I'm in the market for some 308. As much as I'd like FGMM or the like, my wallet says maybe cheaper stuff. I could also crawl out to the garage and load some but I thought it would be good to see whats out there.

Also is Saltech, Mensko or armscor good 7.62x51 ammo?

.308 has been tough lately. I picked up a pile of Norma FMJ stuff when it first hit the market last year for about $0.75/rd shipped, but it's loaded so light that certain autos won't reliably cycle it. Keeping my eyes open for a halfway reasonable price on XM80 ball, preferably LC/Federal.

I'm only familiar with the Armscor brand of the three you listed. I tend to avoid no-name/budget ammo unless it's US-made stuff with at least a decent reputation, and then just for range ammo. Saltech is interesting - I'd be interested to hear about any experiences with that. The Swiss generally make nice stuff.

I know many folks do not like Wal-Mart but my local store has had 20 round and 30 round 7.62x51 M80 NATO rounds (149gr FMJ) made by Winchester or Federal for about $1.05 a round (20 round boxes are $21.88 and 30 rd boxes are 31.88)….

They are white boxes with black print. I tend to pick up a couple of boxes (whichever they have) each time I go into my local store. May not be what you are looking for but thought I would share…..

Thanks for the info. I'm a bit surprised the Norma is loaded light I think I normally expect stuff from over there to be loaded hotter.

quote:

Originally posted by Anubismp:
Thanks for the info. I'm a bit surprised the Norma is loaded light I think I normally expect stuff from over there to be loaded hotter.

It surprised me too. Norma is usually pretty toasty.

It shoots stupidly well, of course, and the brass is excellent. Just a touch light on the powder charge.

quote:

Originally posted by Killer Instincts:
.308 has been tough lately.

"Lately" -- as in since the start of COVID and the Brandon administration? IMO it's better now than is was in 2020-2022.

quote:

Originally posted by Anubismp:
As much as I'd like FGMM or the like...

If you're used to shooting FGMM, it will be tough finding non-match ammo that shoots with similar accuracy. FMJ loads just don't produce any kind of repeatable accuracy. The more accurate hunting & varmint loads tend to be equal or greater than the cost of match loads. Upstart, overseas, and smaller loaders might produce good accuracy -- but likely not on a consistent basis. I haven't shot Saltech, Mensko, or Armscor. I doubt that I ever will.

SGAmmo should be on your shopping short list. Their prices are generally on the lower end.
FGMM with 168, 175, and 185 grains -- $1.55 to $1.70 per round. Still high compared to 2019 prices, but down from the $2.50-ish of not all that long ago.
Hornady 168 is $1.45 to $1.55.
Winchester 168 is $1.55.
Prvi Partizan can be hit or miss, depending your barrel. 155, 168, and 175 grains at $1.15 to $1.25 per. Maybe worth a try, but don't expect FGMM performance, especially at a few hundred yards.

Ammoseek is among the best search engines.
PMC 168 starts at $1.10 per. I don't find PMC all that consistent for match ammo, but it might be worth a try.
S&B 168 starts at $1.20. I haven't shot this load, but other Selliot & Bellot ammo has been decent for me.
Honady 168 black starts at $1.35 per. Likely the least expensive quality match ammo now available.
FGMM 168 starts around $1.40

SMK 175 loads appear to start around $1.40.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

quote:

Originally posted by Killer Instincts:
.308 has been tough lately.

"Lately" -- as in since the start of COVID and the Brandon administration? IMO it's better now than is was in 2020-2022.

Oh, it's absolutely better now than it has been in the past few years. I used the term 'lately' a bit loosely there. I wish I'd bothered to stock up on 7.62 while I was busy buying piles of cheap bulk 5.56, but such is life.

Tempted to order a case of the Saltech just to try it for myself. If it's clean, hot, and it shoots, $0.70 or less per round is a relative bargain these days.

quote:

Originally posted by Killer Instincts:
Tempted to order a case of the Saltech just to try it for myself. If it's clean, hot, and it shoots, $0.70 or less per round is a relative bargain these days.

The OP noted that FGMM is preferred. From what I see, Saltech loads with FMJ bullets. My records show that I've shot close to 50 types of factory 308 ammo through my rifle -- FMJ to varmint to hunting to match loads. Way too much experimentation on ammo types, but there were times when ammo was tough to find. If the goal is accuracy, FMJ bullets don't work. A 1.5 MOA or so group might show up here and there, but it will likely be followed by a 3 MOA or so group. There's little feedback to the shooter is to why the "flyers" occurred -- trigger pulls might be exactly the same, recoil was managed well, sights stayed on POA.

At least the Armscor ammo is available with SMK bullets. There's hope of good accuracy, if Armscor ammo provides consistent muzzle velocity.

After trying so many loads, across a handful of calibers, across multiple rifle platforms -- I've learned that I can determine if ammo has some accuracy potential with the first box. By the second box I pretty much know if there's long range accuracy potential. Buy a case if you want, but a smaller sample size makes more sense.

Yeah, it's FMJ stuff, but if the purpose is decent quality affordable shooter ammo, FGMM is not it.

I agree, none of it will be seriously accurate at long range. I got the Norma FMJ stuff to group right around 1 MOA at 100 yards from my POF with an LPVO, but it's still not going to win any long range matches. That said, those groups were repeatable, not aberrations. Out of several (10+) 5-shot groups I fired, the largest was right around 1.5 inches.

If the Saltech stuff matched that performance and reliably cycled autos, I would consider that to be worthy of stockpiling.

If you can get FMJ ammo to shoot decent groups consistently, that's great. More power to you and your rifle.

I haven't seen it occur with FMJ ammo, regardless of rifle or ammo brand or caliber.

https://www.bonefroggunclub.co...riant=31215468183621

168gr FGMM at 1.4 with free shipping on 200 rounds.

+1 for Bone Frog. Their inventory can be limited. But their prices are often quite good, and they have shipped my orders promptly.