Looking for good / cheap 30-06 non-steel ammo

[John BigBootay]

I also posted this in the Justice/Pub safety forum but NewYorkerFrom Mass told me post it here-- so here goes...

Yesterday I went to an outdoor firing range near my house in the L.A. hills. I only collect and shoot classic / collectible firearms such as the M1 Garand and the 1903, both 30-06.

This was the first time I'd been to this range, and only about the third time I'd fired these rifles-- I'm not a big shooter-- I'm more just an appreciator of these old weapons.

At any rate, I'd cracked off one clip from my Garand when one of the range officers came by to inspect my ammo. I asked what he was looking for and he said "steel ammo." It's apparently banned from this range because of the threat of sparking on a rock and starting a brush fire-- a sensible precaution.

He found that my 30-06 ammo did in fact contain a steel core, with a copper FMJ-- he held it up to a magnet to test it. Then he told me to pick up my gear and leave the range as this was a zero-tolerance policy.

I complied, but told him that I had NO IDEA that my ammo had a steel core, and that no one had told me how to inspect my ammo to insure that it was safe to shoot, even though I declared to the range cashiers that I was a new shooter and a novice.

I guess I feel a bit of sour grapes here and I'm venting a bit. I see the need for this safety precaution-- but I feel that the range people could have been more interested in coaxing safety from a new shooter rather than just kicking one out for unwittingly breaking the rules. Oh well.

I obtained my steel-core 30-06 ammo from a web / maill order place called Cheaper Than Dirt and got a really good price on this ammo: about $7 per box of 20.

My question is: Where can I get good, reasonably priced ammo and be sure it contains no steel so I can go back to this place and shoot without getting thrown out again? Does anyone have a favorite non-steel brand of 30-06 ammo (just for plinking)?

Thanks in advance!

[ArkDem]

1. wal mart

http://www.remington.com/ammo/umc/umc_rifle.htm

[John BigBootay]

3. Do you shoot this brand, ArkDem?

So you're sure it is "Steel Free?" ANd do you know what it generally runs for a 20 round box?

Thanks!!

[ArkDem]

6. Not only do I shoot it, I work at the Remington factory that makes it.

Lead core with copper jacket. UMC is our 'cheap' brand. Very good stuff though.

[Zuni]

2. a Garand, eh?

A fine weapon indeed. I love WWI-WWII rifles. I have Mausers, Moisin Nagants and (my favorite) a Lee-Enfield Rifle #4

I have a friend who bought a Bren Light Machine Gun (not working) on E-Bay. Seriously.

[John BigBootay]

4. I love my Garand-

but I think I like my M1 carbine a little better. It has less recoil, it's lighter and smaller, and is ridiculously accurate. Thanks!

[ArkDem]

7. You might want to try the below in the Garand

http://www.remington.com/ammo/centerfire/managed_recoil.htm

[John BigBootay]

9. Thanks for that tip, ArkDem!

I will try it out.

The Garand does have a pretty hefty kick!

[GregW]

5. Discover the wonderful world of reloading!

I currently load .45 ACP and have the dies for 9 MM but can't bring myself to believe that it's cost effective.

.30-06 is a commonly reloaded rifle round ... maybe look for some secondhand presses?

Cheaper than dirt is usually a good source for ammo ... might also want to try ammoman.

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

8. I'll second reloading

I currently reload for about a dozen calibers. It can be cheap or expensive depending on how much you plan to reload. You could go as cheap as a ~$100 Lee set that will get you started in one caliber, or you can spend over $1000 getting set up with a Dillon progressive that will doo 800-1000 rounds per hour (so the advertisement says, mine doesn't go quite that fast).

[John BigBootay]

10. I've thought about reloading--

but I honestly don't shoot all that much-- maybe a few times a year, and maybe only a hundred or so rounds then.

But I have a question: do you reuse the brass when you reload? Or do you buy new brass?

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

11. I'll reuse brass

Up to a point, I will reuse brass. Depends on the caliber really, and the chamber in the rifle/pistol it is being fired in. Loose chambers wear out brass faster, same with high pressure rounds.

When a round is fired, brass "flows" from the head of the case toward the mouth. In rifles, for example, I will have to trim the cases after each firing because the length of the case has "grown". After enough firings and resizings the brass in the head area can get thin. This can run the risk of a case head separation. That is what it is called when the head of the case separated from the body of the case, usually while there is an explosion going on inside to the tune of 50K-75K PSI. Honestly it depends on the caliber, chamber and brass maker how many times I will resuse a particular case.