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I've never shot 303 but I overheard someone at a gun show talking who said "the days of pallets of 303 surplus hitting the docks are long gone".
Seems like it was only a few years ago I bought a couple crates of cheap Australian 308. Don't see much surplus 308 out there these days.
I can still get spam cans of 7.62x54R, though costs have gone up to about 25 cents a round delivered. Just wondering how much longer before that's all gone.
Haven't seen surplus .303 in several years. Surplus 7.62x51/.308 has only dried up in the last year.
I will contribute my 2 cents. It seem the halcion days of lots of milsurps rifles/ammo are just about at and end. I was looking thru some old cataloges (1999-2004) which had lots of rifles and surplus ammo. Today 91/30s & Chinese M53s and a few Yugo Mausers seem to be the only thing avaliable from multiple sources along with the 7.62x54.Even they seem to be drying up with the current run on anthing with a projectile or trigger. It is still a great hobby,just a bit more expensive. Wish I had started sooner.
Russian ammo is still available. The Nagant revolver ammo had been in short supply but now that they sold off the stores of revolvers, they must have decided they didn't need to stockpile the ammo anymore as that surplus is hitting the market now. 91/30 ammo still seems plentiful but the AK ammo is in short supply. Swiss surplus is still available or had been a few weeks ago.
In Canada surplus ammo is difficult to import. The manufacturer of the ammo must still be in business. It can not have mercury in the primers. If the manufacturer is not still solvent and producing ammo, then the ammo must be tested for pressure in Canadian government labs. Canadian government labs charge about $3000 - $4000 to pressure test ammo. Testing from H.P. White labs in the U.S. is not recognized by the Canadian government.
The bill of lading for the imported ammo must match the markings on the packaging, and the packaging must meet Canadian labeling standards.
One company had a a container of surplus 30/06 ammo that was refused entry because a customs inspector found head stamps that were claimed to not match the bill of lading. The importer had to go to Montreal, repackage the ammo and ship it back to source. It could not be diverted to the U.S.
The days of entrepreneurs heading to the middle east and purchasing an ammo cache in the Sahara desert are long gone. Apparently one U.S. ammo importer got his start in the early by purchasing an ammo cache in North Africa and made a contract with a shipping company to deliver it to Alexandra Virginia. I believe this company turned into "Century / International) but I am uncertain.
Keep in mind that milsurp ammo is still coming on to the market. Some of this is disposed of by contracting with Disposal companies who bid on and get paid to dispose it. It gets packed into containers and distributed as milsurp ammo.
There is a move by the U.N. and other anti gun owner agencies to have ammo disposed of by dis assembly and not exported. This is far more expensive than paying a disposal company a nominal fee to export it.
I believe the US company was Potomac Arms.
You are correct Sir.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skip
more information here
http://gunlore.awardspace.info/gunknow/interarms.htm
I spent many hpurs in that building and knew John Richards and several of the guys that worked there. I regret the bargains that I passed on due to a lack of funds. When I look back at the prices in the early sixties that I remember I almost want to cry.
When I remember working a ten hour day for $8.00 in the sixties I want to cry.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba's friend
Married men working beside me for the same wages would be buying a car, a house, raising 3 kids, and have a wife looking after them on that $8.00 a day.
Four bags of groceries was $6.00 and that would feed a family of 4 for two weeks.
Put into perspective those guns for $4.95 plus $3.00 to ship was almost a days wages for some of us.
One farmer down the road from us would sell a pig every two weeks for $40.00. That paid his groceries, gas, and car payment....