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MN M2Ball and 7.62 Nato find (Rant)

2K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  Duce 
#1 ·
Sorry if this sounds too much like a rant...

Got a "tip" that a pawn shop about 45 minutes from me had some surplus M2 Ball. Gave them a call and talked to a guy who confirmed that they've got "thousands" of rounds. Asked him what headstamps they had, and all he could say was that it was "all American" from the 40s/50s/60s. Asked how much he was asking for it, and all he said was that because he had such an assortment (some in cardboard boxes, en blocs, bandos, etc.), I should come up and look at what I wanted before discussing price. That was a red flag, but I let my curiosity get the best of me.

Took the trip up there today. Guys there claimed they had "100,000" rounds of M2 Ball. AP. Tracer. You name it. I asked if they had any 7.62 Nato. "Tons" was the answer.

"So, can I see some?"

"Sure, we can go back and bring out a few boxes. But first, would you be interested in some Indian made stuff?"

"Indian?" I replied. "Don't know too much about that stuff, and not sure if it's corrosive or not."

"All the stuff we have here is non-corrosive."

"Ok. But first I'd like to see what you have in American M2."

Wait ten minutes for the guy to go into the store room and return with some boxes of EW 43 M2 Ball.

"Um, this stuff is corrosive" I tell him.

"No it's not. Guy we got this from said it's all non-corrosive" was his reply.

"It's my understanding that all ammo made during WWII is corrosive." Guy gets on the internet and a few minutes later confirms my understanding, adding "I shoot corrosive ammo all the time. Just need to wash the bore with water afterwards."

I tell him that while I have no problem shooting corrosive ammo in bolt actions, I won't shoot it in gas guns like my Garands.

"Well, let me go and check for some more" says he.

Guy comes back with about 8 cartons of LC 65/69. Each box still had what appeared to be rather new pricing stickers from a different ammo company advertising the ammo at $6/box. Without asking how many more he had, I asked him what he wanted for it.

"Don't know. Let me look it up" was his reply. He then spends 5 minutes at his computer searching what appeared to be other MilSurp ammo sites on the interent to see what they were offering.

He finally tells me "$18/box" GI3 Ouch, that's a bit steep.

"We also have 8-rd magazines for $9 each."

"Don't you mean en bloc clips?" was my reply.

"What?"

"Nevermind."

I then told him that just last week I picked up several 240 rd spam cans of Greek HXP for $100 each (admittedly a very good deal), and that a more reasonable price for this ammo was about $10 per box.

"Best I can do is $16 [tax included]." Guess I won't be buying a thousand rounds of this today.

"Well, how about the 7.62 NATO?"

I then spend some time looking through a 50 cal can of the 7.62. It comprised an assortment of little Zip-Loc bags of 20 rounds apiece of what looked to be dirty LC 80-82. Also had several 20-rd boxes of foreign headstamps, some of which was Israeli and a few other unknowns. I wasn't too sure about the foreigns, so I asked what he wanted for the plastic bags of LC. He then gets back onto his computer searching other MilSurp websites. While he was doing this, I took a closer look at the LC in the plastic bags. I began to feel uncomfortable about it because for all I could tell it could have been reloads. Some of the primers appeared to have been sealed, but some did not. None of the primers contained any crimping, but I wasn't sure if this was normal or not. Finally after 10 minutes, he tells me he wants nearly $20 for each 20-rd bag. GI3 Guess I won't be getting a thousand rounds of this today either.

At this point, I decided that I didn't want to leave entirely empty-handed, so I picked up a box each of the LC 65 and LC 69 M2 ball and thanked him for his time. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed. Most of the 7.62 they had looked a bit questionable, and I'm just not ready to spend 80 cents/rd for 40-year old surplus M2 ammo, and nearly $1/rd for the 7.62. Regarding the M2, while I understand that the LC is some good stuff, I just thought it was too much.

Or maybe I'm off base?

Rant over.
 
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#3 ·


Sucks, but lesson learned. We have a pawn shop here who advertises all the time about bulk ammo, new and Mil-surp for really cheap prices.

I showed up, every piece of it is in gallon bags, all reloads. When I asked why it was advertised as new and mil-surp, the guy said, "well it is all nato cross brass, and the bullets are all military surplus. And the rest is all new components just loaded now."

Yeah that makes it mil-surp.
 
#4 ·
I would have been PEODGIF if I made that trip. Not only did he not have a price, he didn't have a clue what he was selling. The first time he went to the computer to look something up I would have been gone.
 
#6 ·
I forgot to mention that he was bewildered by the "marking" on the 7.62 LC 80, thinking it meant that it was "match" ammo. I informed him that it was a NATO cross. GI3 That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Definitely wasn't going to buy this questionable ammo from him. Further, he probably had a half-dozen or more different foreign headstamped 20-rd cardboard boxes, and he was going to spend about ten minutes each looking up what he should charge for each. Ridiculous.

It does make one wonder, though, that if they really do move this stuff at those prices, whose buying it? Which reminds me... at some point during our "negotiations", another customer comes up and stands to my immediate left. While I'm inspecting some of the ammo, guy behind the counter starts talking to the new customer who apparently is looking for some new laser sites for his handgun. New customer apparently has a conceal/carry license as he takes out his sidearm tucked under his jacket. Before giving it to the guy behind the counter, new customer begins to clear the chamber and in so doing points it right at another guy working at the store. GI3 I took a step or so away from new customer, just shaking my head and thinking to myself "What am I doing here?"
 
#9 ·
Sounds like the place was teaming with idiots. That's a place you RUN away from and don't go back.
 
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#10 ·
OH! I just remembered the best part!

Towards the end of my hour-long ordeal, during a lull in other customers, as I was inspecting some rounds, guy behind the counter looks at me and asks with the most sternest and serious of faces... "Would you be interested in some Nazi gear?"

I looked him straight in the face for a second or two, and simply replied "No."
 
#11 ·
I can't believe you didn't want to hang around another hour as he looked up the price for that stuff online!
 
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