Once fired 308 brass

gamecaller1 · February 13, 2012, 11:16 PM

I've been thinking about buying some once fired military brass in a 308 cal. I have always shot new brass. Need some advise on this. Thanks

Jimro · February 13, 2012, 11:24 PM

If you have a bolt action rifle the amount of time you'll spend in brass prep is going to really tick you off, but if you get it to shoot well in your rifle it will last a pretty long time with good care.

If however you have a gas gun that is really hard on your new brass and are willing to take the steps then once fired GI brass can be a good option pricewise.

I've loaded a lot of once fired M80 ball brass, it involves cleaning, depriming, decrimping, annealing, resizing, trimming, chamfering, and that is just to get 4 reloads out of it (the rule is 4 reloads and chuck it for most semi auto rifles). I happened to get a bunch of it in trade a long time ago, and if you have a lot of spare time (like I did back then) it can be worth doing.

If you buy from someone who will process the crimp out for you like Jeff Bartlett of gibrass.com I would recommend it. I visited Mr. Bartlett at his warehouse in Owensboro KY and purchased 2,000 once fired 5.56 brass that he had processed for 20 bucks per thousand. Saved me the trouble of cleaning, depriming, and decrimping. Well worth it in my book. I don't hesitate to recommend gibrass.com as I have been very happy with my purchase.

If you can get once fired M118 brass it is usually worth the extra money as it is usually fired from sniper rifles instead of being run through M240 machine guns.

Jimro

Scharfschuetzer · February 13, 2012, 11:28 PM

I shoot it all the time, but I have a stock of it from match shooting with the army and I know that it wasn't abused or fired full auto. As Jimro notes above, case prep is key to getting it to shoot well and the M118 is well worth getting. The M 852 match round does not have a crimped in primer and is as good as it gets for GI ammo. I use it in all my 308 rifles.

Most 7.62 NATO GI brass has been fired through a machine gun. They can be pretty hard on 'em. The M-60 would stretch the web area pretty badly and drastically shortened the life of the cases fired through them. I've never bothered trying the brass from our current M-240, but I suspect it might have the same issues.

The life cycle of GI brass sold in the US is generally something like this:

Fired by the troops on bases in the US.

It is then policed up and turned in to the Ammo Supply Point salvage yard where it is weighed (weight must match predicted weight by number of rounds issued) and checked for live rounds on large screens.

Collected en masse and turned over to DOL and when sufficient tonnage is on hand, it somehow gets sold to bidders.

Sold by the bidder to jobbers or direct to the customer.

9mm, 45 ACP and 38 Special (not seen much anymore) don't have the issues that the ammo fired through the MGs have and are a safe bet to buy.

farmerboy · February 13, 2012, 11:29 PM

as long as its Boxer primed, go for it. Usually very cheap and just as good as anything out there. No different process than anything else. Full size at first and load and shoot. Really need to do same as anything else, Start low and work up.

Roughedge · February 14, 2012, 05:15 PM

how much are you looking for? I came across 2 or 3 hundred extra the other day that are Federal and winchester once fired I may make you a deal on.

farmerboy · February 14, 2012, 05:32 PM

I like Winchester

aarhunt · February 14, 2012, 10:50 PM

I like winchester brass!!! But if want some 308 brass that will last u a while i would try to get ur hands on some Lakecity brass(Headstamp is LC)

farmerboy · February 14, 2012, 10:53 PM

Yep

gamecaller1 · February 14, 2012, 11:02 PM

I'm like farmer boy. I like winchester brass. You can email me at [email protected] about the brass you have. Thanks everyone for your information. The bass I was looking at was from JT Inc. The military brass had been processed and polished.

