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.308 ammo - S.A. or Hirt?
- Thread starter Prof
- Start date
Reinhard Heydrich
Moderator
The hirt is very clean burning ammo for surplus and accuracy is good to boot. I have shot alot of both and the SA is a little more dirtier as far as powder fouling. The hirt is better in all respects and the price diffrence is not much at all. Goto this website and you can order a 200 round battle pack for $32.00
www.southernohiogun.com or call them.
Hope that helps
www.southernohiogun.com or call them.
Hope that helps
Poodleshooter
New member
I've used a few hundred rounds of Hirtenberger soft point, from 1989. It was boxer primed and really hot. Extraction was sticky, though not overly so. Accuracy was on par with other surplus .308 I've fired. I've put one deer down with it, so it does work! I have no experience with the South African ammo.
If you reload, go for the Hirt. It's boxer primed, and so you get some brass in the bargain. They're both accurate, but I agree that the Hirt is a little cleaner. I've also enjoyed shooting some of the Radway Green stuff I got a gun show recently. Berdan primed, but still fun to shoot and accurate. AIM Surplus usually has the Hirt too.
I would not use Hirt in a bolt gun..its hot and will fry your bore....shop here had sold it then had to compensate several people who fried up the bore on there bolt guns..hirt is and was made for the Hk91......I have seen match grade Hirt showing up for 120bux for 200 rounds...its 190grain and is routinly passed off as psg1 ammo..this is total crap so beware..psg1 used a 12RH twist which was the same as the standard 91.no way in hell a 12RH twist will stabalize 190 grain.....In my estimation you are better off using the SA 308 in a bolt gun....my 2 cents
Please pardon my ignorance ... why is the Hirtenberger OK in a HK91 and not in a bolt gun? It seems that if it is hot, then it is hot in anything. I have a bunch of the Hirt and I have a Garand and a Browning BLR ... both in .308 ... I have shot some (but not tons) of the Hirtenberger out of both the Garand and the BLR and have been quite happy with its accuracy. The BLR and most bolt guns are made for commercial .308WIN ... which is supposed to be hotter than the mil-surp 7.62x51 that is Hirtenberger, Radway Green, SA (PMP). Please help with my confusion!
Thanks,
Saands
Thanks,
Saands
yankytrash
New member
From Tennesee Guns on Hirt 308 Match:
Tennesee Guns on regular Hirt 308:
I cannot confirm nor deny any claims of fried barrels. You'll have to do your own reasoning with the information I've passed along above.
I, in no way, am calling Tennesee Guns ammunition experts, but they knew enough to post statements like that on their website. Seems to me, there's a difference in the type of Hirt, which is overlooked sometimes.
Good luck.
This Austrian .308 surplus is brass case, boxer primed, non-corrosive, 190 grain boattail HP Sierra Match King bullet, with 20 rounds per box, 200 rounds per PVC battlepack. Super accurate, made specifically for PSG-1 and bolt actions. Not for M-14's
Tennesee Guns on regular Hirt 308:
Highlights by yankytrash.This Austrian .308 surplus is brass case, boxer primed, non-corrosive, 147 grain FMJ, with 20 rounds per box, 200 rounds per PVC battlepack, 1,000 rounds per case.
I cannot confirm nor deny any claims of fried barrels. You'll have to do your own reasoning with the information I've passed along above.
I, in no way, am calling Tennesee Guns ammunition experts, but they knew enough to post statements like that on their website. Seems to me, there's a difference in the type of Hirt, which is overlooked sometimes.
Good luck.
Guys,
Re the "Match Grade" Hirty .308 with the 190 grain bullet.
There is a valid reason this round is "Not for M-14's" (or M1's either). Anybody who shoots M1 & M14 in competition is well aware not to shoot bullets heavier than 180 grains in these rifles. Damage to the op-rod and or cracking of the receiver from battering could result. Accuracy will also suffer from the battering to the bedding long before actual damage shows up.
I would also surmise that, with the heavier bullet (meant for bolt rifles with longer barrels), the Hirty round is also loaded with a slower powder than is the 147gr fmj round. This is another "red flag" for M1 & M14 users. Slow powders are another "no-no" that can damage the op-rod or eventually batter the receiver.
These cautions for the M14 (M1-A) have nothing to do with how "hot" the round is. The gas systems of the M14 and M1 were designed to operate with a specific gas port pressure to cycle the system. Using bullets too heavy or powders too slow causes port pressure to rise well above the design specs. This will pretty quickly cause problems as stated above.
As far as the Hirty Match round being "hotter" and burning up barrels on bolt rifles??? Sorry, but that's gotta' be some sort of myth. I'll believe it when I see it.
I'm sure it is well within SAAMI spec for .308 to be used in any good bolt rifle.
Note: I've fired lots of milspec Hirty 147 fmj in my M1-A and it shoots great...... accurate too. No hotter than any other milspec 7.62 Nato.
Just more of my ramblings...
Swampy
Re the "Match Grade" Hirty .308 with the 190 grain bullet.
There is a valid reason this round is "Not for M-14's" (or M1's either). Anybody who shoots M1 & M14 in competition is well aware not to shoot bullets heavier than 180 grains in these rifles. Damage to the op-rod and or cracking of the receiver from battering could result. Accuracy will also suffer from the battering to the bedding long before actual damage shows up.
I would also surmise that, with the heavier bullet (meant for bolt rifles with longer barrels), the Hirty round is also loaded with a slower powder than is the 147gr fmj round. This is another "red flag" for M1 & M14 users. Slow powders are another "no-no" that can damage the op-rod or eventually batter the receiver.
These cautions for the M14 (M1-A) have nothing to do with how "hot" the round is. The gas systems of the M14 and M1 were designed to operate with a specific gas port pressure to cycle the system. Using bullets too heavy or powders too slow causes port pressure to rise well above the design specs. This will pretty quickly cause problems as stated above.
As far as the Hirty Match round being "hotter" and burning up barrels on bolt rifles??? Sorry, but that's gotta' be some sort of myth. I'll believe it when I see it.
I'm sure it is well within SAAMI spec for .308 to be used in any good bolt rifle.
Note: I've fired lots of milspec Hirty 147 fmj in my M1-A and it shoots great...... accurate too. No hotter than any other milspec 7.62 Nato.
Just more of my ramblings...
Swampy