Surplus 7.62x51 for plinking (in a bolt action)

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grimalkin

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hey all.

Just bought a Remington 700 .308 for paper, and maybe longer range target shooting. Do any of you that have a decent target bolt gun use any surplus for practicing? I am thinking about buying a crate of the chinese 7.61x51, but its a big $$ commitment if I end up not liking it.

I would love to get a list of surplus ammo, and which gun it was used in, and how accurate it was at various distances. I have heard of Hirtenberger as well, and heard good things. But also hear mixed reports of basically every surplus ammo out there.

But I want feedback specifically from bolt gun users if possible before I take the plunge.
 
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Surplus = basically terrible compared to almost any hand load i've had. And trying to make cheap hand loads using Campro 147g was a waste of time too. Should have just thrown quarters down range.

I know some guys on here will use surplus at the beginning or end of a range trip, but I doubt they're expecting much out of it.

For cost of a case of 1000 surplus, you could buy a reloading set up and be cranking out good quality ammo tailored for your rifle.
 
BioPace said:
Surplus = basically terrible compared to almost any hand load i've had. And trying to make cheap hand loads using Campro 147g was a waste of time too. Should have just thrown quarters down range.

I know some guys on here will use surplus at the beginning or end of a range trip, but I doubt they're expecting much out of it.

For cost of a case of 1000 surplus, you could buy a reloading set up and be cranking out good quality ammo tailored for your rifle.
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Agreed! Surplus is okay for plinking, goes bang & can even print 'decent' groups, but it certainly isn't to be expected to be match ammo.

I have some of the Hirtenberger & I like it. Good clean ammo, but not accuracy fodder.

Cheers
Jay
 
wow I have thought long and hard about a reloading setup, I have no experience at all with that, so I am very hesitant to just dive into it. I have found some Chinese for around 50 cents per shell for 1000 rounds.

I am not expecting match performance out of it, I have realistic expectations. Its just for steel targets far away most likely when I want to plink.
 
Fifty-cents per is cheap. Try pricing new commercial boxes of 20.

The only surplus 7.62 to avoid against all temptations is Brazilian CBC. It comes in little brown cardboard boxes of 20 or 25, with an printed description and often an inked stamp. The primers have three big crimps and green sealant. If I remember right, there is no NATO standard maltese cross on the headstamp, just CBC and the two-digit year. Mostly 77 and 78 as I recall.

The story is Brazil loaded a pile (!) of this ammo, and their military refused it. The stuff crossed the continent to Chile where it was remanufactured. At this point the powder was sabotaged or improperly reblended. Guns started to blow up when firing CBC. What the Chileans didn't destroy found its way to the US. Predictably, cheap ammo meant fire fast in machine guns. More guns blew up. There was a class action lawsuit against everyone involved, and supposedly the remainder was destroyed. But a decade ago I picked up a crate at a gun show, knowing perfectly well what it's reputation was.

The story has a happier ending involving a CGNer, who re-remanufactured the CBC into Gold Cross. It was quite the hot seller in the 1990s reloaded with new 155gr target bullets. I've fired thousands quite safely. Gold Cross was shipped in white boxes with foam trays for 20 rounds.
 
grimalkin said:
wow I have thought long and hard about a reloading setup, I have no experience at all with that, so I am very hesitant to just dive into it. I have found some Chinese for around 50 cents per shell for 1000 rounds.

I am not expecting match performance out of it, I have realistic expectations. Its just for steel targets far away most likely when I want to plink.
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Then a case of it will likely be just fine!

The problem comes in when guys expect sub minute accuracy from battle rifle fodder... Unrealistic if you ask me.

Cheers
Jay
P.S. The Norinco copper washed is decent plinking ammo in my humble opinion!
 
Jay said:
Then a case of it will likely be just fine!

The problem comes in when guys expect sub minute accuracy from battle rifle fodder... Unrealistic if you ask me.

Cheers
Jay
P.S. The Norinco copper washed is decent plinking ammo in my humble opinion!
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Thanks for your feedback on the Norinco! I might buy a 1000, then split it with someone locally to make it more affordable.

Maple Leaf,
Regarding other ammo that was reloaded with 155 grain, is there anyone that sells this kind of stuff anywhere in Canada currently?
 
Pretty decent results with Norinco steel case FMJ ammo that I picked up for 50 cents per round. I replace the 143.5gr FMJ bullet with a 130gr SP bullet for hunting (2800 fps MV, safe and reasonably accurate in my 308 rifles only, can't say for any other rifles). Groups as shown at 100 yards off the bench from my 308 Zastava LKM70. More time shooting, less time reloading.

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308 Winchester Zastava LKM70 Stainless Synthetic with Nikon Monarch3 4-16x42mm
 
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grimalkin said:
Thanks for your feedback on the Norinco! I might buy a 1000, then split it with someone locally to make it more affordable.

Maple Leaf,
Regarding other ammo that was reloaded with 155 grain, is there anyone that sells this kind of stuff anywhere in Canada currently?
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Gold Cross was sold through the small community of dealers serving the DCRA target shooters. I doubt they have any left. That was 20 yrs ago.
 
Is the Norinco stuff steel cased? If so, too bad.

Grimalkin, you might as well buy something you can reload, if you decide to take that up. Save your brass, you can always sell if you decide not to reload.

It only took me a few boxes of commercial .308 to decide I had to reload. But I'd saved the brass, and it was enough to get me going.

It's not difficult, but it requires concentration, attention to detail, and an unhurried, methodical approach.

The result is better than commercial match-grade ammo (because it's tuned to your rifle), at much less cost.
 
stevebc said:
How is the Norinco primed? Boxer or Berdan?

Grimalkin, you might as well buy something you can reload, if you decide to take that up. Save your brass, you can always sell it if you decide not to.

It only took me a few boxes of commercial .308 to decide I had to reload.

It's not difficult, but it requires concentration, attention to detail, and an unhurried, methodical approach.

The result is better than commercial match-grade ammo (because it's tuned to your rifle), at much less cost.
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Berdan with steel casings, so no reloading those. Another problem is I am not sure I have the space for a reloading setup. Pondering... thanks for all the replies guys.
 
I used to shoot 7.62mm NATO surplus out of my Rem 700 in ".308 Win"
Also used to shoot 5.56mm FMJ Green Tips out of my later owned Rem 700 in .223 Rem.
Accuracy was not stellar. I could put 5 rounds in a 2" circle all day with both rifles and surplus at 100 meters with a 3-9 power.
It's perfectly accurate for popping beer cans full of water at 100 to 200 meters for sure.
Never had any signs of the dreaded internet scare of "high pressure spikes" in any of the cart cases after hundreds of rounds lol Blast away! :rockOn:
You can't always shoot match/handloads, even in a bolt action.
 
Slamfire said:
Hirtenberger ammo is Berdan primed so the brass cases aren't reloadable -

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/hirtenberger-308-762x51mm-fmj-147-grain-240-rounds?a=1851332

80 cents per round. :eek:

https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/hirtenberger-762x51-fmj-308-win-surplus-ammunition-720rd-crates-free-shipping-offer
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My understanding is that 1980 and afterwards, is reloadable? I can confirm that the case of 1980 Hirtenberger I have IS RELOADABLE with a single flash hole in the primer.

Cheers
Jay
 
Some HB is Berdan primed, some is Boxer.
It is probably the best surplus 7.62x51 ammunition available at this time.
 
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