Military Rounds

[junior]

I'm sure I've seen a thread on this before, but does anybody know a place in Pinellas or maybe Tampa to find some military rounds for a .223?

[bgbill]

how many do you want?

I will be at the captains meeting Friday, let me know how many you need.

Bret

[Divin' fool]

The local gun shows are the place to buy them. We like the ones made overseas with the green lacqer around the crimp and primer. The only problem is they sometimes won't break a brick when you try to buy them. That's alot of rounds!

[richhermes]

Originally posted by Divin' fool
The local gun shows are the place to buy them. We like the ones made overseas with the green lacqer around the crimp and primer. The only problem is they sometimes won't break a brick when you try to buy them. That's alot of rounds!

Pardon my ignorance. Does ammo go bad? Is there such a thing as "fresh" ammo? Just wondering if there is an issue of ammo going bad if you end up buying a brick.

[Divin' fool]

Should never go bad..... I have used shotgun shells that were over 25 years old. Military ammo is sealed at the crimp/primer and waterproofed. The only way military rounds may go bad is if they are exposed to water for long periods of time (like on a boat). I don't use my PH all that much but my dive buddies use theirs all the time. They will usually only bring a box or two in a ziplock and disgard the ones they do not use that have been brought underwater after the last dive. We have VERY FEW duds using military rounds.

[junior]

Let me check with my dive buddies bgbill and see how many they want as well. How much per round?

[f94gator]

Wain Roberts Firearms on Park Blvd in St Pete has them. My only question; how can you identify military rounds? These have green paint on the tip, otherwise they look like any other round. (Hector, c'mon you have to know this one...)

By the way, they were $21 for 100 rounds.

[FredT]

Cabellas/Sportasmans guide catalogs often have russian and other imported european and Israli .223, .308, 9mm and 7.62x39 available mail order in case and box lots.

Most of that will be sealed.

US military,and most imported military ammo that can be used in a full auto (all of the above, plus some others) will have the primer crimped in place and laquer sealed. Eastern European stuff is often berdan primed, with copper washed steel cases. These are NOT reloadeable so go for cheap $s. That should be fine if discarded after a couple of trips. American and IMI stuff is boxer primed and reloadable, so goes for more $s.

I have recently fired .30-06 military rounds loaded in the late teens (just after WW I) with good results. It's amazing what comes out of the backs of military depots as the stocks are depleted. ( Those rounds were corrosive primed, so cleaning was a serious chore.)

FT

[f94gator]

OK, so military rounds do have laquer around the crimped areas? So if I bought rounds that don't have a very obvious coating of laquer around, they are in fact regular old rounds?

[Divin' fool]

No.. that does not mean they are old. Some manufacturers simply crimp and do not lacquer (ie Western, Remington, Federal). Most of the military rounds made overseas ARE waterproofed. We have found that the armor piercing points are the best rounds (although by law they are no longer being imported for sale). If you can find them..... buy them.

[f94gator]

This is the round I'm referring to.

[FredT]

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?p=WX2&i=71628

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?p=WX2&i=52593

The search function there will bring up several other options, including Lake City armory military stuff.

FT

[Texasscuba]

Buy the SS109 rounds and you can't go wrong.

[f94gator]

The gun shop told me that the rounds, as shown in my last post, were SS 109.
I've also done some research and found that NATO approved rounds, which are supposed to be sealed, have a cross in a circle stamped on the end. The rounds I bought have that stamp, so I'm figuring I'm alright.