Finally found some good cheep surplus ammo!

KyleSchenk

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Finally finished my M14 build and took it for its first test run as it sits now. Gun is a rinco I bought from the last shippment from Marstar. I reamed the flash hider, unitized gas system, gas lock surface ground to proper lockup, NM oprod spring guide, wolf springs for the whole gun, BM59 rear sight, springfield 3rd gen mount improved by me, burris extreem tac rigns, supersniper 20x and a USGI stock.
So far I have shot the following out of my M14:
All at 100M
SA- 2.5'' groups or so
IVI-1.5-3.5''ish depends on lot and year
Norinco Green box- 2.5''
Then I gots me hands on a large quantity some Spanish stuff a month ago that was too good a deal to pass up. Took it and some IVI out the the range to compare and damn near shat myself. First 5rd rouping of the day with the Spanish stuff was 3/4'':D Fired off a couple more groupings and they ranged from 5/8'' to 1''. Not to bad eh?

I haven't had time to do any load devlopment for my M14 yet but is guess its tiem to start. Gonna pull some of the Spanish stuff appart and do up some similar hand loads and see where I end up. Anyone else ever shot this ammo before and know of a compareable powder to use? It seems to be slightly hotter loaded than the SA and IVI that I have put down the pipe so far.

Edit: Forgot to mention Im paying 40 cents a round for it
 
Umm,if you are getting these results with cheap MILSURP ammo why would you bother to work up any handloads? Curious about the headstamps on this amazingly accurate ammo. It should be in great demand,and at a premium price.
 
I get better accuracy with the SA surplus FMJ in both my bolt and semi guns than the winchester power point I hunt with, not much but noticeable and consistent.
 
I've had outstanding SA surplus, and crap.... 1979, and 1981 lots, respectively.

I suspect that proper storage has more to do with consistency - I have shot WWII Canadian .303 that was SUPERB, 60 years later, and, I've shot so much "click - bang!" surplus that I now only use modern commercial for actual "accuracy".

Surplus is a crap shoot - If you found good stuff - BUY IT ALL!!!
 
Spanish? What is the headstamp? Is the year 75 or 76? Is it in little cardboard boxes. Any yes answers require that you do a search on this forum for several discussions on dangerous remanufacturing mistakes.
 
Spanish? What is the headstamp? Is the year 75 or 76? Is it in little cardboard boxes. Any yes answers require that you do a search on this forum for several discussions on dangerous remanufacturing mistakes.

Spanish or South American? My point exactly. I believe the bad ammo was South American was it not?

"Companhia Brasileria de Cartuchos, CBC, says its 7.62mm x 51mm cartridges from lots dated 1975 pose serious safety risks because of excessive pressures. The cartridges, headstamped "CBC 7.62 75", should not be used, given away or sold under any circumstances. There have been reports of rifles bursting as a result of the excessive pressure. An independent testing lab detected peak pressures in excess of 130,000 CUP, in one of 20 of the cartridges it tested. CBC calls these rounds outdated. The particular round was manufactured solely for military use in several countries. They are not intended for civilian use at all. CBC also has issued a warning for any of its 7.62mm x 51mm cartridges from any year which have a label on the packing material with the Spanish word "reengastada." The label was not affixed by the manufacturer and its application to ammunition is unclear. If you have any ammunition with the 1975 headstamp or with the Spanish word "reengastada", DO NOT USE IT"
 
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The cartridges, headstamped "CBC 7.62 75", should not

I have 3 boxes headstamped CBC 7.62 77 does THAT pose a problem?
Same supplier I guess, label on the box says "FAMAE Reengastada 1982" On the other side of the box its stamped "CBC" in a circle, then "20 cartuchos 7.62 nato-comum.

packing material with the Spanish word "reengastada." The label was not affixed by the manufacturer and its application to ammunition is unclear. If you have any ammunition with the 1975 headstamp or with the Spanish word "reengastada", DO NOT USE IT"

Guess I answered my own question by reading a little harder. Do I go back to the store that sold it to me and ask for a refund?

I put 20 rounds through my M-14 when I bought this ammo back in the spring.
 
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I have 3 boxes headstamped CBC 7.62 77 does THAT pose a problem?
Same supplier I guess, label on the box says "FAMAE Reengastada 1982" On the other side of the box its stamped "CBC" in a circle, then "20 cartuchos 7.62 nato-comum.

Guess I answered my own question by reading a little harder. Do I go back to the store that sold it to me and ask for a refund?

I put 20 rounds through my M-14 when I bought this ammo back in the spring.

There was a class action lawsuit in the US against the main importer after some guys' valuable full-auto MGs started blowing up. Even though there were warnings, investigations and recalls, some of that stuff squirted into Canada. It still turns up. I bought a thousand on this forum two years ago. Fortunately the inter-web has worked well to warn you.

