Your experiences with older military ammo

Woodsman

Woodsman

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Laval, Quebec
I must say that other than some Swedish 6.5x55 military rounds that shot accurately and maybe my 8mm mauser(have yet to really try them at a range, I can't say I've been too impressed with the accuracy of military ammo. The .303 rounds just weren't very accurate at 100 yds... a few this way a few that way. Some 7.62x54R was the lousiest of the bunch some high, some low. Yet these same guns shoot hunting ammo very well.

I remember reading somewhere that as the powder ages, velocities can differ significantly from bullet to bullet, hence the problems.

Military ammo prices can sure be attractive. Did I just luck out with a few junky batches? What's your experience been?
 
Good and bad.

On the bad side was some 1950's .303 and some 1930's 8mm that shot very poorly.

I had some 8mm mauser and 7.65mm mauser made by FN that was excellent, as well as some East German 7.62x39 that was also more accurate than any modern commercial hunting ammo I've tried in those calibers.
 
I've found that it really depends on manufacturer. The commie stuff I have in 7.62x54r is kinda spotty in terms of accuracy but still allows for cheap fun. I've also used some 50's .303 that worked and shot great
 
"...the accuracy of military ammo..." It wasn't made for great accuracy. Milsurp quality and reliability depends entirely on how it has been stored.
The best .303 I ever fired was of 1944 manufacture while in the Queen's Service. Stored properly by the CF for 40 years at the time.
"...just weren't very accurate..." You may be seeing an issue with your barrel too. .303 barrels can measure between .311" to .315" and still be considered ok. However, accuracy will suffer with larger diameter bores. Slug the bore to find out exactly what diameter it is. Hammer a cast .30 cal bullet through the barrel from the chamber end and measure it with a micrometer. If it measures larger than .315", the barrel is shot out. Milsurp won't help. Between .311" and .315" you can reload with a bigger bullet. Steve at .303british.com sells larger diameter bullets.
 
i have never had bad luck with any surplus ammo that was in good condition. all my problems have been with stuff that had suffered bad storage.
 
I fired some 1942 steel cased FC ammo from a Thompson SMG full auto and not 1 misfire.

I fired some 1943 FC and Rem form my Colt 45 and had too many misfires.
 
I have shot a $hitL0ad of surplus ammo and will say it depends primarily on the source as well as storage but to a lesser extent. Most of what I have shot has been pretty good at worst
 
Thats strange, all the .303 surplus ammo that went thru my Vickers was very accurate, 40 in a 1' circle at 100 yards out of 250,, and quick..:bsFlag: :bsFlag:
 
I have shot and sold a few zillion rounds of military surplus ammo and have had good luck. The odd dud or click-boom. Using this stuff helps rid the tree huggers of the worrisome problem of what to do with all this ammo when they take over the world. Do your part for the future!:p :p
 
a few years ago i was given about 75 rounds of .303 ball, all of it dated 1915 to 1917. i took it all to the range, and at 90 yds, fired it all off. no misfires, and the grouping was around 1" to 2". this stuff was stored in someones basement for many decades. pretty impressive for ammo that old!
 
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