I like to think I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to different types of surplus ammo. I can usually tell by head stamp what origin 8mm, 7.62x54, and 303 rounds are, but 308 continues to stump me. Maybe its because there is plenty of crap 308 ammo out there.
When I first got my Saiga with stamping on the receiver 308 WIN, I figured I was all set because I could shoot 308 military and 308 winchester ammo. The shop where I bought the gun only had some surplus 308 that the guy behind the counter said was pretty good. I don't even remember what type it was (small box of 20, Spanish I think) but it must have been corrosive because I wound up with rust in my gas tube and here and there in the bore. It took me lots of scrubbing and brushing and a few range trips with good commercial ammo to get the rifle back to normal.
These days when I see surplus 308 that looks old I'm a little iffy on whether or not to buy it. I know there is still plenty of good quality stuff out there but I also know there is plenty of crap too.
Now unfortunately it looks like the ammo I and many others bought of the NY dick head today at Wilmington was labeled as South African but is really Indian.
When I first got my Saiga with stamping on the receiver 308 WIN, I figured I was all set because I could shoot 308 military and 308 winchester ammo. The shop where I bought the gun only had some surplus 308 that the guy behind the counter said was pretty good. I don't even remember what type it was (small box of 20, Spanish I think) but it must have been corrosive because I wound up with rust in my gas tube and here and there in the bore. It took me lots of scrubbing and brushing and a few range trips with good commercial ammo to get the rifle back to normal.
These days when I see surplus 308 that looks old I'm a little iffy on whether or not to buy it. I know there is still plenty of good quality stuff out there but I also know there is plenty of crap too.
Now unfortunately it looks like the ammo I and many others bought of the NY dick head today at Wilmington was labeled as South African but is really Indian.