SAMCO 6.5x55 Surplus Ammo - Little Rough

[spencerhut]

I got some of the SAMCO 6.5x55 ammo they have in stock now ( http://www.samcoglobal.com/Ammunition.html#6.5 ) and was shocked at just what they consider to be "***Ammo may be slightly corroded***" . Geezel Pete it looks nasty. I was worried it would not function. Loaded 10 rounds in my AG-42b and let 'er rip. Bang x10. Good enough for me I guess. Attracts a magnet. Looks like 1976 production that was not stored very well or got wet.

[Crosshair]

Is the brass reloadable? (Berdan or boxer primed?) Looks tempting for my M96. It would be an incredibly good deal if the brass was reloadable.

If you don't know how to tell the difference, look down the spent case with a flashlight and see if there is one hole in the middle or two holes, each slightly offset from the center.

That wood bullet ammo looks good to have for practicing trigger time. Might work good for the "launch a tennis ball using a blank" trick on the 4th of July. Wonder if the wood bullet would penetrate the outside of the ball?

[spencerhut]

Berden, not reloadable. I got some of the wood stuff too. Did not try it yet

[simonkenton]

Is this stuff accurate?

I got 4 battle sleeves from Samco 6 years ago, the stuff was pristine.

I guess they sold the good stuff first.
Same price.

One consolation, at least it is non corrosive.

[spencerhut]

Accurate? Uh . . . . I sort of did covering fire about 7:00PM last night so I'm not sure. They all hit the dirt bank, I think.


Here is what the stuff looks like before and after cleaning

[Tom2]

I think you are right, they are getting to the bottom of some big ammo pit in Sweden. I used to buy that stuff and it was perfect. The last stuff I got like that had some brown staining on the cases. Now if it is green stuff, I think they ought to tell you that it is corroded ammo and should be cleaned before use! My experience with the stuff in good condition was that it was excellent and accurate, and hotter than my handloads, I think.

[emcon5]

I am tempted to buy some of the wooden blanks rounds, pull the bullets/dump the powder and use them as primed cases. Trying to decide if ~10¢ each for a non-reusable primed case is worth it.

[Crosshair]

I am tempted to buy some of the wooden blanks rounds, pull the bullets/dump the powder and use them as primed cases. Trying to decide if ~10¢ each for a non-reusable primed case is worth it.

Been there, done that, not worth the effort. You would think that pulling a wood bullet is easy, guess again. Kenetic bullet pullers don't work and neither does trying to pull it out. They LOVE to break off, leaving you with a hunk of wood in the case below the case mouth. That case sealant literally glues the bullets to the case. The wood will fail before the glue does.

I should have just used those 20 rounds I had to see if I could launch tennis balls with them.

[emcon5]

Thanks for the info, saved me the effort and irritation.

[Crosshair]

Thanks for the info, saved me the effort and irritation.

You're welcome. It would be worth the effort if the cases were reloadable, but for only one shot, it's just too much.

[Sasquatch in MN]

if you thought that stuff was nasty, you should have gotted some of their .303 Brit.......NASTY, but it all went bang.

[simonkenton]

The important question is, Is it accurate?

[chow chow]

Whats the velocity and energy on these surplus 6.5 x 55 Swedish? I may get some once I get my M 96 .

[emcon5]

140gr spitzer at 2625 fps

[simonkenton]

They don't look that bad to me.
You wouldn't even have to clean most of them.
As good as that ammo was when new, I bet it is still accurate as hell.
And, non-corrosive.

I bet it is still a good deal for 37 cents a shot.

[Tom2]

As for accuracy, if that stuff(well in good condx.) will be very accurate in your Swede, it will give you a goal to work towards to get your handloads as accurate. If your rifle does not shoot that stuff well, you got problems. Then again, at some point during the course of total deterioration, I suppose it will not be any good and crusty ammo is a question mark.

[chow chow]

I called Samcoglobal and lady said the ones in MG belted ammo are in clean shape vs the other. I guess it s the better one to get and also cool to have a link of some sort for posterity.

[csmsss]

I got ammo that looked far, far worse than that out of Sportsmans Guide last year. 7.62x51 German NATO surplus. There was more verdigris than brass. Of course, SG, the asshats that they are, refused to do anything to rectify the situation, so they've taken none of my business since then and will get none from me for the remainder of my days. It took me nearly two days to get all the gunk off enough to chamber the stuff.

[dutchy]

Berdan not reloadable?
Have been reloading the same Lapua match (berdan) for 25 years.
Okay, some cracked or otherwise failed, but, in general, 25 years of great accuracy and reasonable easy of reloading. Neck sizing die helped a lot.
RCBS berdan decapper, Lee autoprime, RWS primers, Lapua FMJBT bullets and
Vihtavuori N140.

As always, reloading you do on your own risk.

[spencerhut]

"Not Reloadable" = No availability of Berden primers in the USA.

[snipecatcher]

I got some stuff that looks as bad as yours from them not long ago. After a four month wait and having to pay shipping twice, plus ordering the ammo BEFORE they stated it was corroded, and 4 months later getting corroded ammo, I will not give SAMCO any more of my business.

HOWEVER, after polishing the ammo with some steel wool before I head to the range, it doesn't look too bad, and functions fine. The last time I went, I was getting 3-4" groups out of my 1900 Oberndorf, which is about what I get with commercial Prvi ammo. Good luck with SAMCO, you will need it.
-Dan

[chow chow]

I wonder how much Samco is charging for shipping 200 rds of the surplus 6.5 . Usually ammo dealers overcharge on shipping and thats where they get some more cash aside from the item bought.