So I got some Yugo ammo...

R

ReiseReise

Well-known member
I ordered and just received a bunch of Yugo surplus, mostly ’52-’53 but there are cartridges as new as ’84 mixed in (haven’t even gone through them all yet…). In general they appear to be in good shape, although they’re quite dirty: there looks to be dark, sticky soot on a number of them. Once cleaned-off, the brass and copper underneath generally appear to be pretty good.

I had some questions:

1.) I’ve read that the early fifties Yugoslavian ammo can sometimes not fire or hang-fire if one’s firing spring isn’t really strong; is this a general consensus?
a. If so, does the usual “wait 60 seconds before ejecting” apply if it doesn’t fire? Is there a big risk of it going off after the primer is struck and the still-live cartridge is ejected?
2.) Some of the cartridges have bullets that feel loose: they don’t pull out, but one can feel some play between the bullet and the casing. Is this okay so long as there’re no signs of serious corrosion to the outside (indicating proper storage)?
3.) Although I will clean every cartridge, is there a bit risk of jamming or damage to my gun if some of the sticky soot is left on the cartridges?

A few wipes with isopropyl alcohol is proving effective enough at removing the stickiness, and it gives me time to inspect each cartridge and sort by year. Although I imagine that will get tiresome soon, for now it’s kinda fun :D
 
I bought a bunch of this off a fellow board member several years ago on another site, it was boxed early to mid 50's this stuff is hot and corrosive

I plan on pulling the projectiles and reducing the load 2-5% and reseat, anytime you have a mis-fire or hang fire wait 1-2 minutes this is shooting 101

loose projectiles need to be sorted and pulled and reloaded without a decapping pin
 
sprat said:
I bought a bunch of this off a fellow board member several years ago on another site, it was boxed early to mid 50's this stuff is hot and corrosive

I plan on pulling the projectiles and reducing the load 2-5% and reseat, anytime you have a mis-fire or hang fire wait 1-2 minutes this is shooting 101

loose projectiles need to be sorted and pulled and reloaded without a decapping pin
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I just wanted to verify if extra time should be taken in a hang- or misfire situation, and if there is a risk of it going off after ejecting.

Why do you want to make the ammo "less hot"? Surely it can't be too much for the gun?
 
why would I want to make ammo less hot????? surely you jest, if you or anyone else feels its safe to shoot that is fine by me, I will be reducing the charge
 
sprat said:
why would I want to make ammo less hot????? surely you jest, if you or anyone else feels its safe to shoot that is fine by me, I will be reducing the charge
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I heard the Turkish ammo is pretty "hot to handle", but never heard that about Yugo stuff.
 
ReiseReise said:
I just wanted to verify if extra time should be taken in a hang- or misfire situation, and if there is a risk of it going off after ejecting.

Why do you want to make the ammo "less hot"? Surely it can't be too much for the gun?
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I've been through a couple thousand or so of the Yugo 50s. It is hotter and more accurate than Romanian and was cheap "back in the day" (i.e. 5 years ago). It's 3-4 MOA in a good 98k if I do my part. The newer 70s-80s Yugo is wonderful and 2 MOA. With a proper new Wolff extra strength striker spring (22 lbs will usually get it, 24 lbs really will) you will have very few to any misfires from lighter than necessary firing pin strikes:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/3415791695/wolff-extra-power-firing-pin-spring-mauser-98

Note that a 24 lb. spring will make your trigger pull heavier. That's why I'd go with a 22 lb if you can get away with it. Sometimes even a new factory spring will do it. Point is, you want the lightest spring you can use and still get reliable primer strikes/ignition. This will solve the problem.

With respect to misfires, I usually just raise the bolt handle a bit and recock and try it again. Normally it is a good idea to wait about 30 seconds, always aware of your muzzle (what comes out that end is deadly). Always wear decent eye protection. I've had KBs before, particularly in an M1A that banana'd out the bottom of my mag and put little cuts in my face from the brass. Those little cuts will heal, unless they're in your eyeball, so again, good eye protection is a must, always.
 
Yes you need to wait if it misfires. Every time. Like Craig said you can cock and retry but
You must wait.

The loose ones are garbage in my opinion. I've tried them before and the bullet pushed back in the case. I consider them loss.

Discolouration or a film shouldn't do much, except maybe pollute the chamber.

Technically according to gun makers, ammo makers and your Canadian PAL course, you should only fire clean, good condition ammunition.
 
CanadianAR said:
Yes you need to wait if it misfires. Every time. Like Craig said you can cock and retry but
You must wait.

The loose ones are garbage in my opinion. I've tried them before and the bullet pushed back in the case. I consider them loss.

Discolouration or a film shouldn't do much, except maybe pollute the chamber.

Technically according to gun makers, ammo makers and your Canadian PAL course, you should only fire clean, good condition ammunition.
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Thanks. Yeah, I was just wondering if the usual amount of time for misfires is okay, or if they need longer or are more dangerous than "typical".

That's a shame about the loose ones; they don't rotate or anything, they just have a bit of "wiggle". I guess a few dollars for a few bullets is better than a scrapped gun or injury, though!
 
I have had decent accuracy from my 50s Yugo. It does have 5-10% misfires. I wait on the failed to fire rounds as long as I can stand but recently I have taken to a simple recock with a rim or whatever works well, with the rifle pointed at the target. You need not open the action so no real risk to the shooter. I get about 2% that will not fire with 3 tries and I am talking rifles that are not altered. The strippers are worth keeping, if you get ammo that has them. Mine with strippers, only one month off from mine without, has been better ammo. Could be lots of variables though.

