by Tiro Fijo

I'm not the OP!!

Good point.

[PlasticGuy]

To some degree, this is a moot discussion. Surplus ammo coming into the country is not predictable or consistent. A big batch of South African comes in, then sells out. A batch of Aussie comes in, then sells out. Then Malaysian. Then British. Then German. Then somebody else, or maybe the cycle starts over. Plus you have crappy Indian and Pakistani stuff trickling in constantly.

It's not like you choose the one you like the best and buy it whenever you want. You look at what is currently available, and pick the best of the existing options. My last 3000 rounds was German, and I still have most of it. Before that I was lucky enough to find a large quantity of South African. I would buy either again, but who knows if either will be available when I start getting low again. The question isn't "what is best". The question is "what is available".

[Darkangel1846]

Lake city or Federal.

[RWBlue]

Originally Posted by PlasticGuy

To some degree, this is a moot discussion. Surplus ammo coming into the country is not predictable or consistent. A big batch of South African comes in, then sells out. A batch of Aussie comes in, then sells out. Then Malaysian. Then British. Then German. Then somebody else, or maybe the cycle starts over. Plus you have crappy Indian and Pakistani stuff trickling in constantly.

It's not like you choose the one you like the best and buy it whenever you want. You look at what is currently available, and pick the best of the existing options. My last 3000 rounds was German, and I still have most of it. Before that I was lucky enough to find a large quantity of South African. I would buy either again, but who knows if either will be available when I start getting low again. The question isn't "what is best". The question is "what is available".

Good point.

[smokin762]

I am sitting on a good amount of British and South African ammunition that I bought for my L1A1 and AR 10 type rifle. They both keep descent groups at 100 yards.

If I could get more of it, I would buy it again.

Right now, I just buy American Eagle 150 grain FMJ .308 for shooting at the range. It’s not surplus ammunition but it works well enough.

[2240]

I've had good luck with the German DAG NATO headstamp 7.62X51's. They have a silver color bullets. Had good luck with the Brit's surplus too, but I am sure they're long gone.

[SCmasterblaster]

I have learned to trust the Winchester military rounds. Look for the WCC headstamp on that 7.62mm ball ammo.