Armed Polite Society

Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Scout26 on August 24, 2016, 07:24:29 PM

Title: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: Scout26 on August 24, 2016, 07:24:29 PM
In case you missed it on Tam's Blog, Old Western Scrounger bought out some/most/all of SAMCO's inventory at the bankruptcy sale.

http://www.ows-ammo.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=130&zenid=938ab4faf90927dd2ba250e13a9a63d6

I bought 140 rounds of .303 Brit and 100 rounds of Mauser ammo.  All for $190 shipped.  They have lots of .30carbine and other battle rifle and non-battle rifle ammo available at fairly decent prices.  Most is old new stock in original packaging.   All my .303 Brit is WWII manufacture, some British, some Canuckian.  The Mauser ammo is WWII Belgian FN manufacture.


Now I'm off to find dies and berdan primer punches.  Anyone know where I can get cordite? =D

Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: Jim147 on August 24, 2016, 07:28:36 PM
If I had some cash I would be getting some 30 carbine.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: brimic on August 25, 2016, 09:44:42 AM
Ehrmehrgerd! They have m/41 6.5x55. I've been looking for that stuff for years. Credit card is going to take a hit.
Fwiw, I've checked samco several times over the years, but their website/ business was too disfunctional to deal with.

Do need some .303 as well, have a bunch of enfields that rarely get shot.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: K Frame on August 25, 2016, 09:47:04 AM
Back in the 1980s and 1990s SAMCO was well known for advertising excellent condition ammunition and shipping absolute trash. Water damaged, corroded, partially crushed, you name it.

Their business model was apparently "If it's not on fire, it's in excellent condition!"
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: Fly320s on August 25, 2016, 04:51:02 PM
I hadn't heard SAMCO closed up shop, but I'm not surprised.  They always seemed to me to be the internet equivalent of an old, ratty, warehouse store that should have burned down years ago.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: Scout26 on August 25, 2016, 06:25:07 PM
Went through what they shipped me.  I found one round of .303 Brit was slightly dented (could have shipped that way or damaged by UPS).  But not dented enough not to be able to be shot.   Nothing was corroded or water damaged (paperboard boxes weren't in the best shape, but that could have been from age and shipping also, didn't look water damaged.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: brimic on August 25, 2016, 07:08:51 PM
Thanks for the link, Scout, just ordered up a hernia for the FedEx driver.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: MechAg94 on August 25, 2016, 08:34:35 PM
It is loose packed 30 carbine ammo at $25 per 50.  Why is that such a deal?  A quick search online shows lots of cheaper options for new ammo.  I have seen better prices for brass ammo in sporting goods stores. 
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: K Frame on August 25, 2016, 08:56:05 PM
There's not much in there that's anything close to a decent deal, but I wouldn't mind having one of those dogbone boxes of Remington .45 ACP.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: Angel Eyes on August 25, 2016, 09:03:47 PM
It is loose packed 30 carbine ammo at $25 per 50.  Why is that such a deal?  A quick search online shows lots of cheaper options for new ammo.  I have seen better prices for brass ammo in sporting goods stores.  

The selling point is it's USGI.  But you're right: one can get commercial brass-cased .30 carbine ammo for around 33 cents/round plus shipping.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: BobR on August 26, 2016, 12:46:16 AM
Ehrmehrgerd! They have m/41 6.5x55. I've been looking for that stuff for a while also.

I may get enough to get my 6.5 auto-chucker (Ljungman) up and running for a while. I love the 6.5, one of those rounds that should be very popular in the US because it can do nearly every thing, but isn't. :(

bpb
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: HankB on August 26, 2016, 10:28:30 AM
. . .  All my .303 Brit is WWII manufacture, some British, some Canuckian . . .
You're probably OK there; the Indian .303 ammo on the other hand seems to have an exceptionally bad reputation, and may actually be unsafe to shoot.

I got a case of HXP .303 British ammo a little over a year ago on stripper clips from Cheaper Than Dirt; CTD is NOT my favorite company, but this stuff was really clean '76 vintage and the price was right. (It went fast.)
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: K Frame on August 26, 2016, 11:05:46 AM
The selling point is it's USGI.  But you're right: one can get commercial brass-cased .30 carbine ammo for around 33 cents/round plus shipping.


And that's a selling point.... why?

To me it would only be a selling point if it were USGI AND considerably cheaper than commercial.

Otherwise, don't waste my time and money.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: tokugawa on August 26, 2016, 11:29:45 AM
Ehrmehrgerd! They have m/41 6.5x55. I've been looking for that stuff for years. Credit card is going to take a hit.
Fwiw, I've checked samco several times over the years, but their website/ business was too disfunctional to deal with.

Do need some .303 as well, have a bunch of enfields that rarely get shot.