70s and 90s Yugo is apparently good ammo. M75 is quite impressive and the only thing I shoot once the rifle is zeroed or where I want real accuracy. I love the stuff as it is as good as most match ammo IMO and my experience.
 
Hambone said:
With a proper new Wolff extra strength striker spring (22 lbs will usually get it, 24 lbs really will) you will have very few to any misfires from lighter than necessary firing pin strikes
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I took your advice and ordered the 22 lb spring... actually, I ordered the whole spring kit + a 24 lb spring, just to make sure, and because in order to ship to Canada they had a $25 minimum order. Oh well, now with both possibilities, I can switch-out to the 24 lb if I ever encounter some really stubborn rounds :thumbsup:

You guys have no idea how good you have it in the U.S., not just in terms of gun selection and price, but ammunition, too! Our new ammo (S&B or PPU) is over $1.50/shot, and milsurp is $1/shot including shipping (assuming a store in one's neighbourhood doesn't carry it already, of course). Ugh.
 
A sixty second wait for a hang fire is probably longer than needed. 30 seconds has been the standard forever.

I'd consider any lot of ammo that has bullets loose in the cases to be bad - the entire lot. The neck seals are compromised and the powder has had the chance to absorb moisture and contaminants. What's to say that the original progressively burning powder is not now explosive? Don't take the chance. Dispose of the obviously bad ammo, and all the rest that was packed in with it.

I've shot lots of the early 1950s Yugo 8mm without any misfires or hang-fires. I've been careful to buy only very clean looking ammo, still in the original cases and boxes. Wish I could find more!

The early 50s Yugo is not particularly hot, unless you're comparing it to recent wimpy commercially loaded stuff.
 
tsmgguy said:
A sixty second wait for a hang fire is probably longer than needed. 30 seconds has been the standard forever.

I'd consider any lot of ammo that has bullets loose in the cases to be bad - the entire lot. The neck seals are compromised and the powder has had the chance to absorb moisture and contaminants. What's to say that the original progressively burning powder is not now explosive? Don't take the chance. Dispose of the obviously bad ammo, and all the rest that was packed in with it.

I've shot lots of the early 1950s Yugo 8mm without any misfires or hang-fires. I've been careful to buy only very clean looking ammo, still in the original cases and boxes. Wish I could find more!

The early 50s Yugo is not particularly hot, unless you're comparing it to recent wimpy commercially loaded stuff.
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This ammo isn't in its original boxes, and the years are all over the place, as are the batches, I'm sure; no way I'm throwing it all out! Some are really clean looking, some are a bit discoloured, but there are no signs of cracks or significant corrosion.

Canadian firearms training says 60 seconds for a hang-fire, so I'll give it at least that (for liability reasons if nothing else LOL).

What is the best way to "de-activate" intact ammo? Dunk it in water or some other fluid? Obviously if it's an explosion risk, trying to take it apart and empty the powder sounds dangerous...
 
Yugo Ammo

I've had positive experiences with 50's Yugo. I have 600 rounds stashed that I paid 30 cents a round for at a local gun show. But, like the man said, I get some hang fires. I recently bought a 900 round case of M75 dated 1999. That's the stuff! Looks like new and functions perfectly. It'll prabably be a while before I get to the 50's stuff again.
 
Robbie said:
I've had positive experiences with 50's Yugo. I have 600 rounds stashed that I paid 30 cents a round for at a local gun show. But, like the man said, I get some hang fires. I recently bought a 900 round case of M75 dated 1999. That's the stuff! Looks like new and functions perfectly. It'll prabably be a while before I get to the 50's stuff again.
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Dang, nice score on all fronts! Those are the prices, and finds, that we just don't get here in Canada.
 
ReiseReise said:
I took your advice and ordered the 22 lb spring... actually, I ordered the whole spring kit + a 24 lb spring, just to make sure, and because in order to ship to Canada they had a $25 minimum order. Oh well, now with both possibilities, I can switch-out to the 24 lb if I ever encounter some really stubborn rounds :thumbsup:

You guys have no idea how good you have it in the U.S., not just in terms of gun selection and price, but ammunition, too! Our new ammo (S&B or PPU) is over $1.50/shot, and milsurp is $1/shot including shipping (assuming a store in one's neighbourhood doesn't carry it already, of course). Ugh.
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Good luck with it Reise. If the 22 lb works, stay with that. Your trigger will get appreciably heavier with the 24, but heavier with a 22. Let us know how it works out.
Regards,
HB
 
30 lbs.

I handload only_my best scores were with 30 lbs. spring _ I don't have found the trigger appreciabily heavier, and anyway a slight modification on a spare trigger can allow to tune it to the best (slightly more than 1,5 kg.)_ I've found the already modified trigger on a quite accurate VZ24 sniper, and I've performed the same trick to a post-war CZ K98k with good results, _ I understand that heavy springs can allow more vibrations to the rifle, but that's the price for some reduced lock-time, and I'm quite happy with that_ by the way, the 30 lbs. should have some persuasion even on stubborn primers, of course_
 

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You could carefully load the loose ones if they go in fine, shoot away but don't just blindly blast through them. Haah
 
ReiseReise said:
What is the best way to "de-activate" intact ammo? Dunk it in water or some other fluid? Obviously if it's an explosion risk, trying to take it apart and empty the powder sounds dangerous...
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I have a hammer in which I can screw the cartridge.
Simply slam it on the table :)
 
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