Is there a good 308 recipe cheaper than surplus brass cases ammo?

O'mega

O'mega

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I'm now looking to reload 308 to feed the sg542.
Was looking at the price of components and can't figure out a cheaper than surplus recipe.
Do you guys have found one?
What's are the cost and what are your sources?

I'm looking for copper jacket only. Melted led fumes don't attract me.

Thanks a lot for sharing!
 
For plinking, I've used Hornady 155gr FMJBT with 39.5gr of Benchmark and gotten an average of 1.5" MOA out of my Remy 700 SPS. Haven't tried it with cheaper Campros or cheaper powders.
 
Unless you boil lead there isn’t really any fumes.

You could do bulk fmj with 8 gr of unique to plink with. Don’t think you’ll get cheaper without shooting cast.
You can also buy cast bullets if that interests you.
 
It depends what the ammo will be used for. If it's plinking grade (minute of barn door) you want, then you can't reload for enough savings to make it worth your time. If you need more accuracy, then it starts to become more worthwhile to reload.

Like owning a car - you can drive to work in a Ferrari or a Pinto, which is best for you depends on you.
 
what is the per round cost for the surplus that you are getting? i have my "plinking" load to about 55 cents for a load that shoots wayyy better than factory surplus. using campro bullets, range pickup brass and powder sourced from the EE and gunshows.
 
O'mega said:
Thanks guys for the replies. Looking forward to learn a thing or 2.
My concern about led is manipulating it. Maybe you are right about fumes.
Click to expand...

Not to push this lead thing. I used to work on machinery that made the lead plates. Two golden rules we always followed. No eating drinking or smoking. And ALWAYS wash your hands. 90% of lead enters through the mouth.

Anyways...

1 bought 500 count box of the Campro to 147 grain .308. Still waiting to reload them.
 
M43 projectiles. 15 cents.
Dominion LR Primers. 3 cents.
D4198 powder. 14 cents.

Approx 1.5MOA in both of my 308s.
2950fps from Savage 10TR barrel.
Swapping D4198 for H4198 nets me sub MOA in 10TR testing.
Been shooting this 300-400yds pretty often lately.

I've seen Frontier offers 155gr SP projectiles for same pricing and will be trying this soon also but wont be able to use cheaper D4198 so powder costs will go up.
 
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OP, surplus is fine to a point. When it comes to accuracy, some rifles will shoot it well and some won't.

Your particular rifle may be very good with surplus ammo but the SIG rifles I've seen were made in Chile and not nearly as conducive to accuracy as their Swiss made counterparts.

5-8 cm groups at 100 were the norm. If your rifle is capable of better accuracy then you may want to hand load.

I shoot surplus ammo out of my milsurps because that's what was made for them. I work within the parameters of their specs. It's all part of the game.

EVERYTHING else, I hand load for. I purchase ALL of my components in BULK. Never less than enough to load at least 1000 rounds at a time. That doesn't include cases. Depending on the firearm anywhere from 100 to 500 cases from the same lot. That goes for powder/bullets/primers as well. Everything has to be from the same lot. Mixing lots will mix your results.

Check with local or banner dealer at the top of the page about their bulk pricing. You may be surprised at the savings.
 
Isn't the surplus still about a buck a round? If memory serves Hornady bullets and Varget puts me at about 60-70 cents/round.
 
currently Tenda has Federal Lake City 7.62×51/308 Win Ammunition FMJ 149 Gr Case of 500 for $429.99 and Hirtenberger for cheaper but out of stock on line. They also have Barnaul for less.

I guess it mostly depends on where you are.
 
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