CAVIM ammo

**Mike Irwin** · June 12, 2000, 05:27 PM

According to a quick web search I just did, Cavim is manufactured in Venezuala.

Far cry from Israel!

------------------
Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.

CCV · June 12, 2000, 09:21 PM

CAVIM is made in Venezuela (I used to live there). It isn't bad, but isn't the best either.

Cliff · June 12, 2000, 09:33 PM

I keep meaning to pick up some Cavim in 30.06 just to compare it to the Talon stuff.

"Garand Times" did a small article on Garand fodder and mentioned a "sleeper" incorrectly advertised as South American production.

The packaging sure looked like Cavim to me. GT suspects it's Yugoslavian contract for Argentina.

So much for trivia. *shrug*

Cliff

weegee · June 12, 2000, 11:23 PM

I tried the Cavim .308 in my Ruger 77VT; it was so 'hot' I could barely get the bolt open, and was afraid to try even one more round (Incredibly flattened primer!)

Heard it shoots OK in FAL's, though.

Art Eatman · June 12, 2000, 11:34 PM

weegee: Maybe the stuff varies from lot to lot. A buddy brought some out here from Austin, TX; I thought it was rather mild. I thought the same about some I bought down in Jawgia, as well. No over-presssure signs for the .308 ammo from either source. Duh? I dunno.

Art

weegee · June 13, 2000, 08:12 AM

Art,you may be right. Here on TFL someone noted that Cavim was a little hot, but no one seems to have had experiences like mine.

Who knows, maybe that one round was a grain over or something, I was just afraid to keep trying it in my pet .308.

I still get tempted to try it again, though. Hate to see it go to waste. I even thought about pulling the bullets and replacing them with 100 grain 'plinkers' for fun. (Anyone ever try this, just to salvage otherwise useless ammo?)

Art Eatman · June 13, 2000, 05:20 PM

Yeah, I've done the "bullet-swap" deal. Used to pull GI bullets out and replace with hunting bullets in '06. Or go from the old 153-grain GI down to 110- for varmints.

Do one, and check to see if the brass is springy enough for the case neck to hold the replacement bullet. If it's a little loose, just load one round at a time, to shoot. That way, recoil won't set the bullets back.

Or, you can pull the rod from your resizing die and resize about 1/16" to 1/8" of the neck; chamfer the inside afterwards.

Ah, what we do to save money! What we think is fun! Luvvit!

, Art

pack_rat · June 13, 2000, 05:34 PM

Some brass I bought a while back was stamped CAVIM. I did a bit of searching and found that it is loaded as military ammo, and is usually thicker than commercial brass. It was advised to use caution if reloading bullets heavier than standard FMJ for a particular caliber. Be careful and work up the load. Watch for overpressure.

Drive On.

M1A1John · June 13, 2000, 07:57 PM

I have shot Cavim and found it to be a little hot, accuracy was not too bad, at 160 bucks a 1000, it wasn't such a bad deal.
I have had bad luck reloading it, it tends to stick in rifle chambers after firing, same results with different guns, so now I just leave it for someone else to pick up.
That's all I have to say about that.

weegee · June 13, 2000, 11:09 PM

Art--thanks for some good "how-to" on doing the swap. Looks like I've got a new project (JUST what I need!)

June 12, 2000, 05:27 PM	#1
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,381	According to a quick web search I just did, Cavim is manufactured in Venezuala. Far cry from Israel! ------------------ Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag. Chances are he knows how to use it.

June 12, 2000, 09:21 PM	#2
CCV Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 1999 Posts: 128	CAVIM is made in Venezuela (I used to live there). It isn't bad, but isn't the best either.

June 12, 2000, 09:33 PM	#3
Cliff Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 1999 Location: Saranap, CA Posts: 473	I keep meaning to pick up some Cavim in 30.06 just to compare it to the Talon stuff. "Garand Times" did a small article on Garand fodder and mentioned a "sleeper" incorrectly advertised as South American production. The packaging sure looked like Cavim to me. GT suspects it's Yugoslavian contract for Argentina. So much for trivia. shrug Cliff

June 12, 2000, 11:23 PM	#4
weegee Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 1999 Posts: 195	I tried the Cavim .308 in my Ruger 77VT; it was so 'hot' I could barely get the bolt open, and was afraid to try even one more round (Incredibly flattened primer!) Heard it shoots OK in FAL's, though.

June 12, 2000, 11:34 PM	#5
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	weegee: Maybe the stuff varies from lot to lot. A buddy brought some out here from Austin, TX; I thought it was rather mild. I thought the same about some I bought down in Jawgia, as well. No over-presssure signs for the .308 ammo from either source. Duh? I dunno. Art

June 13, 2000, 08:12 AM	#6
weegee Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 1999 Posts: 195	Art,you may be right. Here on TFL someone noted that Cavim was a little hot, but no one seems to have had experiences like mine. Who knows, maybe that one round was a grain over or something, I was just afraid to keep trying it in my pet .308. I still get tempted to try it again, though. Hate to see it go to waste. I even thought about pulling the bullets and replacing them with 100 grain 'plinkers' for fun. (Anyone ever try this, just to salvage otherwise useless ammo?)

June 13, 2000, 05:20 PM	#7
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Yeah, I've done the "bullet-swap" deal. Used to pull GI bullets out and replace with hunting bullets in '06. Or go from the old 153-grain GI down to 110- for varmints. Do one, and check to see if the brass is springy enough for the case neck to hold the replacement bullet. If it's a little loose, just load one round at a time, to shoot. That way, recoil won't set the bullets back. Or, you can pull the rod from your resizing die and resize about 1/16" to 1/8" of the neck; chamfer the inside afterwards. Ah, what we do to save money! What we think is fun! Luvvit! , Art

June 13, 2000, 05:34 PM	#8
pack_rat Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2000 Location: AL50 Posts: 156	Some brass I bought a while back was stamped CAVIM. I did a bit of searching and found that it is loaded as military ammo, and is usually thicker than commercial brass. It was advised to use caution if reloading bullets heavier than standard FMJ for a particular caliber. Be careful and work up the load. Watch for overpressure. Drive On.

June 13, 2000, 07:57 PM	#9
M1A1John Member Join Date: January 9, 2000 Location: Texas Posts: 77	I have shot Cavim and found it to be a little hot, accuracy was not too bad, at 160 bucks a 1000, it wasn't such a bad deal. I have had bad luck reloading it, it tends to stick in rifle chambers after firing, same results with different guns, so now I just leave it for someone else to pick up. That's all I have to say about that.

June 13, 2000, 11:09 PM	#10
weegee Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 1999 Posts: 195	Art--thanks for some good "how-to" on doing the swap. Looks like I've got a new project (JUST what I need!)