PPU Ammo - Match vs Regular

[LMNO]

Hey All,

Was thinking of trying out some PPU ammo in my Mosin as well as my Remington .308.

On the SG Ammo site, I noticed that PPU offers the same grains in two different flavors for both calibers. The Mosin ammo is offered in regular "FMJ" (PP763, $0.65/round) and match grade (PP766, $0.73/round) in 182 grains. The .308 is offered in 145 grains, with one marked as regular "FMJ" (PP328, $0.58/round), and the other as mil-spec (PP322, $0.54/round).

Is there really a big difference between the two flavors to warrant the extra cents/round?

[JMP]

I think it is a stretch to say that PPU Match Ammo is "match quality" as it lacks a good bullet. Nonetheless, the match PPU isn't bad given the price. I have shot the regular light PPU in .308 and it is okay for bulk ammo, but I'd prefer PMC or American Eagle redbox for that. The PPU Match for 308 that is 175gr is considerably better than the regular stuff, especially if you are trying to shoot far (however the 175gr FGMM or 175gr Lapua is quite a bit better for distance). That's for .308 Winchester. I do not know about the Mosin stuff, but most Mosin's really do not need much in the way of quality ammo since they aren't that accurate that I'd just go with the cheaper stuff. If you have a Mosin with a good barrel, then it may be worth a try.

[MongooseV8]

We shoot our crusty old Finns out to 500 meters with irons. PPU match is worth the extra couple bucks for longer distances, but not for punching paper at 50 yards. Although I will admit the only time PPU ammo gets shot is for the brass.

[hambam105]

For punching paper targets and pressurized soda cans at 50 yards I'm going to cast rifle bullets.

[laurelpark]

The PPU 175gr. match ammo is pretty darned good for the price. Not true "match grade" ammo - but it's the best factory stuff I could find for under $1 a round. Every once in a while you can find it on special - I got a bunch for around 52 cents a round a couple months ago (I think it was a Black Friday deal).

As noted, the brass is top notch. I don't reload, so my reloading buddies love it when I shoot the stuff and give them a bag of that brass.

[baih777]

If your rifle has a 1-10 twist, I would get the 168gr. Save the brass. I agree with the others. Brass is good for us reloaders.

[thegiff]

It depends on how much performance you want. At a clinic a few years back one of the guys used the PPU "Match" ammo. It was fine (as in reasonably accurate) during the day, and oddly shot pretty bad the next morning when it was cold. Then shot fine when it warmed up. Whereas the Federal Gold Medal Match (FGMM) shot great in all conditions.

We chronoed it and it was slow ammo, I forget the details, just a lot slower than the Federal. I wouldn't be surprised if it was totally different now though.

The best cheap "match" ammo i've ever seen is the ADI 7.62 Nato. They load it with Varget (ADI 2208) because they are the manufacturer of Hodgdon's Varget powder. I was getting .5 to .75" groups with it in my 308. It was packaged in blister packs.

[LMNO]

I think it is a stretch to say that PPU Match Ammo is "match quality" as it lacks a good bullet. Nonetheless, the match PPU isn't bad given the price. I have shot the regular light PPU in .308 and it is okay for bulk ammo, but I'd prefer PMC or American Eagle redbox for that. The PPU Match for 308 that is 175gr is considerably better than the regular stuff, especially if you are trying to shoot far (however the 175gr FGMM or 175gr Lapua is quite a bit better for distance). That's for .308 Winchester. I do not know about the Mosin stuff, but most Mosin's really do not need much in the way of quality ammo since they aren't that accurate that I'd just go with the cheaper stuff. If you have a Mosin with a good barrel, then it may be worth a try.

We shoot our crusty old Finns out to 500 meters with irons. PPU match is worth the extra couple bucks for longer distances, but not for punching paper at 50 yards. Although I will admit the only time PPU ammo gets shot is for the brass.

For punching paper targets and pressurized soda cans at 50 yards I'm going to cast rifle bullets.

My Mosin has a pitted barrel. Last time I was at the range, I shot the PPU 182 grain Match stuff with iron sights (first time), and the groupings were roughly 3.5" - 4" edge to edge at 100 yards. I was able to hit out 600 yards on steel about 50% of the time with wind at Angeles using the same ammo.

Think I'll stick with the cheapest stuff. I have been thinking about slugging the barrel, just to see if reloading may be worth it. Seems like a cheap platform to learn on.

I am assuming the cast bullets are a roll-your-own deal?

The PPU 175gr. match ammo is pretty darned good for the price. Not true "match grade" ammo - but it's the best factory stuff I could find for under $1 a round. Every once in a while you can find it on special - I got a bunch for around 52 cents a round a couple months ago (I think it was a Black Friday deal).

As noted, the brass is top notch. I don't reload, so my reloading buddies love it when I shoot the stuff and give them a bag of that brass.

If your rifle has a 1-10 twist, I would get the 168gr. Save the brass. I agree with the others. Brass is good for us reloaders.

It depends on how much performance you want. At a clinic a few years back one of the guys used the PPU "Match" ammo. It was fine (as in reasonably accurate) during the day, and oddly shot pretty bad the next morning when it was cold. Then shot fine when it warmed up. Whereas the Federal Gold Medal Match (FGMM) shot great in all conditions.

We chronoed it and it was slow ammo, I forget the details, just a lot slower than the Federal. I wouldn't be surprised if it was totally different now though.

The best cheap "match" ammo i've ever seen is the ADI 7.62 Nato. They load it with Varget (ADI 2208) because they are the manufacturer of Hodgdon's Varget powder. I was getting .5 to .75" groups with it in my 308. It was packaged in blister packs.

My .308 is the standard affair SPS Tactical 20" with the 1:10 twist. I have only shot the ZQ1 and the cheaper PPU 145 gr ammo through it. Nothing amazing, but seems ok for plinking. The PPU does better groups than the ZQ1, which have been all over the place at times. Very inconsistent, at least for me.

I found only one place that has the ADI ammo, so I'll be giving them a try, as well as the FGGM stuff.

Now that I have some brass accumulated, maybe it is time to stop fighting it and start reloading.

[Ishooter]

Did someone just mention Mosin? Lol. I shot PPU regular 7.62x54 and it's terrible in my custom Mosin. But when I switched to Mil-surp Xmatch and my handload, I shot 0.5-0.75" MOA.