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View Full Version : need help identifying .308win ammo


b money
March 13, 2009, 04:50 PM
Help me out please, I have about 40 rounds of 308 ammo and I dont know what they are. I know there military but thats it. at the top of the headstamp there's the #'s 79, year maybe then in the middle there's two stars one on each side and at the bottom it say's 7.62x51 and the primer is sealed with green(what I belive to be lacquer)something. also around the primer are three indentations so I think the primer is crimped.

please forgive my ignorance, I just got a .308win rifle and have yet to load rounds for ANY rifle.

I was also told when I got them that some might be tracer's and AP, but they are not painted black or red they just look like a fmj to me. so any help you could give on that would be appreciated thanks

one last thing,I saw on some web site where somebody told what all the military headstamps meant and I was wondering if sombody would have a link to it?

Thank's

Jimro
March 13, 2009, 05:43 PM
Star caliber Star sounds like Starline brand brass. Don't know about about the "79" though, could be year manufacture. Also Bulgarian ammo was sometimes marked with stars, but I don't know of any combloc countries producing 7.62x51 prior to the fall of the iron curtain...

http://cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes_bottom.htm

Jimro

CW-NH-HUNTER
March 13, 2009, 07:59 PM
the numbers stamped on the case "79" is the year it was made. The rest of the info is the ammo manufacturer.

azredhawk44
March 13, 2009, 08:19 PM
Jimro:

I don't believe starline makes bottleneck rifle brass at all.

OP: Got a pic of the headstamp?

b money
March 13, 2009, 10:48 PM
No, I cant Post pictures becaue I dont have a camera that works:mad:

also It is not starline cause there is not a line connecting the 2 stars. the stars are in between the 79(on top) and the 7.62x51(on bottom). also this is loaded ammo not brass and to my knowledge( which isnt much:D) starline doesnt make ammo, just brass. but please correct me if im wrong as I have never used starline before.

Thanks for the help so far

Jimro
March 14, 2009, 12:58 AM
azredhawk44,

I agree, Starline doesn't do bottlenecked rifle brass but it does do custom orders. Off the top of my head it was the only company that used two stars in their headstamp.

b money,

I found a reference (unfortunately without a description) that resembles yours, it would seem the two stars, date stamp, and caliber with green primer sealant means Ecuador milsurp. Sure wish I could find a picture. Sorry.

Jimro

b money
March 14, 2009, 10:12 AM
Jimro,
Thank you, do you possibly have a link to the web site you found that info on?

lipadj46
March 14, 2009, 12:40 PM
This is the best headstamp resource on the web:

http://cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes.htm

I don't recall ever seeing a * headstamp code though.