Tentative Future Availability & Price of NATO .308 Ammo?

**Capt Quahog** · August 23rd, 2009, 05:49 PM

re: Tentative Future Availability & Price of NATO .308 Ammo?

For some time now, I've wanted a type of .308 caliber battle rifle. At the time that this interest developed NATO .308/ 7.62 surplus ammunition was easily available and reasonably priced. It was fresher and cheaper than 30.06.

Went to a gun show yesterday and though it was known that prices have gone up within the past few months, I really did experience direct . . "Sticker Shock". The little stick on labels stuck on boxes and bags of ammo had garden variety .308 Nato caliber rounds at over a $1.00 each. Sellers wanted $23.00 for 20-rounds. Pretty much the same pricing with all those big rifle rounds.

Do have stashed away fair amount supplies of ammo in other calibers such as 30.06, .303 Brit and 7.62x39 with rifles to fire them. My logic, which may or may not be valid, is that in a pinch, both .308 NATO and .223 as current military will always be available via some channel.

At this point . . . maybe it would be wiser to pick up a Ruger mini-30 or a Yugo SKS.

Also for some odd reason, I find myself with nearly 200 plus empty brass for another hundred of caliber 45-70 rounds. Don't think that Custer's 7th Cavalry had as much at the Little Big Horn fight.

Anyway . . . would appreciate any thoughts or opinion on the NATO .308 ammo situation. Thanks . . .

**XD45** · August 23rd, 2009, 05:53 PM

I haven't noticed 308 go up really at all, or become harder to get at anytime threw the current mess. It's fairly easy to find brass cased stuff online for about $13/20 and steel cased and surplus for $7-$10 per 20. If anything its easier to justify the cost of 308 these days thanks to the rising cost of everything else.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/308.html

**Willie D** · August 24th, 2009, 12:16 AM

I've seen bulk .308 (brass cased) for around $30 per 50 rounds at Cabelas and Dick's.

**MaxPower** · August 24th, 2009, 12:23 AM

last summer/fall, South African BPs were ~$70/140 rounds. That's $.50 a shot. By Dec. of '08, they were fetching $100 a BP EASILY. It hasn't gotten MUCH better price wise but in the last 2-3 months, the supply seems to have been coming back but prices are still way out there.... I quit buying loaded ammon awhile back, now the only thing UPS brings me are components.