February 13, 2012, 11:16 PM	#1
gamecaller1 Member Join Date: October 9, 2010 Posts: 24	Once fired 308 brass I've been thinking about buying some once fired military brass in a 308 cal. I have always shot new brass. Need some advise on this. Thanks

February 13, 2012, 11:24 PM	#2
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	If you have a bolt action rifle the amount of time you'll spend in brass prep is going to really tick you off, but if you get it to shoot well in your rifle it will last a pretty long time with good care. If however you have a gas gun that is really hard on your new brass and are willing to take the steps then once fired GI brass can be a good option pricewise. I've loaded a lot of once fired M80 ball brass, it involves cleaning, depriming, decrimping, annealing, resizing, trimming, chamfering, and that is just to get 4 reloads out of it (the rule is 4 reloads and chuck it for most semi auto rifles). I happened to get a bunch of it in trade a long time ago, and if you have a lot of spare time (like I did back then) it can be worth doing. If you buy from someone who will process the crimp out for you like Jeff Bartlett of gibrass.com I would recommend it. I visited Mr. Bartlett at his warehouse in Owensboro KY and purchased 2,000 once fired 5.56 brass that he had processed for 20 bucks per thousand. Saved me the trouble of cleaning, depriming, and decrimping. Well worth it in my book. I don't hesitate to recommend gibrass.com as I have been very happy with my purchase. If you can get once fired M118 brass it is usually worth the extra money as it is usually fired from sniper rifles instead of being run through M240 machine guns. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

February 13, 2012, 11:28 PM	#3
Scharfschuetzer Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2012 Location: Puget Sound Posts: 293	I shoot it all the time, but I have a stock of it from match shooting with the army and I know that it wasn't abused or fired full auto. As Jimro notes above, case prep is key to getting it to shoot well and the M118 is well worth getting. The M 852 match round does not have a crimped in primer and is as good as it gets for GI ammo. I use it in all my 308 rifles. Most 7.62 NATO GI brass has been fired through a machine gun. They can be pretty hard on 'em. The M-60 would stretch the web area pretty badly and drastically shortened the life of the cases fired through them. I've never bothered trying the brass from our current M-240, but I suspect it might have the same issues. The life cycle of GI brass sold in the US is generally something like this: Fired by the troops on bases in the US. It is then policed up and turned in to the Ammo Supply Point salvage yard where it is weighed (weight must match predicted weight by number of rounds issued) and checked for live rounds on large screens. Collected en masse and turned over to DOL and when sufficient tonnage is on hand, it somehow gets sold to bidders. Sold by the bidder to jobbers or direct to the customer. 9mm, 45 ACP and 38 Special (not seen much anymore) don't have the issues that the ammo fired through the MGs have and are a safe bet to buy. __________________ Scharfschuetzer US Army Distinguished Rifleman Washington State Distinguished Rifleman NRA Police Distinguished Expert

February 14, 2012, 05:15 PM	#5
Roughedge Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2011 Location: Monroe,NC Posts: 669	how much are you looking for? I came across 2 or 3 hundred extra the other day that are Federal and winchester once fired I may make you a deal on. __________________ The man that die's with the most stuff win's!

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February 13, 2012, 11:29 PM	#4
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	as long as its Boxer primed, go for it. Usually very cheap and just as good as anything out there. No different process than anything else. Full size at first and load and shoot. Really need to do same as anything else, Start low and work up.

February 14, 2012, 05:32 PM	#6
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	I like Winchester

February 14, 2012, 10:50 PM	#7
aarhunt Junior member Join Date: January 17, 2009 Location: Chippewa Lake,Ohio Posts: 104	I like winchester brass!!! But if want some 308 brass that will last u a while i would try to get ur hands on some Lakecity brass(Headstamp is LC)

February 14, 2012, 10:53 PM	#8
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	Yep

February 14, 2012, 11:02 PM	#9
gamecaller1 Member Join Date: October 9, 2010 Posts: 24	I'm like farmer boy. I like winchester brass. You can email me at [email protected] about the brass you have. Thanks everyone for your information. The bass I was looking at was from JT Inc. The military brass had been processed and polished.