In a few sentences, the Chileans (FAMAE) tried to remanufacture scrapped Brazillean ammo (CBC). They got pistol powder mixed into the hoppers. "Reengastada", is a dignified Spanish verb that roughly means, reholstered, like you would put a sword back in its scabbard. Not every round is dangerous, just those that have blended rifle and pistol powder. Unless you have a very wide test sample and a good microscope, you'll never know what you have.

The cases, primers and bullets are still perfectly good. So, pull the bullets and recharge them with something you know and like. Fertilize the front lawn with the old powder.

Don't try to get legal with the gun store. They probably got the ammo on a deal from a customer the week before, and are just trying to stay in business. PM me with the details and I can give them the name of my contact in the ammo business. Gentlemen can talk to gentlemen without getting anyone's reputation in trouble.
 
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Back to the original question.I'd like to learn more about this remarkably accurate MILSURP ball ammo.It appears to be about the most accurate military ball that I've heard of over 45 yrs of shooting military ammo in military rifles.Headstamp info and source data most appreciated.
 
Back to the original question. I'd like to learn more about this remarkably accurate MILSURP ball ammo. It appears to be about the most accurate military ball that I've heard of over 45 yrs of shooting military ammo in military rifles. Headstamp info and source data most appreciated.

This remarkably accurate milsurp ball ammo is also well known as being remarkably dangerous. What part of 'blow up' did you miss? Mention of class action law suit, nation-wide recalls, quaratines, repeated warnings and a very bad reputation didn't convince you?

For the record, this is 7.62x51 NATO ball without the circled-cross authorized production symbol. The headstamp is CBC with a year in the 1970's, and the primers are well crimped in three places. It is found in small cardboard boxes of 25, and either by the thousand in a wooden chest with ropes or appropriately broken down in steel ammo cans. Each little box has a plain paper label and an ink stamp indicating its particulars. The word 'Reengastada' is prominent.

Fire at your own risk. I can't be any more specific.

Err, umm, ah. Got a bit confused there between CBC and SB ammunition. Two different guys and their surplus ammo.
 
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This remarkably accurate milsurp ball ammo is also well known as being remarkably dangerous. What part of 'blow up' did you miss? Mention of class action law suit, nation-wide recalls, quaratines, repeated warnings and a very bad reputation didn't convince you?

For the record, this is 7.62x51 NATO ball without the circled-cross authorized production symbol. The headstamp is CBC with a year in the 1970's, and the primers are well crimped in three places. It is found in small cardboard boxes of 25, and either by the thousand in a wooden chest with ropes or appropriately broken down in steel ammo cans. Each little box has a plain paper label and an ink stamp indicating its particulars. The word 'Reengastada' is prominent.

Fire at your own risk. I can't be any more specific.

Sorry I took so long to get back. Army's been keeping me busy. The ammo Ive got is NOT the CBC stuff. No mention of "reengastada" anywhere. I knew long ago about this crap ammo.

Its is in 20rd boxes marked with the "SB" logo (Santa Barbra) on the back, Cargados en 1979 on the front.
On the top.
20 CARTUCHOS
CAL. -7,62x51
NATO ESPANOL

Head stamp reads: 7.62x51 SB 78

Umm,if you are getting these results with cheap MILSURP ammo why would you bother to work up any handloads? Curious about the headstamps on this amazingly accurate ammo. It should be in great demand,and at a premium price.
...And when I run out soon :D


There is no more where I bought it from, cleared off the shelf. Its in my basement now with no intention of going to anyone else b:D
 
OK, was confused for moment. There are two conversations here Rick65Cat (who has CBC ammo) and KyleSchenk (who has Santa Barbara ammo). Two very different subjects.

Rick65Cat - don't shoot anymore CBC ammo! You can remanufacture CBC into ammo that is as good as your reloading press will make.

KyleSchenk - that Santa Barbara is just too good to poke random holes in YOUR paper targets. Send it to me and I'll pay you the same .40cents per round. I'll poke random holes in MY targets. (wink) If it is as good as you say, get as much as you can!
 
Don't try to get legal with the gun store. They probably got the ammo on a deal from a customer the week before, and are just trying to stay in business. PM me with the details and I can give them the name of my contact in the ammo business. Gentlemen can talk to gentlemen without getting anyone's reputation in trouble.
11-01-2008 04:37 PM

Not to worry, I wasn't going to get all uppity and snitty with them. I was just going to ask if I could return it for a refund, or credit towards something else. Its only 60 rounds (3 20/bx cardboard boxes)...not like I'm trying to return a few thousand shells :D
If they say no well,..then I have to decide whether or not to buy one of those hammer pullers and dies to reload 60 bullets.
 
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