Prvi Partizan Ammunition

[Xtrema]

Does anyone have any experience with the above ammo brand?

I have heard nothing but good about it, but i've not used it myself and i'm wondering if the brass is good for reloading.

[Grum87]

I use PPU brass for my .303, and have found it to work just fine.

[MrCetrizine]

I pretty much use PPU brass exclusively it's great stuff. I do buy it as virgin cases though, I've never shot the factory ammo.

[banus02]

the brass is very good for reloading, I use it in 223.243.6.5x55 and 308 normally get 6 plus loads.never used factory rounds i always get used cases no one in oxon/berks sells or has any factory rounds in stock

[DW58]

I'd say some calibres of PPU brass are better than others - we use PPU 7.5x55mm brass in our K31 because it's all there is unless you want to reload Berdan-primed Swiss cases. The PPU 7.5x55mm brass isn't of fantastic quality, but it's OK.

 

A friend uses PPU 7.92x57mm brass and has had lots of problems. There appear to be two separate types of PPU brass in this calibre, i.e. that marked "8x57mm" and some marked "8mm Mauser" - one lot works well in his KAR98 and the other doesn't function well, yet both are made by PPU (sorry I can't remember which works and which doesn't).

 

Several fellow club members use PPU .303 ammo/.303 cases with no apparent problems.

 

Would I use PPU ammunition? If there is no alternative such as with 7.5x55mm or .303 I'll use it, but if there's a better alternative especially with brass I'd rather use that.

 

Purely a personal opinion.

[bradders]

Brass is fine, ammo not so much

[VarmLR]

Brass is fine, ammo not so much

 

This.

[rem700]

As others have said the brass is pretty good but not up to Lapua standards (IMO)

I have used ppu ammo in 22.250 and in my rifle and it produced very good groupings and was consistent

But in my 6.5x55 it was dreadful

But as its so cheep it's worth buying a box to try in your rifle

And if it doesn't work out no big loss

[Hatzi]

Brass is ok but the headspacing on some calibres, particularly 243, can be way too tight.

[Laurie]

Brass is ok but the headspacing on some calibres, particularly 243, can be way too tight.

 

This is a leitmotif on the Stalking Directory Forum. Many deerstalkers like PPU, but the hard or impossible chambering issue arises in some factory rifles.

[Xtrema]

Thank you for the responses chaps, very helpful.

It's so cheap i'll just have to give it a go so i'll buy a box or two of 223 and see how it goes.

[Akeld]

For the price, its daft not to try a box, if your rifle likes it use it. So far I've used it in my .22-250 sub inch group and I use the virgin brass for my reloads, .243 absolutely terrible but fine for a fouling shot, 6.5x55 again around the 3/4-1" group so perfect for woodland stalking and .308 1.5-1.75 passable for boiler room shots while stalking and I use the brass for TMK's when I need it tighter

[ted105]

Very good brass and not bad factory ammo at the price, cheap way to zero ,usually under 1moa.

[VarmLR]

 

This is a leitmotif on the Stalking Directory Forum. Many deerstalkers like PPU, but the hard or impossible chambering issue arises in some factory rifles.

 

Exactly so. I've had no end of issues with both factory and reloaded cases in 308 in my T3. Headspace in every case was too little preventing the bolt from closing. Not what you want when out on a stalk! (I ought to have checked them before hand). I normally neck size and found that I had to turn the die in a full turn and a half from where the shell holder touched the die at the top of the stroke to knock the shoulders back to get about 1 or 2 thou headspace.

[Hobbit]

I bought 100 privi 175gr fmj in 308/30 cal when I started handloading

 

I found the groups were a lot worse that those I could achieve (on the same day albeit with different charge due to heavier bullet) with Lapua 155gr and 167gr scenars - don't think my TRG liked them - obviously they are cheaper but given all the other cost that goes into shooting I have not persevered with them

[phaedra1106uk]

Rifle cases are pretty good, pistol I've found not so much, had two batches of 44mag from them and they started splitting after 3 or 4 loads (light gallery rifle) I have Starline cases in the same caliber that have 20+ firings with no signs of wear.

