7.62 ammo at CMP

[Calif-Steve]

46gr of Varget? Just a tough hot in a 7.62mm. Actually, I load 45gr of Varget in my .30-'06 match ammo, same bullet.

[Griff Murphey]

In Townsend Whelen's book MISTER RIFLEMAN, he gives the standard Army MTU 7.62 match load as a 168 gr. SMK plus 39 grains of IMR 3031. This is still a great load although the larger grains of 3031 are not the best for most powder throwers. You can go to 37 gr. with 180 SMKs for long range.

[USSR]

M118 is national match ammo. The early white box ammo had special non-crimped primer pockets and NM marked brass. The late version had the same bullet and powder charge, but was in crimped primer pocket cases that were not marked NM. They both have 173 grain boat tail bullets and are loaded to the same velocity. I suppose you could call it sniper ammo. The brown box designation is "special ball".

A little history about the various 7.62x51 match ammo. The original M118 had a 174gr FMJBT bullet and the brass was not crimped and was marked either "Match" or "NM". The M118 Special Ball ammo used the same bullet, but used standard (not Match brass) crimped LC brass. M852 Match used LC Match noncrimped brass with a cannelure around the web area of the brass, and used the 168gr Sierra MatchKing bullet. The final M118 round, and one that is still in use, is the M118LR round which uses a noncrimped Match case that is marked "LR" (Long Range), and the 175gr Sierra MatchKing bullet.

Don

[Griff Murphey]

I thought we used Match ammo for snipers. Is a HPBT Geneva Convention legal (ne'er mind the Russian 7Ni bullets...)? Or are they using these HPBTs in theatre?

[Calif-Steve]

My understanding is Match ammunition is being issued in combat today. It is not dum-dum ammo and is not designed to break up. It is Match ammo. The British used .303 in WWII that had a hollow tip, but fully covered by the bullet jacket. I understand lots of sniper rifles are .338 Mag.

[Griff Murphey]

Just in case anyone wonders... In my college days I tried using 168 SMKs (at the time sold as the "International" bullet) for deer hunting... twice. One opened beautifully on a lung shot with a really (almost too) big exit hole about 6". Another time the jacket separated as the bullet hit the skin. The jacket stayed in the hide and the bullet punched through like an FMJ, with a very modest exit maybe 1 1/2" dia.

[pendennis]

you can get really nice brass, 7.62 . Long Range marked, once fired, clean and nice at Bartlett's shooting supply. Jeff Bartlett.

Jeff's 7.62mm brass is once-fired, machine gun brass. None of the Long Range brass is shown.

MG brass is probably oversized due to the larger MG chambers.

[Phil McGrath]

Well there is 3 M118 Lake City loadings, #1 is LC M118 Match its marked both Match and NM and come in white boxes production ended in about 82' when M-852 came into the suply system. #2 is M118SB that aint so special this loading used the same M80 line brass with crimped primer there brown boxed rumer has it M118SB used up the last of the M72pills weights can run from 172-180grs. #3 current M118LR comes in brown boxes the brass is marked LC year LR pill used is the Sierra 175.