Surplus ammo

[hamster]

http://www.ammoman.com/webstore_308.htm

Are the GERMAN NATO AMMO 147 GRAIN and the LITHUANIAN 762x51 AMMUNITION - 146 GRAIN ammo from ammoman.com a good deal? Is the extra $40 for teh Lithuanian ammo worth it? I don't reload yet, but I figure I just save all the brass for when I get started.

[MacGille]

Nah! Find the cheapes surplus and buy a lot of it.

[carguychris]

Is the extra $40 for teh Lithuanian ammo worth it? I don't reload yet, but I figure I just save all the brass for when I get started.
The extra $40 is worth it if you intend to reload, because the German ammo is Berdan primed and therefore not reloadable. :(

If you're a true n00b to handloading, Berdan primers use a pair of off-center small primer holes, which make it impossible to replace the primer using conventional non-commercial equipment. You can do it by modifying the case, but it's generally not worthwhile or economical for a commonly-available caliber like .308. You want cases with Boxer primers, which have a single large center hole.

Again, since you're an admitted handloading n00b, FYI some military rifle ammo uses thin brass cases that won't withstand repeated full-length resizing. For some reason, the military doesn't expect soldiers to stop and pick up their empty brass on the battlefield and handload it later, but I digress. ;) Consequently, it's often a good idea to only neck-size surplus brass, which will extend the case life. This only becomes an issue if you have multiple .308 firearms, in which case you'll need to figure out a system to segregate the fired brass from each one.

[hamster]

Thanks for the info, I think I'll just stick to buying boxes till I can get into reloading.

[44 AMP]

FYI some military rifle ammo uses thin brass cases that won't withstand repeated full-length resizing.

Most military ammo I have run across has cases that are thicker than commercial brass. They have a smaller case capacity. I have US GI brass that has lasted for many years and multiple full length resizing. I can't speak to foreign brass, as all the foreign made surplus ammo I have ever run across is Berdan primed.

If you are buying foreign made ammo (including commercial), unless it specifically says it is Boxer primed, assume it is Berdan primed and not reloadable. It may also use corrosive primers. Again, unless it says it isn't, assume it is. Do a search and you will find many discussions about corrosive ammo, and the extra steps involved in cleaning your gun after shooting corrosive ammo.

Take some fired US commercial cases and weigh them. Then weigh some fired surplus brass. I think you will find that the GI brass averages heavier. Since they are all the same size on the outside, heavier brass is thicker, meaning less room on the inside. Nothing wrong with this, it just means that you need to be cautious when approaching maximum loads, and the thicker brass will reach max a little bit sooner.