 They have 10 and 20 round boxes- is it the same ammo? Educate me on the m41 stuff, I know nothing. about 6.5  ammo
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: MechAg94 on August 26, 2016, 03:18:54 PM
And that's a selling point.... why?

To me it would only be a selling point if it were USGI AND considerably cheaper than commercial.

Otherwise, don't waste my time and money.
The stuff I remember getting that was loaded in stripper clips and bandoliers was a bit underpowered.  Loose packed USGI ammo that isn't in good condition does not excite me.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: Scout26 on August 27, 2016, 02:02:53 PM
You're probably OK there; the Indian .303 ammo on the other hand seems to have an exceptionally bad reputation, and may actually be unsafe to shoot.

I got a case of HXP .303 British ammo a little over a year ago on stripper clips from Cheaper Than Dirt; CTD is NOT my favorite company, but this stuff was really clean '76 vintage and the price was right. (It went fast.)

That's why I ordered the Brit and Canuckian .303.  They do have Indian, but I've heard a lot about the (lack of) QC, and being unsafe to shoot, so I passed and stuck with what I know is good ammo.  The Belgian FN stuff I'm sure is good ammo.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: HankB on August 27, 2016, 02:35:52 PM
That's why I ordered the Brit and Canuckian .303.  They do have Indian, but I've heard a lot about the (lack of) QC, and being unsafe to shoot, so I passed and stuck with what I know is good ammo.  The Belgian FN stuff I'm sure is good ammo.
I sort of follow the old adage "Don't use ammo that comes from a country where you wouldn't drink the water."   ;)
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: birdman on August 27, 2016, 06:38:26 PM
Hmm...30.06 black tip...yeah, why not.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: AmbulanceDriver on August 27, 2016, 07:13:48 PM
Hmm...30.06 black tip...yeah, why not.

I would have to agree.... Curious to see how my Garand likes M2 AP......   From what I've seen of other's experiences, it should like it *extremely* well

ETA: 2 boxes of AP goodness headed my way. Hard to justify more at $1.50 a round
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: birdman on August 27, 2016, 07:31:39 PM
I would have to agree.... Curious to see how my Garand likes M2 AP......   From what I've seen of other's experiences, it should like it *extremely* well

ETA: 2 boxes of AP goodness headed my way. Hard to justify more at $1.50 a round

Likewise re: trying it in the M1 I bought from Fitz...and trying it on some steel plate, though quantity purchased may differ...
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: French G. on August 27, 2016, 11:51:32 PM
I have one unopened box of SL43 black tip that I wish I could sell to a collector. The other boxes were unopened but the paper sealbroke from age and handling. I have a ton of loose black tip and some 5 Rd clip bandoleers of SL43 that I do shoot. Wish I could find more.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: brimic on August 28, 2016, 11:52:59 AM
They have 10 and 20 round boxes- is it the same ammo? Educate me on the m41 stuff, I know nothing. about 6.5  ammo

I have never tried any of it, but all reports I've read is that it's very accurate. I really want some of this stuff for my M41b rifles to compare with my hand loads , which is the only ammo I've ever shot through them. If it's as good or better than my hand loads, I might spring for a thousand more rounds of it, as the hand loads I use are not cheap- using lapua brass, 140,142gr SMKs or 139gr lapua scenars.

Fwiw,I ordered 25 of the 20 rd boxes.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: Angel Eyes on August 28, 2016, 09:46:33 PM
. . . . and they won't ship the M2 AP goodness to California, even though it's perfectly legal.  Bastages.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: brimic on August 28, 2016, 11:12:15 PM
. . . . and they won't ship the M2 AP goodness to California, even though it's perfectly legal.  Bastages.


No worries, it's only a matter of time before some idiot starts manufacturing .50 bmg handguns and it gets banned for the rest of us as well :facepalm:
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: Mannlicher on August 29, 2016, 04:55:28 PM
I had so much trouble sourcing 8X56 Mannlicher-Schoenauer ammo, that I had the rifle converted to 8X57 Mauser.   :)
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: MechAg94 on August 29, 2016, 09:19:37 PM
I didn't see the 3006 AP ammo.  Gotta think about that.  I saw their price on the 7.5X55 then I found the same ammo elsewhere for half that.  I have shot my K31's in quite some time.  I might have to correct that.
Title: Re: Need ammo for your battle rifle?
Post by: brimic on August 30, 2016, 06:28:49 PM
Just got my 500rd order of 6.5x55 in.
About 1/3 of it looked shiny and new, 1/3 had a bit of discoloration, and 1/3 was moderately to heavily tarnished. None them look unshod table or questionable, though I might clean the worst ones up a bit before shooting.About 1/2 the boxes were opened and 2 of them had a few rounds missing.

I might see if I can get a but if range time in Friday morning or some time this coming weekend to see how they shoot.