[newgunowner]

I picked up my Mauser 1909 .30-06 this week from the gun store (had it cleaned and checked out since it hadn't been used in years). I asked the guy for some ammo for it, and he gave me a box of Lake City Army Ammo Plant .30 caliber. I attached a picture. Have any of you used this? Anything special about it? I've never fired a .30-06 so know nothing about the ammo and the difference between brands, etc. I was told from another forum that this is surplus army .30 caliber ammo.

At $1/cartridge, that seems a lot for me. Is this a average price for a .30-06 cartridge for target practice? Any suggestions on where to buy for a less expensive round?

Would like some feedback.

 

[Regis Rex]

There's no cheap .30-'06 ammo anymore. Lake City is US military surplus. What is the date?

 

[newgunowner]

I don't know the date. I've read there is a date on the cartridge, but I haven't opened the box yet. Is $20/box a fair price for this Lake City .30 caliber ammo? There's a gun show at the end of this month. Do you think I can find some there at a lower price? Some say this is quality ammo and some say it's no better than anything else on the market and may be a little more expensive.

 

[Ronbo6]

DEFINITELY US military surplus ammunition.

M2 ball is going to have a 150 grain bullet loaded to a velocity of 2700 feet per second. The primers are crimped in, which provides some inconvenience to reloaders (the crimp neds to be removed which is an extra step, but is rather easily accomplished).

Judging by the lot number, it will be non-corrosive primed. The first lot of M2 Ball that Lake City loaded with non-corrosive primers was lot #13700.

For confirmation, you can check the date on the headstamp. For this stuff, the headstamp will be a "LC" and a two number date. For M2 Ball from Lake City, any headstamp date 52 (1952) or after will be non-corrosive.

IMHO, $1 a throw is a currently bit steep for .30-06.

It isn't easy to find shooting quantities of US military surplus .30-06 any more, but if you go to ammoseek.com (or a number of other similar sites), you can find and contact a number of suppliers that you can currently order from that do sell various quantities of good quality newly manufactured .30-06 for $.58 per round and up (plus shipping).

 

[newgunowner]

Is the Lake City army .30 caliber ammo better or worse than any other similar ammo? I mean if I loaded 4 cartidges and 1 was Lake City and the other 3 were of different brands of the same weight & characteristics, would I know the difference when I pulled the trigger?

 

[Maximus Slade]

About the cheapest 30.06 ammo I can buy in a gunstore is about $16 bucks for a box of 20. That will be usually some M2 type ammo whether it be from CMP or Wolf or whatever. As for other surplus out there, you can find it but it will be close to a buck a round. I bought some South Korean stuff a couple years ago and I thought I stole it at 78 cents a round. The only way to get it cheaper really is to reload but even then it won't be by much.

One thing you gotta watch out for is your 1909 Mauser. I am assuming it is a 1909 Argentine Mauser. If it has the original barrel it is actually a 7.65mm barrel while your 30.06 is 7.62. While I have been able to wrangle decent accuracy with that barrel with flat based bullets and .310" bullets, you may not have the same luck.

 

[newgunowner]

I'll have to recheck the barrel for markings. I don't remember seeing a serial number on the barrel. But there are serial numbers elsewhere that match. Only thing I remember seeing on the barrel is .30-06.

 

[newgunowner]

I checked and there is a matching serial number on the barrel located between the action and rear sight, and there is some kind of proof marking on the barrel too. So I imagine this is the original barrel. It's labeled .30-06, but can I buy any other ammo off the shelf for it without hurting me or the rifle?

 

[Ronbo6]

I checked and there is a matching serial number on the barrel located between the action and rear sight, and there is some kind of proof marking on the barrel too. So I imagine this is the original barrel. It's labeled .30-06, but can I buy any other ammo off the shelf for it without hurting me or the rifle?

You are going to be pretty much limited to .30-06, but as you go along and if you decide to start reloading (it requires a significant initial expense for the equipment, but can bring your cost per round down significantly) you can slug your bore, determine its exact groove diameter, and load bullets that better match that groove diameter. This will improve accuracy significantly when compared to shooting bulets that are a looser fit in the bore.

.30-06 is typically going to have a .308" groove diameter, and shoots .308" bullets. A converted 7.65 barrel is going to be about .310"-.311" (+/-). .

002" or .003" doesn't seem like much, but it actually is.

 

[Regis Rex]

By the way, your Lake City ammo is ideal for a Garand shooter, and maybe you could trade that box for some other brand and a few bucks to boot. Your 1909 Argie may require some handloading with larger diameter bullets for good accuracy, but just for plinking, the cheapest .30-'06 you can find will work OK. Any gunshow should have some cheaper ammo for $15/box or so.

 

[steamer]

By the way, your Lake City ammo is ideal for a Garand shooter, and maybe you could trade that box for some other brand and a few bucks to boot. Your 1909 Argie may require some handloading with larger diameter bullets for good accuracy, but just for plinking, the cheapest .30-'06 you can find will work OK. Any gunshow should have some cheaper ammo for $15/box or so.

Good point. They're not making LC 30.06 anymore, and it's not easy to find at all. I have poor luck when I go to shows looking to find surplus ammo for my M1.When I find it, the sellers are very proud of it. (It ain't cheap). Also,, I thought all LC 30.06 was corrosive. Is it not?

 

[lcmunn]

LC non corrosive after 1952.

Good point. They're not making LC 30.06 anymore, and it's not easy to find at all. I have poor luck when I go to shows looking to find surplus ammo for my M1.When I find it, the sellers are very proud of it. (It ain't cheap). Also,, I thought all LC 30.06 was corrosive. Is it not?

There were some Match rounds made in the mid-1950's that were corrosive primed but US made .30 M2 ball ammo after 1952 should be non corrosive. There will be dates going up into the early 1970's since the Vietnamese Army was armed with Garands and 1919 Browning machine guns. The Vietnamese unit I spent time with in 1968 had freshly minted ammo and also brand new (from crates) M2 carbines.

My experience with a .30/06 Argentine 1909 (converted in the US by the importrer to increase sales appeal) was not good- your best bet is flat based bullets. It is interesting that 1909 Argentines were just very slow sellers in original configuration for $24.95-$29.95 in the 1960's- they had to sporterize them to move them.