PPU Serb ammo

[Muncher 1953]

I shoot PPU 8mm 196 gr. and haven't had any problems.

Noob Question: If I remember correctly, someone on a different thread said that the PPU is underpowered compared to original WW2 ammo. Turkish ammo is hot. Compared to PPU, how much hotter is other ammo, like Turkish... does it mean an increase in FPS?

I save all my brass and plan on reloading 8mm, I have all the equipment... but no bullets and no primers... which are pretty much hard to get these days.

an increase in fps, but more importantly to “antique” firearms, greater barrel pressures. Having fun safely is important, but ‘so what’ if you have to set the sight slider at 3 instead of at 1 for 100 yards?
I don’t know where you are in the great state of Virginia, but for reloading supplies, scratch around your local gun stores; I was able to find shot, wads & powder last week at a small store 50 minutes drive away. Not near any interstates. Went there 3 times! It pays to buy components when available, even if you sit on them a while, kept dry & cool.....

 

[Guillaume d'Orange]

I shoot PPU 8mm 196 gr. and haven't had any problems.

Noob Question: If I remember correctly, someone on a different thread said that the PPU is underpowered compared to original WW2 ammo. Turkish ammo is hot. Compared to PPU, how much hotter is other ammo, like Turkish... does it mean an increase in FPS?

I save all my brass and plan on reloading 8mm, I have all the equipment... but no bullets and no primers... which are pretty much hard to get these days.

Hi WreckTangle, yes, using the same projectile, "hotness" is then related to load and ultimately velocity. If you look at videos I posted in thread #34, the Ballistician guy measures the muzzle velocity of PPU 196gr at 2222fps, and that of Turkish ammo at 2931fps.
Ian McCollum did a video about Turkish surplus ammo where he cracked the stock of his shooter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AunvMjcJPHY

 

[heavy_mech]

Wow. That stuff is significantly overpressure. He was getting almost 3000fps out of a substantially shorter barrel. Many of us have seen that exact stock crack too.

 

[R.W. Parker]

Turkish ammo at 2931fps

That's nuts! I'd be willing to bet this was due to age deterioration of whatever propellant they used. There's no way this ammunition was loaded to that velocity initially!

Cracked stock? Yes, I could see how that would happen. The guy was fortunate it was only the stock that cracked...

Richie

 

[Warrior1354]

Well there is also no telling how that Turkish ammunition was stored either. And as Ian stated and a known warning in the collecting world never shoot Turkish ammo in a semi auto or machine gun.

Over the years I have been given Turkish ammo but I ended up giving it away to reloaders. Not shooting that stuff in any of my rifles.

 

[R.W. Parker]

Well there is also no telling how that Turkish ammunition was stored either.

That's very true.

I've also heard that certain priming compositions "leeched" into the propellant charge over time, and subsequently raised pressures dramatically. I know that's been blamed for making cartridge cases brittle (resulting in the high rate of cracked case necks sometimes seen in batches of old military ammunition), but I don't know how it could turn ordinary service ball into +P plus-plus proof loads. That kind of forensic chemistry is well above my pay grade.

Richie

 

[Tubby]

All my 8mm is PPU FMJs with the 198gr bullet. I'm intending to reload it. I need to pick up a set of dies. Any recommendations on sets? I don't think I need to resize the brass if it's only been shot from my rifle, correct? I typically do pistol that I get from the range and do all the standard steps so rifle is new to me.

 

[Cololab]

I recommend you research reloading rifle cartridges if you have not previously done so. It's more involved than loading straight wall pistol cases which headspace on the case mouth (for auto cartridges like 9mm, .45 auto).

If you are shooting a bolt gun, you may get reliable function without full length resizing of the cartridge case, however you will need to resize the case neck to properly hold the bullet. If this is the only rifle in which you intend to shoot these reloaded cartridges, neck sizing may be just the ticket. Otherwise, you probably should consider full length case resizing.

There are any number of manufacturers of rifle reloading dies to include RCBS, Lee, Redding, etc., so you can see what companies like Midway, Brownells, and others have for sale.

 

[Tubby]

I recommend you research reloading rifle cartridges if you have not previously done so. It's more involved than loading straight wall pistol cases which headspace on the case mouth (for auto cartridges like 9mm, .45 auto).

If you are shooting a bolt gun, you may get reliable function without full length resizing of the cartridge case, however you will need to resize the case neck to properly hold the bullet. If this is the only rifle in which you intend to shoot these reloaded cartridges, neck sizing may be just the ticket. Otherwise, you probably should consider full length case resizing.

There are any number of manufacturers of rifle reloading dies to include RCBS, Lee, Redding, etc., so you can see what companies like Midway, Brownells, and others have for sale.

Thanks for the heads up! I grabbed my Lee and Hornady reloading books and did some reading. Looks like reloading 8mm for my bolt action mauser using the same brass could use the neck sizing vs. full length.

 

[heavy_mech]

Yeah that's how I'm rolling. I got a lightly used set of Lee dies off Ebay and we only neck resize. Yes shot out of the same bolt gun (a RC byf43) and I've reused the same PPU brass several times. After a few go rounds I'll do the cheapo depot anneal using the pie plate and propane torch method. No issues so far. I've played with a lot of different flavors but nothing too hot.

 

[tgd31968]

I have had good results with PPU ammo in various calibers. I do avoid some of the Russian brands in older guns.

A few years ago I tried either brown or silver bear 30-06 in my Garand and 1903.

The report and recoil were noticeably hotter than some Danish surplus and other stuff I had. So much so that I gave the remainder of the box to a buddy with a modern 30-06.
Although I am sure it wasn't going to do much damage, I don't see the point in beating up the older rifles.
As long as it is accurate out to 100 or 200 yards, it works for me. We have a 600 yd range at my club, but 200 is the max I usually shoot. Sadly because of the operator age, not the equipment's.
TD