Affordable .303 ammo...

[RobD]

I imagine we are all suffering from the escalating price of .303 ammunition.
There seems to be no post-WW2 military ammo available any more, and the WW2-dated ammo is by now going mainly click-bang.
Of the civilian brands, Prvi Partizan (making ammo in Serbia since 1927) is the market leader in UK - the ballistics are as shown here
Prvi Partizan Ammunition

Now, the UK's official dealer sells .303 Prvi ammo at £77 per 100 (that's US $128 per 100). Thus it is the same price to buy a good No 1 or No 4 rifle as it is to buy 500 rounds of ammo...

The obvious next question is whether any government factories still manufacture military Mk VII ball? India seems to do so
Ordnance Factory Board
but I wonder what it would take for a civilian importer to purchase some, and what it would end up costing?

Just wondering.

Information

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[Brian Dick]

I'd like to see FNM Portugal make some more Mk.7z. I bought 10k rounds dated 1971 many years ago and it's excellent, clean burning fodder. I'm still using it although getting down to the nitty gritty of my supply. The military ball is all Berdan primed but I know they made Boxer primed brass too for the commercial market as I have some of the brass here. The Privi Partizan and Sellier & Bellot ammo that I've seen is all Mk.8 specification and some well worn Lees simply don't like it.

[RobD]

Brian, I read it and weep:

From Wikipedia

Fabrica Nacional de Municoes de Armas Ligeiras, (FNM), (English: National Light Weapons and Ammunition Factory), was the national manufacturer of small arms and ammunition in Portugal.[1] It was established in 1947, and closed by the government of Portugal in 2001.

FNM-branded ammunition continued to be sold after the closure of the factory, however it was manufactured by prvi partizan.

[Brian Dick]

Rob,

So much for that idea I reckon! How about PMP in South Africa? You got any contacts there? I had 10k rounds of that at one time too, all dated 1980 and excellent stuff, (Berdan primed). My Inglis Bren Mk.II gobbled it up. Then there's the Greek HXP. I had 20k rounds of it years ago. Most prefer it because it's all Boxer but it was no better than the FNM or PMP IMHO.

Brian

[browningautorifle]

Ammo? We can't even get brass here. There was some at the last gunshow and it all went before the show started.

[Brian Dick]

I think we can still get bulk packs of Remington .303 brass down here.

[browningautorifle]

I think we can get bulk packs of brass only, about $80 per 50 rds...ammo is about $25 for 20. I don't need that though. I just need 30-40 Krag.

[Brian Dick]

I'll see if it's available Jim. I can send up to $500 worth to Canada without export licensing. It only requires lodging with the AES system.

[browningautorifle]

Roger that...we'll talk. More to follow...

[Cold_Zero]

I am in for a few hundred worth...