 

As to price, I don't think they're cheap at all, Kranks list their 308 "Match" ammunition at £75/100, I can load 1/2MOA ammunition using Lovex powder and much better Nosler Custom Competition bullets for under half of that, even using Viht N140 it's still under £40/100.

[VarmLR]

Rifle cases are pretty good, pistol I've found not so much, had two batches of 44mag from them and they started splitting after 3 or 4 loads (light gallery rifle) I have Starline cases in the same caliber that have 20+ firings with no signs of wear.

 

As to price, I don't think they're cheap at all, Kranks list their 308 "Match" ammunition at £75/100, I can load 1/2MOA ammunition using Lovex powder and much better Nosler Custom Competition bullets for under half of that, even using Viht N140 it's still under £40/100.

 

 

Where do you get Nostler bullets so cheap if you don't mind me asking? "...under half of that" = under half of £75/100, loaded presumably = 37.5p/round loaded? My 308 costs, ignoring the bullets, and using CCI 200 primers, Viht N140 and brass which works out at 10p/load all in comes to 34p/round. Add the bullets and that brings them up to 68p/round.

[phaedra1106uk]

Here's my costs breakdown, for the 308 using once fired RWS brass (I have a lot of it)

 

RWS Brass - 02p
41 Grains Vit N140 - 15p or 41 Grains Lovex S062 - 09p

PMC (Murom) LRPrimer - 03p
Nosler 168gr Custom Competition bullet - 18p

 

So £32/100 using Lovex or £38/100 using N140

 

I get the Noslers from Germany, they've gone up about 4p each since the last ones I bought (lousy exchange rate etc) currently about €290/1000 including shipping so around £22/1000

[Grum87]

Rifle cases are pretty good, pistol I've found not so much, had two batches of 44mag from them and they started splitting after 3 or 4 loads (light gallery rifle) I have Starline cases in the same caliber that have 20+ firings with no signs of wear.

 

As to price, I don't think they're cheap at all, Kranks list their 308 "Match" ammunition at £75/100, I can load 1/2MOA ammunition using Lovex powder and much better Nosler Custom Competition bullets for under half of that, even using Viht N140 it's still under £40/100.

Odd.....I've got a mountain of .38spl PPU brass that some have easily got 10 firings, or more....bit manky, but still shooting fine.

[VarmLR]

Here's my costs breakdown, for the 308 using once fired RWS brass (I have a lot of it)

 

RWS Brass - 02p

41 Grains Vit N140 - 15p or 41 Grains Lovex S062 - 09p

PMC (Murom) LRPrimer - 03p

Nosler 168gr Custom Competition bullet - 18p

 

So £32/100 using Lovex or £38/100 using N140

 

I get the Noslers from Germany, they've gone up about 4p each since the last ones I bought (lousy exchange rate etc) currently about €290/1000 including shipping so around £22/1000

 

Wow, that's cheap for the bullets. I pay £73/Kg for the N140 and load at 43 grains, so cost is based on 358 bullets/Kg = 20.4p/bullet for the powder alone.

[MrCetrizine]

If you buy N140 in the 3.5kg tubs it works out about £52 per kilo.

[VarmLR]

Thanks, I'll do that next time. Wasn't aware there was such a price difference.

[22lrman]

308 PPU ammo I bought had awful accuracy. But still using the brass after about 5 firings with no issues so far. Neck sized only.

 

I found it's just as cheap to buy PPU factory ammo, and just practice with it to fire form it to your gun, rather than using virgin PPU brass and fireform it with your best loads.

[Aussie Foxer]

I have a box of these to try in my Tikka T3 in 222 cal, looking forward to seeing how they perform.

 

For foxing out to 200 yards they might group tight enough to be ok.

[chaz]

I've found them to be ok when bought as new rounds. 1 moa at best in my rifle though (.223) But I've found the brass to be very good for reloading.

Chaz.