308: What prices to expect?

ThePokGuy said:
Great choice on caliber.
Just make sure you take into consideration, that different rifles are going to like different ammunition. Any 308 that's under 2$/rd AND shoots well for whatever you decide to purchase is gold, stack it deep.
Bergara over the Savage 110, go try out the Tikka's if you can. PMC Imo is best quality for what you pay for, shoots well on my 308.
Click to expand...

Agree , I buy the PMC 147 gr FMJ and just reload with better bullets for other purposes. I can get it for $26/box in Calgary so I buy it up when it’s in stock. Same with the PPU 7.62x51 FMJ is very well priced.
 
Butcherbill said:
I feel those days are gone for now, maybe there’s some .22, 12g deals to be found. Even surplus ammo prices are high.
Click to expand...

Yes and no.

We've seen similar with the Obama gun scares, Sandy Hook panic buying, then Covid panic buying. Times when retirees were the first into Walmart at 0800 on a Tuesday to buy up bulk .22 and sell it for 3x-4x at gun shows.

We're in a unique time with a war in Ukraine; ammo stocks around the west running low, primer shortages... and rampant inflation. Much of this will pass but once things stabilize, inflation will have kicked in and prices may only be relatively similar to before.
 
mv2 said:
Solid advice all around, thanks all.

I will be doing target shooting most likely on a "budget precision, hunting-capable" rifle (something like 110 Tactical, T3X CTR, B-14 HMR), probably with a 4-16x or 3-18x FFP optic. Casual gongs and paper under 400 yards unless I get invited to a big range. No hunting until I'm comfortable & competent with all the equipment. Maybe if I'm lucky I could join some friends for an annual big game hunt. Is this equipment selection overkill for my intended regular use? Probably, yes.

My current take based on the comments:
1. Try out some FMJ options, see what shoots well, and buy tons of it.
2. If I find Chinese FMJ surplus, buy some.
3. Once I know what I'm doing (this could take a while), start looking at some match-grade HPBTs to benchmark my equipment & skills.
4. Defer hunting ammo selection to the hunters
Click to expand...

Solid plan. Just make sure you trial a bunch at 100m before you go all-in and buy bulk. Shoot what your rifle likes and don't do anything too crazy with it because it will be harder to determine faults between yours or the ammo you're using, which can delay progress.
 
Prices are high. I have 1000 rounds of Chinese fmj at the Canora gun show for sale. I’m almost hoping nobody bites. I’ve been shooting for 60 years. Not altogether sure I’d pay $60 for a box of .308, no matter what fancy title it had. I shoot lots of my home cast bullets and a fair bit of surplus.

Only in the past three or four years have I ever bought a brand new rifle for my own shooting. Two years back, my wife bought me a Zastava 8x57 for Christmas, and this past Christmas I bought a CZ 8x57, both new. Mostly I’ve used surplus rifles and a couple of Winchester 94’s.
 
mv2 said:
Hi,

New member and fairly new to the hobby as well. I'm in the market for a 308 bolt (in the quality range between a 110 Tactical and B-14 HMR) and looking to figure out how much this will cost me down the road for practice ammo.

I was hoping to get lots of PMC Bronze FMJ and just call it a day. However, it has been out of stock at Tenda, G4C and elsewhere for a while now.

Prices per round that I've seen:
$0.84 - Barnaul 308 145gr FMJ RIP sanctions
$0.86 - Norinco spam can 7.62x51 FMJ questioning if I would/should use this in a nicer rifle
$1.24 - PMC Bronze 308 147gr FMJBT (reloadable) out of stock everywhere
$1.45 - PMC Bronze 308 150gr SP (reloadable) not FMJ, is it good for target practice?
$1.60 - Fiocchi 308 150gr FMJBT (reloadable) is this expensive?

Hoping to keep the options under $1.50 / round. Are there some other possibilities I may have missed?
Click to expand...



Great caliber . if you are not planning on going hunting larger game any time too soon a 556 might be in order . it's cheaper to reload goes bang and is accurate. the 308 can do more as in with large game but ammo is stupid expensive . if I'm not mistaken your going to need 48 to 50 plus grains of powder for a 308 to reload . 556 what 25 grains or so ? your shooting metal gongs or paper targets . if you buy a 556 get a say 1 in 8 twist barrel so I was told . you can shoot heavier bullets. maybe you make more money than some of us . good luck in your choice and happy safe shooting . good luck in your choice.
 
Thanks! It makes sense to have both calibers eventually. The 556/223 may be a better starter setup, but the 308 is super versatile too.

The Mossberg MVP patrol & Ruger RAR 556 both look like a decent entry point. The CZ 600 looks good in 223 and 308, need to look into this one further. Bulk 223 is $0.75/round from what I've seen, that's half the price of 308. The 7.62x39 can be even cheaper, but it looks like poor ballistics past 300 yards.
 
The x39 does lose 'ballistic race' after 300, but it's not a "hunting round" at that distance more due to Terminal Energy. My Ruger Ranch in x39 is MOA at 200 and I wouldn't 'hunt' beyond that range.
But ChiMilsurp runs ca $ 0.40/round compared to $2 for 308 and 0.75 for 223 (or more)
 
All is well. PMC Bronze FMJs are back @ G4C for around $1.20/round.

Now I just need to finalize the Tikka build and head to the range...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom