What surplus rifle has cheapest ammo?
- Thread starter majorca
- Start date
- Location
- In the Badlands of Alberta
About the only caliber that is both cheap and readily available these days is 7.62x39
Agreed. As far as I have seen, surplus Czech ammo for the SKS is out there and sitting around the $170 mark for 1120 rounds.
Mosin nagant rifle is cheaper than the mauser, but commercial ammo is about the same. Surplus for either is few, far between, and not worth your time looking unless you just find it.
With that in mind, shoot both and decide which you like more. I think the mauser is a better built gun in general (except for the spanish mausers) but I shoot mosins. Just the way things worked out.
With that in mind, shoot both and decide which you like more. I think the mauser is a better built gun in general (except for the spanish mausers) but I shoot mosins. Just the way things worked out.
Seems that about the only cheap ammo available is the Czech 7.62x39, which means a semi-auto rifle, generally, an SKS or a Rashid (if you can find one). The ammo is cheap but it seems that tack-driver quality just isn't.
Sometimes you run into some of the Soviet-era 7.62x54R "snayperskaya" ammo, which, by our testing here, is NOT all that hot.
Seriously, investigate handloading. Set up with a basic outfit, the pick out a RIFLE that you think is 'neat", then start loading for that rifle. Take some care with what you are doing and you can turn out really decent ammo, at half the price of commercial stuff AND you can load-yer-own calibres which otherwise are unobtainable.
After that, it's just another neat rifle..... another die set and another bos of slugs..... and you're away AGAIN!
MUCH better than throwing away half the price of your ammo when you toss that fired brass in the can at the range.
AND fun. And that's what it's all about.
Sometimes you run into some of the Soviet-era 7.62x54R "snayperskaya" ammo, which, by our testing here, is NOT all that hot.
Seriously, investigate handloading. Set up with a basic outfit, the pick out a RIFLE that you think is 'neat", then start loading for that rifle. Take some care with what you are doing and you can turn out really decent ammo, at half the price of commercial stuff AND you can load-yer-own calibres which otherwise are unobtainable.
After that, it's just another neat rifle..... another die set and another bos of slugs..... and you're away AGAIN!
MUCH better than throwing away half the price of your ammo when you toss that fired brass in the can at the range.
AND fun. And that's what it's all about.
What Smellie said.
Reloading equipment is readily available and cheap. I got a Lee 40th anniversary kit and it has already paid for itself several times over. If space is a concern, get a hand-press from Lee.
That way you can buy whatever rifle you want and you never have to worry about finding ammo for it.
Reloading equipment is readily available and cheap. I got a Lee 40th anniversary kit and it has already paid for itself several times over. If space is a concern, get a hand-press from Lee.
That way you can buy whatever rifle you want and you never have to worry about finding ammo for it.
I hear that 14.5 x 114 for the PTRS/PTRD's is dirt cheap thesedays 
But yeah, your best bet is a Russian surplus SKS and a crate of Czhech 7.62x39. If you want to shoot enfield's, garand's , carcano's, mauser's, MAS's and arisakas, you are going to want to reload. Nagants used to be cheap to feed. There is still surplus 7.62x54r in the country, but its getting hard to come by.
But yeah, your best bet is a Russian surplus SKS and a crate of Czhech 7.62x39. If you want to shoot enfield's, garand's , carcano's, mauser's, MAS's and arisakas, you are going to want to reload. Nagants used to be cheap to feed. There is still surplus 7.62x54r in the country, but its getting hard to come by.
