China Sports .308 ammo?

[OpFlash 0]

Hi all, new to the forum. I picked up a case of China Sports .308 ammo (560 boxed rounds in a wooden case for $140) at a gun show recently for plinking ammo. I don't have a Saiga yet, I have a sub-moa Savage Police Tactical bolt action in .308. I've discovered that this ammo is steel jacketed and I'm afraid to shoot it in the bolt action for barrel wear reasons. Its 147 grain steel jacketed copper washed bullets in steel cases. Would this be fine in a Saiga .308 with the chrome barrel? Buying this ammo is a great excuse to go out and buy a Saiga now!

 

Does anyone know for a fact that steel (or bi-metal, or whatever it is, all I know is that it attracts a magnet) jacketed ammo will hurt a non-chrome lined barrel or could point me to any links where this is discussed?

 

Thanks!

[Oswald2001 0]

This is only a quirk of mine. I would 'baby' a precision bolt action sniper rifle. For me, only factory match or specifically tailored reloads (personally by me) brass cased ammo for a sniper rig.

 

 

For a hunting rifle or an assault type rifle, I would shoot and have shot the Chinese steel cased .308.

 

Steel can be made harder than your barrel or softer than brass. The steel used in ammo cased are about the same softness as brass. There is no truth to the urban myth of undue barrel and/or extractor wear from steel cased ammo.

 

There is another concern, however.

 

Some people have reported that the Chinese steel cased ammo is corrosive and others that it is not corrosive.

 

For sure, the stuff I have shot was corrosive. Not a major problem as long as you are aware of it and clean your weapon appropriately.

 

I have a couple thousand rounds of this Chinese ammo from years ago. If it weren't corrosive, I would have shot it long ago. 'Cause I'm a lazy cleaner.

Edited December 3, 2006 by Oswald2001

[OpFlash 0]

Yep the Savage is new (to me, but practially unused) and all I've shot through it is match ammo so far other than a couple of spanish surplus to get it sighted in. I doubt the china ammo will be very accurate anyway so I'm not really planning on shooting them in it but it'd be nice to know what the effects would be. I'm not concerned about the steel cases its the steel (or bi-metal) bullet jackets that I'd like feedback on as to barrel wear.

[chucku 0]

The projectile is not steel cased, so there will be no more barrel wear than any other ammo. The steel casing should not harm anything in a bolt gun, but I have the same gun, and would not shoot that ammo in it. I only shoot match ammo out of mine.

[Oswald2001 0]

Actually, the projectile is steel jacketed. You can test this by pulling a projectile and then seeing if the projectile is attracted to a magnet.

 

A lot of milsurp has steel jacketed projectiles. The steel jackets are very soft and are similar to copper in softness.

 

There probably would not be any undue barrel wear.

 

 

 

 

Personally, I would not use steel cased or steel jacketed ammo in a sniper rig. But, that's just me.

 

My approach is that a super accuracy rig requires super care and super caution. Better safe than sorry.