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Old April 12, 2017, 02:59 PM   #1
rjinga
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1000 Rounds of German Military Surplus Ammunition

I was scrolling a recent SGAmmo.com email notice and saw this ammunition offer. At $0.47 (and ½ cent) a round, it is over $0.10 a round cheaper than what I’ve been shooting; that’s an over $100.00 savings. So, after reading several favorable reviews, I decided to roll the dice. I hope to make it to the range this week and try it out.











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Old April 12, 2017, 03:29 PM   #2
Salmoneye
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Berdan primed is a deal breaker for me...

I take it you do not reload...
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Old April 12, 2017, 04:05 PM   #3
rjinga
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Salmoneye
I take it you do not reload...
I do not.
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Old April 12, 2017, 04:23 PM   #4
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If you don't reload then that is a good deal


If you do then you would pass.
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Old April 12, 2017, 10:39 PM   #5
shuvelrider
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I was of the understanding that Berdan primer is the corrosive part of the cartridge, has the primer recipe been changed? Or do you still need to clean very well afterwards?
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Old April 12, 2017, 10:53 PM   #6
emcon5
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Quote:
I was of the understanding that Berdan primer is the corrosive part of the cartridge,
Berdan vs Boxer primed is unrelated to corrosive or not, it is the primer design.

Boxer primers have a single flash hole centered in the case head, and the anvil is part of the primer. Berdan primers generally have 2 flash holes, offset from the center-line, and the anvil is part of the case.

There are also odd-ball Berdan primed cases with a single flash hole, confused the hell out of me the first time I saw one, (on ~50s vintage Romanian surplus 8mm Mauser).
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Old April 13, 2017, 11:50 AM   #7
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The stuff has been argued over for at least 2 years on the assorted forums. Some guys think it's fine, others are afraid if it. Mostly due to the so-called 'sanitizing' of the head stamp.
It is alleged that the caliber ink stamp is required for sale in Germany. Even that gets argued about.
Bullet has a 'Cupro-Nickel' jackets that make the projectile magnetic. Problematic on some ranges.
Anyway, it's not about how cheap the stuff is. It's about how well it shoots out of your rifle.
You don't have to flush non-corrosive ammo(yes, it's the primer, but it doesn't matter if it's Boxer or Berdan) with hot water.
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Old April 13, 2017, 01:46 PM   #8
agtman
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Let us know how it shoots.
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Old April 13, 2017, 02:15 PM   #9
Model12Win
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I find it hard to believe that German milsurp would have ".308 WIN" written on it.

More likely, this is a contract overrun or made on the same production line as real German milsurp (Germsurp) ammunitions.
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Old April 13, 2017, 03:32 PM   #10
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Just an FYI about corrosive primers, its the residue from the priming compound, that is corrosive, or not.

Corrosive primers leave behind a chemical salt that attracts moisture, and holds it to the steel, creating rust. In the right conditions this can happen, literally, overnight. Fortunately the chemical salts (usually a potassium compound) are water soluble. The can be flushed away with water. Do that, then clean with the usual solvents and corrosive primers do no harm.

Also note that corrosive primer residue goes everywhere powder gas goes. This includes the bolt face, and any part of the action powder gas contacts when ejecting fired cases. And especially the gas system!! Don't just flush the bore and think you're good.

Non corrosive primers use a different chemical compound and do not leave the corrosive residue.

US military ammo changed to non-corrosive priming during the 50s. Many other countries have changed, since, but some still use corrosive priming.

If you assume that any foreign milsurp ammo that doesn't say "non corrosive" is corrosive and act accordingly when cleaning, you won't have trouble.
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Old April 14, 2017, 06:45 PM   #11
rjinga
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Quote:
Originally Posted by agtman
Let us know how it shoots.
So far, so good!


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Old April 14, 2017, 08:55 PM   #12
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Looks good. Glad the PTR likes it. Nothing like having a 1000 rounds for your MBR.
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Old April 14, 2017, 10:26 PM   #13
James K
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The label clearly says non-corrosive, and I see no reason to doubt it. This is not old WWII military ammo, it is modern ammo and I see no reason for concern. A thin cupro-nickel plating of steel jacketed bullets is common in other countries solely to prevent rusting of the bullet. The U.S. does the same thing, but uses gilding metal instead cupro-nickel so the bullet looks the same as if the jacket were all gilding metal. It is hard to tell a gilding metal plated steel bullet from one with a solid gilding metal jacket. (Hint: use a magnet.)

I assume the removal of the headstamp was part of some "demilitarization" process or an attempt to conceal the source. Oddly, militaries often do such things, even though the other characteristics are all there and might as well be on a billboard.

Jim
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Old April 15, 2017, 08:39 AM   #14
Sure Shot Mc Gee
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What I call:
Let fly and brass lie ammo.

Enjoy their shooting rjinga.
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Old April 15, 2017, 09:44 AM   #15
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Germany has very strict rules about the sale of military material - they have to remove the NATO style markings and ink the 308 on it to even be able to sell it without a military export license.
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Old April 15, 2017, 10:29 AM   #16
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Looks like good PTR food. They're a German design, why not use German shells?
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Old April 16, 2017, 04:49 PM   #17
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"the caliber ink stamp is required for sale in Germany"

This is absolutely true, 100%.

"Bullet has a 'Cupro-Nickel' jackets that make the projectile magnetic"

This is completely false. Just like the US use of gilding metal, bullets with a CN cladding can have a steel jacket or not.
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Old April 16, 2017, 05:37 PM   #18
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I can't remember where I ran across it, but there's interesting reading on US experience with cupro-nickel jackets. What I read was that at Camp Perry and other matches in the early 20th century they found the CN jackets would leave stalactite type formations in the bores that were horrible to clean and would quickly degrade accuracy. Their solution at the time was to dip the projectiles into grease prior to loading. This supposedly kept the buildup down.

I don't doubt they did it, because there were photos attached to the article. But, dipping ammo in grease seems like such an odd thing to do by todays standards.
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Old April 17, 2017, 06:00 PM   #19
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Looks good!
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Old April 20, 2017, 05:27 PM   #20
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Glad the new ammunition is working out well for you.

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Old April 22, 2017, 03:07 PM   #21
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Around 1987 I bought 4,000 rounds of surplus 8x57 from a big nationwide dealer for $79. Ten years later I got 3,000 rounds of 7x57 for $99. In 1991 or so I bought surplus 7.62x51 for $79/1,000.

Yes, long time ago. But I gag when I see ammo in stores priced at $20-$30 for a box of 20. A buck a round was reserved for "elephant rifle" ammo when I was young. Now common '06 ammo will be that much and more and the big boomers like 458WM will run $4-$5 a pop. Staggering.
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Old April 22, 2017, 04:48 PM   #22
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Quote:
Around 1987 I bought 4,000 rounds of surplus 8x57 from a big nationwide dealer for $79. Ten years later I got 3,000 rounds of 7x57 for $99. In 1991 or so I bought surplus 7.62x51 for $79/1,000.

Yes, long time ago. But I gag when I see ammo in stores priced at $20-$30 for a box of 20. A buck a round was reserved for "elephant rifle" ammo when I was young. Now common '06 ammo will be that much and more and the big boomers like 458WM will run $4-$5 a pop. Staggering.
Yeah, ain't it the truth. A buck a bang for generic Winchester white box 7.62 / .308 Win. The better stuff gets up about $30 a box for 20 rounds. Last year I got a few good deals on GI brass and been making my own for the most part.

Ron
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