using miltary ammo

[sweet old bill]

I was able to buy last year some solid jacket 303 british ammo. I plan on using the 175 gr ammo for coyote or chucks. Is there a down side for using this type of ammo for plinking or hunting ??? I am sighting in with the ammo to make sure it flys the same as a soft point at 100 yards...

[infmphunter32]

FMJ's don't expand like soft points, they're made to more cleanly penetrate, which on a coyote might not be so bad, less mess that way.  Now I've only fired 5.56mm FMJ's with the military, so I'm not sure how that would impact a larger round like the .303 or .308 though.  You may still get a big mess just from the size of the bullet.  You may want to check too and make sure they're legal.  I believe for most species they aren't, and that might include varmints/predators too.  For plinking though, there's nothing wrong with them. 

It's also entirely possible I'm completely wrong.  My only experience with larger rounds so far is in machine guns!

[raymerlo]

I do no think that they are illegal,just more chance of a ricochet and are better suited for the range with a good backstop,on small game they would probably pass right thru if you do not hit a major organ

[jkzfixme]

It probably will be slightly less accurate due to the less strenuous guidelines in manufacturing, certainly good enough for government work , I have a ton of the 8mm and it shoots great. Chucks and coyotes would meet their demise with extreme prejudice, however as previously stated it will go straight though, and go until something stops it, so be careful whats behind where you shoot.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I used some of the Wolf ammo in my Remington 700, it shot ok but was dirty with a capital D. I started shooting the Remington UMC rounds and noticed two things, not as many fliers and alot less residue when cleaning. The groups didnt really change all that much with the better rounds at 100 yards, but at 200 they were a few inches off. I have stopped shooting the Wolf ammo. As far as hunting with FMJs, I would rather have a hollow point or something else that will expand rather than just pass through.

[fasteddie]

When I first started shooting woodchucks for some farmers , I used some FMJ's ( non military ammo ) . I was afraid of ricochets and switched to HP's . Then when I started to reload I got the Varmint Tips .

[Culvercreek hunt club]

My suggestion on that is use it in a bolt, pump or single shot. some of the surplus ammo can still be corrosive and the cleaning in an autoloader is a bear. I have shot chucks and yotes with .223 FMJ and they do go in a heap, but the backstop comments are very valid.

[Mr VJP]

The big fear with FMJ ammo is ricochet.  When shooting varmints, you want that bullet to stop when it hits the animal or the ground.  A FMJ bullet will travel farther than any other bullet when it ricochets, and it will fly unpredictably as well.  Think safety first!

[erussell]

There made to go through armor, Helmets, trees, sides of houses, cinderblocks, and anything else that gets in the way. They do not perform well on soft flesh, small hole in small hole out. The Rangers in Somalia complained about there FMJ bullets not killing fast enough, they were pumping 5 or 6 rounds out of there machine guns into guys just to get them to stop. FMJ will kill a deer or yote in time but will take longer especially on deer and you dont want them running over the next hill before they expire. I prefere in there tracks which is what you get with bullets with massive expansion, Lots of trama and blood loss. Military bullets are made to kill if placed in the right place but more to wound. If it takes more people to pull wounded off the battlefield thats less soldiers pulling triggers. Also the point about them richoing, everywhere is a good point. I can remember being on some live fire ranges in the Army and seeing tracers go along way after they hit a rock.

[Fitzy]

FMJ ammo is a poor choice for hunting. They won't expand. They are OK for plinking.

[highlander57]

•     Hi to all.  I too lost all my threads after the site’s update, so it’s my first response  here. 
  
  Sweet  Old Bill, I don’t know what kind of rifle you own. If it’s something you value,  I wouldn’t recommend using surplus ammo with it too often. Some surplus ammo can cause serious  problems to weapons, especially to the autoloaders. These problems have been  associated with a lacquer coating (for longer shelf life) found on some of the  milsurp stuff. This coating, when heated under firing conditions, briefly liquefies and flows  into the microscopic pores in the steel in the rifle's chamber. This fills the  chamber slightly with the lacquer that solidifies into a nearly impenetrable  build-up. Over time, the chamber’s ID is reduced and cases begin to stick.
  

[Pygmy]

I'm not aware of any semi auto .303s...

I'd be REAL surprised if Bill's rifle isn't one of the bolt action SMLEs that were used for so many years by the Brits and thier colonies..

With surplus ammo, corrosive primers are often an issue..Be sure to clean the rifle promptly after each use with hot water or an ammonia solution ( Windex works well) to dissolve the salts from the primers, unless you are SURE the ammo you are using is non corrosive.. Most .303 surplus stuff IS corrosive..